Name: Edward Cohen
Company: Unstoppable Holdings, LLC
Founded: December 2009
1. What is Unstoppable?
Unstoppable is a design and apparel label co-founded by myself and Erik Schmalz that celebrates life lived above fear, adversity and limitation. The brand’s work honors characters who demonstrate such determination to achieve – those who see opportunity where others see only boundaries. Those whose greatest motive is to live fully and without regret.
Basically both Erik and I found that a lot of our own passions for art, culture and design weren’t applying to our careers and weren’t getting the proper nourishment that passions deserve. We thought, “If this is what we really care about, why is it in the periphery?” We found that clothing was a great medium to share our work, since it’s a relatively low-cost piece that your customer can actually use, instead of just putting on a shelf or display. It’s also central to creating an identity, and we hope that people can relate to our imagery and want to share it with others.
2. Why did you decide to start your own company instead of working for someone else?
If you have an idea that you love, why give it to someone else? Plus it really just came down to some simple economics – it takes very little start-up money to do this. The field has changed a lot – you can get so much done with Photoshop, WinSCP, PayPal, Facebook, etc that you really don’t need that much to get it going on your own. It just takes time and heart. I think it’s like having a nanny versus raising the kids yourself. Sure, you can always hire someone else to do it, but I think you lose something in the process as you get further and further away.
3. What do you like about having your own business? What do you dislike?
I really like caring about what happens. Even in this short time every step has been a unique rush and I’m always excited to see what’s next. It’s also incredibly satisfying to see someone else like your product, or notice some tiny detail that you spent a long time trying to get just right. And we’re really proud to be doing all of this in the USA. All the people we work with are highly skilled and dedicated to quality, and it’s great to see how much interest they take in the product.
My biggest dislike is not working on this every waking minute.
4. How do you use the internet and social media to promote your business?
The internet provides a great way to get content out there. People don’t read books anymore, but they do read blogs and Facebook feeds, so why not give them something interesting to look at? These are somewhat traditional ways to promote the business, but I’ve also started tampering with some less orthodox ways – creating nutty craigslist ads that link to our site, those kinds of things. Still I have to admit I’m a pretty big fan of the brick and mortar experience… there’s nothing like seeing your brand’s sticker on some dingy bathroom wall, or seeing one of your shirts in a store window.
5. What advice can you give to other young entrepreneurs?
Uncertainty always sucks, but it sucks a lot less at 22 than it does at 45. Though no matter what your age, I think the words of Joseph Campbell ring true – “Follow your bliss.” Money is never anyone’s bliss. Maybe it helps them get other things, but it’s never the source. Pursue whatever does it for you.
Links:
www.thisisunstoppable.com, blog, facebook, twitter
I like the idea in this new series. It is a great way to highlight people that are just beginning their story. I’m pumped to see the faces that show up in this section.