The Latch has partnered with Set For Life to spotlight incredible Australians who are pursuing hobbies, side hustles and passions that feed their souls and enhance their lives. All our “Lifers” have the same thing in common: they’ve followed their dreams down a path to find true fulfilment.
We all know that reaching virtually any goal in life can hardly be done alone. Whether it’s collaborating with your team in the office to deliver an ambitious project under a tight deadline, or just hearing those words of encouragement from a loved one as you feel the weight of self-doubt, accomplishments rarely exist in a vacuum. But, when it comes to the founders of activewear brand MPWR, Jess Henderson and Sampson Mirotsos, achieving their personal dreams meant combining their goals as one – and they’re really reaping the benefits.
“We both had the dream of empowering others, and knew we could do this together if we put our designs and passion into one,” the couple tells The Latch.
Jess long held dreams of starting her own activewear brand, and Sampson had wanted to start his own clothing brand since high school. After dating for a year, the two finally put their heads together to figure how they could make their two passions one singular reality – and it would be three years in the making.
“The three years were spent designing, sourcing materials and fabrics, sampling our designs, testing them, and all admin and campaigns for our launch.”
It might seem like a long time – and both Jess and Sampson stress that it was hard – but making their passions into a full-time job also meant being resourceful, and clutching the opportunity when the time was right. Jess was studying media and marketing at university at the time of MPWR’s inception, saw the opening for small businesses to flourish on social media, and took the leap.
While Jess’ studies helped solidify that the idea for MPWR was worth chasing, the brand also helped Sampson change the course of his life forever.
“Sampson left school in year 12 to do a trade and thought he would be stuck in that cycle for the rest of his life,” the pair said.
“Pursuing MPWR with Jess taught him that he had the resources to chase his dreams.”
A huge part of both Jess and Sampson’s vision for MPWR was making sure they were able to help support others chasing their passion as well. Having both grown up playing competitive sport at multiple levels, Jess and Sampson understood the struggles felt by the families who throw their all at fostering their children’s passions, and made sure that MPWR gave back by way of the Australian Sports Foundation.
“We believe that there are so many benefits that come from playing sport and believe that every child should have access to these benefits,” the couple said.
“Personally, playing sport from a young age gave us lifelong friends, the ability to have a healthy lifestyle, taught us how to be team players, and to dream big. We felt that it was important to help other people chase their dreams and experience the same joys that we got out of sport which is why we chose to donate with every item purchased to the Australian Sports Foundation.”
With childhood sport helping Jess and Sampson to follow their dreams, having those dreams be within fitness while giving back to the athletes of the future feels full circle. But, according to the pair, the most rewarding part is being able to experience the rollercoaster of starting their own business together – the wins as well as the losses.
But, now their determination is paying off, Jess and Sampson have one simple message for those looking to set themselves up for life by turning their side hustle into their full-time focus.
“You’ve got the power to choose your future, if you put your all into it, you will never look back.”