29 Mar Behind the Shield of Ignorance

Ignorance is bliss.

Ah, this all-too-common saying happens to be one of personal significance to me and my journey from my rather humble beginnings.

You see, while I cannot stress enough the importance of being prepared for the trials and tribulations that is modern entrepreneurship, I can’t help but reflect on some of my rather naive beliefs as an up-and-comer and how my blind faith in my product carried me through some rather difficult times.

No successful businessman is ever going to tell you to jump in blindly with both feet; and yet, if they were to be totally honest with you, I’d dare say that they too had to have experienced moments of sheer ignorance to get them through some tough times.

Sometimes, not knowing how harsh the climb is, makes the journey more palatable.

You don’t psyche yourself out with the hard, dry facts of the matter – you enable yourself to be open to remarkable possibilities and to dream the biggest dreams.

So what, if the current marketplace is saturated with similar products?

So what, if you’ve pitched your business idea at half a dozen conventions without a single offer?

My first rodeo with my Ugg Australia boots didn’t go smoothly either.

Using the last of my $200, I was able to purchase six (yes, count ‘em!) six whole prototype Ugg Australia sheepskin boots to pitch at a New York convention – and I had zilch to show for it by the end of the day.

No, seriously. Not a single potential buyer.

Admittedly, had I been informed of all the difficult times ahead, and just how steep the uphill struggle to breaking into a mainstream market would prove to be, I would’ve given up on the spot.

I would’ve sold off my seemingly failures of a product and hit the waves.

Fortunately, my younger self was too big a dreamer to let petty things like reality get in the way.

I persevered – despite all evidence to the contrary, and I pushed my product in new ways, using what I learned from my consumer market and altering the lens by which I was trying to pitch my sheepskin wonders.

So what does this mean for you? Why should you care?

Well, it’s not every day you’re going to be given the grace to be ignorant, especially when it comes to breaking into the market with a new found business idea or product.

In fact, I’m willing to bet literally every other business source out there will be crammed full of advice and tips to steer you in the opposite direction.

In my book, Birth of a Brand, I go into detailed, personal accounts of my experiences attempting to build my Ugg Australia boots into the empire you know today.

I will describe to you in visceral detail the bittersweet lessons learned from my youthful hardheadedness, and impart to you the wisdom to avoid the hundreds of pitfalls and traps that lay before you.

Most of all, I hope I will inspire you to be bold. To be a dreamer.

And of course…

To dare to be ignorant, and persevere.