![]() ![]() Taub: What is something you've learned that other people could learn and save themselves time? Super comfortable stuff, but stylish enough to wear out and about. I thought there was an unmet demand for this type of clothing, apparel for guys to wear during leisure activities (weekend brunch, running errands, travel, lounging at home, etc.) using technical designs and synthetic fabrics. I’m pretty decisive when it comes to apparel. At a young age, I could walk into a clothing store and know immediately what I liked and didn’t. Goldstein: I’ve always had a deep appreciation for and a strong opinion on clothing. Hopefully at some point I won’t be able to handle it all! Saving the money on a full-time employee gives me more financial flexibility in other areas of the business. I think there is a lot of upside to keeping overhead lean. I’m fortunate to be working with some great partners on the design and production front, and I feel like those relationships are scalable without adding to the team. Goldstein: I’m planning to run as one for as long as possible. Taub: Are you planning to scale as a team of one? It probably slowed down the fulfillment of our Kickstarter order a couple days, but I didn’t want any pants going out without personally checking them first. I did my best to spend as much time as I could checking pants at the manufacturer in the first half of the day and then worked late at the fulfillment center. It was physically taxing and I wanted to be at both places the whole day. I’d spend my mornings at the manufacturer in NYC checking the pants to make sure there weren’t any manufacturing errors, and then I’d take a batch of finished and checked pants to my fulfillment center in Brooklyn and organize the pants by size and color so that they could be shipped the next day. Goldstein: You may not have meant this literally, but when we were finishing our first production run to fulfill the Kickstarter order, it would have been helpful to have another set of hands. ![]() Taub: Identify a moment when it would have been really helpful to have a second set of hands - how did you deal with that? At the same time, having a co-founder in the trenches with me might make it more enjoyable at times to share in the highs and lows. Ultimately, I was comfortable going at it alone. I see arguments for both sides of having a co-founder. I also thought it’d be difficult to find someone who matched my passion for this endeavor, and I didn’t want to spend time trying to source that person. Yes, it’d be helpful, but I’m building this company because I believe I can do it and I don’t need a co-founder to pull it off. ![]() Goldstein: Candidly, I didn’t think I needed one. Seek out a co-founder? Do you think that helps or hinders? It’s what keeps things exciting, and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. Having all that be on one person is stressful, but it’s rewarding and fun. You can’t afford to be paralyzed in the decision-making process. It’s more important to make the decision and move forward. You’ve got to learn to be comfortable that there isn’t always a clear right or wrong choice. And almost all of this is new, so a lot of it is gut and intuition. Goldstein: One big challenge about being a solo founder is that no one is as emotionally invested in the company as I am. Taub: What are the biggest challenges about being a solo founder? Without another full-time employee in the trenches, there’s no one to share in the wins and losses and more generally talk about the business and vet new ideas. The worst part is that it can be lonely at times. There’s no bureaucracy, no one else to worry about. Goldstein: The best part is that I can move pretty quickly. Taub: What is the best and worst part of going at company building by yourself? Subscribe Now: Forbes Entrepreneurs & Small Business NewslettersĪll the trials and triumphs of building a business – delivered to your inbox. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |