Honors Student Adam Jackson Launches Cloth Mask Company

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Adam Jackson (in white T-shirt at right) with members of the company he started with his mother, Lisa Ferrell (at left in white shirt).

As the pandemic surged in March 2020, and companies halted typical operations, honors student Adam Jackson and his mother, Lisa Ferrell, a lawyer who represents the Little-Rock-based clothing manufacturer TY Garments, decided to repurpose her client's machines to produce cloth face masks. Together, they formed a company they named ARClothMasks and began selling masks immediately. Initially, the goal was to make 100 masks that they would share with family friends and other members in their community. However, demand convinced them to expand their business.

"Things kicked off very fast," Jackson remembers. "There was news every week about shortages in different states. We filled that void." Jackson, Ferrell and five employees whom they hired worked to get masks to as many businesses and schools as possible, as quickly as possible.  

"Our goal was to be a mask supplier that clients could trust to deliver a safe product on time," Jackson explained in a recent post to the Honors College blog. "Our competitive prices, short lead times and high-quality products helped us win customers across the country." Many companies were hesitant to purchase masks from overseas vendors due to lack of trust and long lead times. Doing business locally with ARClothMasks was a safer bet for many businesses.

To date, ARClothMasks has sold over 1 million masks to more than 1,000 companies, hospitals, schools and universities throughout the U.S. and to troops overseas. The company was a finalist in the 2021 Annual Arkansas Business of the Year Awards. 

Despite its massive and opportune success, the company saw its fair share of challenges in its early days.

Adam Jackson

"One of the toughest weeks in our company's history was when we were banned from Square, PayPal and Stripe within seven days," Jackson explained in the blog. "We had started the company using Square because its easy-to-use user interface made it the most compelling. However, once the money began to flow in, our account got flagged as suspicious and consequently suspended. We adapted quickly to using PayPal but were banned there as well once invoices began to get paid. Stripe was the last straw and that too let us down. We ended up using our contacts at a local bank to connect us with an invoice platform, InvoiceASAP, that would not put any holds on our account." 

Jackson, an information systems major with a blockchain concentration in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, had to employ marketing tactics in order to attract customers. This included spending hours designing fliers, shipping mask samples and writing personalized emails and letters that didn't always prove to be successful. 

"Startups are risky," he admitted. Still, Jackson stresses that anyone could follow in his footsteps. "Being able to adapt and persevere is what got me through the day. The best tip I have is to understand what you can learn yourself and what you need to outsource. The best leaders know their limits and know when to seek help," he said.