His goal was to create a belt that was equally elegant and within a reasonable budget so that he could still sell it. Okay finally, finally, finally. Holzapfel also sought to make his product affordable for many people while maintaining its form-fitting quality. Kunle: Absolutely. He describes it as a colossal zip tie.. Those guys, theyd met a match there, right? The key is getting the right fit and feel with the right people: not everybody is going to be the right fit for every environment. We love Dustin and we love Wes and we love Wess Dad. Being good at coordinating people and coming up with plans so everybody can work together. Well, that might not work out. Everything is kind of deliberate when you think about it. Right. So youve got to make sure that youre being able to do it. The individual currently has a significant following, and he delivers speeches in a variety of settings. Whereas on social media or online, youre going to get a more exact figure. Frankly, I could sit here and take credit for all the stuff we do, but frankly its the designers that create the posts you know, because having good ideas is important but executions important. So getting your employees to refer you their friends and family that they like personally and that they would want to work with can be great if you like working with that employee. In Nates opinion, everyone wears a belt, and no one has ever considered changing the style of the belt for so long. Daymond provides Nate the $50,000 he seeks, but instead of a 20% equity stake, Daymond demands 40%. Kunle: Okay, okay. Its not far from LA. How does it feel actually making stuff from scratch and selling it on to customers direct? Nate: Well yeah, its a you know, love your customers. You say, Well, okay Ill buy. Captain Ice Cream is a novelty ice cream truck that travels all over, MyoStorm, LLC was formed by Jonothan Jono DiPeri and Shaquille Walker to assist people in playing their best,. So you know its about that. Shark Tank episode 112 featured Marix Stone and Dr. Nancy Tanchel pitching Hells Bells Helmets. It is also important to present a pleasant appearance. Of course I do speaking all over the country and you know, I havent done anything outside of the US yet but I know Ive had some inquiries over the last couple of months. Kunle: Its great content though, its great content. But for the most part I think people see guys like Mark Zuckerberg, whos really smart, hes a lot smarter than I am, the point is you see a guy like that and you think well, I should also be developing a billion-dollar business at 20. You know, so it can grow and be a thing. Yeah, Utahs actually a great place to run a business. Could you expand a bit more on that, given the fact that you are a salesman, first? Yeah, for sure. So every time your message is heard by somebody, it costs you something, right? Nate: Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Outliers. As a result, each of them withdraws. Mission Belts, they do it because they like the belts they already own. And then you get Levis, and theyre a denim company. I want to do all these things. Social media and marketing: we do everything in-house. Now you could sit here and say, Well you know, the only reason Nate has any money is because he went on the show. Yeah, Ill show you a bunch of people whove been on Shark Tank and dont have any money. Because you know, I got called yesterday by a VC company that wants to hire me to do some chore for them, you know everybody wants me to go out and posture and sell things put them, right. You know, we didnt even start going to trade shows until we had been in the business for about almost 2 years. He is a brilliant salesman, but he lacks the relationships necessary to distribute his product widely. Okay, yeah, I didnt know what direction the interview was going to go because I thought it was really going to be social media this is really deep stuff, you know really, really good golden nuggets we have here. So everybodys got to do something and I guess the point is this, is that theres no kink to it. Could you take a minute or two to tell our listeners more about yourself, please? Now if you have a small business and you can afford to do it in-house, then you hire like my NerdOut Multimedia to do it for you, or you hire somebody to go out and do things that you have to make sure that you take an active role in your marketing. By Spring of 2013, Nate then appeared on ABCs Shark Tank, pitching the Mission Belt to seek a capital investment. How to communicate what you have to other people. You can peruse the selection of belts on their website at http://missionbelt.com/ if youre interested in purchasing one for yourself or a loved one. You stretch out the notch in the belt when you tighten your belt to make it fit better, eventually wearing the notch out. Also, he demonstrates how the belt is secured by the ratchet system, ensuring that they hear the audible clicks as he tightens the belt. What are your thoughts on YouTube as a channel versus Facebook and Instagram? But you know, its not expensive. Kunle: So you sold to audiences, you sold to Daymond, obviously, and then you sold to the entire America, basically. And its like well, those things can happen but theres actually like you know, I always believe that you got to get into the mom-and-pop shops first, the little shops. And Ill also link to your pitch. Theyll say, Nate Holzapfel liked your post and thats their Facebook post. Throughout his journey, he told me that he visits each merchant he works with and introduces them to his products and what makes them so special. So you talk about the old way of selling is dead. Now, doesnt mean, you know we have brothers and cousins working for us and not my brothers or cousins even though my brothers a business partner We have employees who will come in and theyll hire somebody that theyve known for 20 years. But weve made belts, in my opinion, about as fun and sexy as you could make a belt. Alexander Graham Bell, he knew what he was doing. Now you get an employee whos a total pain in the neck and they refer you somebody? What was revenue pre Shark Tank, and what was the impact of your Shark Tank appearance on revenue in 2013? Its a dumb idea. Utahs about half of all that so its a fantastic place to run at high speeds, low cost. But couple times throughout the year you could have pretty great sale and could sell a lot of product. And it all now becomes about loving customers. But hes been phenomenal that way. I mean Id sold $39,000 of these things myself you know out of three months, so that was going to be happening anyway. Thats key. This has an obvious purpose. The best way to do it is really: hire people that are referred to you by other people that you like that work for you. You can get the perfect fit every time you use them because they are designed and manufactured without openings. And those guys are actually cousins of one of the partners of the belt business. So I mean you go down there and everybody knows somebody somehow. Theyre smaller. - The Global-e Experience So if someone wanted to get information on a new Range Rover, theyd have to come down to the dealership, get a brochure, and talk to a salesman. Nate: Yeah, and if you look at Mission, we do that. Nate: Well thanks so much, its nice to be on the show with here with you. Mission Belt website indicates the belt has been quite successful, and the company has even expanded beyond belts. People are worried that thats going to lower their status. Its pretty basic, right. What Happened To Captain Ice Cream After Shark Tank? Thou shalt ruthlessly eliminate distractions. You always go to guns. I always believe you go to phones. Nate: People ask me all the time you know, people watched me on that show and I have one of the best pitches of all time on that show or that kind of show. I mean, Im pretty sure at the time of Jesus Christ, I bet you Pontius Pilate, I bet you he was wearing a belt around his little uniform or whatever to keep his sword on. McDonalds is a fascinating business. Theyll say, Nate, you liked my post! Because really right now, if you There was a company that came to me for some advice, and they made the shirt, you know Michael Jackson he used to wear this red kind of military dictator style shirt that had the little black buttons on it, you know the one? Nate: So you got to make sure that its engaging and its fun. Nate: I mean youre getting the whatever, you know even right now you might be getting The Nate Show. Nate: Well, Ill tell you man, you know, its once again, you know part of my success is because Im too dumb to be nervous. It is marketed as cheap belts, however they have the appearance and feel of much more expensive belts. So this goes a guy goes out, takes the money actually wanted an investment first, my friend Steve says no but Ill lend it to you, right. He is undoubtedly all about creating relationships with his customers and leaving a lasting impression. On this episode of the 2X eCommerce podcast show I talk with the founder of Mission Belt, a micro-adjustable belt that was successfully pitched and funded by Daymond John on the US TV show Shark Tank. Thank you so much for being part of the show, Nate. The belts buckle houses a ratchet, and the belts reverse side has teeth that hook into the ratchet. [laughs] And it looked really good. Nate: So Oakley becomes this huge, huge thing thats worth billions and billions of dollars. You ever read a really, really deep book or youre reading Shakespeare or youve got somebody terribly articulate and clever talking to you, and you actually have to ask them to repeat something? So my biggest setback: wasting time. But theres a major paradigm change thats gone from then to now. Nate: Yeah and then from there its just been multi million dollars figures ever since. Nate: Do you know the name of the company that makes that? So I have way over 10,000 hours underneath my belt. And now, here he is, the man in the mix, Kunle Campbell. You know what I mean. So when you are ready to deal with a big store like that, its not your only client. Its time management. If you look at through my Instagram right now, youll see that I respond to everybody. At 21, 22, we say well, I want to be successful, I want to be a millionaire, I want to be rich, I want to be on TV, I want to have a company. And how many wonderful things get changed because of the Nate State of Mind. The HydroMax System, What Is Captain Ice Cream? We talk about the effect of Daymond and Shark Tank on business and about this companys right fit team and hiring culture in Utah. And then Instagram is another thing. They see it in a store or they bought it online and thats it. Selling Directly to Japanese Consumers on Amazon Japan ?? But at the office youll find that, my goodness, those guys down there, theyre aficionados. Kunle: Okay. And everything hinges on your personal brand, right. So to me thats the story that I like because it reminds me that, you know what, anything can be better, and you have to focus in on what that is and you dont need to cure cancer, you dont need to turn dirt into oil or gold, you just need to offer something simple thats a no-brainer. Itd be crazy, right? Theres no customer education required, right? Nate: Oh yeah. An outlier is somebody that has 10,000 hours of experience. So many people they use all of this technology and they forget about this old-school thing called the telephone. @TheSharkDaymond, sat me down and said, Nate, youre not ready to lift these big weights-, Nate Holzapfels THE NATE STATE OF MIND, Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell [BOOK], Follow @https://twitter.com/kunletcampbell, How DTC Floral Brand, Bouqs Grew From An Idea to $1B in Lifetime Revenue, How Food brand, Slawsa was Launched into 8,000 Grocery Chains & Restaurants. It takes time to become an expert. But we finally started getting caught up and then we decided, okay were going to start doing some stuff. Youre going to have more concentration of getting your information to those people, and then you wont be paying for the ones that dont want to listen. Grew Instagram followers in the early stages simply by engagement, by following and engaging the people who follow you on social media with likes. An ecommerce advisor to ambitious, agile online retailers and funded ecommerce startups seeking exponentially sales growth through scalable customer acquisition, retention, conversion optimisation, product/market fit optimisation and customer referrals. My dads a teacher man and I dont know what its like in England but you know, here teachers dont have any money. In lieu of that though, a very nice smartphone. Huge engagement. [laughs]. Think about a professional athlete or somebody who lifts weights for a living. Weve got a great in-house design team that does an amazing job. If you could choose a single book or resource thats had the highest impact in growing and building your business, which one would it be? The thing thats so brilliant about marketing online with social media, and online marketing and things like that, specifically promoting Facebook ads and things like that, the thing thats so phenomenal is you can actually target and focus in more. As of May 2022, the Mission Belt business generates $7 million in annual sales. And consequently she has the same problems you would have with your girlfriends. Now you can do that fast, but you still have to do that. Its a cool place to be. 500 likes per post. But without places for people to go buy it, I mean the websites nice but its not enough. Your personal Instagram profile has 16,500 followers and growing. And so you know, being cool and being real, theres nothing wrong with it. Go to phones. Nate: The PR is an extremity. And it doesnt have to be the best product, it just has to be a no-brainer. One of the things that is so often overlooked in a business is having a Design Department. And I dont think thats the best way to do it. Nate Holzapfel had a vision to create a company that made only belts, the first of its kind in the fashion industry. And Mission, weve been able to accomplish that. Ill buy it. And I can pitch any business. Final Deal: Daymond John agreed to invest $50,000 for 30% equity in Mission Belt. Right? Absolutely. I remember when I started the belt business, I had people literally laughed at me and said, thats not a business, thats a product. Now, theyre smart and they get business, and thats totally awesome. He came up with a sleek, stylish belt made of high-quality leather, but what makes this belt unique is that it is completely devoid of holes. Im going to share the video the show notes but could you expand a bit more about Mission Belt, how it works? And he got into something so simple. Youre getting most of it but you not getting all it. @TheSharkDaymondsmy tour guide of entrepreneurship and now that hes shown me, I can show, Weve made belts, in my opinion, about as fun and sexy as you could make a belt @NateHolzapfel, Youve got to make your product and your service a no-brainer @NateHolzapfel #2XeCommerce, Theyll say, Nate Holzapfel liked your post and thats their Facebook post @NateHolzapfel, Its all about engagement Why have all the benefits of social media if youre not going to use, And the name of the game with company culture is getting the right fit and feel, with the right, . Otherwise its not special, not great. [End clip] Thanks for listening to this episode of 2X eCommerce. When you go look at Mission Belt and you look at all the things weve done there, all the branding ties in, all the posts you see a post and you know exactly what it is. And I didnt get beat up. Now lets say you are selling computer routers. And honestly, five interviews no matter how many resumes, people are always going to be on their best behavior. To help you get more actionable insights and eCommerce growth hacks that will help you 2X your online retail business, hop over to 2xeCommerce.com. And thats how the people and parts of the business are. Kunle: Okay, okay. And then what about revenue expectations now? Kunle: [laughs] Okay, so. Whereas Facebook, thatll allow you to put in links, videos from YouTube, and link them right up to it. It is also available in the more conventional colors of black and brown, of course. Its actually very slim very slendery, it looks like a normal belt in many ways except theres no holes. And so this guy took a little idea and just made them cool, shaped them, branded them and did this thing. His companys success has not only enabled him to achieve success, but he can now make a genuine difference in the world because of it. This guy obviously does know something. Because its out there. And its not easy to do because theres a fine line between being a friend or buddy or pal. The first of its kind in the fashion industry. And thats how you have huge sales, you have these huge sales where you post something up on a Friday and over the weekend you sell 50 grand with of stuff. He struck a jail deal with Daymond John, founder of FUBU who in all respects is a fashion mogul and branding expert. So in a sense, its good because it allows me to operate and you know, now Ive become myself and I just say whatever I think and you know Im wearing a pair of shorts right now. So when someone new follows me, Ill usually post a thing and say, hey thanks for the follow. So a million dollars is shocking even for that program. If I got in and got the call, Id be embarrassed that I wouldnt be able to fulfill. For the most part mines pretty positive, but with Mission Belts we wanted to keep it really like, hey if youre interested in following the brand go-ahead. And I think that the best way to hire people is to get yourself a couple of good people. So Im not saying that every lesson I get I learn a hundred percent from. It also comes in other colors such as green, orange, pink, purple, and yellow. They can get focused in on this one thing, and you can do it. Or Ill go from zero and then Im going to be in the biggest retailers in the country or in the world. I had so many people asked me about, Hey Nate, you know, What do we do, what do we do, what do we do? that I actually wrote all the things down. Its a fantastic price point. And vice a versa you know what I mean, its about finding a fit that works for everybody. Okay. We grow fast and a lot. In June 2012 - he launched Mission Belt. When you link a video, youll have a small little video viewer, but when you put a video directly into YouTube or right into Facebook, itll actually show up bigger and itll get more noticed. You need to be the best salesman in the world to pitch any business. If my life wasnt so public, thered be no way to know. So, long before Mission Belts was going, Ive been a salesman, right. Daymond is in a position to bring the revolutionary no-holes belt buckle from Mission Belts into several hundreds of retailers all over the world because of his extensive network of contacts and his capacity to do so. I mean belts are stupid. [laughs] You want to make sure that you stand there and say, Hey such-and-such investor, I would like this in exchange for this, and for all of that Im going to give you this, and this is what Im going to do, and this is how were going to do it. People want to sign up with somebody whos winning. The ingredients are not going to put themselves together. Then if I go and say, hey whatever-radio-station out in the middle of Australia you know out in whatever territory, I say hey I want to be on for 30 minutes, well thats going to be a lot cheaper, wont it? Think about the television. But anyway, the point is its all person-to-person. Because you know youre talking to millions potentially, every time you publish stuff to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram you know, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people if not millions of people see that, or see your update. What Happened To Sullivan Generator After Shark Tank? Nate: My accounts probably maybe two years old. Micro-loans provide instruction and equipment to underprivileged folks rather than simply providing food. "Highly skilled sheet metal fabricators with all the correct machinery to fabricate just about anything you need. Cheers. The name of the game is surrounding yourself with really smart people. A stylish wardrobe is also important. Nate: And by the way, those names I mentioned to you are true. And basically it all started in your pitch in Shark Tank. For that reason he decided to start a new business selling another very simple thing: sunglasses. The net worth of Mission Belt as of 2022 is around $1 Million. Well thats why were doing this interview over voice as opposed to me just texting all the messages, right, its different isnt it? marketing insights, Learn from eCommerce Entrepreneurs & Marketing Experts.