The Million Dollar Road Trip (MDRT) is a yearlong cross-country journey and entrepreneurial venture. My brother Walter and I are traveling through 48 states and to all of the most notable events in the country until July 4th, 2011. Our mission is to celebrate and inspire the American entrepreneurial spirit. There are a multitude of people who are taking risks to create some enterprise whether it’s a business, arts project, or non-profit. We consider this the ‘good news’ of the American economy and we want to share their stories. Every two weeks MDRT awards an ‘Inspiration Grant‘ to the individual who inspires us the most. In the coming week we will be introducing a voting system so that our readers can decide which story is the most inspiring.

Along the way we are embodying our message by creating our own venture. We are a cross-media advertising vehicle, and this year we will sell $1,000,000 in physical advertising on the exterior of our Airstream trailer. Our Airstream, named Alleroy after our grandfather, is wrapped and gridded into 10,000 two square inch ad spaces. Each of these spaces costs $100 and corresponds to a link on our homepage. We will travel tens of thousands of miles this year and be seen my millions of people while we promote our advertisers. Thus far we have sold almost $60,000 in ads.

Why did you decide to start your own business instead of working for someone else?

Walter and I did not set out to start a business simply for the sake of working for ourselves. In fact, a year ago we were both applying for more traditional careers. We each had success and received a couple of job offers, but, the truth is, none of them inspired us. We thought ‘Hey, we both have college degrees, we’re passionate, we know how to work hard. Why do something we don’t want to do?’ This is the country where everyone is always reminded of opportunity. Here, in the United States, you can combine your passion with hard work and create value; that is the American Dream. MDRT was born of our passion for travel and entrepreneurship.

What do you like about having your own business? What do you dislike?

As a good friend and fellow entrepreneur told us “’They’ is me.” In a startup the days are long and the work is endless, and there is no sales team or marketing department. There is no ‘they,’ its only Walter and I. We have a modest team on the ground, a few friends from school, but there is more than enough work to go around. Fortunately, the best thing about running a startup is ownership. There are few things more motivating than having ownership in some enterprise. My brother and I have fully invested ourselves in our project and it is only our hard work that will determine its success.

One of the more difficult aspects of running a startup is the uncertainty. There are no guarantees of success, paychecks, or job security. We put all of our time and energy into MDRT with few immediate rewards. Our inspiration comes from the people we meet on the road and we are encouraged by every piece of small-town news coverage, but we have an immense goal. All we can do is put our heads down and work towards it.

How do you use the internet and social media to promote your business?

Social media is paramount for MDRT. We are building a strong presence on Facebook and Twitter and they provide great outlets for our content. Pictures, travel updates, and the stories we share from the road are all spread via these online tools. Additionally, the value of social media for networking cannot be overstated. Walter and I are obviously mobile and we often roll into town without knowing many people. Lately, however, our audience is connecting us with bloggers, entrepreneurs, and artists who can plug us into the local networks.

One of the more valuable elements of social media is its transparency. There are clear quantifiable metrics that businesses are extremely interested in. We are constantly asked how many fans we have on Facebook. It may seem unimportant, but it is a number that can give instant credibility. So, please ‘fan’ Million Dollar Road Trip on Facebook.

What advice can you give to other young entrepreneurs?

This is an easy question because we get to talk to young entrepreneurs everyday and hear their input, so I will borrow a thought. Everyone way overestimates the cost of failure. Particularly when you are young, the cost of failure is low. There will always be a reason not to start something. Do it now.

Thank you. Please visit us at www.milliondollarroadtrip.com and follow us @milliondollarrt.

1. What is “Your Company”?

The Storia Project is a clothing company focused, for now, on men’s and women’s accessories. We produce a variety of products that are split into two major groups: informal beachy items such as truckers, sacks, & leather cuffs and then elegant, more refined items such as silk & satin purses and leather belts. Every item is made by hand and therefore is truly one-of-a-kind and unique, almost like a work of art- especially the ones with elaborate designs. We also do a large volume of custom orders for clients who want items made to a certain size, with particular colors, or even with special designs and materials. Our pieces are available online through our website as well as through regularly organized private sales. Each piece is made with a fun, spontaneous spirit whether the color & design combinations are simple and classic or fun and offbeat.

2. Why did you decide to start your own company instead of working for someone else?

I wanted to start my own company simply because I’ve always had so many ideas that I’ve wanted to see realized and I know that there is no way to make that happen other than doing it myself. I wouldn’t exactly say that I don’t want to work for someone else- only that there are so few other people and companies to which I would like to dedicate my energies and talents. There are so many horrendous business owners with unethical business practices out there, so many people who answer only to their greed. For me the choice was simple- I could stay behind a desk from nine to five figuring out how to offer less and charge more (true for almost every industry these days) OR wait for a perfect job to fall into my lap OR create my own luck, capitalize on my numerous ideas and start my own initiative. As I’ve gotten a little older I’ve also started to question whether the work I would put into someone else’s project could simply be put into mine. I was really inspired by the corporate responsibility movement you see in the more respectable companies around these days; I was inspired to believe that there is a different way to make a living and I still truly believe that I can create that reality for myself.

3. What do you like about having your own business? What do you dislike?

The positives FAR outweigh the negatives. I wake up every morning with the urge to create, even if the majority of my days are spent on administrative work. I spend my creative days losing myself in ideas, dreams, colors, shapes, fabric, and textures. It’s a bit like the life of an artist. I wrestle with my limitations, doubts, and frustrations. Then I design- I design by making art and I design by problem solving. No day is the same and I am in complete control of my daily itinerary. The best part of owning your own business is knowing that you are directly responsible for its failure or, hopefully, success. I also don’t have to wait to be offered a bonus program! My profit is directly proportional to the work I put into my job and that is a hard thing to come by!

Of course there are downsides. I think that same restless spirit that drives you to create your own business is also the same restless spirit that keeps you up at night, impatient that you are a human being and have to sleep instead of pounding out more hours in the studio. “Working from home” quickly turns into “living in your laboratory” and it takes serious effort to turn your brain off at night. However, for me these are just necessary evils and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

4. How do you use the internet and social media to promote your business

Though most of Storia’s significant activity is offline it definitely helps to have an online presence. In fact, private sales took off when I created the online shop and website in November of 2009. The dawn of Etsy.com, which for many marks the extent of capitalism and a return to the value of the “one-of-a-kind” and “handmade,” has been tremendous for anyone trying to start their own business in the crafty industries. I manage Storia’s Etsy shop every day, which, through the great way that social websites share information, automatically updates Storia’s Facebook page, which automatically updates Storia’s Twitter page, which automatically updates Storia’s MySpace page, although MySpace is by far not as helpful as other sites. Social media is like a virtual piazza in which you can tell the world what you’re doing and get immediate feedback. We have made shipments to several different countries in a number of continents. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter are absolutely the best tool for keeping in touch with these past clients scattered across the globe.

5. What advice can you give to other young entrepreneurs?

I have to point out that in the end I was very lucky to find myself at a point in my life in which I could dedicate time to creating my own thing. Life choices are a matter of weighing your priorities and opportunities. Sometimes they line up- and when they do, you have to have the fortitude, almost audacity, to move forward and make your dreams turn into reality. Know when to go for it, but more than anything else- go for it. I would encourage young entrepreneurs to always choose determination over dreaming; try to focus on the often few voices of encouragement as opposed to the many voices of cynicism and doubt that surround you as you take the risks associated with establishing your own business. Do the very best with what you have. In moments of frustration, focus only on improving and nothing else. Accept help and be vocal about your business. Always make a BIG deal about your first victories because in the beginning your rewards are so small and few compared the backbreaking work and hours you have to put into your business.

Links: www.thestoriaproject.com, etsy, twitter, facebook