Romey Donaldson: Balancing fashion sense with excellence

Romey Donaldson, the outgoing 19-year-old Cornwall College student, has demonstrated a firm commitment to excellence with a proclivity for risk-taking while operating his business, Affluence.bykingromey. Currently serving his school as deputy head boy, Donaldson launched his company last August with the objective of selling both male and female clothing.

The reason for starting his company was to fulfil a burning desire to achieve financial freedom. “I have always been interested in being independent ... so I wanted to start my business in the eighth grade. However, the timing was not ideal,” he said.

Nevertheless, when the time came, he devoted all of his resources to this initiative. He told The Gleaner, “I invested all my savings into my business, literally everything when I just started out. (Yet) I did not receive any inquiries or possible clients.”

This initial disappointment did not deter Donaldson’s resolve. Despite feeling discouraged, he reassuringly stated that speaking with his friends and family helped him to regain his footing, as “diamonds are built under pressure”.

He added, “I would often remind myself that nothing in life comes easy and if this is something that I want to succeed in, I will have to exhibit patience and hard work.” From this difficult start, Donaldson learned that there was a lot of sacrifice in business and to experience success, you have to “believe in your brand and continue pushing.” This leads him to promote his label at every given opportunity.

Choosing to participate in the fashion industry was no surprise as he believes that “fashion is one of the best forms of expression, as one is able to tap into so many different facets of themselves. Whether you are happy, melancholic, quirky, a risk-taker or otherwise, this can all be depicted through your sense of fashion”.

His company’s name also maintains its symbolic meaning, as the word ‘affluence’ suggests an abundance of wealth. This definition informs his core business philosophy. “I want my customers to feel like whatever their definition of wealth is, my brand will be able to offer them clothing that allows them to express themselves in that manner,” he explains.

Time Management is Essential

For Donaldson, managing his time paramount so as to maintaining his business’ profitability and participate in the array of extracurricular activities he is involved in. Donaldson is not only the deputy head boy but president of the Interact Club, president of the Swimming and Tennis Club, and a member of the Key Club and the Interschool Christian Fellowship.

He emphasised that “time management is of utmost importance. I have to ensure that I allot a reasonable amount of time for the business, and I try to complete as much of my school as work as possible before training ... . On some days, I’ll even train from 6-7 a.m. before school, just to ensure that I can have extra time to do school work and study.”

The success of this regime is reflected in his impressive swimming performances as Donaldson achieved top rankings nationally for the 200- and 400-metre freestyle and the 100- and 200-metre breaststroke. He was also successful in garnering individual personal-best times in the 200- and 400-metre freestyle in the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation 2018 rankings.

It should be noted that the source of his inspiration is his parents. He said, “My mother has always said to me that ‘nothing beats a failure than a try’.” They have also inculcated in him a firm belief in God and the importance of timing. His mother also shops with him, which has helped him to remember the importance of having a strong support systems in his life.

Donaldson also believes in striving for perfection and not settling for mediocrity. He reaffirms, “I believe that whatever we do as humans should be of utmost standard and quality ... . I think this desire to produce the best quality, experience and brand is what has helped me along my journey.”

These values also help to inform his aspirations to continuously improve while combining selflessness, authenticity and determination in whatever activity he does. Some future goals for the company include establishing physical locations for his brand, expanding internationally, and creating an environment where customers feel comfortable expressing themselves through fashion.

He encourages future entrepreneurs to use “mind over matter, as whatever we desire in life is attainable. However, we have to condition our minds to believe that we are worthy, we are powerful and that we can.”

- For further information, Affluence.bykingromey can be contacted through their email, affluence.bykingromey@gmail.com, their Instagram page @affluence.bykingromey, and via WhatsApp or phone at 876-919-3990.