If you’ve ever seen a “Meant for Big Things” hoodie around campus, you should think not only of how destined you are to achieve your goals, but of Grayson Pruett, the creator behind the podcast that has morphed into a movement.
Meant for Big Things is a self improvement, motivational business surrounded by a podcast, seminars, content creation, and merchandise. The podcast currently consists of 10 episodes that Grayson records and releases herself. She’s amassed a following of over 1000 listeners across 24 countries and has been consistently selling out of her motivational merchandise, bringing strangers together to lift one another up.
The idea to create this business struck Grayson while she was abroad in Switzerland her freshman year of college. “I jumped off a boat my first week abroad and I was in a lake looking up at all the mountains. I had water all around my face and realized how big everything was – how wide the world really was, and how small I was by comparison. I thought ‘You know what, this world is so big and there’s so much to discover. It’s so exciting. Even though I may feel small, I really am made for big things and I can achieve anything I want to in this big wide world,’” she shares. The image for her podcast is of this lake and mountainscape where the central concept came to fruition.
Until her sophomore year at Villanova, that’s all this realization was: a realization. After taking a course with Haley Hoffmann Smith, who had a self-improvement podcast herself, Grayson realized she wanted to find some sort of platform that best suited her talents and that could best help other people. That same day she saw a quote that read; “Made for Greatness,” which resonated with her as her time in Switzerland had. She eagerly FaceTimed her friends to share the idea with them. “I felt so great and empowered by just sharing it with other people,” she shares. This feeling finally came together as the podcast when her mom’s friend casually suggested “You should make a podcast about this.”
Grabbing her brother’s gaming microphone that same day, she recorded her very first episode. After two weeks of editing she released it and the Meant for Big Things podcast was born. The episodes were about 10 minutes long, focusing on self improvement through personal anecdotes and insights listeners can act on immediately to live a life ‘meant for big things’. “It’s branded for the busy person who wants to make their dream a reality,” Grayson explains. During her first year, she gained a lot of traction and support from everyone at Villanova.
“Then, I woke up one day and wondered how I could spread my message as far and fast as I can. I realized clothing was the best avenue to do it,” she says. She worked with University Tees and a campus ambassador to create T-shirts, which sold out immediately.
After completing a summer at Villanova’s Summer Business Institute, she used her newfound knowledge to expand. Part of this expansion included Instagram campaigns showcasing why individuals are meant for big things. These individuals were then posted and featured on the Instagram page. “As I did these campaigns, I realized that ‘meant for big things’ means something different to every single person, and that the way that I think you’re meant for big things could be different than the way you see yourself as being meant for big things. I thought it was really beautiful to share that,” she says.
Thinking bigger and wanting to continue spreading the word through merchandise, she released MFBT hoodies, which gained a ton of traction and heavily populated the Villanova campus. “I had to place three different orders after the first large order and it got to the point where I couldn’t even leave any building on campus without seeing at least four of them walking around outside. I am so grateful for the support the Villanova community has given,” she says. Despite how many hoodies sold, Grayson hand delivered each one with a note, and encouraged everyone to introduce themselves when they see another person in the hoodie. “It’s kind of formed its own community in that way too, which is really beautiful that people are able to make that connection,” she says.
The connectivity of MFBT merchandise on Villanova’s campus has been wonderful. “I will often see people wearing the sweatshirt talking to each other or I’ll receive a text detailing how a friend met someone on campus wearing the sweatshirt,” Grayson shares. She tells us some entire friend groups wear theirs together and it’s something she loves to see. “It is beautiful to see others connect and uplift one another. The merchandise in particular has served as an intermediary to connect others and it has been incredibly rewarding,” she comments. “I’ll see two people wearing the sweatshirts getting to know one another and it reminds me ‘Yeah, that’s why I did it,’” she shares. It’s the message and the people she’s impacted that keep her motivated.
To integrate the podcast and merchandise into a true community, she began hosting what she calls Meant for Big Things Meetups. “I wanted to create a space where people could come together with goals of self improvement and find like-minded people. I also wanted to emphasize peer-to-peer learning,” she says. “The other parts of the meet up focus on gratitude and connecting – I provide note cards where people write messages of gratitude to their friends and end the meetup with a fun creative activity to allow the participants to connect,” Grayson details.
“People are in the mode of being stimulated academically by learning something new and they’re in the mindset of gratitude so they’re more open to receiving new friendships and new connections,” Grayson explains. In addition, she has a GroupMe of about 80 members that she encourages positivity within. “These meetups have brought more value to the brand and have enhanced my passion for education. Recently, I have been expanding to more educational content for middle schools and professional development courses. I look forward to continuing these meet-ups in new and exciting capacities when I graduate,” she shares.
The journey has taught Grayson many valuable lessons about life, business and podcasting. “Sometimes accidents are the best things that can happen to you,” she says. When ordering merchandise, the colors she had arranged for were unavailable, leaving her scrambling for a new idea. “I decided to add additional colors to the collection which later translated into doubled sales the next month and those colors are still the most popular to date,” she explains. Unexpected things like this come up a lot when managing a growing business and Grayson always makes the best of the unexpected. “Never let accidents discourage you because they actually could be working in your favor. Failure offers an opportunity to redirect usually to something better,” she shares.
Throughout the process of starting up her own business, Grayson has attended many self-improvement and business conferences in order to learn all she can, as well as factoring in her own experience. “I’ve learned that it’s always important to focus on creating value for other people and building relationships,” she shares. “The business model I operate on is putting the people and the message first, and then the sales will follow,” she explains. “I also create content and products I myself would be interested in consuming and constantly seek and implement feedback to make every facet of the business better. I have learned the most from trial and error.”
“I’ve had to play every single role in my business and pitch my ideas to other people when networking. I had to learn how to market the podcast and merchandise, how to balance my finances, and how to navigate supply chain issues with merchandise, which was especially challenging in 2021,” she says. “Everything was a learning curve in figuring out how to bring the podcast itself to life, through purchasing the right equipment, to episode topics, to correctly recording. I’d go to Instagram and ask podcasters for equipment recommendations and taught myself how to edit everything,” she shares.
She has loved every bit of education to come from the process, saying; “There were just so many facets that I had to figure out and it’s surely enhanced my education and part of the joy has been in the journey. I’m able to bring those lessons into the classroom through my business classes and it’s been really valuable.”
The list of lessons goes on and on for Grayson and when asked to summarize the main takeaways she’d share with others, she commented; “Taking risks reaps some sort of reward and knowledge, the value of following serendipitous opportunities, focusing on creating value and building relationships, restlessly pursuing what could be until it is, and the excitement and education that comes when creating something out of nothing!”
“There’s a genuine and large need for positivity in the world today and if I can be some sort of intermediary, channel or avenue for people to experience that, I feel like it’s my duty now that I have this platform to continue on with it,” she says. She plans to do just that, working now to transition Meant for Big Things out of Villanova as she looks to her graduation this Spring. She plans to continue to engage individuals through the podcast and Instagram page, create further educational opportunities, and create community in new ways through new merchandise and a website!
Her latest launch of MFBT crewnecks is available now and through the rest of the academic year. “They have a mountain that is meant to signify that same kind of feeling I had when I was abroad in Switzerland and the idea that the world is plenty big with room for everyone to accomplish their goals and succeed,” she explains. To purchase one, you can reach out to Grayson through the @meantforbigthings Instagram page and she will hand deliver (or ship!) the crewneck your way.
As a Staff Writer for Villanova University’s Office for Undergraduate Students, sophomore Gabrielle Piccirilli shares the stories, experiences, and accomplishments of the students of Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
OUS Magazine 