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Episode 8: From Startup to Billion-Dollar Brand, with Brian Smith

Episode #8

Brian Smith has charted his own course to become one of the great entrepreneurial success stories of our time.

In 1978, he imported six pairs of sheepskin boots from Australia, with a dream to build a business where every American would eventually be wearing the product.

That is how one of the world’s most recognizable brands began, and sales of UGG products have exceeded a billion dollars in each of the past six years.

Today, Brian enjoys guiding entrepreneurs and business professionals on their journey to success by sharing lessons he learned while building the UGG brand.

What You Will Learn:

  • Brian discusses his early interest in entrepreneurship that led to the founding of UGG, and he shares how his book, The Birth of a Brand: Launching Your Entrepreneurial Passion and Soul, ultimately brought him to a career as a highly regarded business speaker.
  • Brian shares how he came up with the idea that became UGG by recognizing a lack of sheepskin boots on the market in America, and he shares how he drummed up $20,000 in investment capital to start the ball rolling. Brian shares details of the many investment financing deals he made over the years as the UGG brand grew.
  • Brian highlights some of the challenges he faced during the rise of UGG, including losing all equity control in his company, not being able to find suppliers, and dealing with copycat companies. Brian shares how he kept the brand alive during rough times.
  • Brian shares how unbelievably good luck and good timing helped him regain 100% control of his company and pull through his crisis period. Brian discusses the best deal he ever made, leveraging a long-term friendship to sell his company.
  • Brian talks about the importance of authenticity and how it has helped to guide his life as well as his business decisions. He shares how meditation and truth-seeking have helped him overcome everything he has faced.

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