Nonchalant nods across the Oakland Center Help Desk turned into smiles over ice cream in the cafeteria, setting the scene for their love story. Business-minded Rick Williams, SBA ’05, was smitten with creative poet Yolanda Williams, CAS ’05, at first sight.

From Meet Cute to Marketing Magic

“Oh, he did those little ‘what’s up’ nods for weeks before we finally talked,” Yolanda says. Nervous glances only lasted so long before Rick slid into a booth next to Yolanda and started talking, a moment that would change the rest of their lives. “I was just planting the seeds to start the conversation,” Rick says.

The couple quickly became university sweethearts. “Not to toot my own horn, but we were the couple,” Yolanda says. “At first, people would ask if we would date around more in college, but we were just it for each other.” After many more ice cream dates, shared walks across campus and visits to each other’s dorms, they tied the knot at a small venue down Walton near OU, inviting friends, faculty and staff that had been the core to their story. By Monday morning, they’d wound right back at the place that started it all: OU.

Both drawn to Oakland University because of its sense of home, they not only found each other but an entire community of support. “When I started meeting people at OU, it was like I was finding my culture again,” Rick says.

“Our entire circle is from Oakland,” Yolanda says. “We built a community in Oakland, and this group has gone on to be leaders outside of OU, too.” The relationships they fostered continue to uplift them today, expanding beyond campus to connections in the surrounding communities.

Nineteen years and two kids later, their adventure hasn’t slowed down. Today, these entrepreneurs utilize their networking skills to grow an immersive lifestyle brand through DISTINCT LIFE and CREAM BLENDS, all while inspiring other emerging businesses.

A Distinct Drive

Their combined creative and entrepreneurial talents balanced the dynamic duo. Yolanda’s writing skills from her English studies weaved seamlessly into Rick’s cutting-edge business persona, immediately launching the start of their brand after graduation.

A modest screen-printing business was soon situated in their basement, an idea that swirled together a need for marketing, writing, design and a strong business outlook. They didn’t have a clear vision of their future, but they had a strong foundation in their relationship and their studies at OU.

Jean Ann Miller, senior director for the Office for Student Involvement, remembered the duo and put their first large t-shirt order in motion. “It was our first job like that for t-shirts,” Rick says.

One of Rick's creative passions is painting

Their business ventures have since moved out of their basement and span into many more avenues. While they both support each other in each component, Rick leads the business and creative facets of DISTINCT LIFE, a Metro Detroit-based lifestyle brand, and Yolanda has found her passion in CREAM BLENDS, an inclusive skincare and wellness company.

DISTINCT LIFE touches on multiple markets, ranging from apparel and footwear to music and home goods, like throw blankets and incense holders. The couple wanted to offer a variety of products that truly represent them and could ignite a spark within their community. Specifically, Rick takes pride in the shoes that he designs in partnership with brands like Puma and New Balance. Each shoe balances a high-quality, artistic design with personal stories. “The shoes get people in the building, but the stories are what get them to stay,” Yolanda says.

Rick collaborated with athletic footwear and clothing brand Reebok on a project to highlight up-and-coming photographers. Each shoe was inspired by the work of a photographer, and a complementary tag showcased the photographer’s Instagram, highlighting not only the beauty they captured but their stories as well.

Yolanda working on products for CREAM BLENDS

Yolanda inspires similar feelings of connection by offering CREAM BLENDS skincare to “real people of any gender.” She didn’t originally see herself setting out to establish a skincare brand, but she saw a need for inclusivity and gentle products. “We started CREAM BLENDS in our kitchen in 2013,” she says. “Skincare for everyone was just something that was needed, so I did it.”

CREAM BLENDS offers a variety of scents and products for people of all ages. “It’s all subjective,” she says. “Scents should just depend on what you like, without being masculine or feminine, and we make natural products for all skin.”

Yolanda and Rick continue to pursue new business ventures that inspire them and where they see needs in the market. “We’re just two entrepreneurs trying to find our way in the world,” Yolanda says.

Cultivating Community

Finding their footing through a core community at OU helped launch their brand, and Yolanda and Rick are now becoming that community for many more. DISTINCT LIFE collaborates with other businesses, often spurring new levels of creativity from the couple and for other businesses.

In total, the duo has shared branding and marketing advice with dozens of local businesses, offering one-on-one and group workshops regularly. “Different people have different ways and forms of activism,” Yolanda says. “A lawyer can step in if you’re not being heard, a doctor can step in and make sure you’re cared for, and a writer can make sure your press releases are polished. We’re all part of a puzzle, and branding and marketing classes are the skills and advice we can offer to the community.”

Their activist mindset carries each product they foster as well, ranging from donating portions of proceeds to nonprofit organizations to spreading impactful messages. Rick, for instance, is currently working on a new facet of DISTINCT LIFE: music that incorporates the sounds of tap dance and spoken word. “The idea is that a tap dancer is really a drummer. There’re different cadences, bars, tones — it’s all there,” Rick says. “That’s how it’s been traditionally used with early Jazz and even further back.”

Tap dancing traditionally offered an instrumental outlet when instruments weren’t available in the Black community. Amounting to an album called the “Geezy Experiment,” Rick shared this activism with a live showcase in June to accompany Juneteenth celebrations.

Whether Rick and Yolanda are sharing skills or stories, the cultural and communal impact is always leading their decisions and next ventures. “We believe that’s our mission: to live lives that can inspire people,” says Rick. “We bring that into each project we’re involved with.”