Entrepreneurs tend to measure success in terms of busy-ness and hours worked, but some of the best ideas come when you stop grinding and sit with your thoughts.
BANGS are shoes for your everyday adventure with a difference – 20% of all net proceeds goes towards funding other entrepreneurs worldwide! Their mission is to spread the message ‘Your Adventure Helps Others Find Theirs.’ To date, BANGS has invested in 151 entrepreneurs in 43 countries, including the USA. #livebangs
Where did the idea for BANGS come from?
BANGS Shoes are inspired by my time teaching English in China. Our simple, classic shoes are modeled after shoes I discovered worn by workers and farmers.
The brand name “BANGS” means help in Mandarin.
I first visualized BANGS Shoes when I was 22 years old. Like most college-aged students, I felt (and still feel) a sense of duty towards humanity, passionate about using my time to uplift our community.
I wanted to create a company that invests in people. Living abroad proved that ambition, pride, hope, and dignity transcend geographic and cultural boundaries.
This is why BANGS provides opportunities.
Each month, we hand-select entrepreneurs to help people start their own businesses. We partner with an amazing nonprofit organization called Kiva. More details can be read on BANGSshoes.com/Impact.
To date, BANGS Shoes has invested in 151 entrepreneurs in 43 countries, including the United States.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
BANGS Shoes operations are 100% online so I work from home in front of computer most days!
Making each day productive means I have to get up and get moving quickly or else it’s 3pm and I’m still in my PJs.
I have a few coffee shops I like to work from, and making sure I eat right + exercise are super important for my productivity!
How do you bring ideas to life?
I ask our customers what they think and then stay superrrr organized.
It took my a long time to realize that my opinions come second to what our customer’s.
So when I have an idea, I’ll run it by our BANGS Ambassadors (this Fall we have 1500 participants) and then immediately make a plan for how to execute.
There are a lot of gmail reminders involved…
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Online run businesses 🙂
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Yoga for sure.
I’ve been practicing yoga for about nine years and used to do it just for the physical part. Now yoga has become so much more for me.
Yoga definitely makes me a more innovative, patient entrepreneur.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
For the most part I’ve really enjoyed all my jobs. I’ve been a lifeguard, hostess, server, bartender, English teach in China and now entrepreneur turned Founder.
Being a lifeguard was probably the most difficult because I worked at a military base’s water park and there were like 20 of us on at a time.
I was 16 at the time and staying focused for hours at a time on the sun was pretty mentally challenging! I definitely learned patience and an appreciation for team players.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t have waited to so long to dive head first into launching BANGS.
Fear is such a powerful force.
Fear of failure. Fear of what your friends and family with think. Fear of disappointment the people who believe in you.
It took me almost 4 years to drop all of that and focus on my instincts.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Tuning out.
I do this through yoga, but it can be anything that activates your body and clears your mind: hiking, running, walking, rock climbing.
Entrepreneurs tend to measure success in terms of busy-ness and hours worked, but some of the best ideas come when you stop grinding and sit with your thoughts.
You never know what dots your brain will connect!
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how.
Our brand Ambassador program is one of the best thing we’ve ever done for BANGS Shoes.
The program is difficult to manage, but creating a real community has made my job so much more fun and added a dimension to this brand I could have never imaged.
We have 1500 passionate adventures spread across the globe who believe in and work towards furthering our mission. It’s humbling.
Our BANGS Ambassadors are such a positive force in their communities, and four years into the program I’m still shocked reading some BA applications. I get imposter syndrome!
Like why are you applying?? You seem to good to be true!
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Oh I fail at stuff all the time.
Sometimes I’ll choose the wrong color or send a stupid email, but my business partner and I always say success (and failure!) is measured over time. So keep going!
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
If I had to create another business it would absolutely be service oriented. Products are so hard!
I have a couple ideas, but nothing good enough to share!
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I just renewed by monthly yoga classes for a little over $100. It’s expensive, but it’s the best $100 I spend.
What software and web services do you use? What do you love about them?
Google Drive is my everything. It has all my important docs, pictures, calendars. And it’s so easy to share and use on mobile!
We also just started using Slack with our Ambassador program which has been a game changer.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
The Girl on The Train. It’s a fiction that will add no value to your resume.
Stop working for a couple hours and flip through this thriller!! It’s soooo good.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
1) The Nerdist podcast, any show with a comedian. Stand up comics are SMART people.
2) The Southern Yogi, an inspirational Yogi I follow on Instagram!
3) The Alchemist
4) Anything written by Malcom Gladwell
Connect:
Hannah Davis on LinkedIn:
BANGS Shoes on Instagram:
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.