In Part One I wrote about how much I’d learned after failing with my Incense company. My first company was a lot of fun, but it caused me a lot of headaches, and I made several mistakes.  However, the beauty of life is that you get to keep going, and keep growing! And that’s exactly what I did after my first business failed.

I had to regain some confidence and I wasn’t ready to give up and get out of e-commerce forever.  In fact, I realized that I had picked up some really valuable skills and that I had a knack for Direct to Consumer marketing–something that not everyone is good at. 

When you are able to identify your unique skills, along with strengths and vulnerable weaknesses you are able to pinpoint exactly what you should be doing and what you should leave to the experts.

In order to leverage my skills, I decided to begin working in the beauty industry. I figured that there was no shortage of new products coming to the market and there were billions of dollars being spent each year within the industry, so why not jump right in?

This was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.

I was able to find a job working with a company called Lifes2Good as a solo marketer.  I helped them as a one-man team to grow into an in-house agency, which I led. It was pretty surreal to watch their brand grow from a mid-size company to a £150 million buyout by Church and Dwight.  This really helped my overall confidence in being able to make it as a growth marketer, and I knew that I needed to find a very similar role.

Living in Chicago, meant that I was in the middle of some pretty amazing companies.  One of the products that I used was a protein bar called RXBAR, whose packaging was brilliantly done.  I reached out to them and began a job as the head of their e-commerce team. During my time there, I was able to help the company grow significantly.  

I was once again in a role that required me to use my talents in order to create something new.  Within three months, I was able to break the company’s B2C sales record in Jan 2017. Additionally, in May of 2017, I spearheaded the completion of an entire website redesign project.

That was an incredible ride, because the product is something that a lot of people have grown to love.  Being a part of that was a highly rewarding experience, because it’s a product that I actually use on a regular basis.  

However, shortly after, I hit rock bottom.  I didn’t believe in myself, and I was scared.  There was about a month or two in 2017, where I felt pretty awful.  I realized that my self-confidence was falling apart, and I had to course correct–and quick!

I had just launched my dream company, Glyder, Where we create modern personal care and grooming products that inspire love & confidence. I began taking people’s opinions to heart about why the company would fail, and being on my own as an entrepreneur meant that I was feeling some highs and lows as sales poured in and then tapered off.

I realized that I’d gone through the same thing about a year earlier, and I committed myself to going after it harder than ever before.  It wasn’t easy, but I began working round the clock.

Some days I work 20 hours a day. I don’t know when it happened, but at some point, I became so passionate that I stopped taking time out to watch TV, read, or do much of anything else.  I still do all those things, but growing my business, taking calls, and working on new ways to improve became my life.

Glyder is going to be a billion-dollar company someday.  I know that sounds arrogant, or even downright foolish, but I want to commit to putting it out there. I want to have success, and I know that with my all-star team, great products, and a commitment to excellence we can get it done!

I’ve tried several products and I have a strong vision to only create products that work for me, and the people who want to use high-quality items.  

Right now, I’m working on a project called Staying Uncomfortable.  As an entrepreneur, I have to be working on multiple projects in order to keep my creativity at its absolute highest.

It also really helps that I’ve started getting some traction and have some big names who have taken an interest in my Direct to Consumer marketing, such as Noah Kagan–who you know from AppSumo, and Mark Bell–the powerlifter.

I’m excited about 2018, and I’m excited about what the future holds for my brands and the clients I help serve.

People don’t realize that people have been wanting these things since they were kids.

I’ve come along way since my first business failed.  And I’ve learned some invaluable lessons. What have you learned, what have you been afraid to learn? What are you fired up about? And what have you learned from your failures?