Carefully Curated Premium Cigars

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brandon Hayes, Owner of Renegade Cigars, located in Richardson, TX, USA.

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

Renegade Cigars is a lounge, retail, and e-commerce business located in Richardson, Texas. We provide a clean and comfortable environment where business people and cigar connoisseurs can meet and unwind. We have a thoughtfully curated selection of premium cigars from major manufacturers such as Davidoff, Padron, Rocky Patel, and more boutique manufacturers such as ADVentura, Eiroa, and Robert Caldwell. One thing that makes us unique is that we also create our own unique offerings of store-exclusive products.

Tell us about yourself

I have been a fan of cigars and the culture around cigars ever since I can remember. I always felt it would be really exciting to have a shop of my own one day. In 2014 I had an opportunity to sell the janitorial company I had built. While I really enjoyed building that business, I had the opportunity to really think about what I wanted to do with the next chapter of my life. It has only been made since that I started my journey into cigars. The cigar industry checks a lot of boxes for me. It gives me the opportunity to sell a product that I am passionate about, deliver the retail service that I obsess over, and I get to scratch my creative itch by creating cigar blends to share with others.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think my biggest accomplishment at Renegade has been building relationships. Not just personally and professionally, but the relationships that have happened as a result of the business itself. We have successfully brought people together that have built meaningful relationships that we would have never met without Renegade.

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

The hardest thing about being a business owner is the constant pressure you have to deliver for both your employees and customers. That is something that you cannot turn off on nights and weekends. While there are a lot of benefits of being a business owner, there is also a burden that you carry 24/7.

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

Obsess over your customers. If you put your customers first, they will make sure you are successful.
Deliver an experience that they cannot easily get from a competitor. I see too many businesses try to be like their competitors. There has to be a clear differentiator, something that makes your business special.
Make transactions easy. It seems like doing business with a company is almost always harder than it should be. Go out of your way to make it super easy for the customer to do business with you. Answer the phone, reply to emails and make the transition quick and frictionless.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://renegadecigars.com/
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Opl0ww
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_cigars/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Renegade_Cigars
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valorjanitorial/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.