In 2014, Stephanie Rado Taormina was determined to keep her father’s daily message, “Have some fun today,” alive. Nearly 10 years later, she turned his signature phrase into a brand and movement.

After attending a Catholic high school, Taormina was thrust into a new form of individualism with the opportunity to choose her own outfits and express her style in college. While continuing to embrace fashion, she was influenced even more when she worked as an au pair in France the summer entering her junior year. Immersed in French fashion and culture, she realized her true calling and decided to go to fashion school after graduating from Penn State.

Taormina graduated from Penn State in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in business, then moved on to the Parsons School of Design for a bachelor of fine arts in fashion design.

Taormina continued her education at Parsons and got a job in fashion right after graduation. Working under others for a few years disillusioned her with that environment, and her self-motivation pushed her to make the jump to create her own businesses.

“I felt like I was wasting a lot of energy, and I found that a lot when I would work for other people,” Taormina said. “So I think that was just part of my personality, and the training that I got at Penn State and at Parsons taught me how to do things. It taught me how to take something from a concept to the full process of creating it. I knew how to do it and I was very self-motivated.”

From there, Taormina launched her own home furnishing and loungewear brand RADO, LTD., and was principal in her own interior design and art consulting before creating her current business Have Some Fun Today.

Although her consulting business was her longest endeavor, starting in the early 2000s, she was growing frustrated toward the end. Making interior design decisions and convincing clients of their best interests to follow her directions was growing tiring.

At the same time that she was growing frustrated, Taormina’s dad got sick. Spending time in hospitals, though, gave her a new outlook.

“I think that was partially why I was getting frustrated because I was seeing something much more important in life than somebody’s draperies or how they rearrange the furniture in their room,” she said. “I was just kind of getting frustrated with these little nitpicky aspects of what I was doing, and I was feeling like there was something more for me in my career.”

After her dad died, Taormina realized how beautiful his message was. There was an immense turnout at his funeral, and she got to see in a new light how positive he was and the impact he had on people’s lives. Months into her grieving process, she immediately had visions of the products for Have Some Fun Today — ones that are still for sale to this day.

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At the time she created the brand, there was a big trend of simple black-and-white signs that could say virtually anything, but all made the reader feel better. She approached this trend and created the sign, a workout shirt, baseball cap, and tote bag that are still selling almost a decade later, embracing the simple but positive message.

On Have Some Fun Today’s website, Taormina includes a blog to accompany and drive home her message. She shares what’s important to her and discusses the person behind the brand for her customers to connect with.

The brand serves as a reminder that you can always have fun today, even in little ways. The meaning behind it is much more powerful than the t-shirt itself. Have Some Fun Today turned into a movement, even defining HSFTwomen on the website.

Much has changed since 2014 when the brand launched, especially in how small businesses connect with consumers, and Taormina admitted she probably wouldn’t be able to launch Have Some Fun Today in 2024. Big brands dominate social media and advertising costs have skyrocketed, but Have Some Fun Today has still touched thousands, including celebrities like Mila Kunis and Hillary Duff.

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“What I am most proud of is the fact that I have touched thousands and thousands of people in the past 10 years, and people who really needed it,” Taormina said. “People who were struggling with sickness, with death, with cancer, with loss, loneliness, you name it. Our brand has put a smile on people’s faces who really needed it, and money can’t come close to knowing that I succeeded in doing that.”

Taormina said she wants the brand to be as accessible as possible and for everyone to experience it. She loves spreading her message and mentoring anyone interested in fashion, working with charities, or working with groups that will help everyone have some fun each day.

With its 10th anniversary approaching, Have Some Fun Today is expanding into a realm that’s not so fashion-focused and offers new ways to create reminders.

Each day, Taormina is keeping her dad’s positivity alive. Just as her dad had a thousand people come to his funeral and honor his message, Taormina teaches thousands to have some fun today and every day.