The Journey

As Ernest Hemmingway wisely said, “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." But trusting blindly doesn’t come without risk and if someone ultimately proves they didn’t deserve your trust to begin with, it may already be too late.. That is the devastating lesson that Mitchell Hayes, founder and CEO of Los Sundays Tequila had to learn the hard way. 

“We had some people involved with the business in the early days where a lot of money went missing,” Hayes said. “There was no way for us to get it back. And it nearly sunk us. We were working out of my lounge room at home, around the dining room table. I stopped paying myself cause the money disappeared out of the account to keep paying the three employees that we had. The bank account literally hit zero twice.

This was a sink or swim situation for Mitchell and Los Sundays. But, frankly, Mitchell was made to swim. He had been finding his way through all kinds of choppy and unfamiliar waters his whole life. Where did that grit and determination come from, and where did it ultimately lead? Let’s find out. Welcome back to The Journey.

Main Takeaways:

• Compensate for your Weaknesses: Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and so does every business. Learn first what the demands of the industry are, learn your competition. Then take stock of your own store of goods; what are you especially talented at, what are your strongest skills?  Then think about where you might be able to utilize your skill in an area that your competitors are weak in. This tactic can be enough to toe the line with your competitors. 
• Any Means Necessary: Every business owner comes across trying times and difficult challenges, but sometimes overcoming those things takes superhuman effort. Owning your own business will likely involve a good bit of personal sacrifice and struggle at some, if not many, points. Go into entrepreneurship with the mentality of getting it done by any means possible.
• It’s Okay if Dreams Change: What we start out wanting to do as kids is rarely what we end up having a career in. When you dedicate your entire childhood and younger adult years toward achieving that same goal, the transition to something else can be difficult. Know that changing your dream doesn’t mean that you failed at the first one, you just re-negotiated the terms of your dream. 

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What makes for a good story? Is it the world building? The hero? The big plot twist?

How can we be left feeling unsatisfied at the end of a 2-hour-long movie, yet be left in tears by a 30-second commercial? What separates the story that resonates and the one that falls flat? 

And what does any of this have to do with business?

“I love brands — I love the stories that they tell,” Johannes Quodt says. “When I was watching TV, I got more excited about the commercials than the rec program.,Particularly what I do remember is how I love these micro stories they told. And I think the storytelling aspect of, of commercials and brands is really an essence. What fascinates me

Johannes is the co-founder and co-CEO of luxury Italian shoe brand Koio. Johannes recognized from a young age that stories have the power to connect with people in a profound way -- a vital skill for still-blooming brands and established goliaths alike. It’s not enough to have a great product, that product - and every component that goes into it - needs a story that connects with the consumer in a way that your competitors’ can’t.

Johannes has found this perfect blend of story and product, and today he shares what that discovery process has been like, how Koio is creating a new category of sustainable luxury, and how he and his cofounder scaled Koio from one “perfect shoe” to an ever expanding collection that is attracting interest from the likes of GQ, Vogue, and even celebrities like Joe Jonas. 

All that and more on The Journey.

Main Takeaways:

• Curate the Marketing Story you Tell: When you can tell your consumer a story about the product that you are selling to them, they will be more excited by it and more likely to engage. By authentically curating stories around your brand, you can also build a reputation and earn trust with other great storytellers, opening doors for collaboration. 
• Quality Should be Synonymous with Social and Environmental Sustainability: Industry and factory production revolutionized commerce a long time ago, but many brands are still using unsustainable, irresponsible farming and sourcing practices. Bringing about social and ecological change in business adds a layer of complexity to the work your team does, but building that respect and loyalty as a brand is irreplaceable. 
• Capitalize on your close network: Even if you just have the email addresses of your fellow students in MBA school, you can still start your business by talking to them or leaning on them as a resource, both financially and for support. Being inspired from those you see around you doing new and creative things can lead to great inventions of your own. Surround yourself with greatness and then get going. 

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

‘I do.’ Those two words conjure up visions of wedding fayre, flowers, cake, brides, grooms. Marriage is a serious decision, complete with signed government documents and promises related to health and finances. If you break down a co-founder relationship, what you’ll find is a lot of those same critical components. Hours of time spent together on a daily basis for an undetermined but nevertheless significant amount of time; finances tied to each other; and a never-ending stream of contracts and other legal documents you both are signed and tied to. And don’t forget the countless conversations, squabbles, laughs and tears that woven together create the fabric of a relationship that can, hopefully, stand the test of time. 

Dominika Minarovic, one of the co-founders of BYBI Beauty, knows that choosing the right business partner is like choosing the right life partner: it all starts with a foundation of respect and admiration.

“I was always like equal parts fearful slash pure admiration of Elsie. And I think that's a great combo, obviously not fearful of her anymore, but Elsie has a presence when she walks into a room. Everyone will stop and listen. And I think that's really powerful. I saw someone that I really admire. Elsie and I have really, really been through the wars. Like we've done some hard graft and I don't think at any point, have I ever heard a complaint come out of her mouth? We have carried boxes up like 10 flights of stairs. We've started offices in broom closets.

This kind of partnership is like any relationship: it has to go both ways. That mutual respect for each other is what you’ll need to remember  and fall back on when crises pop up. But as Dominka’s co-founder, Elsie Rutterford will say, there’s also got to be an equal level of commitment to the work. 

“The word hustle. If you look it up in the dictionary, you will see Dominika Minarovic’s name sat underneath that. So she was a hustler through and through. And I really liked that about her. And I think like the hard working ethic. Yeah. And the way that she applied herself, I was like, definitely somebody that I would want to work with.” 

Respect, trust, and common dreams. These are some of the elements that are sprinkled through the story of how Elsie and Dominika found each other and developed their business together. But what else goes into a good co-founder relationship? And how did Elsie and Dominika find the answer throughout their journey to bring their beauty brand, BYBI, to the world? Find out this week on The Journey.

Main Takeaways:

• A Match Made in Heaven: When you have the right co-founder by your side, there are limitless benefits. You can be there to support each other. You can share the burden of the responsibilities and daily tasks of running the business — especially valuable in the early stages. You can also share more empathy for each other, going through life changes and unexpected circumstances. You can share the financial responsibilities and take on less personal risk. But most importantly, by having a co-founder, you share a passion and drive toward a common goal and that can make your business strong enough to last. 
• Disruption Takes Passion and Authenticity: Being passionate about the product or market you’re working in is a huge advantage because it makes you naturally think about what you want to get as a consumer. Having a deep-rooted passion about something that you want to change or dispel in that industry will make you more creative and effective in your work there. 
• A Launching Pad: Your business might not evolve in the way you expect. There are many different ways for a brand to launch, whether that’s through a blog, a social media account, a book deal, or anything in between. No matter how people begging to know you or your brand, the most important thing you can do is recognize the opportunity in front of you and find a way to capitalize on it in a meaningful way.

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There are some beloved characters in pop culture. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Yoda from Star Wars. 

And then, of course, Dora The Explorer…

Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch. But for Ellen Bennett, the founder of multi-million dollar apron company Hedley and Bennett, that children’s character’s can-do adventurous spirit resonates with and lives within her. And she has tapped into those qualities to approach entrepreneurship in a somewhat unique way. 

I definitely feel like I was a bit of a Dora the Explorer. With enough kind of humble enthusiasm, you open a lot of doors. That's what I did. And it worked. And, you know, I don't always land all of my wild adventures, but in this case, it really was the beginning of a whole new journey. And it's so simple as just showing up sometimes up to the place where you're going to meet the people, or have a chance to talk to somebody who will get you into the next door. And then you keep asking and you keep asking and you're just, you gotta be relentless.

The places Ellen was showing up? They were Michelin star restaurants in Los Angeles and she was going around to the back doors to put her product in front of some of the best chefs in the world. Ellen was not well-known. Her product was an apron — something that every restaurant in town already had in bulk. And she was a one-woman operation trying to leapfrog all of the traditional lanes to go straight to the top and find success. 

She didn’t have Dora’s map or her partners in crime to guide her. She was Ellen the explorer and she was out on her own.

Welcome back to The Journey.

Main Takeaways:

• Walk Through the Door and Ask: You don’t always need to go through regular channels to get things done. If you have enough confidence and gumption to be aggressive, get in front of the decision-makers, and simply ask for what you want, you just might get it. There is risk and rejection involved in this strategy, but the opportunity is there for the taking if you’re willing to try.
• Don’t Listen to the Haters: Those who don’t see your vision may try to dissuade you at the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey. Push through, turn those voices off, and do the work that is in your heart. Along the way, you will have to inspire others through your own passion, and you will need to get creative at times to help your vision come to life.
• Let It Go: Utilize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Learn when you need to turn off the hustle of doing everything yourself and let someone else whose skill set is more suited take over tasks that you are less apt for. Lean into the assets you have that brought the business to life and delegate those smaller, albeit necessary, tasks.

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have you ever had an idea for a business or a product? If you are listening to this podcast, then the answer is most likely a resounding “yes!” 

But here’s a harder question… What did you do next? Maybe you jotted some things down in a notebook, or even went as far as making a business plan. But again I ask, what did you do next? Did a few weeks roll by and you forgot all about it? Or maybe, like Ju Rhyu, you took a couple steps forward before realizing what a difficult and risky journey it would be. 

“I was doing it by myself. It was very intimidating. I got intimidated by the amount of money that I realized I had to put in for the first PO. So then I stopped, I stopped and I took a job.”

Ju had a vision for a company she called Hero Cosmetics, but there were years between the birth of that idea and actually getting a business off the ground. 

Ideas are plentiful. I’ve had them, and I’m sure you have, too. But what is that missing piece that keeps us and those like us from executing on these ideas and dreams? What was stopping Ju? 

There is so much risk and so much to fear when you’re about to jump off that proverbial ledge into entrepreneurship. Ju felt that fear deep in her bones and it stopped her in her tracks. That’s not unique.

Main Takeaways:

• Reasons to Have a Co-founder: Creating a business can be easier with support from co-founders. Sharing the many responsibilities of running a business — including financial obligations and time investment — can help you get more done quicker and on the road to success faster. Know what you need as a founder to get the project launched. Do you need someone there with you, sharing the burden? What part of the business is the most difficult that could be aided with another person coming on board? When you answer these questions and then act on your decision, you can start to bring your idea to life in real ways.  
• When to Expand: Knowing when to focus your company on a limited number of products and when to expand your offerings is key. You have more limited resources in the beginning stages, so every effort needs to be poured into a select few (or singular) products so that you can make it succeed. At some point you will need to expand if you want to grow, so being strategic when and how you do so is key.   
• Journeys Don’t Have to be Linear: It doesn’t matter what path you start out on, you can still find your way to becoming that successful entrepreneur. Even if you get handed a set of unfortunate circumstances, those can become learning opportunities and blessings in disguise. Learning how to reframe perceived difficulties and how to take the next step when you’re ready are two ways to help navigate an indirect journey. 

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oculus - a VR company acquired by Facebook for 2 billion dollars in 2014. 

Popsockets - the little pop out button that attaches to the back of your phone, a simple idea that is now making more than 100 million dollars in profit every year. 

And Tile -  the bluetooth device that lets you find misplaced items, has partnered with Amazon and sold more than 35 million devices.  

What do these three companies have in common?

They all got their start, their first dollar earned, on the crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter. But even with recognizable products and massive success stories like theirs, crowd-funding is still far from the normal way to secure funding, and it is certainly not the ordinary way to secure ALL of your funding year over year for more than a decade. 

Yet for Peter Dering, the founder of Peak Design, crowdfunding was the only business plan he bet on. And it was that bet that would propel him from here:

“I had already run out of money and taken a job at a restaurant to make ends meet. I was a food runner, which is the lowest man on the totem pole.” 

To here:

“I had a profitable business after two days of selling… The Kickstarter community just flocked to this idea. And so that success was pretty immediate and it felt incredible.”

How did launching a Kickstarter get Peter out of odd jobs and place him at the head of a business skyrocketing to success? And how is he carrying on Peak’s crowdfunded origins every year to continue to fund new projects while building unwavering customer loyalty? Find out that and more on today’s episode of The Journey.

Main Takeaways:

• Building Customer Loyalty: Crowdfunding built a fiercely loyal customer base early in the company’s life. From there, Peak continued to nurture that relationship by investing in thoughtful, reliable products and honestly addressing complaints if a customer ever ran into any issues. 
• Employee-first Approach: Their company has near-zero turnover and focuses a lot on creating a space where their team can feel fulfilled by their work. Peter hires slowly and intentionally and in so doing has built a time that he trusts to set their own goals, timelines, and budgets.
• A Formula for Success: To this day, Peak is still 100% crowdfunded. Every year, Peter and his team launch a new Kickstarter. They’ve created a winning formula that can be repeated again and again.

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What were you doing when you were 11 years old? Whatever it was, do you think it was shaping the person you are today? Not philosophically, I mean directly. Was the 11-year-old you learning the skills you’d need to succeed in the job you’re doing now?

Very few people would answer yes to that question. Russell Aldridge is one of them. 

Russell has been a tinkerer and a builder his whole life, and eventually, that passion led him, like many entrepreneurs, to take a leap of faith.

“I said, ‘I'm thinking about quitting my job and starting a company in the garage,” Russell said when recalling the conversation with his wife. “‘What do you think?’ And she said, ‘Well, what's the worst that could happen?’ And I said, ‘Well, we could lose everything and have to move back to Utah.’ And she said, ‘Well, we don't have anything. And I'd love to move back to Utah. So go ahead.’”

There’s no doubt that the company Russell was starting was a gamble. He called it SISU Cinema Robotics and wanted to build robots that could do … well, pretty much anything. He’d had some practical experience, and yes, as an 11-year-old, Russell was learning the skills he’d apply to this company, but now Russell was a father and a husband. He’d already uprooted his family once to walk into the unknown, and now he was asking them to trust him again. 

What led Russell here? And how has SISU evolved from that roll of the dice idea into a company that is revolutionizing the film and television industry?

Find out on this episode of The Journey.

Main Takeaways:

• Connections Matter: Who you work for and with is important. When you choose a business partner or to take on a company as a client, understand exactly the commitment you are getting into, what is expected, and how you can make each other better along the way. Additionally, try never to burn bridges. A company you once worked for and left might become a customer later on, and you’ll want to be able to fall back on the good impression you left.
• Solve What Needs Solving: There is an endless number of problems in the world, and no matter how good your product is, it won’t be able to solve issues for every person. Narrow down who your customers are and what one big challenge they face that you can solve, then do that exceptionally well. 
• Take The Chance: You hear all the time that you should follow your passion and it’s true. When you do the things you love, the hard times you face become more manageable because you have a “why” behind what you do.

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, Journey fans! It’s been a while, and I’ve been eagerly waiting to tell you something exciting… we’re back! Starting this Wednesday, we’ll be releasing weekly episodes highlighting the stories of some of the world’s most incredible small business leaders. They’ve risked it all, made big bets, and ridden the rollercoaster that is entrepreneurship, and today they are running successful, fast-growing businesses. The path is never easy, and on The Journey, we bring you the authentic, unfiltered story of how each of these entrepreneurs really achieved success.

Every entrepreneur has a story to tell, and there are lessons for all of us within their journeys. So I hope you’ll tune in, get inspired and take some knowledge with you on your own journey in business and life. 

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This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The founding story for any company is comparable to that of a great sports story: It typically features inspiring mentors, classic fumbles and recoveries, and of course, a team that has your back through it all.

That’s why today’s episode of The Journey is a little bit different. Rather than showcase the success of one small business entrepreneur... you’ll hear from three:

• Kate Perez, Merivis Co-Founder & Executive Director
• Hector Perez, Merivis Founder & Past Board Chair
• And Joe Castro, Merivis Co-Founder & Current Board Chair

Kate, Hector, and Joe are the founding team of Merivis, a nonprofit veteran service organization that trains veterans and military spouses for competitive careers in tech.

The trio has always been determined to build something that makes an impact, but there’s one thing they could have never predicted: That Merivis would be the catalyst for building a community almost as close as family.

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Learn more about The Journey at mission.org/thejourney.

The Journey is sponsored by our friends at Salesforce Essentials. We use Salesforce Essentials every day and it’s part of our own business journey. Essentials combines sales and service tools in a single app to help small businesses win customers and keep them happy. See how Salesforce Essentials can help you be your best business at salesforce.com/thejourney.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Imagine this. You’ve been working your way up inside an organization for 20 years. Your kids go to school on the company campus. Your spouse works on campus. You go shopping, get gas, grab coffee, walk your dog, and essentially live, work, and play all on campus.

And then, imagine, 2 decades in, leaving behind that “campus,” your career, and the entire community you are familiar with. 

That’s the shocking reality thousands of military families face every year. And while transitioning back into the civilian world can be an exciting time, the stress of finding a new career path is almost unavoidable.

“Traditional sourcing tools were fundamentally not designed for non-traditional talent. They make non-traditional talent invisible. They make people with non-traditional backgrounds confusing to understand because you have to piece together their story.”

That’s Mike Slagh, a Navy veteran and founder and CEO of Shfit.org.

Mike’s all too familiar with the hardships that come with transitioning from military to civilian life... he’s both done it himself and helped hundreds of others find their footing through the process. And it’s because he’s seen it first hand so many times that he knows that that process is long past due for an upgrade.

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Learn more about The Journey at mission.org/thejourney.

The Journey is sponsored by our friends at Salesforce Essentials. We use Salesforce Essentials every day and it’s part of our own business journey. Essentials combines sales and service tools in a single app to help small businesses win customers and keep them happy. See how Salesforce Essentials can help you be your best business at salesforce.com/thejourney.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.