The Journey

It only takes one idea or one story to change the whole trajectory of your life, career, and work. In each episode, we talk to entrepreneurs of all stripes, so you can prime yourself with the knowledge and mindset you need for your own journey.

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    The Advantages of Adapting with Richer Poorer Founder & CEO Iva Pawling

    To be an entrepreneur is to be constantly adapting. In a world where the market is ever-changing, it’s important to be able to shift, to refocus and rebrand… to be ready for whatever is coming next. Iva Pawling, the Founder & CEO of Richer Poorer, a California-based inner wear company with a cult following, knows a thing or two about having to think on the fly.  “It was completely the opposite of what we expected, and they ended up filing for bankruptcy within thirteen months of acquiring us,” Pawling said of Richer Poorer’s ill-fated acquisition. “It was just insane. It really taught me to always have a Plan B. Like… if things don’t go how you plan, how are you handling it?”  So how did she handle it? How did Richer Poorer survive huge obstacles like a failed acquisition, over-complicated marketing tactics, and a major supply-chain stallout? Find out on this episode of The Journey.   Main Takeaways: Sometimes, it’s okay to not run on pure passion: The old saying goes something like this: “Motivation is for amateurs, discipline is for professionals.” There might come a time when a brilliant opportunity presents itself, but it’s not something that completely lights your fire. It’s not your dream. There are times when you might need to look at the bigger picture and think long-term. It might not be the most exciting thing, but maybe it’s the right next step. Successful careers take both passion and smart moves done at the right time.  Pay if forward: When Iva was just starting out, she reached out to a lot of her contacts, all of whom were eager to point her in the right direction. That’s because, she explained, that all entrepreneurs have had someone do the same for them when they were just starting out. The business world can be very cutthroat, but it can also be full of camaraderie. Keep an eye out for those moments when you can help someone… it will come back to you, eventually. Vulnerability can be a strength: Every business will face curveballs and moments of uncertainty. Good leaders will turn to their team and ask for help with blind spots instead of pretending to have all the answers. By being vulnerable, you invite your team to find the best solution. --- 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.

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    Standing Out in a Crowded Market with Paume’s Founder & CEO Amy Welsman

    Any entrepreneur is going to face competition – it’s the nature of the game. All you can do is make your product the best it can be and hope that your consumers feel the same. But sometimes, your timing is unique, making that competition even fiercer than normal.  Amy Weisman had her work cut out for her. After she had her first baby, she knew two things: she wanted to use her entrepreneurial prowess to carve out an idea of her own, and she hated the smell and feel of the hand sanitizer she was constantly pouring all over her hands. She had an idea for a sustainably-packaged, germ-killing line of hand care products that people liked using. The only catch? She was launching this business in the middle of a global pandemic “I was confident enough at the time… I knew that if people just tried the product, they’d come back for more. I knew I had a special formula that was different and that stood out.”  She was right. Amy is the Founder & CEO of Paume, a global hand care brand that is taking the world by storm. Main Takeaways: Learn as much as you can: The idea of starting your own business can be exciting and terrifying – but nothing will compare to actually getting out there and actually doing it. It is important to try, as much as you can, to understand the world you’re jumping into before you do it. In Amy’s case, she worked with a start-up for four years before she decided she wanted to try it for herself, so she knew what she was getting into when things got tough. Keep your eye out for the good idea right in front of you: Always be looking for that next great idea… it might show up where you don’t necessarily expect. Some of the best businesses have come from small, everyday moments where someone was paying attention to how they could make the world a little better. Prepare to stand out: If you’re going to join a crowded market, know what it is about your product that will make it stand apart from the crowd. You’ve got to know what it is your offering that your competitors aren’t, and be ready to talk about it.--- 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.

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    Building Hydro Flask and Finding Purpose in Entrepreneurship with Travis Rosbach

    The road to entrepreneurial success is long. It’s tedious. And there are points where it might make more sense to cut losses than it would be to keep forging onward. But sometimes, an idea gets bigger than just you – it becomes a movement… something that changes lives.  “I was like, what happened, why do you not have water bottles,” Travis Rosbach said. “Because I did rock climbing in college, and I knew plastic water bottles were the way to go – the non-single use kind. And he said they didn't have any because of this stuff called BPA. He said ‘We're not really familiar with what it is or how serious it's going to be, but we pulled all the bottles just as a precautionary measure.’ And so it just came out my mouth: ‘I will do that.’” Travis isn’t your typical entrepreneur – he’s far more comfortable in a scuba suit and a business suit, but he knows firsthand what it’s like to have a business take on a life of its own. He’s the co-founder of Hydro Flask, the most-used water bottle in the world, which he built by taking an $11,000 investment and turning it into a $210 million dollar household name. And he did it while facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Hear his story on this episode! Main Takeaways: Teach yourself: The best way to learn isn’t always in an expensive MBA program or ivy-league college. Some of the best knowledge you’ll ever encounter can be found in the pages of books. Read, study, and absorb the lessons of those who have made a living doing what you want to do.Find the Answers Yourself: If you stop at the first challenge, you’ll never hit paydirt. If people tell you that what you want to do isn’t possible – find a way. Travis was told that there wasn’t a company in the world that could make his innovative new water bottle – so he went to Shanghai and found one himself.Find a Reason to Push Through the Hard Stuff: Running a business isn’t easy, but keep your eyes on why you started: why you began this journey in the first place. That reason will help you keep going when there are thousands of reasons to quit.--- 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.

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    Disrupting the Beauty Binary with Matthew Herman of Boy Smells

    The world often wants to put people into boxes, to sift everyone into categories. It just seems easier sometimes: rich or poor. Successful or not. Worth listening to or worth tuning out. Right or wrong. Male or female. But there are people who are pushing back on those categories – people who believe that life can be richer without harshly-drawn lines. Matthew Herman of Boy Smells — a rapidly-expanding queer-owned personal fragrance and product brand — is trying to change that.  “For us, it’s just about showing up… whatever way you want to show up, it’s right,” Herman said. “And you can show up differently every single day, because you are whoever you want to be. And that’s great.”  Herman cut their teeth in the fashion world, working for innovative brands like NastyGal. When they talked about the issue of binary luxury with friend and business partner David Kien, they discovered a hole in the industry: a place where comfort was non-binary.  “We had been talking as individuals — or even men — who weren't shopping at Levi's or these kinds of  more rugged, stereotypically-masculine stores,” Herman said. “We thought, ‘It’d be great to have this store with home stuff, but fashion and all sort of other things.’  And then we were [said], ‘Well, let's start with one thing. Let's just think about like candles.’” The result was Boy Smells, a brand focused on identity, specifically its concept of genderfulness. This idea implores a new kind of consumer — namely the 18-25 set — to harness their power across the gender spectrum and oppose traditional marketing nomenclature like “genderless” or “gender-neutral.” On this episode, Matthe explains what it all means, how he worked to create this concept from his own kitchen, and what it took to ship and scale during a pandemic.  Main Takeaways: Follow the Curiosity: Sometimes, the path to success isn’t as linear as we’d like. It has winding detours and setbacks. But if you find something you’re passionate about – something that makes you excited and curious — you can find yourself at the threshold of opportunities you never would have seen had you played it safe.Roll Up Your Sleeves: As we all know very well by now… the world can change in an instant. You might not think you’ll be in charge of certain aspects of a business, but be ready to jump in when you’re needed. Helming an endeavor means being ready to handle things that you never thought you’d be handling, and mastering skills you never thought you’d have to learn.Don’t be the smartest person in the room: Great leadership is the leadership that has wise counsel and takes into consideration the thoughts of others. Bring people in. Ask questions. Take advice – your business will be better for it.--- 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.

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    Following Passion to Unexpected Places, with Raili Clasen, Owner of Raili CA Design

    When Raili Clasen’s interior designer left just a week into the job, Clasen was left looking at a massive project that seemed daunting. But when she listened to her gut and decided to take a swing at designing the space herself, it opened up a world of possibilities that launched an incredibly successful business. “So I bought some business cards,” Clasen said. “I didn't have a website. I obviously had nothing, but I put some business cards out on the table and at that point was like, ‘Well, if these things are gone at the end of the day, then maybe I'm doing something cool. Maybe someone will hire me.’ That's how it started.”  Clasen would be the first to tell you that she didn’t expect to wind up as one of the most successful interior designers in California. She just knew two things: she loved design, and she needed to make a living. She followed that inclination and founded Raili CA Design. What happened next and how did Raili learn to go from being not just a designer but an entrepreneur, a business owner, and a leader? Find out on this episode.   Main Takeaways: Be your own advocate: Sometimes, growth will only happen when you speak up for your talent and put your work in front of others. Leave your business cards on the table. Make the calls to see if someone wants to collaborate. Connections don’t just happen, and clients don’t just drop into your inbox. Use the network you have to seek out any and all opportunities.Be ready to wear multiple hats: Launching and growing a business means that you’ll be doing more before you can do less. Find ways to be comfortable learning about payroll and customer service – it might be a while before you can delegate those to others.Don’t be afraid to go against the flow: Following your path might look different than the process everyone around you is going through. It’s easy to compare other careers against your own journey, but resisting that urge will help you keep your eyes ahead at what’s coming down the pike for you.--- 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.

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It only takes one idea or one story to change the whole trajectory of your life, career, and work. In each episode, we talk to entrepreneurs of all stripes, so you can prime yourself with the knowledge and mindset you need for your own journey.

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