40: Savvy Tips From A Serial Entrepreneur, with Rob Kessler

Welcome to today’s episode with serial entrepreneur, Rob Kessler. We covered a lot of ground. For example, have you ever thought of an idea that would revolutionize a product?  Have you ever wondered about the time and cost of getting a patent? How about running a boat charter service? Or a screen printing business? We talked about all that and so much more.  You’ll also hear tips and hacks, as Rob journeys with us through his multiple businesses, both past and present like NEWD Clothing, Bella Boating, Million Dollar Collar and goTieless. Be sure to catch the end of episode takeaway where I focus on using the “six degrees of separation” concept to help you solve your next big problem.   What You’ll Hear: 02:38 Seeing a need, inventing a solution   06:09 Why Rob ruined 100 shirts in the process   08:35 Classic example of “I want to do this in spite of not knowing how”   08:56 Costs and time involved for getting a patent   09:50 Annual fees are required to keep your patent   11:07 Using YouTube influencers to promote the product   11:47 Why 200,000 - 250,000 followers or less is the sweet spot for Rob choosing influencers   12:45 Half million units of Million Dollar Collar sold, in 130 countries   13:23 Landing a spot on Billion Dollar Idea   16:06 GoTieless can add logos to the inside of collars and cuffs   18:48 VIP service added as an offering   19:17 Capital gains situation prompted buying a boat and the start of a new business   20:50 BellaBoating - a boat charter business    22:13 Is there money to be made in the boat business?   23:05 A list of boat charter expenses   24:10 40% - 50% profit margin, in part because Rob was doing a lot of the maintenance himself   25:57 NEWD Clothing - Nothing else will do!   27:17 The birth of a screen printing business   31:05 Rob’s best tip for taking action   32:25 Why you don’t use your name in the business name   Takeaway   33:08 “Six Degrees of Separation” - leverage this to solve your next big problem   34:36 Connecting with a future mentor in the self storage industry   Connect With Rob:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/robkessleriii/ https://www.instagram.com/milliondollarcollar/ https://milliondollarcollar.com/ https://gotieless.com/ https://www.mycharterbusiness.com/   Connect With Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.joanposivy.com/