Today we have two startups looking to be the next big thing. One is Epic Fury Clothing which is a casual clothing line for men. The other Gen Cubed is a company that focuses on educating and developing the younger workforce in larger corporations. Both companies have been around for a about year but have established an image and future goals. Both ideas took minimal startup capital. More importantly they took the drive from the founders to make their ideas happen.
Check out the two companies and take a second to address the questions they have asked!
What is the story behind your company?
I founded the company on the basis of a need in a niche market. Epic Fury Clothing is the perfect merger of fashion and functionality. The motive was to create a casual brand for active males; whether they are avid weight lifters, world class athletes, MMA enthusiasts or just your average gym rat, they have a clothing line to call their own without having to sacrifice fashion or their “look”. It truly is all about the look and feel. Our target market puts so much emphasis on the way they look and how they’re perceived, so Epic Fury Clothing developed a v-neck t-shirt made from the best fabric available; pima cotton.
What makes your company unique in its industry?
Our company is unique in every aspect of its composition, from our signature designs right down to the fabric. In addition to shirts, we also sell a lifestyle, a mantra of sorts; wearing Epic Fury means you are always looking to improve yourself and the world around you.
Future plans for the company?
Make Epic Fury a household name all the while trying our hardest not to lose our exclusivity or the upscale mens boutique brand perception.
URL:
epicfuryclothing.bigcartel.com
Founders and Ages:
Rob Zerrenner, 25
Help answer their questions!
Question 1: Finding honest web developers.
Question 2: Trying not to sell off stake in the business for investment opportunities.
Question 3: Reaching my target market.
What is the story behind your company?
Both of us have marketing backgrounds, but from very different places. I (Genevieve) came from the Fortune 500 corporate machine, and Peter came from the rogue underground entertainment marketing industry on the East Cost that only operated in cash. We were both doing freelance type marketing and PR in Portland, Oregon when we met at a week-long Rotary Leadership Conference. After determining that our personality styles were very dynamic and worked well together, I said to Peter, “We can either find a way to work together, or we can be formidable competition, what do you think?” That’s how the partnership was born. We started off marketing, but anytime we were speaking or working with people, all their questions pertained to young employees. We found a major demand in larger established companies for this type of unique insight and perspective, and Gen Cubed was born.
What makes your company unique in its industry?
We offer a unique perspective on the conventional ideas of management, human capital management, and what it means to be an employee in today’s world. But we balance this with a very keen understanding of how conventional businesses operate, where they are in today’s world, and what exactly it is they are looking for to gain the edge in terms of being a top employer. In addition, we have taken the values that we instill in clients and projects (forward-thinking, innovation, triple bottom line, culture and vision) to create the Oregon Next Generation Companies Award and recognize companies that are going beyond the formula for simply being a “good employer” and are truly looking forward and pushing the envelope (and actually operating as such) to being a “Next Gen” company. We also put on multiple other events and conferences to help instill our message as well as teach and train people to think the “gen cubed” way (check out our “Bizology” conference).
Future plans for the company?
I was accepted to the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business’ EMBA program this fall, and I intend to leverage this opportunity to it’s maximum potential for Gen Cubed. Aside from revenue and growth goals, Gen Cubed plans to publish a book that is currently in the works, as well as expand the Oregon Next Generation Companies Awards to more states/cities, possibly through our alliance with the Business Journals. Within the next 5-10 years Gen Cubed will be recognized as the leader in innovative multi-generational management practices.
URL:
gencubed.com
Founders and Ages:
Genevieve Beatty-Tinsay, 26
Peter Lund, 24
Help answer their questions!
Question 1: How do more established professionals and CEO’s etc. truly view young people and young entrepreneurs particularly?
Question 2: What is the biggest and most common (real) mistake that successful business owners today made?
Question 3: If they could go back and do it again, what would successful entrepreneurs worry less about?
