Shows
Mapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship42. How to Start An Apparel Brand in 2023In this podcast, the LAST one of the year, Ryan and Kota look back on the changing landscape of business in 2022, what we learned from the year, problems we encountered, solutions we're currently deploying, and how they might apply to your own business. And also what to expect in 2023. This episode also dives into the specifics of a new product/group we're launching (and why we're doing it), so if you've been toying with the idea of starting an apparel line, or maybe you already started one and it's not go...2022-12-3032 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship41. Job Titles, Decision Makers, and Business PartnersIf you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself: “When should I start to worry about giving out job titles in the workspace?” It can be a bit confusing if you don’t know what each title means and the roles involved. CEO, CFO, COO, and so on. In reality, it doesn't really matter in the beginning. If you are a solopreneur and it's just you and the company, you can give yourself any role you want. IT’S YOUR COMPANY! If you do have a pa...2022-12-1637 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship40. How to Navigate Family During The Holidays And Maximize Separation Season As An Entrepreneur“How do I stay strong during the holiday season?” is a common challenge for anyone who has big goals, whether in business or just life goals. Christmas is right around the corner and it's normal to struggle with maintaining balance between your business needs and family commitments. You might be heading home for the holidays and see everyone else is taking it easy… but you know deep down inside, you can’t afford to do that. You want to SUCCEED! BUT… it is not always easy. In...2022-12-0939 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship39. How To Handle Stress, Anxiety, And Worry As An Entrepreneur, And A HumanStress is a normal part of life as an entrepreneur, but it doesn't have to control you! YOU can learn to control IT, and even USE it as an advantage. You first have to ask yourself… Why are you stressed or anxious? Are you worried about things that are actually worth worrying about? Are they things that you can control or affect change upon? Or do you find yourself worrying about things that are entirely out of your control? You don...2022-11-2548 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship38. The Importance Of Leadership, In Life As Well As BusinessLeadership is one of the most important, yet difficult skills to master. It probably can't ever be truly "mastered", as it's such a nuanced and broad topic, but you CAN make significant changes over time by understanding a few core things. Leadership is INFLUENCE, which has almost universal applications. Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to have a business. Being a strong leader can be with your family, friends, spouse, kids and so on. Whether you're a small business owner with just a virtual assistant, or running a bigger team...2022-11-1844 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship37. Mindset, And Why It's The MOST Important, Yet Most Neglected Part of EntrepreneurshipIf you're thinking about jumping into entrepreneurship, one of the most uncommon, yet important questions you SHOULD be asking yourself is: “What type of mindset do I have to have to be successful on this endeavor?” That is a KEY question you need to be asking yourself, yet so many people gloss over it. In order to play the game of entrepreneurship, you need to be resilient. Some people quit their normal 9 to 5 to become an entrepreneur because they say: “I want to be my own boss.” “I want to make my o...2022-11-1149 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship36. Balancing God, Business, Relationships, and InsightIf you are an entrepreneur you might come across the act of manifestation. You might have heard it from top entrepreneurs or famous celebrities. In summary, it means, if you ask the universe for something and you think of it into existence, it will come true. But the key thing is, you have to WORK for it! 99.99% of the time, it will not just fall into your lap. You will have to go and show the universe, God, or whatever you want to call it, that you deserve it. When most people think of...2022-11-0427 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship35. How to Get The Most Out of Network/Entrepreneur Groups & Not Be a WeirdoIf you are new to entrepreneurship, you've probably seen a variety of network or entrepreneur groups around, but how do you know which one is right for you, what the differences are, or even if they're useful at all? Entrepreneur/network groups can be an amazing way to fast-track your learning, while also making some lifelong friends, but there are nuances to navigating them that can either make your experience incredible and life-changing or a waste of time. A common fear after you do decide to take the plunge, is how do...2022-10-2851 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship34. How To Sell Your Company, And WHO Are You After?How to sell your company is one thing, but there are a lot of better podcasts for those details, and while we do go into some of the technical details for basic sales in this episode, we dive way deep into a bigger question that rarely gets asked, is WHO are you WITHOUT the company? And what will you do AFTER the sale? With your money, your time, purpose, relationships, etc. In this podcast, Ryan and Kota cover some strategies to use when you're wanting to sell your business, lessons learned from the exiting process, a...2022-10-2136 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship33. Q&A #1: How To Test The Market As A New BrandOn this week's episode we got a question from one of our viewers, Aleem Afzal, entrepreneur and founder of his new brand, @limitlesslivingco . His question was a common one that all new business owners face as they're getting the brand off the ground: "I know my friends and family will support the designs and tell me they're good, but how can I test designs in the marketplace to be sure they'll actually sell before I put money into purchasing inventory?" It's definitely scary rolling the dice and spending money on an unsure thing, but that's th...2022-10-1434 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship32. Don't "Sell", Help. How Saying No To $1 Can Get You $100If you're new to entrepreneurship and looking to grow, you might be curious on how a 7 figure business "closes" their leads or what processes they have in place to follow up with referrals. Truth is, there are different, more long-term effective strategies, other than traditional hard sell "closing". In this episode we talk about one of the most powerful and impactful methods, which is simply helping as many people as you can. If you've built a specific capability, service, or product that solves a problem, it's probably niche and that means you're likely n...2022-10-0747 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship31. Equity, Profit Share, or Salary, How to Compensate Employees & PartnersIf you are an entrepreneur, you might be asking yourself, “Should I be finding an investor to grow my business, should I give away equity to certain employees to leverage my company, or should I just focus on salary?” The truth is there are different answers at different stages, and it depends on what type of company you have. In this podcast, Ryan and Kota discuss the ins and outs of growing your business and the different compensation packages that make sense at different times. It might be finding specific investors for a s...2022-09-3038 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship30. Hiring the Right People and Selling Your VisionIf you are an entrepreneur, you might be asking yourself, “Should I hire someone that is a “newbie” that won’t cost as much, but needs more training/ hand holding...” OR “Do I spend MORE money hiring someone that is a trained professional and has years of experience?” The answer truly depends on what stage of business you are in. But we'll leave you a couple of hiring tips for startups to help you out in your entrepreneurship journey. In this podcast, Ryan and Kota talk about the importance of hiring the right peop...2022-09-2333 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship29. Top 10 Pieces of Advice FLASHBACKWelcome back to Mapping It Out Podcast with Ryan Williams and Kota Westbrook! For Episode 29 we wanted to do a little flashback of the last 28 episodes and show some of the more popular moments our audience seemed to really enjoy! We will be back in the studio next week for episode 30! About the Podcast: “Mapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship” podcast was created to take you behind the scenes on the entrepreneurship journey, highlighting what it takes to create, scale, and run a REAL company. The good, the bad, and the ugly, it's...2022-09-1622 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship28. How to Use Your Business Strengths to Overcome WeaknessesWelcome back to Mapping It Out Podcast with Ryan and Kota! Episode #28 is another in depth exchange of ideas between 2 entrepreneurs aggressively growing their brands. This podcast Ryan and Kota discuss what they've learned navigating their businesses through the challenges of 2022 so far, and what plans they're making for the future. Ryan and Kota cover: - The importance of having a world class network you can rely on for business advice. - How marketing & advertising for apparel brands has shifted in 2022. 2022-09-0951 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship27. How To Handle Clients, Both Good & BadIf you are new to entrepreneurship you might be only thinking about the bright side of working with clients. In your head, you're thinking that all clients will be happy and grateful and your business will run seamlessly… That would be awesome! But it's not reality. In this episode, we'll talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of client relationships. If you're in business of any kind, whether that's a hot dog stand or a billion dollar corporation, it is GUARANTEED that you will have your share of “tough client...2022-09-0252 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship26. When to Quit Your Day Job. Do you have a regular 9 to 5 job PLUS a side hustle/ passion project that you work on after hours? One of the most common, yet most personal questions any new entrepreneur has to ask themselves is “when is it the right time to take that leap and make the side hustle your full-time job?” Committing to taking that jump into entrepreneurship can be very intimidating, but it can also be very rewarding. Yeah, entrepreneurship sounds sexy: -Being your own boss. -Setting your own schedule. -Travel when you want. -You...2022-08-2630 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship25. How to Develop Art & Work with CreativesIf you are an entrepreneur, it's likely you've experienced frustrations finding, hiring, and working with creatives (people such as video editors, photographers, graphic designers, artists, etc.) to help you create designs and content for your brand. That's totally normal! And we dive into why it happens, and how to make it better. “Creatives” are sometimes a different kind of breed. The reason behind that is because they are usually “artists” first. Working with them can either be extremely frustrating, or they can be an AMAZING asset for your brand. In t...2022-08-1935 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship24. The 2 Worst Times in 15 Years of EntrepreneurshipEvery entrepreneur knows how difficult the journey can be, you never know when you could possibly LOSE EVERYTHING and have to start all over. It's a scary, gut wrenching, and overwhelming feeling... but you're NOT alone! In this podcast, Ryan and Kota talk about some entrepreneurial stories, and not the fun stuff. We dive into the really hard times where you don’t know if you're going to be able to bounce back, and strategies you can use to help dig yourself out of it. Ryan and Kota also discuss: - Believing in yours...2022-08-1248 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship23. How to Maximize Your Profitability using Accessory Products!Do you know how much money you are leaving on the table if you are not selling accessory products for your brand? Let me give you a quick example: When your favorite musician/band goes on tour, and you go to one of their shows. You might look around a huge stadium and think to yourself… “Damn! They are making so much money off these tickets!” The thing is, they are barely breaking even with the ticket sales. All the lights, screens, fireworks, custom stage, crews, trailers, travel, and so forth. They are spending...2022-08-0529 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship22. The Power of QuittingAs an entrepreneur, or even life in general, you might be asking yourself in your day-to-day battles, “Is it okay to quit?” And the answer is yes, but only if you know WHY you're quitting. Let us explain real quick. In order to build anything truly great, it's going to require a MASSIVE amount of focus, time, and energy. The very definition of focus is that you exclude other things that don't move you further towards your goal. Now that we know quitting certain things, activities, or even people, is a require...2022-07-2925 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipRelationships, Aliens, and Life After DeathIf you guys have been following Ryan and Kota’s podcast, this is a totally different episode. You are in for a treat! Since it is the 21st episode, they thought it would be only appropriate to do the podcast at Ryan’s house in beautiful Pacific Beach, while drinking and smoking cigars. This podcast takes a ton of fun turns in conversations! Ryan and Kota cover: - How Ryan met his wife Disney (At a bar in Pacific Beach… Very drunk) - How Kota almost passed out telling his current girlfriend...2022-07-221h 27Mapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship7 Key Things Apparel Brands Need to ScaleAs an apparel brand owner, do you ever feel like you're spinning your wheels and wonder what it takes to actually gain traction and scale? In this podcast, Ryan discusses with Kota the 7 things that every apparel brand needs in order to grow and scale. Starting a clothing line is easy, but GROWING one into a profitable and sustainable brand is much more difficult than most people realize. With these simple 7 things in mind, you'll be on the right path to success. The List of 7 to Scale: 1. QUALITY PRODUCT: matches your market (don't o...2022-07-1544 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipTop 6 Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs As an entrepreneur, do you ever wonder the top characteristics that every great entrepreneur has? In this podcast, Ryan and Kota go over the top 6 traits that every entrepreneur should strive to develop if they want to become great. Of course there are many outliers, but these 6 are the top most common ones that Ryan and Kota have personally seen or experienced from great entrepreneurs. Awareness (particularly of self) Resilience Controlling & leveraging ego (their own & others) Disciplined Organized Student of the Game 2022-07-0832 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship18. 20+ Books That Every Entrepreneur Should Read by 2023As an entrepreneur, are you ever curious about what books you should be reading? In this podcast, Ryan goes over with Kota, the top 20+ books that he recommends every entrepreneur should be reading to help them grow as a business owner. They are broken down into 3 separate categories. Personal development, team building and scaling, marketing and branding, and great stories behind different entrepreneurs and how they built their businesses. Here is the list Ryan and Kota cover in this podcast: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: The Magic of Thinking by David Schwartz ...2022-07-0133 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipScaling Your Business, Following Your Vision, and Becoming a Better LeaderOne of the hardest questions you might be facing in your business right now is: “How do I scale my business to get more clients to generate more money?” In this podcast, Ryan and Kota discuss what it takes to scale your business to get more customers. You have to remember, that making your first $1,000 is tough, but so is making $1,000,000. You have to equip yourself with the right skills to scale your company. You might have 5 clients now, but it doesn’t mean you are ready for 50. Scaling too fast or scaling when you are not ready...2022-06-2442 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship16. Dealing With Burnout, Advice For New Apparel Brands, and Buying vs Renting | Ep. 16In this podcast, Ryan and Kota take a different approach and answer the most popular questions that their followers ask them. Some of the questions are: How do you deal with burnout as an entrepreneur? Should you be buying or renting real estate property? What advice do you have for people first starting off in apparel? What’s the process like when you lose momentum in your business? What bank should I take a look into when starting my business? AND SO MUCH MORE! “Mapping It O...2022-06-1748 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of Entrepreneurship15. Answer These 5 Questions Before Starting Any BusinessIf you are currently an entreprenuer or you are thinking of starting your own business, you might have come across this problem. You are looking to start a new company and you think it has all the potential in the world! You start to tell yourself: “This is the NEXT BIGGEST THING! Everyone is going to BUY THIS! I’M GOING TO BE THE NEXT BILLIONAIRE!” Trust us, we have all been there. BUT before you get started, answer these questions. THE 5 FILTERS 1) How big can the “new business” possibly get? 2) How long w...2022-06-1054 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipKnowing Your Worth, How to Say “No”, and Raising Your PricesIf you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself a couple of these questions: “It seems like every entrepreneur wakes up at 5am, is that what I have to do to be successful?” “When, and how, can I raise my prices?” “How do I tell a client “no”, and when is it necessary to draw that line in the sand?” These are normal questions that you should be asking yourself! In this podcast, Ryan and Kota deviate from their normal topic based discussion and just chop it up on the podcas...2022-06-0355 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipHow Should You Be Marketing Your Brand in 2022?If you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself this question, “How should I be marketing my brand to get new clients/customers in 2022?” Of course you've heard about running Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Youtube ads, but is that all you should be doing? The answer is simple... NO! Because the old ways simply don't work anymore. You have to understand that running ads on social media is just a tool in your arsenal for branded marketing, and you have to have a full set of tools now to be successful. Yes...2022-05-2752 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipWhat You Need To Know Before Partnering With ANYONE!If you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself this question, “Should I start a business with a good friend of mine or a family member?” What makes a good partner, what makes a BAD partner? You might have heard multiple opinions about this topic. Some people may say “No, starting a business with a friend is one of the worst ideas you can have. Great relationships end because of starting a company together.” While someone else might say (from experience) “Yes, you should start a company with a friend. You guys will know each o...2022-05-2048 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipHow to Sell Your Company For Maximum ProfitIf you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself a couple questions: “When is it the right time to sell my company?”“What is the process when it comes to selling my company?” “Is it hard or easy to sell my company?” "What are some pitfalls or common mistakes I should look out for?" Whether you are starting your business from scratch or already running a 7 or 8 figure company, you need to understand the importance of having the right “exit strategy” and also know how and where to “sell” your busines...2022-05-1340 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipHow to Balance Creativity/Passion With ProductivityIf you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself "How do I maintain my passion for the business while also being able to grow and scale it?" This is a question that trips up a lot of people in the beginning. So many entrepreneurs start a business that is rooted in a passion for a particular skill, task, or hobby. You might love video editing, so you start a video agency. You might love cooking, so you start a restaurant. Maybe you're passionate about helping people, so you become a coach. ...2022-05-0636 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipWho Should You Be Listening to as An Entrepreneur?If you are new to entrepreneurship, you might be asking yourself “Who should I be listening to when I start my entrepreneurial journey?” This is a question that trips up a lot of people in the beginning. There is so much information out there and it can be very difficult to find out who you need to listen to. Everybody has an opinion about what “YOU” should be doing. Your parents will say one thing, your friends will say another, and the entrepreneurs that you aspire to be like may tell you the complete opposite. There are...2022-04-2938 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipShould You Work With Your Spouse?You might be asking yourself, “Should I work with my spouse?” It is a common question that is asked when it comes to entrepreneurship. Owning your business can be a lot to handle and on top of that, making sure everything is good at home with your partner. Is it a good idea to bring them on board and work together to grow the company? In this podcast, we have a special guest, Disney Williams (CEO of Industry Threadworks), but she also is Ryan Williams' wife. Ryan and Disney discuss with Kota what it is like to be in...2022-04-2255 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipHow To Build A Strong Personal BrandYou might be asking yourself, “How do I build a strong personal brand that people can connect with?” It’s not how it was 10 years ago. Social media has taken over and it is the #1 tool that can make or break your “brand”. In this day and age it is so critical to have a strong personal brand that people can connect with. In this podcast, Ryan and Kota go over how critical it is to build an authentic brand that your target audience can relate to and possibly want to work with. They also...2022-04-1536 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipWhen to reward yourself? Do you want a Lambo?Are you someone that has always wanted their dream car, but not sure if you are able to afford it? It might be Lamborghini Huracan, or a Ferrari 488, or maybe it's a brand new customized Honda Civic. You might be telling yourself: “How am I ever going to afford that?” “Only super rich people have exotic cars!” “That is my dream car, but it’s not realistic for me.” "Exotics are a waste of money." In this podcast, Ryan breaks down his story to Kota about how he thought buying his “dre...2022-04-0839 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipHow Do YOU Define "Success"?If you are an entrepreneur or thinking about starting your own business, one of the FIRST questions you should ask yourself is "How do you define "success"? You need to know the answer behind this crucial question because this is one of the biggest pillars of how you are going to actually build and operate your company. You might end up creating a “successful business” making millions of dollars, but if you hate your life because you are working non stop, is that REALLY "success"? When you imagine “success”, do you think about the Roll Royce an...2022-04-0130 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipWhen To Fire an EmployeeOne of the hardest questions you might be facing in your business right now is “When to fire an employee?” In this podcast, Ryan and Kota give their take on 2 important, and common questions in business: what would you do if you had to start building a new business from scratch, and when it might be the right time to fire one of your employees. They also go over: - Why you want to hire people that are BETTER than you. - The importance of working “smarter” not “harder (stop wasting time on ac...2022-03-2551 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipWhat Would You Do If You Had to Start Over?One of the most common questions we've seen successful people get asked is “What would you do if you had to start over?” In this podcast, Ryan and Kota give their take on what they would do if they had to start from scratch on building a new business. They also go over: - How Ryan went from Navy SEAL to creating a successful apparel company. - The importance of being “World Class” in 1 specific skill. - Fully committing to your business full time instead of having a “side hustle”.2022-03-1841 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipHow to Deal With an Upset CustomerHow do you deal with an upset customer/client? In this podcast, Ryan and Kota cover the importance of reframing an unhappy customer from a negative experience into an OPPORTUNITY to go above and beyond for them, and turn them into a raving fan. They also go over: - What to do when your employees make mistakes (they will). -The importance of creating content for your online presence. - The power of good, clear, communication. - Understanding clients expectations so you can deliver exactly what they expect. - Educating & empowering your clients. 2022-03-1146 minMapping It Out: The Roadmap of EntrepreneurshipHow and When Do You Hire Your First Employee?You might be asking yourself, when should I hire my first employee? This might be one of the toughest questions in any new business! In this podcast, Ryan and Kota go over some tactics and lessons learned about when you should hire your first employee for your business. They also go over: - What it takes to be an entrepreneur. - How to price your skills, and communicate the value of your product or service to your clients. - The mindset shift needed to start delegating your work in order to scale your brand. 2022-03-0440 min