In the summer of 2022, before starting their senior year, Homewood High School alumni Sam Sutton and Carter Vail co-founded Rich Habits, an athletic clothing brand that’s quickly gaining popularity beyond the walls of HHS. The company’s mission is to offer high-quality athletic apparel at an affordable price, making it accessible to student-athletes.
Rich Habits targets high school athletic teams, an advancing market that has helped the company expand. With contracts already in place with over 40 schools, the brand is quickly gaining traction.
Vail shared their ambitions: “Long-term goals for us…, by the time we graduate [college], we want to be in over 250 schools.”
As Rich Habits expands its clientele and popularity, it faces competition from major corporations like Nike, but the company remains focused on quality and cost-efficiency, which is what sets them apart. For high school teams looking to make the most of their budget, this is a game-changer.
“We are trying to make it affordable for regular kids,” Sutton said. “[High Schools] can get the same amount of gear and spend an absurdly less amount of money.”
Right now, the company’s main challenge is locational logistics. With Sutton living in Dallas, Texas and Vail in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the founders are not able to collaborate in person often. Despite being completely online, they are still able to run the business successfully.
“On top of that, the hardest challenge is how fast we’ve been growing,” Sutton said.
The company has expanded rapidly in the last six months, amassing more clients and employees than they projected. Adjusting to keep up with these higher order volumes and faster turnaround times has been key to improving their business management.
One of Rich Habits’ clients is the HHS wrestling team. They ordered their entire gear pack for the season including singlets, shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and a matching tech suit from the company.
HHS boys varsity wrestling coach Frankie McKeown was drawn to Rich Habits after comparing their prices to other companies.
“They give us all that stuff for a lower price than bigger companies do for half the amount of gear,” McKeown said.
Not only is the marketed affordability and quality appealing to buyers, but the owners of Rich Habits dedicate themselves to making the ordering process simple.
“It was very easy. We trust [Sutton],” McKeown said, “We will be ordering from them next year.”
To meet their goals, Sutton and Vail are committed to maintaining their focus on affordability and quality. Rich Habits is proving that business success isn’t about competing with the biggest names in the industry but about offering a better solution at a better price.
