‘Submit Good Karma’: Ramon Dickens’s brand and the message he wants to spread

By Immanuel K. Siafa- April 26, 2024

STILLWATER, OK-----Instead of spreading hate out in the world, Ramon Dickens would rather spread positivity and uplift the next person.

The summer before college, Dickens has already started spreading positive messages on his social media. However, he posted this one phrase on his Snapchat story. His friends and family caught on to his phrase, and later it became so popular that people started taking screenshots of his story.

Submit Good Karma. A belief that was motivated by Christianity and the Bible. Dickens says that he wants to spread positive karma rather than negative karma.

“Everybody doesn’t believe in God, but hopefully they fall in love with being a good person so much that it surrounds them by people that are of God,” Dickens said. “Because the people for the most part that I know of the Lord are good, they make you feel like you have heaven on earth, and I want people to feel that, so that’s why I try to do good for all I do.

“Do the good stuff. I want the good karma, not the bad karma. I want the blessings that the Lord God wants for me and I want the life that the Lord God wants for me.”

Since the OSU construction engineering technology senior has started college, the OKC native has begun developing his creativity.

Dickens began sharing a Bible-inspired phrase on his Snapchat story the summer before he attended college. At that point, he received screenshots of his posts, and his mother persuaded him to produce some shirts. At that point, Dickens established his apparel line, “Submit Good Karma.”

Dickens went to California with $1,000 and gave his mother $500 to get some T-shirts made. So when he got back to Stillwater, he sold his Submit Good Karma shirts on campus. Submit Good Karma now has expanded from T-shirts to hoodies, sweatpants, etc.

Dickens says he had some hiccups during the process.

“Yeah, some mistakes I made with the brand while I was in college,” Dickens said. “I feel like that was a little too expensive. Because my target audience is like a college student, so $60 for a hoodie is not reasonable for everybody.”

Dickens believed that volume would be more beneficial than profit. Higher volume equals higher profit. The brand could reach out to more consumers.

To Dickens, seeing someone wear his Submit Good Karma clothing means so much, however. Whenever Dickens sees someone wearing his brand, he says it never fails to amaze him.

“I was amazed because you’re not gonna wear something that you don’t like, you ain’t gonna wear something that you don’t agree with,” Dickens said. “So if this is in your closet, it’s on your mind. At least that’s the intent, but it was cool to see somebody wear it because it meant that they supported me and not only because they wore it, but that’s just how they made me feel like it was a movement like the support was there and I love this.”

Currently, Submit Good Karma is now being worn by students on campus or in Stillwater. Dickens says that on his first order, he sold 25 shirts, but now he sells 600 pieces of clothing.

“Well, my first order, I think, was like 25 T-shirts. I say I probably move like 500 pieces,600 pieces. Realistically, I know I have sold 150 T-shirts, 200 T-shirts,” Dickens said.

Dickens’s goal is to create more clothing, spread the message, be more consistent, and try to create more things with his brand. However, Dickens is also a light for everyone around him. Braeden Shaw, a musician and senior architect at OSU, said Dickens also aims to inspire others.

“He’s a very selfless person; he’s given and he cares a lot about his craft, his artwork, and he’s always trying to uplift the next person,” Shaw said. “Whether he knew somebody for 10 years or known for 10 seconds, he’s always trying to speak his game. He’s always trying to make sure they’re walking the right path they want to walk, so whether that’s trying to figure out the things that they love to do, or the things that they don’t love to do.”

Shaw added that he gets confidence in the things he was passionate about from his friendship with Dickens and that it helps him accomplish his goals.

“I would say through my friendship with him he’s helped me learn how to be confident in myself for the things that I love to do and how to reach my goals,” Shaw said. “And, I feel like he’s been having that positive impact around the people that we’re close with and outside our circle.”

While at OSU, Dickens stumbled upon his passion for photography. On campus, Dickens will be available for grad photo shoots, birthday photo shoots, or any other thing that catches his attention. Dickens says that his dislike of working for someone else is what first sparked his enthusiasm for photography.

“I don’t like to work at least for nobody else,” Dickens said. “So, if I can find a way to be creative, do something I like, and make money from it. Bills got to get paid at the end of the day, so I would rather do it that way than work for somebody.”

However, Dickens said the real reason he likes photography is much deeper than getting paid.

“The reason why I like photography is because you can never get time back,” Dickens said. “You can capture one small moment and it can live forever. So if you do it in a way that truly embodies the feeling, the emotion, and the thoughts, as well as the environment in which that photo was taken.”

After graduation, he wants to continue taking photos. He plans to take wedding photos since people after graduation plan to get married. Dicken says he loves to capture intimate events.

“I do like events a lot, especially intimate events where people will look back and cherish these moments forever because I love to go sit on the couch with my grandma,” Dickens said. “And she pulled out some old photos, and we just looked through them. The feelings that come with that, and the memories that come with that.”

OSU marketing major LP Smith, a Tulsa native and senior, said how Dickens was among his first school friends. Smith observed the “Submit Good Karma” brand’s beginnings and has since seen its growth. Smith says he admires what Dickens is doing with his brand.

“I’ve always admired how he was able to do that and do what his major is because I know it can’t be easy,” Smith said.

Saah Sicarr, an OSU junior studying computer engineering from Oklahoma City and Dickens’ Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brother, says he admires what Dickens had to do to establish his brand.

“That he’s a very hard worker,” Sicarr said. “Being not only successful on a campus like this. As a black man, his brand, and being a student, overcome a lot of adversity, which is something that not a lot of people can get through.”

Dickens, though, is a strong believer in hard work. Dickens says all you need to do is show up and give it some time like most professionals. There is no secret formula.

“If you can think it, find a way to bring it to life, find a way to see it in life, find a way to make it 3d or 4d, you need to be able to feel it, touch it, see it, hear it,” Dickens said. “There’s no golden method though, like you just show up every day, you do it, you spend time with it. That’s what the pros do.

“That’s what makes it professional. That’s their life, they’re immersed in it. That’s what they do; that’s the only thing that they do.”

A brand needs obsession to grow. That would be Dickens’ recommendation to up-and-coming content creators. Dickens says you have to sacrifice your sleep if you want to create a brand or content.

“Everybody has about four to six, it may be eight if you are willing to lose some sleep, hours a day to work on something,” Dickens said. “Some people go to the gym with that time. Some people spend that time with their loved ones.

“Some people might have a girlfriend, a significant other, or a boyfriend. Everybody has time, though. So the more time you spend on something, the better you’ll be at it, the more edge you’ll have over your competitors.”

Just be true to who you are. That's how Dickens says his apparel line Submit Good Karma became a success. He says not to be frightened if someone wants their desires to come true.

“I just say, know yourself, know who you are,” Dicken said. “Don’t shy away from that, don’t be afraid to work hard, don’t be afraid to lose sleep, don’t be afraid to upset people and not perform for people. As long as you are on the path that you’re supposed to be on, you know what you’re doing is supposed to be right … do that and find a way to get some consistent income. You’ll always find a way to work on your dream if it’s your dream.”