It's Not a Game.
My name is Dawawn Robinson and I started It's Not a Game in 2017 in North Omaha, Nebraska. Not because the timing was right. Not because I had money, a team, or a plan that looked good on paper. Because I believed in building something real — and I was willing to do the work no matter what it cost me.
It did not start as a clothing brand. It started as a promotional company. I was getting paid to hand out flyers, put up posters, and move promotional material for businesses across Omaha. From there I built something bigger. I started running music events called Music Crush Everyday with my business partner Staso from Staso Corner on 106.9 FM — bringing three to five local artists to perform at The Reverb and The Waiting Room in the Benson area. Real stages. Real crowds. Real opportunities for artists who needed a platform.
I did not stop there. I brought nationally known artists to Omaha including Rich the Factor and Krazy Bone from the legendary group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. I produced comedy shows featuring HBO Def Comedy Jam comedian Tony Woods — the man Dave Chappelle credited as one of his greatest influences — and nationally recognized comedian Vanessa Fraction known for her roles in Barbershop 2 and Praise This. Every event was built by hand. Every relationship was earned. Nobody handed me anything.
Why Dawawn Robinson Built It's Not a Game
The hardest part of doing this alone is not always having the answers. Figuring out the business side, the financial side, and the day to day operations all at once with no days off and no one to pass anything to. Some days are harder than others. That is just the truth of building something real.
But I have a family counting on me. And everything I do with It's Not a Game is about showing them that no matter what life throws at you — you do not give up. You stay consistent. You keep working. Because hard work pays off even when it does not feel like it yet.
What It's Not a Game Really Means
It's Not a Game exists to remind people that life is serious. We provide quality clothing so they can live with purpose, on purpose.
Our core values are simple:
Purpose — We live and create with intention. Life is not a game. Authenticity — No hype. No gimmicks. Just real. Community — People should feel like they belong here.
This brand was built for the parent still showing up when nobody is watching. The provider who has not quit even when quitting would have been easier. The builder laying a foundation that nobody else can see yet. If that is you — this brand was made for you.
I run It's Not a Game alone. Every order. Every design. Every decision. From a store at 5404 Ames Avenue in North Omaha. I am not a corporation. I am not a team. I am one person who built something from nothing in a neighborhood that does not always get to see itself represented in what it wears.
I want you to read this and know that someone understands the struggle. And that we can both make it through.
Life itself is not a Game. Wear it like you know that.
— Dawawn Robinson Founder,
It's Not a Game™
North Omaha, Nebraska
