by Mellissa Thomas

Rob and Jessica at the DOFW photo shoot

Maybe you’ve seen Ready Inc. all over the Downtown Orlando Fashion Week press materials, on our website, and on our Facebook page and wondered, “Who is that?” Ready Inc. is the muscle behind the weeklong event and has designed dozens of websites for Central Florida small business and entrepreneurs.

I was able to sit down with Ready Inc.’s powerhouse sibling duo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rob Henlon and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Jessica Henlon, whose backgrounds explain Downtown Orlando Fashion Week’s irresistible impetus.

Come meet the team.

The Beginning

Ready Inc. was born from Rob’s passion to own his own business. He and Jessica had corporate jobs and were designing websites for fun on the side, and would sometimes team up on a project. He designed a site for the youth basketball team he coaches; Jessica designed one for a sorority. Word of mouth began to spread, and more people began asking them to make their websites.

Rob recently read an example in a book of a well-dressed gentleman that entered a run-down dry cleaning shop. The gentleman scoffed at the condition of the place, but the shop owner just laughed at him. “You’re all dressed up, but you work for someone else,” the shop owner said. “This place may be run down, but it’s mine.”

That was the spark that set Rob on the path to finally starting Ready Inc with Jessica. “Each client and website is different,” they told DOFW. “We enjoy networking and working with different people.”

How Ready Inc. Got Involved with DOFW

Michael Ransom, CEO of House of Me’Ja, reached out to Ready Inc. on Twitter requesting a website. Rob and Jessica were new to the fashion world, so they thought it would be fun, especially since Michael was so enthusiastic. After designing the House of Me’Ja website, Michael returned to them for HoM’s logo, so Rob and Jessica created a branding package deal.

the primary House of Me’Ja logo

the House of Me’Ja logotype

Young Nation, Michael’s Facebook community group and original production engine for the inaugural Downtown Orlando Fashion Week in 2011, needed a logo as well, so he naturally came back to Ready Inc. with a very specific design idea: a fist against an open palm (a symbol of respect in martial arts) in all gold, with a peace symbol in the fist. According to Rob, the finished product blew Michael away.

Ready Inc. realized Michael Ransom’s Young Nation logo design to the last detail.

This year the siblings agreed to stretch Michael’s original four-day fashion event into a weeklong affair by integrating business savvy, people skills, and a community approach through team building, which is Rob’s specialty.

Thanks to their collective verve — and a few barter deals — some of Orlando’s premier companies are now part of Downtown Orlando Fashion Week, and even larger ones are waiting in the wings for next year’s show.

(Visit our Partners page to find out who’s involved.)

Rob expects 2014’s Downtown Orlando Fashion Week to be much bigger, with more coordinators and designers (we already have five or six this year), and lots more high profile sponsors. If you want to be involved in this year’s show, there’s still time. You can contact Rob and Jessica directly at 321-209-4567.

(Yes, that’s really the last four numbers.)

No Live Event Noobs Here

Ready Inc. teamed up with Superior Enterprises, the team behind the stage play “Do You Trust Your Best Friend?” starring R&B singers Angela Winbush and Christopher Williams. Rob and Jessica provided Internet marketing for the production and worked backstage during the play, putting microphones on the actors, ran errands, were stage hands, helped the actors with their costumes, and Rob even acted in the play. “It was something we never did before, but we were like, ‘Why not?’,” Rob said.

Rob and Jessica backstage with R&B diva Michel’le (center) during the “Do You Trust Your Best Friend?” stage play

Despite the play’s newness, Jessica brought extensive event experience to the table, having coordinated monthly health and club fairs, black history programs, art showcases, guest speaker appearances, and holiday-specific events (including 9/11 and Constitution Day commemorations).

Rob brought his self-proclaimed “gift of gab” and open house coordination experience to the table as well.

It’s no wonder, then, that Downtown Orlando Fashion Week has become what it is.

Business: The Henlon Backbone

Jessica and Rob are born hustlers. They’ve each been entrepreneurs since childhood, hawking products to their schoolmates and the parents in their neighborhood. “We come from an entrepreneurial family,” Jessica explained during last Saturday’s interview. “We were raised with the mentality to own our own business. My mom always sewed and did crafts…in 6th grade, I made bows and sold them door to door.”

Rob’s childhood hustle had the same drive. He went so far as to stay back during recess, find all the abandoned pencils on the floor, sharpen them, and sell them back to his schoolmates at lunch, increasing the price on pencils that had erasers. It was a successful venture until parents started complaining that their kids weren’t eating lunch — thanks to them buying pencils — and a teacher caught Rob with a pocket full of change.

But that didn’t stop the hustle.

He and Jessica began selling Pop Tarts…in a school that didn’t even allow sweets. They went to their local Piggly Wiggly, bought the snacks, and would sell them at 100% markup (which was $0.50 at the time), and were so successful, they expanded to selling candy and other snacks as well.

Rob told DOFW he had a bank account before he turned ten.

By then, he had already mastered the art of the up-sell. He went door to door offering to mow his neighbors’ lawns for $15. When he was done, he offered a car wash for $5 more, and then added babysitting (with references upon request) for another $5, for a full package deal of $25.

What neighbor would refuse that?

The Uniform’s Influence

If we know nothing else about veterans, we know their no-nonsense, disciplined lifestyle stays with them during and long after they stop wearing the uniform. Thanks to Rob and Jessica’s father Rafael, a 23-year retired Marine Corps veteran, they attribute their tenacity to their military upbringing. “Dad’s attitude was kick butt and take names,” Rob said.

Their family’s constant travel helped them adapt to any environment. During their father’s service, they traveled to North and South Carolina, Louisiana (New Orleans), Hawaii, and Florida. Jessica added that through travel and schools they also lived in Alabama, New York, New Jersey, Panama, Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Germany, where Jessica painted rocks and sold them door to door.

She went on to say she also sold homemade perfumes made of crushed flowers and sugar.

Rob followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the military as well, serving in the U.S. Army. He traveled to Kuwait, South Korea, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago. When I asked them if they saw any challenges in selling to people in different countries and cultures, their answer was an unequivocal no. “It was hard for us to not see eye-to-eye with the adults,” Jessica said. “We sold the products to them. We didn’t see any barriers.”

Rob added, “We learned to connect with the locals and get close to them. We learned the language.”

The Ready Inc. Team

While Rob and Jessica have become the faces of Ready Inc., there’s more to the company than just them. Their mother Rosa is the company’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and handles the finances and contracts, research, strategic planning, and compliance. Their father Rafael provides logistical event support.

Brianna Daly is Ready Inc.’s Director of People Engagement and resident fashion consultant. “She’s a key player in connecting us with Orlando’s fashion leaders: boutiques, salons, and models,” Jessica said.

Rob noted recruitment is Brianna’s strength. She brought her own small team to Ready Inc.: Justin Howie, DOFW’s Social Media Director and Instagram guru, and Jenna Babin, DOFW’s Director of Operations. According to Jessica, “Jenna keeps the team on track, breaks down the logistics and asks tough questions, ensures any venue issues are proactively addressed, and actively seeks DOFW sponsors.”

Ready Inc. team members take a group shot with the fabulous DOFW models and stylists during the DOFW photo shoot. Team members in the second row (l-r): Jessica Henlon, Jenna Babin, and Brianna Daly. Foreground: Justin Howie.

Harry Tsang, founder of Mr. Harry Productions, is DOFW’s Media Director. He’s the point of contact for all DOFW volunteer photographers.

Ready Inc. has two other business consultants pursuing opportunities in California and Washington State.

Yours truly is part of the Ready Inc. team as well. 🙂 I author Ready Inc.’s Ready University Business Resources blog. “Along with business consultation, we wanted businesses to get educated,” Rob said. “The blog is a great opportunity for us to not only show we know what we’re talking about, but also provide a community resource.”

I also write content for Ready Inc. clients’ websites and am the Chief Editor for Downtown Orlando Fashion Week’s online magazine (what you’re reading now), currently managing six beautiful, insightful, and fantastic fashion bloggers: Donna Reid, Megan Hyde, Danisha Lashae Williams, Alexis Ansley, Rachael Garrett, and Monica Michel.

Future Moves

Rob and Jessica plan to expand Ready Inc.’s customer reach. They’re considering statewide clientele, and have already worked with clients in South Florida, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Michigan, and Kentucky.

And Ready Inc. is still ready when you are.

If you need marketing, PR, web or print design, or business or leadership consultation services, don’t let Downtown Orlando Fashion Week’s grandeur dissuade you. Ready Inc. is always available for hire. The company offers affordable custom package deals for your needs. “You can put all our skills in a box and drop that box into any demographic or atmosphere. We’re adaptable,” Jessica said. “Plays, business events, fashion shows, church events, you name it.”

You can find Ready Inc.’s portfolio on its website, readyinc.com.

Photo with Michel’le and all logos courtesy of Ready Inc.

DOFW photo shoot portraits by Harry Tsang of Mr. Harry Productions, LLC

About the Author:
Downtown Orlando Fashion Week Chief Editor Mellissa Thomas is a Jamaica-born writer. She’s a decorated U.S. Navy veteran with Entertainment Business Masters and Film Bachelors degrees from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.

She’s currently available for hire, writing content for websites, blogs, and marketing material. She also writes poetry, screenplays, and ghostwrites books.

She has published three books, all available on Amazon.com, with her fourth, “Faded Diamonds”, set to release on Amazon.com and all digital devices in early January 2014.

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