His clients have included companies in the pharmaceutical sector as well as businesses in Michigan’s emerging cannabis industry during the early stages of legalization.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When you first hear that ThiccBoi Apparel is led by a former Coast Guard search and rescue veteran turned chemist turned cannabis industry consultant, you might assume the brand was born from some calculated master plan.
It wasn’t.
It was born from emptiness. From boredom. From a beach in Indonesia.
And from one relentless decision: this is not what my life is supposed to be.
Mark Short doesn’t tell his story in neat bullet points. He builds it like a case study, because, by trade, he is a scientist.
“I never in a one-hundred million years thought I would own an apparel company,” Short laughed.
Long before ThiccBoi Apparel existed, Short served in search and rescue in the U.S. Coast Guard. After leaving the service, he enrolled at Michigan State University, earning advanced degrees in geological sciences and chemistry. He conducted hydrogeology research before launching his own chemical consulting firm.
His clients have included companies in the pharmaceutical sector as well as businesses in Michigan’s emerging cannabis industry during the early stages of legalization.
And with high paying clients in wealthy industries, the money came quickly and faster than expected.
“I was raised lower middle class and through this process I made more money than I knew what to do with,” he shared.
He lived in Holt, Michigan paying $800 a month in rent while earning more than he ever had. No wife. No kids. No financial restrictions.
“I bought like 11 cars!” He shared. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”
With a remote job and more money than he’d ever had before, he began traveling extensively. From Singapore to Bali and throughout Asia, Short was convinced this was exactly what you were supposed to do when you suddenly found yourself with an abundance of cash.
“No one really teaches you what to do once you make money, you know?” Short said.
Then came the realization that would change everything: “Money does not make you anything. Money just enhances the things that you already are,” he said.
It wasn’t until he was on one of his frequent travel expeditions that he knew something needed to change.
Four years into his entrepreneurial “adventure,” Short found himself sitting alone on a beach in Indonesia.
“I had bought a one way ticket and as I was sitting on the beach, I was just so bored,” he shared.
What followed wasn’t glamorous. It was confronting.
“I remember thinking ‘I am breathing air and I’m breathing out nothing, and if I were to die right now on this planet, it would be unchanged.’”
That scary, yet very real thought, had made him realize that all the money in the world would never cure loneliness, boredom and feeling unfulfilled.
The next day, he flew home. A week later, he sold his company. “I was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, but it’s not this.”
At the time, Short had been immersed in CrossFit for seven years. He and his best friend Andy often joked about not fitting the stereotypical ultra-lean athlete mold.
“We’re both not super skinny, we’re both thick boys,” he laughed.
The name stuck.
“We thought it was funny and we’re like, ‘What if we make some funny shirts?”
The first launch of their so-called “funny shirts” took place at a local CrossFit competition. As the brand started out in humbling beginnings, Short set up at local events under a a tent with a custom canopy, pipes holding up shirts and a setup he describes as “so janky.”
Although they made six-hundred dollars, Short said that was the first time he had fun for the first time in years.
“This gives me an opportunity to give back to humans and help start to build-up humans,” Short said.
That moment mattered more than the money.
Although, Andy couldn’t go all-in due to a family and full-time job, Short could and did.
He invested the proceeds from selling his consulting company into the brand, and three years later they made over 7 figures in sales.
They now operate nine franchises across the U.S., from California to Florida to Minnesota, including a new Nashville location.
When asked why the brand succeeded when others didn’t, Short reframes the question.
“I don’t think Thick Boy is intrinsically unique,” he stated. “We’re not reinventing the wheel here.”
The difference, he says, is effort and belief. From his belief in himself to his belief in his customers and their fitness goals.
Click through to see some ThiccBoi apparel designs:
“I don’t stop, ever,” Short shared.
Short also believes ThiccBoi has catches the attention of those who identify with the brand rather than than the apparel.
“People are drawn towards authenticity,” he said.
Short can be found being a little “unhinged” through his Instagram, as well as when you meet him in person. He finds that people that wear the ThiccBoi brand are those with the same type of personality.
“Thick Boy is a perfect representation of who I am as a person, it is like copy paste in the form of a business,” he laughed.
One of ThiccBoi’s most creative strategies is its “earned apparel” program which provides exclusive apparel items that cannot be purchased, only earned through physical challenges. Examples include completing 1,000 burpees in a month.
By paying attention to what customers are excited to wear while also encouraging fans of the brand to pursue healthy, fit lifestyles, ThiccBoi has become more than just a T-shirt company.
To him, growth requires discomfort, even abandoning ideas that are currently working.
For Mark Short, ThiccBoi Apparel is more than just a t-shirt brand, it’s a reflection of who he is, how he thinks, and the kind of legacy he wants to leave in the world.
“The process of becoming is the goal,” Short reminds us. And in that process, he isn’t just building a business, he’s building people. Through authentic engagement, earned apparel programs, philanthropy, and a relentless dedication to growth, ThiccBoi inspires a community to push harder, care more, and embrace their own “thick boy” confidence. (Even if it’s a little unhinged!)
At its core, the brand embodies a simple truth: success isn’t about the destination, the money, or the seven-figure milestones. It’s about showing up, giving your all, and lifting others along the way. For Short, that’s what makes every shirt more than fabric.
In a world full of fleeting trends and fast fame, ThiccBoi Apparel stands out not because it’s flashy, but because it’s real. And as Mark Short keeps proving, the people who follow along aren’t just buying a brand, they’re buying into a mindset.
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