Q. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans : I currently operate within the cannabis and hemp industry, where I focus on building and scaling premium brands. Based in Southern California, our business is centered around high-quality products, strong brand identity, and strategic growth across multiple markets.
Q. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans : I attended the University of Southern California (USC), where I graduated with a B.S. in Business Finance and a minor in Real Estate Development. I began my career in luxury residential real estate, specializing in selling/buying coastal properties valued at minimum $10,000,000 for my clients. One of my most notable achievements was selling the highest priced residential property ever recorded in Orange County at $61,000,000—a record that still stands today. I went on to join a small family office called Brookline Investment Group (owned by one of my clients) where I was an Asset Manager for a handful of class A multifamily complexes in various states. Each had a minimum of 100 units/building so constantly controlled at least 700-1000 doors.
Q. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans : I’ve always been driven by opportunities to build and scale something from the ground up. After experiencing success in luxury real estate, I wanted to apply the same principles of branding/marketing, positioning, and high-level sales to a rapidly growing/moving industry. After a few years in the cannabis and hemp industry, I realized I wanted to build something special with my other two executives. Good friends, good products, good ideas – and good times.
Q. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans :
- Don’t be too impatient – everyone has to start somewhere, and great things take time.
- Focus on brand DNA and perception.
- Stay consistent and build long-term relationships with good people constantly surround yourself with them – one business may not work out, but having the right people in your circle will lead to success regardless if some ideas fall through.
Q. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans :
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Adaptability
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Resilience
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Focus.
Q. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans : Around 11-12 hours/day, but constantly on phone 24/7
Q. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans : Consistency, strong relationships, and the ability to operate at a high level in competitive environments.
Q. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans : We focus heavily on branding, social media, influencer partnerships, and experiential marketing events. Also spend a decent amount on CAC find a solid advertising agency that has a proven track record in your space, or one that is willing to do whatever it takes to get you to where you want to be.
Q. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans : Initial capital came from personal earnings and reinvestment of profits, followed by strategic partnerships.
Q. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans : Building a strong brand that people connect with, maintaining consistency, and continuously adapting to market trends. Life can change at any instant, so you need to be ready to pivot since rent is due every day.
Q. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans : I see continued expansion into new markets and scaling multiple successful brands. I’ve always enjoyed real estate so would love to begin building out my real estate portfolio across the country.
Q. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans : Tesla. My high school capstone was on why people should invest in Tesla (this was 2017/2018 when I presented my capstone).
Q. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans : Extremely important. Your staff is your team, and this team is in essence a family that can be the building blocks of your company. Great leadership/executives typically leads to good employees.
Q. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans : Find like-minded individuals and spend time with them like an incubator. Also scrolling reading through Twitter.
Q. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans : Getting out what you put in.
Q. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans : I have often been on the services side rather than goods, so recently starting an ecommerce brand and physically seeing us ship our products out to random/unknown individuals across the country is definitely a cool feeling.
Q. What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans : Work hard play hard.
Business Info:
Website: https://riipit.com/
Business Name: RIIP IT
