Caidan Maddux and Quinten Hall, sophomore business majors, are owners of Laudem Dei. Their company focuses on high-quality, biblically inspired clothing that encourages conversations about faith.

Laudem Dei is a faith-based Christian apparel company with an emphasis on quality that will last a lifetime and biblically based clothing so you can become a canvas for God's glory. Laudem Dei started when Quinten proposed the idea of starting a business to Caidan. It took some convincing, but finally Caidan was on board. We had no idea what to do, but eventually narrowed it down to clothing. We went through some ideas before finally settling on a faith-based apparel company that puts an emphasis on quality clothing while keeping good designs that we would hope encourage people to ask questions about our faith.

We focus on high quality clothing and biblically sound designs. When looking at Christian clothing, Quinten found that most shirts are poor quality and deteriorate or fade quickly, are not theologically accurate or are taken out of context, or have designs so overtly Christian it turns nonbelievers away. By placing a focus on quality designs rooted in scripture, it inspires others to stop and think and maybe ask what the design means. Also, our quality clothing ensures you get more than what you paid for and lasts longer than the typical shirt. Our prayer – as shown in our mission statement – is that people wear our clothes to become a canvas for God’s glory.

The Samford Startup program is an amazing community of entrepreneurs. Being around a community of like-minded people who will push us to be our best was a huge appeal. We hope to learn from the experience of those who have gone before us, and this program provided us the opportunity to do that.

While we have not done much with the program yet, we have already started to see the benefits of the community as we gather both support and advice.

The hardest part of launching our business has been, by far, understanding taxes and applying for government licenses. Living in Tennessee part of the year and Alabama the other part, it has been difficult to understand which rules to follow and make sure all boxes are checked.

The Samford Startup has pushed us to nail down our pitch and who we want to be. It has made us realize how set we must be in our ideas and beliefs.

We envision our business growing to become the go-to for quality Christian clothing that people will stand behind and use to spread the Gospel.

Clothing is a huge conversation starter. We want not only our clothing, but our actions to point to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our shirts act as a daily reminder for those who wear them to display the love and good new of Christ everywhere they go.

The Samford Startup is a great community of like-minded entrepreneurs who are willing to help. Being in a group that is willing to help and wants you to succeed is one of the greatest benefits you can have.