UGG Founder, Speaker, Author Brian Smith Cohost:

Brian Smith UGG Founder talks from the heart and on a lot of stories from the UGG Boots era. He sold the company nearly 18 years ago and has since become a bestselling author and world-renowned speaker. He took advantage of the recession and wrote the book. The book launch success is what led him into the public speaking sector, now 3 years ago.

On This Episode You Will Hear:

• [spp-timestamp time="01:05"] Welcoming Brian Smith UGG Founder.
• [spp-timestamp time="01:30"] Connecting with mutually shared networking relationship, Rich Brocchini.
• [spp-timestamp time="03:02"] Creating World Class Customer Service, critical for his early growth as well as years later. Brian's UGG customers saved him over and over again.
• [spp-timestamp time="03:30"] Learning from his first mistake of thinking he’d become an instant millionaire by buying and importing 500 pairs of sheepskin boots. His first year of sales, as the UGG Founder, was only 18 pairs. Americans just didn’t get sheepskin at the time.
• [spp-timestamp time="04:10"] Writing his book The Birth of a Brand.
• [spp-timestamp time="04:40"] The highs and the lows.
• [spp-timestamp time="05:04"] Everybody is in a different stage in their business.
• [spp-timestamp time="05:20"] The theme of my book is you can’t give birth to adults. Most entrepreneurs want to give up in the infancy phase because they’ve given birth but they don’t see the instant success. It’s a lot of feeding and changing diapers.
• [spp-timestamp time="06:15"] Going into the youth phase. You can grow a really sizeable business in this phase, like $20 million bucks! The teenage phase of business, you’re at every party in town, it’s a super dangerous phase. Brian almost lost control 2-3 times.
• [spp-timestamp time="07:10"] What Brian likes talking about most on stage and what really keeps him coming back to the stage.
• [spp-timestamp time="07:47"] My good question he’s never been asked before.
• [spp-timestamp time="08:15"] Brian is speaking to help, he’s not in it for the money or the ego.
• [spp-timestamp time="08:22"] When UGG got too big he had to sell it. Where Brian grew the most.
• [spp-timestamp time="09:14"] He was embarrassed with the first couple of tradeshows he was in.
• [spp-timestamp time="09:45"] Shark Tank, Entrepreneurship, supporting Gen X and the Millennials.
• [spp-timestamp time="10:25"] Explaining why he had to sell UGG and why products based companies do this.
• [spp-timestamp time="11:50"] Scrambling to get $5,000,000 worth of product together and then topping out at $15,000,000.
• [spp-timestamp time="12:30"] Shark Tank, new investment model executed by Sharks like Daymond John. Investment bankers are scared by seasonal businesses.
• [spp-timestamp time="14:47"] Very few Shark Tank deals actually get funded.
• [spp-timestamp time="15:40"] Getting into Brian’s Lifestyle.
• [spp-timestamp time="16:45"] Brian was embarrassed going around with a bag of sheepskin boots to surf shops. He was also an accountant by trade so he was terrified by sales.
• [spp-timestamp time="20:00"] The ones that will survive are the ones who go back out to the customer. Brian does coach a few clients. Using social media and your loyal customers for new business decisions.
• [spp-timestamp time="24:00"] Taking your ethics seriously to provide the highest value you can. Going back to the roots and helping UGG celebrate their 40^th anniversary.
• [spp-timestamp time="25:15"] Comparing where Brian’s stress levels are at these days compared to when he owned UGG.

• [spp-timestamp time="26:40"] Overcoming setbacks is where you learn the most. Brian is also in the process of launching his own online course! Tips to help entrepreneurs and topics you’ll never learn in college. The first lesson is the Importance of Ignorance. It’s critical that an Entrepreneur has a certain amount of ignorance or else they’d never start.
• [spp-timestamp time="28:00"] Why you have to hit the wall over and over again.
• [spp-timestamp time="33:30"] Yoga and Meditation, it’s hard to do it as a lifestyle. The average human just needs to fit it in where they can.
• [spp-timestamp time="36:20"] Discussing meeting Rich Brocchini and how Brian Smith loves the message of THRIVE: Make Money Matter.
• [spp-timestamp time="39:05"] Brian racked up 2,000,000 frequent flyer miles! The value of sending your kids postcards.
• [spp-timestamp time="39:20"] Plastic lunch boxes full of those postcards and those are their most treasured possessions.
• [spp-timestamp time="42:20"] Learning about Brian’s healthy lifestyle, nutrition, surfing and more. He has snowboarded 24 years in a row now! What a good healthy week looks like for Brian.
• [spp-timestamp time="43:15"] About 10 years ago his body just stopped processing read meat, he started throwing it up. He lives on vegetables, smoothies, and soups.
• [spp-timestamp time="44:40"] Brian just turned 70 and he doesn’t get sick.
• [spp-timestamp time="45:20"] He played Rugby against England with the New Zealand All Blacks. Since coming to America he has coached Rugby for San Diego State and he got to help take them to the Nationals.
• [spp-timestamp time="46:20"] Brian played in the Golden Oldies Rugby about 3 years ago. It was like the Grateful Dead of Rugby.

I’ve got Rugby in my blood. – Brian Smith UGG Founder

• [spp-timestamp time="49:30"] Brian’s spot on the matrix was Passion and Innovation. This all relates to the Catalyst for Change.

Passion + Innovation = Your Catalyst for Change – Brian Smith UGG Founder

• [spp-timestamp time="50:50"] Discussing and embracing our FEARS when slammed against the wall vs a speed bump. Fear is debilitating and Brian has four statements that he picked up from a philosophical book over 25 years ago. They were so profound that he typed them out and put them in his daily planner. He’s carried this page with him for 25 years now.

It doesn’t matter what hits you in life... these four statements below are the most positive statements to battle the most horrific things, disappointment, etc.

1. Feast Upon Uncertainty
2. Fatten Upon Disappointment
3. Enthuse Over Apparent Defeat
4. Invigorate In The Presence of Difficulties

• [spp-timestamp time="52:40"] Don’t be a victim. Shed yourself of that protective bubble. Embrace your fears. Relish the experience.
• [spp-timestamp time="54:15"] The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. You need to make decisions with the 5-4-3-2-1 tool.
• [spp-timestamp time="1:00:25"] Final Words

The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live everyday happy as a tadpole. – Brian Smith UGG Founder Deepest Philosophy

[spp-tweet tweet="Quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live everyday happy as a tadpole @uggfounder"]

Links and Resources

• Brian Smith
• Like and Follow Brian Smith on Facebook
• Brian Smith on Twitter
• Brian Smith on Instagram
• Brian Smith on Facebook
• Brian Smith on LinkedIn
• UGG
• The Birth of a Brand Book – Launching Your Entrepreneurial Passion and Soul
• Shark Tank on ABC
• Brian Smith's New Course Launching April 2017
• New Zealand All Blacks Rugby
• D 1 A Rugby at San Diego State
• Golden Oldies Rugby
• The 5 Second Rule Book
• THRIVE: Make Money Matter

People Mentioned

• Rich Brocchini
• Daymond John
• Cole Hatter
• Mel Robbins

Final Words

The best bit of advice Brian ever got for success: Figure out what you can do best, better than anybody else, and you cannot help but be successful and make money.

Action Steps

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