Our Story Of Becoming Successful At A Young Age

The conversation between two entrepreneurs delves into their journey from humble beginnings to achieving significant success in e-commerce, highlighting the challenges and triumphs they faced along the way. They recount their initial struggles, including financial setbacks and learning the ropes of the online business world, ultimately finding their niche in the footwear industry. Their story emphasizes the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and strategic thinking in scaling a business. They also discuss the sacrifices made, the value of building a personal brand, and the role of continuous learning and networking in sustaining growth.

• The podcast begins with a discussion on how the speakers met, emphasizing the importance of finding the right business partner.
• Their partnership began during a university minor project, where they started working together on a business venture.
• The speakers reminisce about early days, including financial struggles and sharing living spaces due to limited funds.

"We slept in the same hotel room in the same bed in Paramount because we had no money for two weeks."

• This quote highlights the financial struggles they faced early on, emphasizing the humble beginnings of their entrepreneurial journey.

• The speakers discuss their initial foray into entrepreneurship, starting with drop shipping in the Dutch market.
• They recount personal backgrounds, including working-class roots and early jobs, which shaped their work ethic and aspirations.
• The transition from traditional jobs, like construction, to online business is a key theme.

"I was 16 and then you come out of high school I believe like 16 17 and then I choose for the easy way just going construction together with my dad."

• This quote illustrates the speaker's initial career path and the shift towards entrepreneurship after exposure to online business opportunities.

• Their first major success came from selling a trending product, a "cuddle ring," during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• They experienced rapid growth and significant profit within a short timeframe due to the product's popularity.
• However, they also faced setbacks due to market saturation and lack of experience in sustaining long-term business success.

"We made in one in the first 6 weeks basically 100K pure profit."

• This quote underscores the rapid success they achieved with a trending product, highlighting both the potential for quick gains and the volatility of such ventures.

• The speakers discuss the importance of failure as a learning experience in their entrepreneurial journey.
• They faced significant financial losses in the Romanian market due to high refusal rates and poor product quality.
• These setbacks taught them valuable lessons about market research, product quality, and logistics.

"We lost also everything, but we'll come to that later."

• This quote reflects the magnitude of their financial losses and the critical learning experiences that resulted from these failures.

• The speakers narrate their move to Dubai, driven by the desire to escape the Netherlands and explore new opportunities.
• Despite initial financial struggles, they managed to rebuild their business by adapting to new markets and strategies.
• They emphasize the importance of resilience and adaptability in overcoming challenges.

"We slept in the same hotel room in the same bed in Paramount because we had no money for two weeks."

• This quote highlights the financial difficulties they faced upon relocating, underscoring the sacrifices made to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

• The conversation touches on personal motivations and aspirations, such as the desire for financial independence and success.
• One speaker reflects on childhood dreams of wealth and how these ambitions evolved over time.
• They discuss the influence of family and personal circumstances on their entrepreneurial drive.

"I always wanted to be rich. Actually, I actually wanted to be a dentist when I was young."

• This quote illustrates the speaker's early aspirations for financial success and how these goals shaped their entrepreneurial journey.

• The speakers describe their strategic shift to focus on cash-on-delivery models in untapped markets like Romania.
• They highlight the importance of adapting business models to suit different market conditions and consumer preferences.
• The experience taught them to prioritize market research and strategic planning in their ventures.

"We were first, one of the first in the in the Romanian market."

• This quote emphasizes their pioneering efforts in entering new markets and the strategic decisions that led to initial success.

• They acknowledge the role of trends in their business success, particularly with the "cuddle ring" during the pandemic.
• The speakers discuss the challenges of sustaining success beyond initial trends and the need for continuous innovation.
• They reflect on the balance between capitalizing on trends and building sustainable business models.

"It was a trend. It was a market."

• This quote highlights the transient nature of their early success and the importance of recognizing and adapting to market trends.

• The journey of entrepreneurship includes significant setbacks and challenges.
• The speakers experienced a major setback when they lost their profits trying to expand into cash on delivery.
• They emphasize the importance of learning from mistakes and rebuilding.

"And I think looking back that was our biggest setback we got so far, right? By getting so in such a short time frame generating 100k in pure profit each and then after trying to expand to cash on delivery, lose it all again."

• This quote highlights the financial challenges and the learning curve involved in entrepreneurship.

• Relocating to Bali was a strategic decision to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and live economically.
• Bali provided a unique environment where many worked online, offering new perspectives and opportunities.
• Eventually, they outgrew Bali and needed to surround themselves with more successful entrepreneurs for motivation.

"So then we said to each other like hey if we want to connect with like-minded people and live a lifestyle where you can live like a king but doesn't spend a lot of money monthly you need to go to Bali."

• This quote reflects the strategic choice of location for networking and lifestyle benefits.

• The business stabilized with consistent revenue, achieving stable million-dollar months.
• They encountered challenges with refunds affecting their net worth and recognized the need for sustainable business practices.

"We were doing like stable 1 million days consistently. 1 million months."

• This quote illustrates the level of business stability and the continuous effort to maintain it.

• The transition from dropshipping to building a brand in the footwear niche was driven by the desire for sustainable growth.
• They focused on fashion, specifically barefoot shoes, due to its market potential and personal interest.

"We always want to start a shoe brand like we said I believe one year before we started it right and then at a certain stage when you do continuously uh one million months you're not making any progress you're not getting satisfaction from those numbers anymore."

• This quote emphasizes the motivation behind creating a brand and the pursuit of long-term value.

• The business expanded rapidly across European markets and later ventured into the US market.
• They learned the importance of tailored marketing strategies to penetrate new markets effectively.

"We went to Scandinavia, we went to the Netherlands, and that's actually where it start to kick off because with all those stores combined, we did like 50 60k days."

• This quote highlights the strategic expansion into various markets and the resultant growth.

• Initial marketing efforts in the US were challenging, requiring different tactics to gain market share.
• They adopted innovative marketing strategies, including direct response marketing, to achieve success.

"We just started testing testing for one or two months without any results. I believe we spent $30,000 without any results and then at one moment we saw this shitty looking brand comfort wear using this 10 reasons why you should buy these orthopedic shoes for nursing."

• This quote illustrates the trial-and-error process in marketing and the eventual breakthrough strategy.

• Effective financial management and cash flow are crucial for scaling a business aggressively.
• They emphasized the need for liquid assets to support rapid growth and maintain healthy cash flow.

"We started with at least 1 million in liquid with branded drop shipping and this allowed us to scale very aggressive from the beginning."

• This quote underscores the financial strategy required for aggressive business scaling.

• An omnichannel strategy was essential for maintaining scale and not relying solely on major platforms like Google and Facebook.
• They leveraged multiple platforms and channels to diversify their marketing efforts.

"Omni channel strategy that was really important for us so a lot of people think okay the main drivers are Google and Facebook which is of course great Facebook for top of funnel Google mainly for bottom of funnel but there are tons of many other platforms."

• This quote highlights the importance of a diversified marketing approach to sustain growth.

• To scale a luxury brand, identify a niche audience and understand the total addressable market (TAM).
• Narrow down the target audience initially to create specific messaging and avoid generic appeals.
• Audience research is crucial to understand their behavior, emotions, and desires.

"You need to basically calculate what is your TAM the total addressable market and once you have that clearly in chart then you can divide it slowly out you can build it out towards uh sub angles like the angles which kind of or audiences what kind of audience you will target for your brand."

• Understanding the TAM helps in strategizing and targeting the right audience for effective brand scaling.

• Audience research is key to creating effective messaging and pre-landing pages.
• Pre-landing pages are crucial for educating and inspiring the audience, making the product a must-have.

"Then you build creative messaging and build pre-landers and build product pages and built the products itself and the pre-landing pages because that is actually why we became successful in a very short time of period is that we basically run 80 90% pre-landing page from the beginning."

• Pre-landing pages play a vital role in warming up the audience and transitioning them from interest to purchase.

• Increasing lifestyle should be proportional to business stability, not just income growth.
• Avoid simultaneous growth of income and lifestyle to maintain financial balance.

"You should never increase your lifestyle like the same amount as your income grows. So it it should be like this that your income grows. And a lot of people do like this. Yeah, that is really bad."

• It's important to grow lifestyle gradually and sustainably to avoid financial instability.

• Success in entrepreneurship requires significant sacrifices and can lead to lonely times.
• Maintaining vision and stress tolerance is crucial to overcoming challenges.

"It comes with a lot of sac like really a lot of sacrifice and a lot of lonely times I would say like of course people see the things on Instagram on uh on YouTube etc but there happened a lot of [ __ ] in my personal life uh when I grew the business."

• Sacrifices and personal challenges are often hidden aspects of entrepreneurial success.

• Sharing personal journeys and building a personal brand can lead to valuable connections and resources.
• Personal branding helps in networking and gaining insights that can be applied to business operations.

"But obviously, I'm the most happy. I I'm I mean, I can really spend my time very well with my family if I know that I have already put the work into it and I have basically accomplished all of the task or to-dos I had on my list."

• Personal branding and networking are essential for personal growth and business success.

• Learning from mistakes and adapting is crucial for business stability.
• Building a stable business reduces the impact of unforeseen challenges.

"But what is the thing in the account in the subtotal from Amazon in the back end you don't see any VAT uh added um to the invoices they just charge it out of the entire portal."

• Mistakes and challenges provide learning opportunities that contribute to business resilience.

• Inspiration from others' journeys can motivate and guide personal and professional growth.
• Seeing others' success can help shift mindsets and encourage taking the necessary steps to achieve similar goals.

"I think that we took so much inspiration from people who share their journey on YouTube and IG because this again an example of a person who shared it and just if you can change a couple people their lives and [ __ ] the people then you make already a huge impact right."

• Observing and learning from others' experiences can be a powerful motivator for personal success.

• The current generation of wealth is characterized by the rise of personal brands, which differs significantly from the older generation of wealthy individuals.
• The internet and online businesses have enabled rapid wealth creation, allowing entrepreneurs to achieve substantial profits in a short time frame.

"When you look at Forbes list, then these are all 60 plus people, but that's a different generation. So then people also compare, yeah, the real rich people don't have a personal brand, but that's a completely different story."

• This quote highlights the generational shift in how wealth is accumulated and the role of personal branding in modern entrepreneurship.

• Entrepreneurs gain inspiration and knowledge from successful founders of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands and educational content on platforms like YouTube.
• Reading impactful books has contributed significantly to personal and professional growth.

"I do look up to the founders from big DTC brands. So for example, Comfort is doing an exceptional job by doing 500 million just after three or four years."

• This reflects the importance of learning from successful business models and applying those insights to one's own ventures.

"We didn't read a lot of books but I believe the books we read made a lot of impact."

• Emphasizes the value of selective reading and how certain books can profoundly influence one's mindset and business approach.

• Continuous improvement in communication and leadership skills is crucial for personal and professional development.
• Learning new languages and setting personal milestones are essential for personal growth.

"I'm learning communication. You bought a course from D Carnegie. Yeah, it's good. Speaking course speaking in cameras."

• Indicates the commitment to enhancing communication skills, which are vital for effective leadership and business success.

"Because I've become a father recently and my girl is uh is have these Spanish language that I want to speak Spanish fluently by the end of the year."

• Highlights the personal goal of learning Spanish to connect with family and prepare for a multilingual household.

• Transitioning from performance marketing to brand marketing is crucial for scaling a business and reaching a broader audience.
• Expanding into physical marketplaces and diversifying product offerings can increase brand awareness and customer base.

"Our business is highly dependent on performance marketing... you need to go into brand marketing so make sure that you spend more or allocate more budget towards PR into offline events."

• This quote outlines the strategic shift from performance to brand marketing to achieve sustainable business growth.

"We have a huge opportunity a huge potential to tap into the age group of 25 to 50."

• Emphasizes the need to target younger demographics to expand market reach and diversify the customer base.

• Implementing systems and automations early in business operations can save costs and enhance efficiency.
• Trademark registration and supply chain management are critical components of a successful business strategy.

"Make sure that if you are a brand which is providing a great product which people like and you have great reviews online that you always do work directly with a platform like Meta."

• Suggests the importance of direct platform engagement to avoid unnecessary costs and maximize returns.

"Start with your trademark registry as soon as you start the brand and make the commitment that this is going to be your baby."

• Highlights the significance of securing intellectual property and committing to long-term brand development.

• Entrepreneurs often face pressure due to the responsibilities of running a business and supporting a team.
• Finding a balance between business commitments and personal life is essential for long-term well-being.

"We have with supply chain around 200 people that eat from our business."

• Reflects the weight of responsibility entrepreneurs carry, impacting their personal and professional lives.

"Happiness comes basically from progression from chasing your milestones from the company."

• Suggests that personal fulfillment is derived from achieving business goals and continuous progress.

• The pursuit of ambitious goals and a desire for continuous improvement drive entrepreneurs to achieve more.
• Building a diversified portfolio and achieving financial independence are long-term objectives.

"I just believe I can get a house a farm. I have a house in Spain. I have a house in Netherlands, a house in Dubai, couple of cars, happy family."

• Illustrates the vision of achieving personal and financial goals through hard work and dedication.

"There's so much to achieve in this beautiful life and I want and we want to come for it all and we want to chase it all."

• Captures the relentless drive and ambition to pursue all opportunities and achieve greatness in life and business.