When she wasn't able to find Christian clothing made in Canada, JJ Beckman decided to solve the problem by making it herself. In 2023, the Manitoba native started Jesus Others You Apparel (JOY). Although she loves doing it, she admits that there were some hurdles she had to overcome. "I made a couple of designs, some really bad ones and some fun ones," Beckman said. "Then one day I sent a quote over to someone, like, 'Hey, could you make these for me? I actually didn't even do it. I backed out." Beckman then got a 'random burst of courage' and hasn't looked back. "It was a random burst of courage. I was like, 'Send. Give me 50 shirts.' And then, 'Oh my gosh, what did I just do?' And then got the shirts and had to send them out and see if people want them." After the launch, Beckman realized she wasn't alone in wanting Christian apparel, locally made. "Everyone was so grateful and thankful that there was someone who had Christian clothing accessible to us here in Canada. I started doing it and pushing it out there. If you want Christian clothes, we have access to it here in Canada. So, I don't know how it came to me being the solution, but I just was like, let's do it." .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Jesus Others You, has a special meaning for Beckman. "My mom always taught me that joy means Jesus others you. And if you put Jesus first and love others second and then take care of yourself after, you're going to have the most awesome life and live a life of joy." When choosing a name for the brand, it was an easy decision. "I didn't just want to make Christian clothing, but have a reason, a purpose behind it and a conversation starter. So that's where JOY came from." Since JOY started, Beckman has seen how God has strengthened her own faith. "It's cool because as I've walked this out in the past, almost two years, I've seen it be so true over my life. When something is going wrong, I'm like, am I actually putting Jesus first? Am I loving others and then taking care of myself or did I get it wrong? God has used it so much to teach me." Beckman can recall several conversations she has had with others about Jesus while wearing her clothes, but has also seen that for others. "Something that is super cool for me, is people coming and telling me, 'I had a conversation because I was wearing this shirt.' That has been the most rewarding part because it's now no longer about me, but it's me helping equip other people." View this post on Instagram A post shared by JOY | Christian Apparel 📍Canada (@jesusothersyouapparel) When it comes to choosing designs, Beckman says the inspiration is all Biblical based. "Every item we have is based on a Bible verse. Most are a couple of Bible verses. But the designs are something that pops in my head or I hear someone say a quote or one-liner. Then go check and make sure it's Bible-based and then putting designs together that suck and putting designs together that work well and just figuring it all out." While starting a business has had stressful moments, Beckman can see how she has had to rely on God more. "When I first started, I was super stressed about everything and I would be like, is this going to be a good shirt? Is this going to be the one that I want to put out? Is someone going to like this? Is this going to impact people? I learned to let go and had this thought, if I impact two people, that's all that matters and the rest is up to God." Beckman said that JOY features t-shirts, hoodies and a hat with a simple design. When it comes to the future of JOY, Beckman says it's all up to God. "I would love to continue pushing it out there and giving more people access to share their faith. Only God knows where this will go. I'm going to keep going and keep impacting my two people."