David Merritt, former captain of the University of Michigan basketball team, braved the cold weather and sat down with me at Espresso Royale to discuss his clothing line, IMU, which aims to spread happiness and showing compassion towards others. Merritt proved collected and compassionate, and provided a better understanding of his ever-growing company. His second collection launches on Saturday, so make sure to check it out on the website.

David Merritt: From basketball star to local entrepreneur

1. Most of us hear the name “David Merritt” and automatically think of the time you spent as captain of the University of Michigan’s basketball team. How do you think that leadership helped to shape your role with IMU?

In terms of IMU’s attributes, it is a brand that focuses on values. Being a captain alongside C.J. Lee taught me the meaning of selflessness and teamwork. I learned the importance of sacrificing personal motives in order to reach team goals. That’s really what led me to start IMU. Our whole idea is to make people feel special as individuals, while recognizing that people are unique and special within their own community and because of the experiences around them.
It’s because of my experiences on the team that I fully understood what I wanted IMU to be about.

2. Who has been most supportive of the IMU venture?

C.J. Lee played a big role in some of our focus groups as we started putting this thing together. Zack Novak lives close by and he comes over on a regular basis. He’s always really in tune to what we’re doing. The both of them have been really supportive.  And Deshawn Sims is “Mr. Fashion,” so hopefully one day we can work together.

3. What did your teammates say when you told them about the line?

Well, at first, my teammates were really skeptical. They had no idea what I was doing because I didn’t tell anyone anything. Zack Novak actually saw the business plan for IMU because it was sitting on my bed when we were in Purdue for a game last year. He picked it up, read it, and sort of knew something was up. Other than that, I kept it quiet. When everyone found out, they were extremely supportive.

4. You created the company during a time of economic instability. What was that like?

I mean, a lot of people saw it as doomed from the get go considering the recession that we’re in. Personally, I see it as an opportunity because a recession is a time when wealth shifts. With IMU, I believe in the message. To me, it’s not all about profit maximizing business. Our goal is to spread happiness and as long as we’re doing that, I’m happy, whether or not it’s a tough market.

5. I keep hearing you say “making people happy” and “the importance of spreading happiness.” How does IMU do that?

Our whole mission is to spread happiness. Everything we do is focused on feelings. Our designs have meaning. Our customer service is unrivaled. When people order a product, they get a follow-up email right away. We mail out t-shirts the day after an order, so people usually get it within three days, which is extremely fast. Our packages are all IMU branded—people aren’t getting products in a standard, brown box. I also make sure to write a personalized note for each package. We go above and beyond to make our customers feel special.

6. Do you design the shirts?

No, I do not design the shirts. I come up with the concepts. For our first collection we had two German designers. I’ll do sketches, but I left the creativity up to them. They’re the professionals.

Merritt modelingthe classic, IMU logo t-shirt.

7. How did you come up with the name “IMU?”

I got a text message in September of 2008 that had “IMU” in it. I knew right away that it means “I miss you,” but I had never seen it written like that. Over the next couple of months, I was thinking about it nonstop, which led me to the vision of IMU as a brand name.

8. I read on your website that each IMU employee participates in 8-10 hours of community service a month. Do you do that, too?

Of course. We have done a number of service events ranging from Detroit to Ann Arbor. We have worked with organizations like Beyond Basics, which is an organization that hopes to eradicate illiteracy in the Detroit community. We have also worked with community centers in Ann Arbor, in addition to participating in the breast cancer walk, which we raised five-hundred dollars for. It’s important for IMU to engage in community work, whether it’s a walk or raking leaves for the elderly. We do just about everything, but our focus is on youth and education.

9. So education is a big part of your life?

Education has always been a big part of my life. I was always taught to concentrate on my academics just as much as my athletics. I had an academic scholarship at Michigan, so it was always important for me to have some sort of academic foundation. And, it ended up being a good thing. I’m not playing basketball now, so it’s a good thing I had that education.

10. Was playing basketball out of college an option?

It was an option, yes, but after I founded IMU and saw what it could really be, I decided against it. Plus, I’ve also had a lot of injuries. My body’s not the same as it used to be.

11. You seem like such a kind-hearted person. Who inspired your desire to engage in community service?

My parents have been a pretty big part of my life and my development of a person, my morals, and my values. They have always dedicated themselves to helping others. I believe you’re blessed to bless others. In life, it’s not about you personally but what effect you have on other people.

12. Why Ann Arbor as a place to start a company?

Michigan is home for me. I grew up in Detroit and went to high school in West Bloomfield. Ann Arbor is the perfect community. It’s so diverse and open to new ideas. It’s also incredibly loyal. With this mission of ours, we thought it was the perfect place to start and have it grow. We have about 50,000 people in our target age range within a five to ten mile radius. The students love the message, the quality, and the freshness of our products. In regards to the community service part, there is so much that needs to be done in Detroit and we saw this as an opportunity to make it better.

13. What does IMU sell?

IMU? "I Miss You."

Our first collection was strictly t-shirts. But, our next set, which comes out on Saturday also has a thermal for women and a long-sleeved hoodie for men. We’d love to expand it even more. To date (we just hit 5 months), we’ve sold nearly seven-hundred t-shirts, which is great, but our whole thing is about quality.

14. How much are the t-shirts?

They started off in the $30 range, but we recently put everything on sale because of the new products coming out on Saturday.

15. I noticed on your website that you model some of the t-shirts (looking good, by the way). Is this something that you’re interested in pursuing?

(Laughs). It’s my line, it’s my apparel company, and it’s hard getting models. Really, I just fill in if we need somebody. It’s probably not going to last.

16. Where do you see IMU in the next couple of years?

I see big things on the horizon. We get new ideas every day. I’m always asking myself:  “How can we make this better?” “How can we make this spread?” We were fortunate enough to be on Channel 2 and Channel 7 before we even launched. We’ve been on Time.com through the Detroit blog—there’s been a tremendous amount of press. We have to think—99% of the world hasn’t heard of IMU, they have no idea what we do. I really hope to increase exposure. I envision, a couple years down the line, not necessarily partnering with organizations, but having our own program that focuses on fostering youth and education.

From a clothing standpoint, it’s always about quality, quality, quality! Everything we do is high in quality. I hope to expand into the realm of hats, hoodies, jeans, shoes, the whole shabang. It’s important to remember that we are an apparel company, too.

17. What’s your own style like?

To be honest, I like sweats. Give me a pair of sweats and I’m good. But when I go out, I like to wear jeans. I like to look nice. I think I have a good sense of style.  Of course, I wear the IMU shirts on a regular basis, especially when I go out.

18. I’m sure we’ll see everything on the website, but tell us about the second collection!

IMU promotes two different lifestyles. One is called “Mostest,” which is a lifestyle for the outliers, the people who are always giving of themselves to their particular passion. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the book “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell, but he discusses special and unique people who are always giving 110% to their passionate craft, whether it be their family, community, or job. The second lifestyle is called “ubuntu,” which is a philosophy from Africa that focuses on generosity and recognizing that our actions affect us as individuals and those around us. It’s the message of interconnectedness.

Our second collection, IMU Grind, promotes the Mostest message. The look really focuses on plaid designs with the IMU logo. We hope to reclaim the messages associated with plaid. Today, it is trendy to see plaid, but there’s no message behind it. Plaid originally broke into this country with blue-collared workers, lumberjacks, and farmers. Plaid was associated with a strong work ethic. What IMU is doing is re-inventing that work ethic message associated with plaid, by combining it with the IMU message.

Check out IMU on Facebook or Twitter and support a Michigan celebrity focused on promoting happiness within his community.