If you’ve ever felt a deep connection to a cause, a song, or a story that made you say, “These are my people,” then you will already understand what MND Merch is really about.
I will be the first to admit that I have never been a big fan of corporate merch. A previous employer of mine had an unspoken rule that leadership HAD TO wear a company pin on our sports coats. Despite working there for years and getting scorned by many, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I felt like doing so would make me a lemming. I joked that I would rather leave than wear that damn pin. I strongly believe that there’s a big difference between being forced to wear a logo and choosing to wear something representing a mission you believe in.
When I left the corporate world, my thinking changed a bit. It first happened when a friend of mine gave me a T-shirt from his company with the company logo along with the phrase “Outwork Everyone.” I liked that saying — it resonated with me. I have been asked many times in my career for advice and I always end up saying something along the lines of “just work damn hard and good things will happen to you.” Perhaps it is old fashioned advice, but it has always served me well. My wife follows a similar mantra, and that is an important part of the MND culture. Work hard. Keep improving. Never be satisfied.
But over time, an additional important element of our culture began to emerge. As my wife and I reflected on our working lives and what kind of culture we wanted to build at MND, we realized that we also wanted to “do cool sh*t with great people.” We both felt that at different times of our career, we had done really cool stuff. And at other times of our career, we were working with great people. But to be able to do both at the same time — now that really resonated with us as something we wanted to foster and build. We had already worked so hard for so many years that now, we wanted to build a culture that had great people doing cool stuff. We realized that — when that is achieved — work becomes fun and the impact you can have becomes greater.
In other words, MND isn’t just a news site focused on elevating the profile of Mexico; it’s also a community of people who work hard and are passionate about Mexico. “Do cool sh*t with great people” has truly become our mantra in this chapter of our lives — very much like how certain artists have built movements around belonging and shared values versus just products.
Getting back to merch, we had never made anything until recently. When we first started our “Confidently Wrong” podcast, my wife said to me, “You have to wear an MND T-shirt,” and so we had a few printed up. It wasn’t until after we aired that first podcast — and had many subscribers reaching out asking where to get their own MND T-shirt — that we even thought of creating an MND Merch line. That’s when it clicked: Our readers weren’t just asking for merch — they were asking for a way to wear the mission, to signal that they’re part of this slightly crazy, deeply optimistic crowd that believes Mexico matters and that good journalism still matters too.
And so we bring you our first few products of the MND Merch line. We are proud of the content we produce day in and day out, proud of our team, and extremely flattered that some of you expressed interest in MND Merch. We have zero interest in making any money on this initiative (and might actually lose a little depending on the exchange rate and shipping rates) but we wanted to start small with a limited line of options and have some fun with this initiative. As you know, our mission to raise the profile of Mexico isn’t just for adults. Our recent launch of MND Kids proves that we are just as committed to inspiring the next generation to be curious, informed and proud of their heritage — helping them move beyond stereotypes through better news and information about Mexico.
You will see that shipping is included in the pricing of shipping within Mexico (we don’t want to overcomplicate this yet by shipping internationally). And if you want to just pick up your items in our office in Centro San Miguel de Allende, we will obviously waive the shipping costs of about US $10. So when you throw on an MND shirt or hoodie, it’s not just about fashion — it’s saying “I stand with this mission, and with helping shape the narrative of Mexico,” and joining a group of people who feel the same way.
The holidays are coming, so why not give your loved one (or dog!) the gift of some MND Merch! You can see the options and find ordering information at this link.
Welcome to the MND tribe. Rest assured that we are doing the MND Merch initiative purely for fun, not for profit. Thank you for supporting our team and our work by being a subscriber!
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
