It starts with discipline, and Caitlin Tran is not without discipline.
Long before she was an honors student at Rowan University's Roller College of Business, long before she bought her first embroidery machine and started selling clothes online, and long before she collaborated with her mother on an upscale coffee and tea shop. Long before he dreamed of it, 0-year-old Tran tried his first martial arts lesson.
And just like the embroidered clothes she now sells through her company, Caitlin's Threads, she was hooked.
Today is 3rd Tran, who holds a black belt in Kung Mu Do, a mixed martial arts art that combines karate, jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, spends at least 20 hours a week training and teaching self-defense. That included keeping a full-time course schedule, running and marketing her business, completing her undergraduate education, and serving as president of Pichi Theta, the Rowan chapter of the national business fraternity that she helped found this year. In addition to that.
She serves on the Board of Directors of the Rowan Chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurial Organization (the “CEO Club”), is active in the service organization Alpha Phi Omega, and is pursuing coursework for her B.S. I entered my final semester with a 3.6 GPA. Minor in Business Administration and Marketing.
“Being so proactive and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone has helped me grow,” said Tran, a day student from Mullica Hill who teaches and trains at Tiger Can Martial Arts in Sewell. “He gave me a lot of help,” he said.
Tran, who began her studies at Rowan majoring in biological sciences, initially thought she might pursue a career in dentistry, but soon realized that business was a more natural fit.
During the 2020 lockdown, Tran bought an embroidery machine and started experimenting with needlepoint styles. Not long after, she bought patterns, practiced on old clothes in her closet, and set out to start her business.
“I was nervous and worried I was going to fail,” Tran said. “And sometimes it's tough. But since then, we've sold over 2,300 pieces.”
Her clothing, sold through her Instagram account, ranges in style and color, from simple embroidered phrases like “Lucky” with a green clover to stitched “Santa Baby” and “North Pole University.” A variety of designs are available, including holiday giftware.
“Embroidery has a quality that you don’t get with press-on designs,” she said. “The stitching runs all the way through, so it will look the same even after 100 washes.”
Tran makes money through Caitlin's Thread and teaching martial arts, but she hopes to open a cafe with her mother soon.
“Our plan is to focus on really good coffee and tea, as well as desserts with natural fruits and other natural ingredients,” she said. “We're working on a business plan and financial projections, and then we'll probably start looking for a location in University City (Philadelphia).”
When it comes to martial arts, Tran said the martial arts approach and goal-setting that resonated with him at a young age still fascinates him.
“The path to black belt is not an easy one,” she said. “It takes discipline and will to keep going, but you learn something new every day. I feel the same way when it comes to business.”
