Real Talk for Creatives - Founder Drinks

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Charlie Poulson, Founder of Founder Drinks, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

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

Founder Drinks teaches creatives (freelancers mostly) how to do the business side of their practices. Our students and customers are primarily based within the USA.

Tell us about yourself

I've always been entrepreneurial, having made my first contract (written in red pen, no less) when I was seven years old. I went to college for design, and combining the two led me to open my brand design studio Americano. I've also always had friends asking me to simply explain certain things about their business in a way that made sense to them, and I genuinely enjoy teaching others about that. Business is a game, and I want my friends and students to win. Founder Drinks was made naturally because I also realized there aren't any (or many) reputable MBA programs that teach the business side of design.

On top of that, I experienced elitism when I was a young designer curious about how the business side of a design studio worked. It was like this big secret that nobody wanted to disclose. There's no reason to gatekeep this information, so Founder Drinks was made as a way to make learning the business side of design approachable and accessible.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Seeing clients land huge projects with total ease because they used one of our products or joined one of our workshops is the biggest accomplishment to me—it shows me that what I've built is genuinely helpful and improves the lives of other creatives instead of falling down the pit of despair like most creatives think they need to in order to be a real creative.

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

Building a business's system is one of the hardest but most rewarding parts of building something successful. It's so open-ended you never know where to start, and you're always fine-tuning the system until it's perfect. It's a never-ending cycle, just fine-tuning over and over and over.

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

Invest in your education first and foremost, and I don't mean from a college. Colleges are great in some instances, but you'll learn more by actually doing and listening to people who have done what you want to do. Letting go of the expectation that you'll be exactly like someone you look up to, everyone has their own path, and how awesome is it that someday you'll get to be that person that a new entrepreneur looks up to?

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.founderdrinks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/founderdrinks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/founderdrinks/

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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