Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ryan Goodwin, founder of Ayecon, located in Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Ayecon is a street art and streetwear brand based on my street art. I am a designer, illustrator, and artist living and working in Salt Lake City, UT. My original concept was blurring the lines between graffiti writing and design by developing a simple logo mark that would then be used as his signature rather than a word. Today, Ayecon is featured and repped in almost every metropolitan city around the globe by the grassroots efforts of street art fans everywhere.
Tell us about yourself
As soon as I could hold a pencil, I loved drawing. I loved looking at the paintings and sculptures that my grandparents and my Mom and Uncle created and aspired to create when I grew up. In a high school art class, I overheard other students talking about graphic design, and I immediately knew that design was going to be a big part of my adult life. I studied design, got a design degree, and started a creative agency that grew quickly to become the dominant creative force in Utah. After building so many successful visual brands for other people, I knew it was time to start building my own brands when the idea for the Ayecon was born.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Creating enough success to not only create financial freedom for me but creating free cash flow for thousands of other people through the companies I have started gives me the most satisfaction. Winning the Site of the Year from theFWA.com didn't hurt either.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
It can feel lonely at times as the burden of success ultimately falls on you before you have created enough momentum to attract the right competent team to support you. It's important to spend time building and maintaining your network so that friends, mentors, and advisors can help steer your decision-making.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure you love the sh*t out of it. Otherwise, it can be difficult to work through the pain of being a new entrepreneur.
- Obsess your customers by talking to them about what they want and need religiously. You may have a product you love, but if your customers don't have a use for it, then it won't sell.
- Get a mentor. There are a lot of mistakes that are easy to make when you're starting out. Most entrepreneurs want to help other people avoid those mistakes, so seek out people that have been there before and ask the right questions.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://ayecon.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theAyecon/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theayecon/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theayecon
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goodwinryan/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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