Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in footwear but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mike Gugat, Co-Founder and CEO of jbrds, located in Washington, D.C., USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
jbrds is a footwear start-up for infants and toddlers with a mission to start kids off on the right foot. Our vision is to become an active lifestyle brand for kids from the cradle to eight years old.
Tell us about yourself
In college, I had delusions of playing division one college basketball. When I didn't make the team, I got talked into playing rugby. The rugby coach required us to buy running shoes to train in. Growing up playing stick and ball sports, running was always punishment. The running specialty near campus offered me a job selling running shoes. I needed the cash, so I worked full-time while getting my undergraduate degree. This retail job made me fall in love with footwear and branding. My first job out of school was a junior marketing position with the Dallas Mavericks, which would be short-lived as the NBA struck that season.
With student loans coming due, I joined a Japanese sporting goods company, Mizuno, where I worked my way up in sales and marketing. After a decade at Mizuno, Adidas hired me to lead running and tennis sales at Adidas. It was at Adidas I realized I didn't want to be a caretaker but rather a builder, so I became an entrepreneur. As Co-founder and CEO of jbrds, I now work with people and not for people. I'm motivated by curiosity. I'm mindful that I get to be my own boss. I'm grateful for my family's support in taking this leap.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment was creating, in partnership with my Co-founders, a direct-to-consumer business that required a global supply chain during the height of the Covid pandemic.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things I had to learn was that giving up isn't an option. Once you understand this lesson, a venture that can fail becomes an adventure that attracts others to join you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Embrace being your own boss.
- Establish habits that allow you to tackle 6-8 things each day that will push your business forward.
- They can't say yes if you don't ask them for what you need.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://jbrds.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jbrds.kids
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbrds_kids/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jbrds_kids
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-g-2896919/
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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