Built to Stay

In this episode of Built to Stay, we talk with Jasmin Aujla, director of partnerships at Man Repeller. We dive into partnerships and how they can benefit brands. Some of the things Jasmin really emphasizes are being genuine as a brand, what an ideal partnership looks like, and how events have helped Man Repeller grow. As Bart says in this episode, partnerships, at its roots are, “ a great way to fill in the gaps...and ally with people that are going down the same path or working with similar audiences.” For more exclusive content, check out builttostay.com and @builttostay.

In this episode of Built to Stay, we interview Gary Kennedy, one of the first employees at Oracle and first investor, president, and CEO at Ten Fold. Gary had great success in the tech industry and explains his story and what he learned working in some of the top tech companies of the ’90s and early 2000s. In this episode, we dive into how to rebound after a stock market crash, how Gary chose to move from a stable job to a risky start-up, and what makes him interested in some investment ideas. Visit builttostay.com and @builttostay for exclusive content.

In this episode of Built to Stay, we interview Liz Findlay, founder of Albion Fit, an athleisure clothing company. Liz gives an extremely vivid example of rising up after falling. Liz was working on her master's degree when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She and her husband and their newborn twins relocated to Guatemala to be closer to her parents. During that time, they started Albion Fit in an effort to save her parent's clothing factory. Liz shares the incredible Albion Fit story and how she worked through challenges, setbacks, and rose above it all. For more content, visit builttostay.com

In this episode of Built to Stay, we interview Joey Van Konigsbruggen. Joey is the founder of Jimmy Joy, an international company that provides a complete meal replacement shake and other healthy foods. Joey talks about how it all started in his dorm room in Amsterdam while he was studying media marketing and art, and decided to study something commercial so he could sell his art. He also discusses many of his setbacks, such as the legal issues he faced while trying to expand his business abroad, as well as his experience overcoming these issues. For exclusive content visit builttostay.com.

In this episode of Built to Stay, we interview Tristen Ikaika. Tristen sells handmade rings and uses social media as a way to engage his customers. Initially, Tristen began growing his following on Instagram through videography and photography, which he ended up leveraging into a successful business selling rings. We talk about his experience starting as a photographer and recently moving into the e-commerce realm with rings and how he made his transition from influencer to entrepreneur. Listen in to learn more about Tristen’s amazing business strategy. For exclusive content visit builttostay.com

• Introduction 1:33

• How Ring Selling Started 6:57

• Traveling and Rings 18:56

• Advice 25:19

“I tell my friends who start businesses, outsource as fast as you can. Because you need to be the one owning the business, not necessarily running the business.”  24:28

In this episode of Built to Stay, we interview Dave Crosby, founder of Wyze. We talk deeply about DTC (direct to consumer) businesses, how they are able to make such a high quality product at a fraction of the cost, how their companies mindset has shaped their success, and we also get to know a little about Dave and his daughter who have had a successful career as a performing duo.

Introduction to Dave - 1:26 Claire's Video's - 12:13 Hot Wyze Started - 24:28 What is next for Wyze - 44:32

“You mentioned before that we must have spent a ton on marketing. The truth is we’ve spent almost nothing on marketing. All we do, is we obsess over customers and make a great product...and then we listen to our community and just make the product as good as we possibly can and they just tell their friends.” 42:38

In this episode of Built to Stay, Bart interviews two solopreneurs who are currently in the process of building their businesses. Craig Rabin, creator of Airhooks, tells his story of how he got the idea for Airhooks and how he raised the money needed to fund the project through Kickstarter. Chelsie Tamms, founder of Lettering Works, talks about being an artist and an entrepreneur. She shares her experience of winning an entrepreneurial contest in college and using those funds to back her design business. Chelsie also highlights the reasons why many creative individuals tend to avoid starting a business within their specialty. For more about this episode, check out builttostay.com and @builttostay.

- 1:14 Story behind the Airhook

- 7:22 Easy way to establish a ‘patent pending’

- 27:58 Lettering Works 30:50 Disconnect between artists and entrepreneurs

- 41:39 Being a solo-preneur

“It’s not how well you execute. It’s how well you pivot in a point of crisis.” 15:58

In this episode of Built to Stay, James Anderson, one of the co-founders of Forged Axe Throwing, discusses how he built a million-dollar company around axe throwing. When James was in high school, he loved outdoor jobs that allowed him to have great experiences with his customers. He would do everything from windsurfing in the summer to skiing in the winter. After an internship at a tourism marketing firm, James did some research and decided to build an axe-throwing business with a friend who shared a mutual love for sharing experiences with customers. James talks about experience design, working with competition, scaling a brick and mortar business, and software development. For more, check out https://www.builttostay.com/ and @builttostay

3:50 Tourism and adventure guiding

14:40 Opening day success

17:52 Experience design

22:50 Healthy competition

33:27 Developing axe throwing software

https://www.forgedaxe.ca/

www.axecourse.com

In this episode of Built to Stay, Bart interviews Trevor McKendrick. Trevor received media attention, including a cameo on Gimlet's Startup podcast, because he started a Spanish Bible app even though he himself is an atheist. After noticing an unfilled niche in the app store, Trevor built the app hoping to make a couple hundred bucks a month. His app ended up making him 10x that and he continued to build his company which he eventually sold. Trevor discusses how he sold his business and the current projects he is working on at the Lambda School as well as his experience with content marketing. Follow @builttostay and visit our site for more content.

3:30 Developing the app around Spanish-speakers 

9:43 What it takes to make an app in the current market 

12:58 Being in the media spotlight

21:03 The Lambda School 

Many entrepreneurs talk about how they started their businesses by filling a gap in the market that they personally wanted to have filled. Fran Dunaway's business idea that led to the creation of TomboyX followed the same pattern, stemming from her desire to create fashionable and functional shirts and underwear for women. Beginning as a side hustle and being propelled by a Kickstarter campaign, TomboyX gained massive traction amongst female and LGBTQ audiences. Fran discusses how she and her now-wife, Naomi, have seen success by providing for the needs of unmet audiences, and how they decided to make their mark on the clothing industry.

• The origin of TomboyX 4:26 
• Filling an unmet need 10:07
• Working multiple jobs to make it happen 14:59
• The difficulty of finding funding as a female entrepreneur 21:36

"We had this opportunity, had the name, we had the "me too" movement, we had gender neutrality, gender equity, that type of stuff that was starting to turn in these zeitgeists of the culture. "