“We have customers in every province, in Yukon, NWT, Nunavut, and in 75 per cent of the United States.” They ship overseas to Greenland, Italy, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and more. They have wholesale accounts in Austin, Texas and Adelaide, Australia. “The power of the Internet has pushed us forward and brought us together, but I remember my roots. I drove a hoodie over to a guy who was four kilometres away last night. We need to remember the early days and stay true to the company we wanted to be,” he said. One distinguishing factor is Large Lads does all work in-house, a hard stance Weir had from the begin- ning. “I wouldn’t outsource. It’s been an expensive learning experience through trial and error, but we don’t rely on anyone. My Insta- gram for the company was started by my cousin Tyler, and three years later he’s my digital and creative director,” he said. “He is my right- hand man. With his critical thinking and creative nature, he has helped bring Large Lads to the next level.”
“Our brand motto is ‘Xlarge fully in charge” and it was a mind-frame before it was a motto.”
He says his business hasn’t only gotten people the clothes they need, but it’s changed attitudes as well. “We have people emailing saying we’ve changed sons’ and husbands’ lives. They’re comfortable, confident and happy. We offer to 8XL in shirts and size 70 waists. We are really helping the big guy,” he said. From Weir’s own personal experience he knew that this brand was needed. “Look at big guys, they are generally dressed the same, unfashion- able. Good clothes are so hard to find, and so many wear the same few unstylish pieces they found at Wal-Mart. This was something big and tall people needed.” There were times Weir was scared, worried they’d fold and was terrified for the future. But he says the end goal overrode the daily anxiety, and his passion for the business trumped his worries. “What we’ve done in revenue since last Septem- ber is more than we did in the first two-and-a-half years. We’re nailing Google, Facebook and direct marketing,” he said.
“Even though this cost money to learn all these things, we don’t need to rely on others. We built our website, and if there’s a problem, we can fix it.”
He is adamant his family deserves the brunt of the credit for helping him keep Large Lads going.
“If not for my wife, family and cousin, I wouldn’t be
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2020 U E 2019
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