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“The Dude” Behind Dude Wipes, with CEO Sean Riley

Video | 15 Minutes

Credit: Chicago Tribune

“The Dude” Behind Dude Wipes, with CEO Sean Riley

Entrepreneurship, Health & Wellness, Mindset
06/25/2018
Kaivan Dave Kaivan Dave
Entrepreneurship, Health & Wellness, Mindset
“You have to bite the bullet, you can’t sit on the fence. Sometimes, you have a chain reaction from doing this that can lead to more opportunities, a different business, or something else.”

Sean Riley is the entrepreneur and visionary behind the successful men’s product line: Dude Wipes.  After what seemed like a normal night of eating pizza and drinking beer, Sean came up with an idea that would change his fate forever. The idea for Dude Wipes started as a joke between Sean and his friends.  They all were eager to get started, and they got the first product out without having any experience in retail, or ecommerce. 

When asked about starting a brand with no experience, and a background in construction, Sean explained that in order to succeed in life you have to give yourself that chance to make it happen. He explains his thought process that drove him to entrepreneurship and how there are always job positions open, but the internal fire to create something more will never go away until you try to go for your dreams.  He suggests that you have to be okay with the outcome, whatever it may be. 

Sean shares his beliefs about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and how he was able to overcome his fear, insecurity, and uncertainty.  In this episode, Sean gets into the heart of his business and how providing excellent service, care, and attention for his customers is the most important aspect of his daily job. 

He also shares some of the challenges that he has had to go through, such as not knowing how to grow his business, having to work at a restaurant, and the constant need to work each day in order to secure the long-term success of his company.

Some Questions Kaivan Asks In this Episode

  • What were some of the challenges you had to go through?
  • Did you wait for the perfect product, or did you get something out to market?
  • How did you make the transition from full-time employee, to full-time co-founder?
  • Were you ever embarrassed about waiting tables?
  • What was the most difficult aspect of starting Dude Wipes?
  • What were some of the moments when you doubted yourself as an entrepreneur?

In This Episode You Will Learn:     

  • How it felt to make the jump from a paycheck, to working for himself.
  • How Sean handles his work life balance, and his philosophy and perspective on it.
  • Kaivan shares his thoughts on just going for it and following his dreams.
  • What Sean learned about people, life, and business from working as a waiter while bootstrapping Dude Wipes.
  • Sean shares his biggest tip for how to really get momentum in your business.

Bio

Sean Riley is the CEO of Dude Wipes–a brand of men’s toiletries made specifically for men.  DUDES received the Visionary Award at the Vision 2013 Consumer Products Conference DUDE Wipes were also featured by MTV, Complex Magazine and in the December Issue of Maxim. On January 22, 2015, DUDE Wipes was featured on Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory on MTV. Later that year we appeared on Season 7, Episode 4 of the Shark Tank. After some dramatic negotiations Mark Cuban infamously swooped in and made an investment in DUDE Products, he is now a member of the DUDE family.

Kaivan Dave

Written By

Hi, I’m Kaivan - Entrepreneur, growth marketer, and extremely passionate about building brands. To get to the top, you have to fall several times, and learn how to pick yourself back up. The most successful people in the world know that breaking out of your comfort zone and staying there is the secret to achieving your dreams. Remember to stay uncomfortable and never to stop dreaming.

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