Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Lambright.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I think a lot of who I am today started pretty early. I joined student council in fourth grade and stayed involved in leadership throughout school, eventually serving as student body president in high school. Around the same time, I was also getting exposed to technology. When I was about 10, I would tag along with my dad to computer training as the internet was really starting to take off. I was fascinated by what computers could do, especially creatively.
I made my first T-shirt in seventh grade, and that eventually grew into a real passion for apparel and design. What I have always loved most about this business is the reaction people have to something made specifically for them. That can be one custom shirt, a one-of-a-kind jacket, or a thousand shirts for an organization. There is something rewarding about taking an idea and turning it into something people are genuinely excited to wear.
That passion eventually became Bright Designs. We started in a small shop, grew beyond that space, and operated from home for a period while continuing to expand what we could produce. Over the years I kept learning, investing in equipment, and adapting to changes in the industry. In 2023, we made the decision to open a storefront again and continue building Bright Designs into something larger.
One of the biggest turning points in my life came after a serious health crisis. I was hospitalized and at one point was told I was not expected to survive more than a few days. I did survive, but recovery took months and ultimately years. I was also told that I would not be able to simply go back to doing everything the way I had before.
That forced me to look at both my life and the business differently. I realized I had been given a second chance, and I could either use that as a reason to slow down permanently or use it as motivation to build something better. I chose to keep moving forward.
Since then, Bright Designs has continued to grow beyond apparel into a broader business solutions company. My goal has become not only to create great products, but to help businesses, organizations, and individuals solve problems, grow, and get more value for their money.
Today, I am grateful to still be doing work I enjoy, serving the community I have called home, and continuing to build something that I hope can create opportunities for other people as well. I still have much bigger goals for Bright Designs, but I also try not to lose sight of how fortunate I am to still be here building it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been completely smooth sailing from day one. Every supplier has always had exactly what I needed in stock, every shipment has arrived on time, every printer has worked perfectly, and my bank has never once wondered why I am suddenly making purchases in another country in the middle of the night.
Of course, I am kidding. The waters always get rough.
Like any business, there are constantly things you have to adjust to. Products go out of stock, shipments get delayed, equipment decides not to cooperate, and technology has a way of reminding you that no matter how much you know, it does not always work the way it is supposed to. Even ordering supplies overseas can occasionally turn into an adventure when the bank decides a normal business purchase looks suspicious and flags it for fraud.
The biggest lesson I have learned is that you have to be prepared to pivot. You cannot let one broken machine, delayed shipment, or unavailable product stop everything. You figure out another way, repair what you can, find another source, communicate with the customer, and keep moving.
There have certainly been much bigger challenges along the way as well, but after nearly two decades in business, problem-solving has simply become part of the job. Fortunately, these days we spend a lot of our time being the solution for other businesses rather than only trying to solve our own problems. That does not mean the waters never get rough, but we have gotten pretty good at navigating them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Bright Designs & Business Solutions is a locally owned company based in St. Joseph, Missouri, focused on custom apparel, branding, printing, and practical business solutions. We work with individuals, schools, teams, organizations, and businesses of all sizes, whether someone needs one custom item or a large production order.
Our roots are in apparel, and that is still a major part of what we do. We offer custom printing, embroidery, sublimation, promotional products, signs, banners, graphic design, and other branded materials. Over the years, we have also expanded into services such as websites, SEO, marketing, and other business solutions designed to help our clients grow.
One thing that sets us apart is that we try to combine the convenience and value people expect from an online company with the personal service and accountability of a local business. A customer can come in and talk with us, see products, ask questions, and work through an idea, but we also continue building more online tools and services that make ordering and doing business with us easier.
We also produce a large portion of our work in-house and have continued investing in technology and equipment as the industry has changed. I was an early adopter of DTF printing and started by converting printers in my basement to produce transfers. Today, we operate multiple production machines, supply other apparel businesses with transfers, and help them build their own operations.
What I am most proud of is the relationships we have built and the role we have been able to play in our community. We work with local schools, teams, businesses, and organizations, and I am actively involved with the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce as a member, Chamber Diplomat, and member of the PR Committee. I believe our local business community is stronger when we support one another.
The long-term goal for Bright Designs is much larger than simply growing one storefront. I want to continue expanding the company, create more jobs in our community, and develop a model that can eventually be duplicated in other markets. My vision is to create turnkey opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to own and operate a local business while having the systems, purchasing power, production support, technology, and experience of a larger organization behind them.
At the end of the day, I want Bright Designs to be known for quality, service, support, and value. Whether we are producing one special item, a thousand shirts, helping another business improve its brand, or helping an entrepreneur get started, the goal is the same: find a solution that genuinely helps the client.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is knowing that something I did made somebody else’s day a little better.
That can happen in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it is seeing someone’s face when they pick up a custom shirt or a one-of-a-kind item that turned out exactly how they pictured it. Sometimes it is helping a business owner solve a problem, save some money, look more professional, or take the next step in growing their company. I get a lot of satisfaction from creating something useful and seeing the impact it has on another person.
Some of the work that means the most to me is when Bright Designs gets to support organizations that are already doing good in the community. We have partnered with Mid-City Excellence and have been fortunate to help organizations such as Special Olympics and Big Brothers Big Sisters, along with many other nonprofits, charities, schools, teams, and community groups. Being able to use what we do to support people who are helping others is genuinely one of the parts of the business that makes me happiest.
Outside of work, the people in my life are what matter most. Spending time with family, laughing, going somewhere together, watching a good show, or just having a normal evening at home means more to me now than it probably did when I was younger.
Going through the health issues I experienced also changed my perspective. When you come that close to not being here, ordinary things stop feeling quite so ordinary. I appreciate being able to work, create, spend time with the people I care about, and keep building toward something.
I am probably happiest when I feel like I am moving forward while bringing other people forward with me. I like creating, solving problems, helping people, and seeing an idea become something real. If I can do those things while taking care of the people around me and giving back to the community that has supported us, that is a pretty good day.
Pricing:
- P.A.N.D.A. Program — Pick A New Design Anytime: Order as few as one item, and qualifying purchases within 30 days stack together for better quantity pricing.
- 1 Custom T-Shirt — $24.99 — S–XL, includes one standard full-color print; no minimum, setup fee, or screen charge.
- 6 Custom T-Shirts — $15.99 each — quantity pricing applies through our P.A.N.D.A. Program.
- 12–23 Custom T-Shirts — $12.00 each — S–XL with one standard full-color print included.
- 24–47 Custom T-Shirts — $10.00 each — ideal for businesses, teams, schools, events, and organizations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bdshirts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdshirtsstj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bdshirtsstj
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/131023925/
- Twitter: https://x.com/bdshirts
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-lambright-27026b74
