Mark Stanisz, unlike many college freshmen, knows exactly what he wants to do with his life. The 19-year-old is enrolled in a five-year MBA program at Wayne State University, and he's the founder of Love One Another — a clothing line aimed at promoting self-love and positivity among teens.

Stanisz, a White Lake resident, said he initially started his business as a way to help his parents pay for tuition at Orchard Lake St. Mary's, a private high school, and then to put himself through college. "My parents have always been so good to me, I really wanted to help them out," he said. In addition, Stanisz said that after he graduated from high school, he was inspired to find something he loves and to make a career out of it.

"I'm not a corporate guy," he said. "I wanted to find something that would allow me to be creative and positive — something that would have an impact and inspire others." Stanisz said he began to search for a business that embodied these goals, and he became inspired by clothing lines such as To Write Love on Her Arms, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that helps those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. It was then that his vision for his company became clear.

"I was so inspired by these companies, so I began to draw and come up with ideas for my own line," he said. But Stanisz didn't want to have just a clothing line, he wanted it to be something more — something that had a message to inspire others. "When I started to think of names, I tried to think of things that encompassed love, uniqueness, acceptance and self-love," he said. "I came up with Love One Another, and it really took off."

The start After coming up with a concept and name, Stanisz said he drew his first design and posted it on Facebook.

"It was just a little drawing that I put on Facebook to see if anyone would buy," he said. Several of his friends expressed an interest, so Stanisz used money he'd saved from working long hours at his job at the Blue Moose Family Dairy in Highland to special-order 20 T-shirts with the design. After that, Stanisz said word spread quickly, and he soon found himself hiring friends to work as webmaster, marketer and guys to sell his merchandise for Love One Another.

The company's shirts and wristbands have become popular among local teens, and the company has built a following on Facebook, where Stanisz encourages teens to submit photos of themselves wearing their favorite Love One Another product. Two of Stanisz's friends sell merchandise at Central Michigan University and Waterford Kettering High School, and there's an online store where requests are taken from as far away as France; the company has also shipped merchandise to more than 15 states. And the company sells its merchandise at area concerts. "It's been crazy to see how much it's grown — and to see people from South America or France taking an interest," he said.