Celebrating Nomadic Living - Nation of Nmds
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christopher Lofgren, co-founder of Nation of Nmds, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are Nation of Nmds, a startup apparel and lifestyle brand with roots in Sweden and small offices in Stockholm, Los Angeles, and San Antonio. We are a remote-first business, with the four founding members of the brand all living in different cities and on different continents. We are what we have built - a movement of people who enjoy living life on the go, always exploring and looking for new adventures. Sometimes that means traveling to a new destination, and other times it means learning a new skill. But our shared curiosity for new experiences is what lies behind our range of travel and lifestyle products. From weekender bags and backpacks to travel-friendly t-shirts and timeless accessories, we offer a broad range of products for modern nomadic living. The products are simply a symbol of the lives we live and hope to inspire others to share with us.
Tell us about yourself
I had spent five years with Daniel Wellington. This social media darling enjoyed an absolutely meteoric rise to global fame and recognition. I was a very early employee there and ended up leaving after having helped the brand become the #1 accessory brand in the world on Instagram, and at a time when the company had grown to have thousands of employees in multiple international offices. Having experienced that growth and the startup scene firsthand, I was inspired to build a brand of my own. Thankfully, I was able to partner with intelligent and driven partners, each an expert in their own field. We built a product range, website, retail network, and brand around that core group of people.
What initially inspired me to venture out and build something from scratch is still what is motivating me to this day - I wanted to bet on myself, for better or worse. I had a hunger for creative freedom and storytelling when it came to brand building.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We recently signed our first major contract with a retail chain. The deal will allow us to showcase the brand for a much broader and diverse audience and in multiple countries. The retail chain is very well known and highly respected amongst customers, which is huge for a startup brand that needs to build trust with its audience. We expect the deal to catapult the brand forward and hopefully lead to similar partnerships in other countries.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Making the most of the time and money that you have while also wearing many different hats. We funded the brand ourselves and have always had limited resources. From negotiating with manufacturers when you are a small-batch brand competing with giants to making the most of your limited marketing dollars in an expensive and crowded market, getting your name out there and growing the brand continues to be a constant but stimulating challenge.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be patient. Good things take time. Slow and steady still goes a long way, especially when it comes to building a network of partners, distributors, manufacturers, and team members.
- Try things for yourself. What works for others may not work for you, regardless of if you are trying to build a physical product or grow your social media following. Keep an open mind, constantly explore your options, and tweak your ideas as you learn more about the audience, market, and environment that you are competing in.
- Make it real as soon as possible. At Nation of Nmds, we were so concerned with making sure that the brand was "perfect" before putting it out there. It severely delayed our launch, and then we found ourselves having to introduce a brand-new travel brand to the market at a time when the entire world had shut down and paused travel and experiences. In hindsight, we learned that it never had to be perfect. You can tweak as you go, and you should. So, just get your business out there, even if it isn't perfect. Go live with your website, announce your product, whatever it is. Make it real as soon as you can. In doing so, you'll also feel that the project that you've been working on truly exists because it does. It'll fuel your fire and energize your efforts.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
All of your readers enjoy 20% off everything on our website for a limited time. Just use code SUBKIT at checkout. We have more product photos and/or different ones if you want them, but I could only add one to this form.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://nationofnmds.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationOfNmds
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationofnmds/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationofnmds/
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.