Merging of Action and Awareness

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in clothing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Noah Oliver, founder of Flowhold, located in San Diego, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Flowhold is a Jiu-Jitsu and MMA Supply Company. We specialize in training gear and apparel for Martial Arts Practitioners. We got our roots in the punk/hardcore scene, and plenty of those design elements are prevalent within the brand. The MMA space is a relatively niche market, but with the growth of the UFC, more and more people are being exposed to martial arts. I believe a society that is versed in how to fight is a generally kinder and happier society. So as a brand, we seek to promote and grow the disciplines of martial arts to a wider audience. Our customer base is nearly exclusively made up of folks actively training in Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, etc. These are the types of people I know best and the types of people I love to spend time with. Which really makes every customer interaction I have an enjoyable one.

Tell us about yourself

I began training in mixed martial arts in 2007. Other than direct friends and family, martial arts has been the single most influential thing in my life. After serving six years in special naval operations, I separated from the military. I went back to school for a master's in business. My time in the military was great, but it certainly cemented in me the idea that I wanted as few outside influences on my life as possible. So going the entrepreneurial route seemed like a great way to creatively express me and allow me to be in control of my own destiny.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Every time I get a DM or an email from a customer about how much they love what we're doing. The first time it happened, I was shocked. This person went out of their way to reach out just to say that they're a huge fan of our products, like what!!? Nowadays, it happens pretty often, almost daily, and it still blows my mind. Every sale feels like a little confirmation that we're creating products that people dig, but those messages saying they love a design or that this product or that is their favorite piece of training gear, that feels really special. I think creating value in the community that I love is a huge accomplishment. Only hope I can continue to spread the positivity and keep making cool shit.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

Getting my feelings hurt! Lol. Flowhold is a creative extension of me in a way. I work with a bunch of professional designers to help bring my ideas to life since I basically have the art skills of a 5th grader. But ultimately, all the designs, all the branding, and ideas begin and end with me. I've grown to realize that you'll never make everyone happy. Nor should you be trying to. The only things with true mass appeal tend to be really fucking boring. So Flowhold has found our niche, and we definitely try to stay authentic to our brand identity, but I'm a people pleaser to a fault. I definitely want everyone to like me, which extends into wanting everyone to like Flowhold. At the end of the day, it's really not for everyone, which is what I think makes it so great for the people that really fuck with us.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Embrace failures as growth opportunities. Carolyn Dweck has an incredible book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. I'd highly recommend it to everyone, but especially entrepreneurs. The key takeaway is about looking at what many would view as setbacks and reframing them as opportunities to grow. And trust me, running a business provides plentyyyyy of opportunities to grow! It's all pretty simple conceptually, but putting it into action takes some work and intent. And at the end of the day, your mentality really is your reality.
Set intentions. For a long time, my goal with the business was for it to grow and do well. Obviously right? But vague goals like that are very challenging to act on. Once I began setting very clear intentions with very clear action plans towards achieving my goals, was when I really began to see some growth.
This quote by James Michener kind of sums up my final tip: "The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor, and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both." Most people that decide to start a business do so because they at least have a vague idea of a life vision that the business compliments. However, it's very easy to get lost in the weeds of running a business so that you forget about that initial goal. It's common to fall into the trap of solely focusing on building the business and assuming you can just figure out the lifestyle stuff later on. It's crucial to keep the whole vision in mind every step of the way and grow them congruently. If that means my business grows a tad slower, but I'm enjoying the ride the whole time, well, that's a deal I'd happily take.

If you don't feel confident in your ability to defend yourself, I'd strongly encourage you to seek out a martial art to train. Whether it's Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, whatever, just try different ones and stick with which one you enjoy the most to begin to develop some basic self defense skills. You'll probably have more fun doing it than you would maybe think, and the confidence that it brings can really be a game-changer in your life. :)

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.flowholdsd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Flowhold-261732651187789
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowholdsd/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.