Marketing brothers coin motivational phrase

Motivational messages harbor the aspirations that motivators encourage others to pursue. Such is the case of two brothers seeking to share their own personal motto.

What started out as a seemingly random thought by Joey LeBeau-Harrison, a 20-year-old UHCL marketing alumnus, the phrase “I can’t be broke” has now transformed into a tangible product—T-shirts. A portion of the proceeds from T-shirt purchases is being used to help fund scholarships for other college students.

Thus far, the brothers have been able to donate $300 from T-shirt sales to the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI)– a non-profit organization that has worked to bring social, political and economic justice to working Americans.

“[Joey] actually wrote [“I can’t be broke”] on a sheet of paper, and he stuck it on his wall,” said Foster LeBeau-Harrison, Joey’s 19-year-old brother, business partner and UHCL marketing major. “He just always would have it when he’s walking out the room, you know. Just something to remind him why he’s just striving, achieving more in life.”

The motto has two different meanings. The LeBeau-Harrison brothers explain the phrase signifies both the typical college student’s worry of being financially fragile as well as the unbreakable drive one must have to reach certain goals.

The brothers’ drive is directly connected to their pursuit of dual enrollment while they were in high school; a drive that helped Joey LeBeau Harrison graduate from college by the age of 20.

“While getting my high school diploma, I completed 64 hours with an associate degree at [San Jacinto College – South],” Joey LeBeau-Harrison said.

Fellow members of APRI motivated the LeBeau-Harrison brothers to create the T-shirts. The suggestion came a few months ago after the brothers spoke to members of the youth group about their “I can’t be broke” phrase.

“They decided after hearing us talk about [the phrase] that we should make T-shirts and that would help us raise money,” said Joey LeBeau-Harrison.

Foster LeBeau-Harrison, who designed the T-shirts, said the brothers wanted to give back to APRI.

Through fundraisers and donations, various APRI chapters are able to provide their student members with scholarships worth up to $500. Having been members for the past couple of years, the LeBeau-Harrison brothers’ drive to give back to APRI stems from being helped to achieve their own goals.

“Before I finished school I would receive $500 a semester,” said Joey LeBeau-Harrison. “[Foster] did, as well, and he’ll keep receiving money as long as he’s in school.”

With no website and a total of 300 T-shirts made, the brothers have managed to sell a little over 100 of them via word of mouth.

Joey LeBeau-Harrison hopes to donate $1,000 to APRI, from the T-shirt sales, in order to fund two $500 scholarships for the spring semester.

Both brothers aspire to be pharmaceutical or insurance sales representatives and have familial ties to attribute to their career goals. With an aunt and uncle having successful careers in these representative fields, the LeBeau-Harrison brothers were motivated to follow in their footsteps.

“It’s always something in the family we were like, ‘okay so if we get a marketing degree like [our uncle]…he could help us establish a job and what not,’” said Foster LeBeau-Harrison.

This, along with “I can’t be broke,” has motivated the brothers to not only further their own paths, but also to help inspire others.

“Go to school; get your degree,” said Foster LeBeau-Harrison. “You should have a drive and a will for yourself to achieve something.”

For more information about the “I can’t be broke” T-shirts, contact Joey LeBeau-Harrison at 832-385-6665 or jlebeauharrison@yahoo.com or contact Foster LeBeau-Harrison at 832-385-7916 or fosterlebeauharrison@yahoo.com.