Thinking Out Loud Ep. 2: Our Mission Statement
On this episode, I discuss the birth of our mission statement and how we came up with our mission statement for our brand. It's very important to have a mission statement because it explains and provides your purpose for your brand or company. Everything you do should follow this mission to prevent yourself from losing your focus.
We actually started out as a website and then eventually evolved to become a clothing line. I intended to just provide content online for people to enjoy and show ourselves having a good time and just hoping that people will be entertained by our experiences. As a young dude, I was visiting different college campuses on the East Coast.
But one day, I decided to print shirts with the iron-on kit from Staples. They weren't the best quality but it was just a way to promote our website. I gave them to my friends and then we went barhopping at the Seaside Heights Boardwalk in New Jersey.
As we cruised the boardwalk, people started asking us, "Where'd you guys get those shirts?" We told them that it's just something we made to promote our website. That is what got me thinking... Perhaps it would be more effective if we were a clothing line representing a fun and care-free lifestyle.
Once I transitioned into a clothing line, people were then asking, "Well, what is it?" I had such a difficult time trying to explain because I automatically figured I would penetrate the action sports industry since I was into it. But I realized back then that we weren't just an action sports company but I still didn't know what exactly what our brand should be either.
One day, I finally brainstormed in the car with my friend, Roger Mazzella, who I knew would provide some valuable input. I started the conversation by recommending that we begin by analyzing why we say "fuck it" in the first place.
I knew it had something to do with letting go of the past so that's where I came up with "Live life without regret". But that was easy and most people are already familiar with that phrase. I also knew that there was a different aspect of progression but more like a courageous step. I immediately stated that it definitely has something to do with challenges and taking risks...but it also had to be worth it.
That's when my friend said, "It's not take...it's more like accept challenges." I said, "Why?" He said, "Because the challenges are always set in front of you but it's up to you to accept it or not. And if you accept it is actually when you say "fuck it". I agreed with him and our mission statement was born!
Our mission is to inspire and motivate people to live life without regret and accept challenges worth the risk. We immediately saw a difference in our audience's response when we implemented this mission. Everything we do revolves around this mission and it's what keeps me to continuing what we do.