1d ago

You’re Going to Want to Quit. Don’t. The Reality of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship looks exciting when you're watching the wins. But what happens when you're exhausted, overwhelmed, burned out, and the work still has to get done? In Episode 25 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja get candid about one of the hardest realities of building a business: staying disciplined when the motivation is gone. David shares one of the wildest stories from the early years of David Alan Clothing, a high-pressure WWE project involving Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, KFC and a Colonel Sanders suit that went very wrong before it went right. With his reputation on the line, David found himself racing around New York City looking for supplies, spray-painting a suit in a Brooklyn hotel room and desperately finding a tailor hours before the garment had to be delivered. It's a story about much more than clothing. It's about entrepreneurial resilience, problem-solving under pressure and refusing to quit when everything seems to be going wrong. The guys also discuss: • Entrepreneur burnout and how to recognize it • Motivation vs. discipline in business • Why consistency matters more than feeling motivated • Building routines that keep you moving during difficult periods • How accountability can help entrepreneurs stay consistent • Using goals and business plans to navigate burnout • Why processes become increasingly important as a company grows • Finding motivation before your business is making money • Turning criticism and negative feedback into fuel • Protecting your reputation as a new entrepreneur • The changing pressures of going from entrepreneur to CEO • Why successful business owners still experience stress and self-doubt • Finding solutions when quitting feels easier Whether you're launching a startup, growing a small business, managing a team or trying to push through a season of entrepreneurial burnout, this episode is a reminder that you don't have to feel motivated every day to keep moving forward. Problems will happen. Energy will disappear. Plans will change. Find the solution. Do the work. Keep going. That's what it means to be Built By Doing. (www.builtbydoingpodcast.com)

Aug 10

The Worst Business Advice I Ever Received: “Go Get a Job”

When you start a business, pursue an entrepreneurial idea, or try to grow something that doesn't fit the traditional mold, everyone seems to have an opinion. Some advice can change the trajectory of your business. Other advice can create doubt, unnecessary complexity, wasted money, or convince you to give up before you've really started. In Episode 24 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan break down how entrepreneurs should approach business advice: who deserves your attention, when expert advice actually applies to your situation, and why blindly following advice from social media, friends, other entrepreneurs, or even professionals can be dangerous. David also looks back at the early years of building David Alan Clothing, when people told him the idea wouldn't work, that Pittsburgh wasn't a market for fashion, and that he should abandon the business and find a job. He shares how criticism became fuel, why entrepreneurship requires an unusual level of mental resilience, and how his approach to seeking advice has changed after more than a decade in business. The conversation also explores: • Why business advice is rarely one-size-fits-all • How to determine whether someone's advice actually applies to your business • Why 10-second social media business advice can be misleading • The difference between listening to advice and blindly following it • Why your company's size, industry and stage of growth matter • How entrepreneurs can turn criticism into useful information • Why some business decisions require patience before you know whether they're working • The danger of overcomplicating a young business • How David nearly gave away equity during the early years of David Alan Clothing • Why good advisors ask questions before giving answers • How building the right team changes the speed at which a company can grow The lesson isn't to ignore everyone. It's to listen, understand, filter, and then make the decision that's right for you. Built By Doing is a podcast about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, risk, failure, and the lessons you can only learn by actually doing the work. www.builtbydoingpodcast.com

Aug 3

The Plan vs. What Actually Happens

Nothing goes smooth. Ever. In Episode 23 of Built By Doing, David and Stan open a new monthly series: every month they lay out exactly what they're working on across the David Alan businesses, then come back the next month and grade themselves on what actually happened. This month: the Columbus store was supposed to open in June. It's August. The landlord sent the wrong address, the internet contract collapsed, and an HVAC unit that should have taken two months took six. They planned for delays, built in an extra month of buffer, implemented lessons from the last opening, and STILL behind. Also in this episode: negotiating LOIs in Nashville and Charleston at the same time, the strategy behind picking expansion markets, prepping the 10th annual charity fashion show at PPG Place in Pittsburgh, rolling out a high-end hardwood line in the closet business, and the live sales scoreboard that has the whole stylist team competing. If you're opening a location, signing a lease, or juggling more projects than you can control, this one is for you. Questions for a future episode? Sent us a message at www.builtbydoingpodcast.com.

Jul 27

Real Business Owners. Real Questions. Real Answers. (Q&A)

A med spa owner asked when she should hire help. David's answer: six months ago. That's the energy of this entire episode, real business owners asking the hard questions, and David and Stan answering from experience, not theory. In Episode 22 of Built By Doing, David and Stan field questions from business owners across different industries; from pricing and profit margins to hiring, outsourcing, employee retention, and how long it really takes before a business makes money. Inside this episode: - Why David Alan Clothing has never run a single discount or promotion — and never will - The furniture store trap: how training customers to wait for sales kills your business - How to A/B test pricing without tanking your brand - The reverse-engineering method for setting profit margins (start from how much you want to make) - Why "six months ago" is always the right answer for when to hire - The exit interview strategy that stops you from losing your next good employee - Why David would pay for a mobile detailer to service his clients’ cars during fittings - The 5-year rule: if you haven't grown by year 5, something fundamental needs to change - Why it takes 90–120 days just for marketing to start showing results - How much money to have saved before you start — and why starting on the side is always the right move This is the second Q&A episode of Built By Doing. If you’re a business owner, aspiring entrepreneur, or thinking about starting something, these are the questions you’d ask if you had two entrepreneurs and a CPA in the room. Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship, small business strategy, hiring, pricing, and building companies the right way. If you have a business question that you’d like us to answer on a future episode, send us a message on www.builtbydoingpodcast.com, or leave us a comment!

Jul 20

Everyone Told Me To Quit, 10 Years Later The Dream Came True

David's first business was selling creepy crawlers for 25 cents at school. He got sent to the principal's office. Decades later, he's built an expanding successful brand that's donated over half a million dollars to charity. That arc, from getting in trouble for hustling in first grade to running David Alan Clothing and David Alan Dreams, is the whole point of this episode. It all started with a dream. In Episode 21 of Built By Doing, David and Stan go deep on the one thing that separates entrepreneurs who make it from the ones who quit: the dream that started before the business did. Inside this episode: - How selling candy from Gabriel Brothers at school taught David more than any business class - The necktie company, the failed startups, and why each failure led directly to the next opportunity - Why David's house — kitchen table, pool table, family room walls — became his first warehouse - How listening to podcasts about Phil Knight, the Whole Foods founder, and other first-generation entrepreneurs reprogrammed his mindset - Stan's music industry dream — from Grammy-winning studio to realizing it wasn't the dream he actually wanted - David Alan Dreams: closing down Grandview Ave for a fashion show, $500K+ donated, and the Children's Hospital kids who inspired it all - The September 19th fashion show at PPG Plaza for Casey's Clubhouse (Sean Casey, former MLB all-star), and next year's partnership with St. Jude - Why "every day is a Saturday" isn't a flex — it's the result of years of sacrifice most people never see - The practical advice: just start, take calculated risks, and stop comparing your Chapter 1 to someone else's Chapter 20 This episode is for anyone who's ever looked in the mirror and thought "who am I to start something?" David's answer: you're exactly the person who should. Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship, mindset, business growth, and building something that matters. Questions? Leave us a comment or send it to us on www.builtbydoingpodcast.com

Jul 13

A Client Spent $12,000 at Midnight. Here's Why He'll Never Leave.

David once met a client in need at 11pm on a Monday night. The gentleman spent $12,000 in two hours. He’s been a client for life ever since. That’s not a sales story. That’s an experience story. In Episode 20 of Built By Doing, David and Stan break down why the experience you provide matters more than the product you sell — and how the smallest details (a bad hanger, a missing text update, a 6-hour service window) are silently killing businesses that think they’re doing everything right. Inside this episode: - The $12,000 midnight fitting that turned a stranger into a lifetime client - How a $4 Amazon hanger cost David a customer on a $2,000 suit - What David took from Tilman Fertitta’s “Shut Up and Listen” — and why DAC was already doing all of it - The Audi mechanic video that instantly built more trust than 10 years of reputation - The 5-second rule at David Alan Clothing — if a customer waits longer than that at the door, it’s a problem - How a bad closet experience led David to launch an entirely new company The thesis of this episode: "experience means you care." If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or founder and you think your product speaks for itself — this conversation will change how you look at every interaction your customer has with your brand. Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship, customer experience, business strategy, and building companies the right way. Questions about your own business? Drop us a comment or send us a private message at www.builtbydoingpodcast.com.

Jul 6

The Real Reason Businesses Fall Apart When They Start Growing

David is expanding David Alan Clothing from Pittsburgh to Columbus, Nashville, Charleston, and beyond. This isn't a "how to scale" episode. They're in the middle of it right now — negotiations, construction delays, hiring people willing to relocate their families, figuring out what happens when your founder isn't in the building every day. In Episode 19 of Built By Doing, David and Stan pull back the curtain on the hardest part of business growth that most entrepreneurs don't see coming: protecting the experience that made people choose you in the first place. Inside this episode: - The real reason they tested North Hills before going national - How they rebuilt the entire hiring process after expansion failures - What they learned from watching other brands lose their edge - The one month mandatory training rule — and why it's non-negotiable - Why some locations are worth opening even if they just break even - David's top 3 and Stan's top 3 for scaling without losing quality If you're running a business with 5-20 employees and thinking about your next location, market, or major hire, this is the conversation happening behind the scenes at companies actually doing it. Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership, and building companies the right way. Questions? Leave us a comment or a submit a question at www.builtbydoingpodcast.com.

Jun 29

How Smart Entrepreneurs Actually Use Debt

Debt has a bad reputation. But is debt actually the problem... or is it how entrepreneurs use it? In Episode 18 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja dive into one of the most misunderstood topics in business: debt. From business loans and lines of credit to credit cards, private equity, personal guarantees, bank financing, and cash flow management, they share the real lessons learned from building and expanding multiple successful businesses. David opens up about the early days of David Alan Clothing, when debt wasn't a growth strategy, it was survival. Together, they discuss how their perspective has evolved, why debt can be a powerful business tool when used strategically, and the costly mistakes entrepreneurs should avoid before signing their next loan. In this episode, you'll learn: • When debt makes sense—and when it doesn't • Business loans vs. lines of credit • How banks evaluate entrepreneurs • Personal guarantees and collateral explained • Why knowing your numbers changes everything • Cash flow mistakes that trap business owners • How to compare lenders and financing options • The hidden dangers of online lenders • Paying off debt strategically • Using debt to grow instead of simply survive • Building relationships with banks and financial partners • Lessons learned from scaling multiple businesses Whether you're starting your first company, expanding an existing business, or trying to better understand business financing, this episode offers practical advice and real-world experience from entrepreneurs who have lived it. Watch, subscribe, and follow Built By Doing for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, marketing, branding, finance, mindset, and execution. Questions about your business? Send us a message at www.builtbydoingpodcast.com, or drop us a comment.

Built By Doing

You’re Going to Want to Quit. Don’t. The Reality of Entrepreneurship

The Worst Business Advice I Ever Received: “Go Get a Job”

The Plan vs. What Actually Happens

Real Business Owners. Real Questions. Real Answers. (Q&A)

Everyone Told Me To Quit, 10 Years Later The Dream Came True

A Client Spent $12,000 at Midnight. Here's Why He'll Never Leave.

The Real Reason Businesses Fall Apart When They Start Growing

How Smart Entrepreneurs Actually Use Debt

About

Information

Built By Doing

Episodes

You’re Going to Want to Quit. Don’t. The Reality of Entrepreneurship

The Worst Business Advice I Ever Received: “Go Get a Job”

The Plan vs. What Actually Happens

Real Business Owners. Real Questions. Real Answers. (Q&A)

Everyone Told Me To Quit, 10 Years Later The Dream Came True

A Client Spent $12,000 at Midnight. Here's Why He'll Never Leave.

The Real Reason Businesses Fall Apart When They Start Growing

How Smart Entrepreneurs Actually Use Debt

About

Information