Any CEO is going to go through ups and downs. There are going to be moments of failure,
moments where it’s easier to throw in the towel and quit. The companies that are successful are
the ones that keep going when failure happens. You have to ask yourself, “what next?” instead
of getting stuck in the low points.
We sat down with CEO and founder of The Dripkit clothing brand, Erik Lerner, to talk about
building a successful brand. Lerner started out his business with little budget, little experience,
and a vision of what he wanted to build. He expressed that we are in one of the best times for
launching a company. It’s free to post on Instagram, free to make videos on TikTok, free to
network and reach out to people. It’s important to utilize those free resources to get your
company out there. Lerner said to find something that sets you apart and run with it, it doesn’t
have to be something of monetary value, just find your thing.
As a CEO, Lerner shared that one of the most important things to grow in as the owner of a
business is time management. If you are the one running the ship, then only you can be
responsible when something goes wrong or a customer is let down. With the proper time
management, you will be able to successfully maintain your company!
When it comes to networking, Lerner said that it feels like a 24/7 kind of task. He was constantly
reaching out to people on social media and thanking his followers for their time and attention.
Lerner’s advice for someone looking to make connections with big names is to find the people in
their circle and get in contact with them. You might not be able to get a response from a big
name celebrity, but you might be able to get in touch with a friend who is lesser known. For
Lerner, finding people to endorse his brand and his company was important, and utilizing
peoples’ inner circles was a way for his brand to reach beyond what he expected.
Lerner stressed the importance of your vision and not letting other people’s opinions drag you
down. He said that it’s hard to tune out those voices, but if you don’t, it’s hard to carry your
vision forward for your company. If you care deeply about your company or business, one of the
best things you can do is let people see your passion! If people can see your heart, if they can
see the vision you have, then people are more likely to get on board with you. To build a
successful brand, you shouldn’t care or stress about others’ opinions, rather choose to share
your heart and passion for your company with them. All in all, when things don’t go the way you
expect them to, don’t give up, always keep going. Ask yourself, “what next?”
You can check out Erik’s clothing brand, The Dripkit:
Instagram : @thedripkit.com