One afternoon, Jose Rodriguez Jr. watched as his little brother Joel scrambled in searching for his fidget toy. The fidget toy is important for Joel, who has Asperger's Syndrome and likes to play with it to relax.
That’s when an idea struck Rodriguez: What if he could find a better way for Joel and others with autism to keep track of their fidget toys?
Combining the idea with his passion for clothing, Rodriguez founded Tasium, a company that makes t-shirts with fidget toys attached to them. Each fidget is attached to the bottom corner of each shirt with a clip to ensure that the toy is never far from the person wearing it.
“Fidget toys are proven to help reduce anxiety for everyone, especially those with autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and 50% of people with autism have ADHD,” Rodriguez told Rhode Island Inno. “It’s hard for them to focus. A lot of people don’t know that about fidget toys. They think they are a distraction, but they are really there to help.”
The idea for Tasium grew as he was taking a course taught by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a nonprofit that provides entrepreneurship training to young people from low-income communities. The course was being offered at Rodriguez’ high school, the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical School in Providence.
At the end of the course, NFTE runs a pitch competition called the National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. From classes held around the world, NFTE selects two to three students per class and nominates their ideas for an international competition that includes 20,000 students in total. In 2020, Rodriguez and Tasium won the entire competition.
The win came with $12,000 and helped Rodriguez jumpstart the business. Rodriguez used the funds to invest in a website, and the funds also gave him the ability to get some of the first batches of shirts made by manufacturers.
Previously, Rodriguez said he had been making shirts at the school with vinyl and a heat press, but now he is switching to screen printing so the design on the shirts doesn’t rub off in the wash.
Rodriguez recently completed his first batch of shirts and is currently selling them. He is also planning to donate shirts to organizations like Meeting Street, a nonprofit focused on child development with locations in Providence, New Bedford and Dartmouth.
As he gets close to graduating from high school, Rodriguez said he plans to continue the business from college and expand Tasium into hoodies, sweatpants, hats, purses, and more, with every piece of clothing having some kind of fidget toy attached.
The goal is to have each fidget toy attached in the most discreet way possible, so the fidget can help people relax but doesn’t distract them from their work.
Rodriguez says a long-term goal is to one day sponsor the Special Olympics. While that may be a little ways off, the high school senior is very happy to be doing his part while following his passion.
“I just wanted to help the world in some way,” Rodriguez said.
