Tami Mensh has so many interests that she had a hard time settling on a college major. “I couldn’t ever decide what I wanted to do because I liked too many different things,” she says. But with ShopUnitee.com, her new line of “inspirational activewear,” Mensh has found a way to unify her enthusiasm for clothing, yoga, business—and words.

Mensh, 42, grew up and still lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and attended the University of Maryland, where she wound up majoring in general studies. After college, she worked with her mother, who owns the B’Dazzled clothing store in Bethesda, and took jobs in marketing and advertising before becoming a stay-at-home mom to three children, a son, now 8, and twin 6-year-old girls.

As the children grew, Mensh searched for a flexible way to join her interests in business and clothing with her newer passion for yoga, something she had found helpful while struggling with infertility. She sketched out an idea for a line of yoga-related clothing with Zenlike phrases on them.

In May 2006, Mensh had 72 shirts printed up with sayings such as “simplify,” “breathe” and “enjoy the journey.” She packaged them in Chinese takeout containers, took them to a boutique sale at her children’s school, and to her surprise almost sold out.

The shirts mean different things to different people, says Mensh, a petite dynamo. One customer bought a “breathe” shirt in memory of her sister, who died of lung cancer. “It’s become more than just about shirts.”

She sold 1,000 shirts, which range from $30 to $42, in 2006, then 3,000 in 2007. She has added new words, phrases and shirt designs, along with yoga pants and children’s sizes. She started with an initial investment of $6,000, turned a profit after nine months and has been putting the money back into the company.

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