Here's why you shouldn't fake it until you make it.

March 2021 was a huge month of reflection for me. I concluded my time at Help Scout , specifically In the Works ) and started a new role with Tradeblock which finally gave me enough time to sit down and think about everything that has happened in two years.

As we all know March of 2020 was the start of the pandemic. At the time, I had a content agency with a few homies here in Milwaukee, WI. We had just gotten super aggressive with company funds and made two new hires that were supposed to set us up for success throughout the rest of the year.

We had lined up projects with the Democratic National Convention, which was on the way to the city, as well as some unnamed large media outlets & non profits that were all supposed to be in town. We had just been named to the Wisconsin Inno 50 on Fire and I had just been named 25 under 25 in the state. Everything pointed to us having our best year yet and accelerating to new heights. In order to accommodate growth, we had to make "big boy decisions" and put our names on the line. So in February of 2020 we got everything squared away with the banks and set ourselves up to be comfortable heading into what was shaping out to be the busiest time of our lives.

This is when I'm supposed to tell you that we knew 100% what we were doing at every turn and were making the smartest decisions possible to accommodate that growth. We didn't. We were making decisions off the cuff, trying to run a business.

Fortunately for us, that all caught up to us. In March of 2020, everything was shut down. Shoots canceled, events suspended indefinitely, and contracts terminated. By October of 2020, we had to shut the company down.

I used the word fortunately because I truly don't think we would've stopped unless something like this happened. To date, we're still digging ourselves out of the hole we dug for ourselves.

This isn't being written for sympathy but as a PSA. Faking it until you make it can have long term effects on not just financial well being but friendships and relationships with mentors and former clients. So if I can leave you with anything, slow TF down. Build at your own pace. Don't let others define your path to success.

Ok enough about me. Let's get into it.

Coming in April

April 4th -?Jairus Morris of SUPLMNT

Jairus Morris is on a mission to educate the urban community on the importance of water. As a kid, Jairus knew friends that would play basketball for hours and and look to soda or juice to hydrate themselves. Through SUPLMNT, Jairus is showing that everyone deserves a seat at the table and educates the next generation on the importance of clean water.

April 11th - A Conversation with the Puma Design Team

This episode features the latin members of the Puma Hoops design team, Jacob Garcia, Kirby Nunez and Roberto Agrait as they talk about landing their respective roles and what it's like to work in a startup within a generational business. Hear from industry professionals on what the day to day of designing for a massive looks like.

April 18th - David Filar of Vibram Group

Dubbed as the "Nicest footwear designer you'll ever meet" David Filar jumps on the show to talk about his creative journey, commitment to the underground creatives and how the immigrant mentality fuels his everyday. He has had the opportunity to design two products with Yvon Chouinard the founder of Patagonia!

April 25th - Gabrielle Serrano a.k.a. "Queen Leo"

Queen Leo took the sneaker world by storm in 2019 with?her Air Max 98 "La Mezcla." Today she's a jack of all trades. She's a designer, photographer, nurse practitioner, daughter and more. In this episode, Serrano opens up about imposter syndrome, being raised in an immigrant household and what she's doing to give back to the people of El Salvador.

Wefunder ?allows you to invest as little as $100 in the startups?and small businesses?you believe in. You can think of it as “Kickstarter for investing”. Unlike Kickstarter, you are not buying a product or donating to an artist. Instead, you are?investing?in a business?with the hope of earning a return on your investment. Here are a couple businesses on the platform that I'm keeping my eye on:

Primer Seltzer

After 10+ years helping to shape popular lifestyle beverage brands like White Claw and Pabst Blue Ribbon, co-founders Anthony Spina and Matt Sievers dreamt to redefine the drinking experience. For centuries drinking has been a key force in daily social life, but the way we as a society are drinking is significantly shifting and category lines between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are blurring like never before. Primer is aiming to change that with a one-stop-shop inclusive drinking system that had something for everyone and would fit into all occasions.?

Ghost Town Oats

A new oat milk company based in Los Angeles, Ghost Town was created by industry veterans Michelle Johnson , Ezra Baker , and Eric J. Grimm . The brand is influenced by the four decades of experience championing diversity and inclusion in the world of specialty coffee. In Ghost Town, the team has focused on offering oat milk to underserved communities of color, which some research has linked to higher rates of lactose intolerance.

Creator Feature:?SUPLMNT

"Our mission is to educate our people that consuming water is essential and spreading awareness on the importance of protecting our cities from the damaging effects of single use plastic."

Purchasing a bottle is more than just having something that you drink water out of. It’s a daily reminder to drink more water, be intentional about your health and contribute to eliminating pollution from our neighborhoods and our waters.

Episode Flashback?- Edwin Martinez of Zappos (formerly of Adidas)

Edwin Martinez felt like an underdog growing up Latino in Southeast Portland. But his hard work and tenacity helped him land his dream job at Adidas. Now he’s dedicated himself to helping people of color enter into the industry that has been riddled with diversity and inclusion issues for years.?

This episode covers the ups and downs that came with Edwin's career path and how coffee can help you break into an industry whose jobs have millions of applicants.?Listen here.

Thanks again for checking out the March issue of Stories by Strange on Purpose. Remember to follow us on?instagram ?and check out the?website ?for all the latest and greatest going on.

– izzy ???