Mapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship

In this podcast, the LAST one of the year, Ryan and Kota look back on the changing landscape of business in 2022, what we learned from the year, problems we encountered, solutions we're currently deploying, and how they might apply to your own business.

And also what to expect in 2023.

This episode also dives into the specifics of a new product/group we're launching (and why we're doing it), so if you've been toying with the idea of starting an apparel line, or maybe you already started one and it's not going the way you expected, you're definitely gonna want to see this.

The new course ITW is launching is a complete guide to get started on your journey of building and scaling an apparel brand; what to expect, how to go about it, and how to avoid the MANY pitfalls on the path.

After 15 years in the apparel game and helping hundreds of other brands grow and scale (as well as his own), the course is a road map of all the lessons learned and best practices. Everything from how to search for a name, to how to scale a modern e-comm apparel brand, to how to establish a valuation model and plan an exit when the time comes.

The course includes 15 video lessons that go in-depth on these topics.

1. Mindset

2. Partnerships

3. Choosing a Name & Creating a Brand

4. Branding & Lifestyle (what is it and how to create it)

5. Business & Banking Structure (banking set up and how to use credit cards to get free money)

6. Creating Digital Infrastructure (your websites & social media)

7. Choosing Products (it's not always T shirts!)

8. Developing Art & Creatives

9. Sizing Ratio

10. Initial Launch Blueprint

11. Fulfillment

12. Data Analysis

13. Scaling Reach & Conversions

14. Advertising & Marketing

15. Valuation & Positioning for Sale

For all of these 15 lessons, we have them available as full videos, but also as downloadable PDFs as well as an audio playlist so you can absorb the info whichever way is best for you. We also have a private Facebook group that has some of our friends and fellow brand owners that have 6,7, and even 8-figure businesses that can answer your questions and get you the info that actually WORKS. As you already know, it's super important to be a part of a community that wants you to succeed, and lifts you up, instead of dragging you down.

We also have monthly LIVE ZOOM calls where Ryan and the best professionals in the industry come in and answer all of your questions!

The group will also have access to exclusive events that are very unique to the apparel world.

If you are interested in learning more about the Industry Brandworks course, click the link below!

Check out the FULL INDUSTRY BRANDWORKS course here:

www.industrybrandworks.com/home

If you'd like a more a la carte option, each of the products is available individually here:

www.industrybrandworks.com/products

If you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself: "When should I start to worry about giving out job titles in the workspace?"

It can be a bit confusing if you don't know what each title means and the roles involved.

CEO, CFO, COO, and so on.

In reality, it doesn't really matter in the beginning. If you are a solopreneur and it's just you and the company, you can give yourself any role you want. IT'S YOUR COMPANY!

If you do have a partner, it is important to understand each position and how you guys are moving the business forward. You need to find the lines where you don't step on each other's toes, but you have the same end goal in mind.

In the podcast Ryan and Kota discuss:

- Understanding the importance of making the right calls for your business (each partner has their specific roles)

- Giving yourself space and grace to make mistakes

-How you can branch out and expand your company through different avenues to grow the vision even further

-And why you SHOULDN'T move to Texas lol

AND SO MUCH MORE!

"How do I stay strong during the holiday season?" is a common challenge for anyone who has big goals, whether in business or just life goals.

Christmas is right around the corner and it's normal to struggle with maintaining balance between your business needs and family commitments.

You might be heading home for the holidays and see everyone else is taking it easy… but you know deep down inside, you can't afford to do that. You want to SUCCEED!

BUT… it is not always easy.

In the podcast Ryan and Kota discuss:

- How to keep your business ON TRACK during the holiday season.

- How to deal with family members and their opinion of your entrepreneur journey.

- Learning how to let go of people (even family) to build your future.

- The importance of surrounding yourself with people that have the same vision you do.

- Focusing on the most influential entrepreneurs and their stories how they got to that point ( read their autobiography, watching youtube interviews, documentaries)

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Stress is a normal part of life as an entrepreneur, but it doesn't have to control you! YOU can learn to control IT, and even USE it as an advantage.

You first have to ask yourself… Why are you stressed or anxious?

Are you worried about things that are actually worth worrying about?

Are they things that you can control or affect change upon?

Or do you find yourself worrying about things that are entirely out of your control?

You don't have to be an entrepreneur to have stress. WE ARE HUMANS! WE ALL GET IT!

We get scared of the unknown.

In this podcast, Ryan and Kota break down the importance of handling the anxiety you might have and how to turn that into a superpower. They dive into how dealing with it on your own can be hard, but finding other people that relate to you can help you get through it.

Ryan and Kota also cover:

- Setting up dinner meetings with new entrepreneurs that you want to start networking with.

- Ryan talks about always thinking of "the worst-case scenario" P.S. It's usually not as bad as you think.

- How Kota deals with his anxiety by simply doing breathing exercises.

- Preparation is the key to dealing with stress. SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Leadership is one of the most important, yet difficult skills to master. It probably can't ever be truly "mastered", as it's such a nuanced and broad topic, but you CAN make significant changes over time by understanding a few core things.

Leadership is INFLUENCE, which has almost universal applications. Being a leader doesn't mean you have to have a business. Being a strong leader can be with your family, friends, spouse, kids and so on.

Whether you're a small business owner with just a virtual assistant, or running a bigger team of 20 to 200 employees, understanding and applying the tools and skills of leadership can help you achieve your goals, as well as help build everyone around you.

Like any difficult thing, becoming a leader isn't easy. It takes time and patience, but you need to have that skill set if you are planning on building a company of any significance or size.

In this podcast, Ryan and Kota break down the importance of becoming a leader and how it affects everything and everyone in the company, both up and down the chain.

Ryan and Kota also cover:

- How Ryan had to "lead" Disney (Ryan's wife) when she first starting working with him and finding that balance.

- The importance of not burning bridges… you never know what those connections might lead to in the future.

- How listening to Jocko Podcast has helped him become a better leader in both of his companies.

- Why actively trying to avoid "leadership" is hurting you in the long run… It just has to be done!

AND SO MUCH MORE!

If you're thinking about jumping into entrepreneurship, one of the most uncommon, yet important questions you SHOULD be asking yourself is: "What type of mindset do I have to have to be successful on this endeavor?"

That is a KEY question you need to be asking yourself, yet so many people gloss over it. In order to play the game of entrepreneurship, you need to be resilient. Some people quit their normal 9 to 5 to become an entrepreneur because they say:

"I want to be my own boss."

"I want to make my own work schedule."

"I want to be the pilot of my own life."

So on and so forth, which all sounds GREAT, but in reality, it's not that simple.

Creating your own business is not easy. You have to have a skillset that brings value to people. People that will trade their money for your time/skill. And you have to remember, your income is not always promised. You eat what you kill, there is no safety net.

In this podcast, Ryan and Kota talk about how you need to have the go-ready mindset when it comes to building a business and becoming your own "boss".

Ryan and Kota also discuss:

- Why some people operate at a "world class" level while the majority operate at "just good enough".

- Understanding that YOU ARE GOING TO SUCK in the beginning is the best strength to have to just get started today.

- No one cares what you are doing day to day nearly as much as you may be afraid they do, stop over thinking social media, just post what you want because the people that do like what you offer will stick around and those that don't, don't matter.

- "Success" is a relative term, and how you define it for yourself may be one of the most important things you can do.

AND SO MUCH MORE!

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FOLLOW RYAN WILLIAMS:

https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326/

https://www.instagram.com/industry_threadworks/

FOLLOW KOTA:

https://www.instagram.com/kotafilms/

https://www.kota-films.com/

FEATURED: OperationStrongDad

https://www.instagram.com/operationstrongdad/

If you are an entrepreneur you might come across the act of manifestation. You might have heard it from top entrepreneurs or famous celebrities.

In summary, it means, if you ask the universe for something and you think of it into existence, it will come true. But the key thing is, you have to WORK for it! 99.99% of the time, it will not just fall into your lap. You will have to go and show the universe, God, or whatever you want to call it, that you deserve it.

When most people think of manifesting things in their life, they think of money or fame. But what about people? What about asking the universe to bring someone special into your life like a husband or a wife or just a friend?

In this podcast, Ryan and Kota talk about asking the universe for what you want (specifically for a loved one/partner) and how that relates back to your business.

Ryan and Kota also discuss:

- When you face challenges, the obvious solutions are sometimes right in front of you, but oftentimes you're too close to see them (can't see the forest for the trees) - from a conversation with @nextsteppx (custom prosthetics company owner).

- How meeting Disney made Ryan believe in God.

- Disney (Ryan's wife) gets jealous of Ryan's company until she is introduced into the entrepreneurial world and becomes a part of it.

AND SO MUCH MORE!

FOLLOW RYAN WILLIAMS:

https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326/

FOLLOW KOTA:

https://www.instagram.com/kotafilms/

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Featured Today:

NextSteppX

https://www.instagram.com/nextsteppx/

If you are new to entrepreneurship, you've probably seen a variety of network or entrepreneur groups around, but how do you know which one is right for you, what the differences are, or even if they're useful at all?

Entrepreneur/network groups can be an amazing way to fast-track your learning, while also making some lifelong friends, but there are nuances to navigating them that can either make your experience incredible and life-changing or a waste of time.

A common fear after you do decide to take the plunge, is how do you show up with your best foot forward and not looking like a noob? What are the common mistakes and faux pas that new members make, and how to avoid them.

In this podcast, Ryan & Kota discuss tips and tactics to get the MOST out of the experience, maximizing your time and highlighting your value, while also not coming across like a weirdo.

Ryan and Kota also cover:

- It's not about the LEADER of the group, the true value is in the other members of the group.

- Tips and tricks when going to a networking event (when to go, which hotel to get, where all the "cool kids" usually hang out, etc.).

- How to follow up with someone you connected with at a networking event the right way, and how to make yourself MEMORABLE.

- How to make yourself THE GUY (or girl) for your space that everyone thinks of when they hear your niche.

AND SO MUCH MORE!

How to sell your company is one thing, but there are a lot of better podcasts for those details, and while we do go into some of the technical details for basic sales in this episode, we dive way deep into a bigger question that rarely gets asked, is WHO are you WITHOUT the company? And what will you do AFTER the sale? With your money, your time, purpose, relationships, etc.

In this podcast, Ryan and Kota cover some strategies to use when you're wanting to sell your business, lessons learned from the exiting process, and even bigger lessons from what came after.

Most people think when they "sell a company", it unlocks the NEXT LEVEL and solves all their problems! (Expensive cars, mansions, private jets, models, laying on exotic beaches with umbrella drinks!) This isn't always the case, and is in fact, RARELY the case.

The fact is high level achievers love to achieve. They fall in love with the GAME, and you don't win anything by sitting on the sidelines with a margarita. It might be nice for a reset (which is useful and NECESSARY), but most true players never unplug forever, they just reset and get back in the game.

But before you get to that stage, you first have to build a successful business that investors are going to want to buy. Not every business is sellable! We discuss the differences, and how to structure the company so it will be more attractive to a buyer.

Ryan and Kota also discuss:

- What to do after you sell the company that you worked so hard to build.

- How selling your company to the wrong buyer can really HURT! Diligence checks go both ways, make sure you know who you're selling to, and what their plans are for your company..

- Understand the process of selling your company (legal documents, payouts, and more!) it doesn't have to be complicated, and at the small scale is probably much easier than you think.

On this week's episode we got a question from one of our viewers, Aleem Afzal, entrepreneur and founder of his new brand, @limitlesslivingco . His question was a common one that all new business owners face as they're getting the brand off the ground: "I know my friends and family will support the designs and tell me they're good, but how can I test designs in the marketplace to be sure they'll actually sell before I put money into purchasing inventory?"

It's definitely scary rolling the dice and spending money on an unsure thing, but that's the gamble of entrepreneurship. Obviously you don't want to waste your time and money on creating products that people are not going to buy, but you also don't want to wait on the sidelines forever either. Taking these steps will help guide you in the right direction!

In this podcast, Ryan and Kota explain how to test and gather the opinions of your target audience when it comes to creating designs that people are going to want to buy and wear. It's hard starting from scratch, but it's harder still if you don't have money to run ads to do the testing, or a big following to poll on social media.

So what do you do?

Simply use these tips that Ryan has gathered over the years and JUST GET STARTED.

Ryan and Kota also discuss:

- What Ryan would do if he had to START OVER!

- The pros and cons of a POD (Print On Demand) model using DTG (Direct To Garment) printers, vs. an inventory model (screen printing).

- Should you just buy your own screen printer and print your own shirts? Maybe, it depends what you want to spend your time doing, but we do see some patterns as that's a super common question.

- The problem of creating to many options (like printing a shirt in LOTS of different colors), and the power & simplicity of the Pepperoni Pizza & Coors Light solution.

- Remember, you're NOT selling a t-shirt, or even a product at all, you are selling a LIFESTYLE. The difference is subtle, but HUGE. Your audience cares way more about what the shirt STANDS FOR and the MEANING behind it, than the design that's printed on it.

AND SO MUCH MORE!

Featured Guest: Limitless Living https://www.instagram.com/limitlesslivingco/