The Game Plan for Success | Jael Thorpe, Gameday Social
The Game Plan for Success with Jael Thorpe
On the latest episode of Behind the Business, Founders in the 605, Marcus and Alexis Mahlen sit down with Jael Thorpe, founder of Gameday Social.
Gameday Social is a certified women-owned licensed collegiate apparel company, headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Jael discusses her start in entrepreneurism began when she started her own photography business after getting fired from a job her freshman year of college. After stints in owning clothing boutiques and a restaurant, Jael took a leap of faith and sold those businesses to go all in on her collegiate apparel company in 2019 after national sports retailer, SCHEELS agreed to carry her clothing.
Six years later, her business’ licensing portfolio has grown to over 50 universities and whole sales to thousands of customers. However, the incredible growth comes with the challenges of scaling business, rewriting processes, and recent tariff impacts on overseas manufacturing partners.
Click below to listen to the full episode on Spotify.
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Marcus and Alexis recording this episode of 605 Founders Podcast in the Loft Advisors Studio at First Dakota National Bank.
Jael Thorpe recording this episode of 605 Founders Podcast in the Loft Advisors Studio at First Dakota National Bank.
About Jael:
Jael is a longtime entrepreneur and founder/CEO of a quickly growing apparel company focused on the underserved niche of fashion-oriented female college apparel and elevated resort wear. From starting her first business while in college, through owning and operating multi-location specialty retail and now developing a licensed apparel brand, she has created a strong background in all facets of fashion, including: branding, design, international sourcing, as well the day-to-day of business management, finance and team culture building.
From left to right: Alexis Mahlen, Jael Thorpe, and Marcus Mahlen.
