Lessons learned from building four companies.

I have currently created four businesses. Each creation gave me insights into how my business could be improved based on what I learned from these adventures. These are my stories.

Omni Pirates Clothing Brand

Omni Pirates was one of the first companies I pursued at the start of my entrepreneurial journey. The company is a clothing brand for digital creators that symbolizes freedom and adventure. The products range from hats to shirts, and the designs combine different ocean-related themes. All the payments and producers would be sold through Shopify.

1. A Brand Takes Time

Building a brand is not just about the product but its identity and reputation. A brand becomes recognized and trusted through consistent quality, messaging, and customer experience. For example, Nike didn’t become a global brand overnight by selling 60-dollar shirts. Building its reputation took decades of strategic marketing, high-profile endorsements, and consistent product quality. For instance, their “Just Do It” campaign, launched in 1988, became iconic and helped cement their brand identity as one associated with athletic excellence and determination.

For Omni Pirates, this means more than just designing clothes. It’s about creating a story and a consistent image that resonates with the target audience. This involves:

• Consistent Branding: Using consistent themes, colors, and messages across all products and marketing materials.
• Engagement: Interacting with customers through social media, events, and other platforms to build a community.
• Quality Products: Ensuring every product meets high standards helps build trust over time.

2. Content is Everything

In the digital age, content is key to visibility and engagement. Regularly posting content helps to keep the brand in the minds of potential customers and builds trust and authority in the market. Companies like Nike and Adidas are not just sports brands but content powerhouses. They constantly share videos of athletes, behind-the-scenes footage, product launches, and customer stories on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. This constant flow of content keeps their audience engaged and informed.

For Omni Pirates, this means:

• Creating Content: Regularly posting videos, photos, and stories related to the brand. This could include how the designs are made, stories of people who wear Omni Pirates, and lifestyle content that aligns with the brand’s values.
• Utilizing Platforms: Using various social media platforms to reach different audiences. For example, Instagram for visual content, TikTok for short, engaging videos, and YouTube for longer, more detailed content.
• Building Trust: Showing behind-the-scenes processes, customer testimonials, and real-life usage of the products to build authenticity and trust.

A Design Agency called LhoestBrands

LhoestBrands was my second company after Omni Pirates. In short, this company was built as a design subscription service to help small—to medium-sized companies with their design needs. Companies would subscribe to a plan and request as many designs as they wish. It’s like hiring a designer for their companies at a lower price point.

1. Be Unique

In a crowded market, differentiation is crucial. Offering a unique value proposition helps attract customers looking for something specific, not just a generic solution. Many companies offer design services, but specializing can set one apart. For instance, a company that only designs logos might offer more expertise and a refined process compared to a generalist design service.

For LhoestBrands, this means:

• Specialization: Focusing on a niche, like logo design, to become known for that specific service.
• Expertise: Developing deep expertise in logo design, including understanding branding principles, color theory, and typography.
• Marketing: Emphasizing this specialization in all marketing efforts to attract clients looking for logo design services.

2. Logos are not Brands

A logo is a symbol, but a brand encompasses much more. It’s customers’ perception based on all their interactions with the company. The Apple logo is simple and recognizable, but Apple’s brand is built on innovation, quality, and a unique user experience. The brand is communicated through its product design, marketing campaigns, customer service, and even the aesthetics of its stores.

For LhoestBrands, this means:

• Simplicity and Distinctiveness: Creating simple yet distinct logos, making them easily recognizable and memorable.
• Brand Experience: Helping clients understand that their logo is just one part of their overall brand strategy. This includes their messaging, customer interactions, and overall visual identity.
• Comprehensive Service: Offering more than just logo design — providing guidance on integrating the logo into a broader branding strategy.

Notion Template Store called SYSTMZ

A productivity template store to sell notion, coda, and Google Sheets templates. This is to help clients not waste time but regain their time with developed systems. I have already created my own systems for personal use. So, I thought these templates would benefit other users.

1. Fix Your Problems

Solving your own problems can often lead to solutions that many others need. By addressing your pain points, you create practical and user-centered products. Many successful products started this way. The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, created her first product because she wanted a comfortable undergarment that didn’t show lines. Her personal need turned into a billion-dollar business because many other women had the same need.

For SYSTMZ, this means:

• Identifying Needs: Looking at the productivity challenges you face and creating templates that address those issues.
• Personal Experience: Using your experience to refine and improve the templates, ensuring they are practical and effective.
• Testing and Feedback: Continuously use and improve the templates based on feedback from others who face similar problems.

2. It Already Exists

The existence of similar products indicates a market demand. Improving on existing solutions, even slightly, can differentiate your product and attract customers. The smartphone market was already crowded when the iPhone was introduced. However, its user-friendly interface, sleek design, and advanced features set it apart and revolutionized the market.

For SYSTMZ, this means:

• Improvement: Focusing on making your templates better than existing ones, even if the improvement is minor. This could be in terms of usability, aesthetics, or functionality.
• Unique Features: Adding unique features or touches that make your templates stand out from the competition.
• Marketing: Highlight these improvements and unique features in your marketing to attract customers looking for the best solutions.

YouTube Career

Finally, the last business endeavor that was pursued was YouTube. Some might argue that YouTube is not a business. If you want to make it a creative outlet for your hobbies, you can, and if you want to make money off YouTube, you can. It all depends on what you make of it.

1. Nothing is Easy at First

Starting something new is often harder than it seems. Success requires persistence, practice, and continual learning. Many successful YouTubers struggled in their early days. Casey Neistat, a popular YouTuber, spent years refining his video-making skills before gaining significant recognition. His early videos had lower production quality, but he learned what worked and what didn’t over time.

For starting a YouTube channel, this means:

• Practice: Continuously practice your recording and editing skills. The more you do it, the better you’ll get.
• Patience: Be patient and understand that building a successful channel takes time and consistent effort.
• Learning: Learning from others and your mistakes to improve your content over time.

2. Competition is Normal

High competition can be discouraging, but it also indicates a healthy market. Embracing competition can motivate you to improve and innovate. In the tech review niche on YouTube, there are countless creators. However, each successful creator, like Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), brings their unique perspective, style, and insights, which attract a dedicated audience.

For a new YouTube channel, this means:

• Starting Now: Beginning as soon as possible because waiting will only make it harder as competition increases.
• Continuous Improvement: Constantly working on improving your content to stand out. This can involve better video quality, engaging topics, or unique presentation styles.
• Finding Your Niche: Identifying a specific niche or angle that sets you apart from others, whether through your personality, expertise, or unique content format.

Final Remarks

In conclusion, these lessons from building my four companies highlight the importance of patience, consistency, content creation, specialization, practical problem-solving, and perseverance. Each new venture offers unique challenges and opportunities for growth. By continuously learning and adapting, I will keep moving forward and create even more successful businesses in the future.