The Freestyle — Episode 6

What this episode is about:

The first time my brother Branden and I realized the world was starting to see us as real entrepreneurs — and how credibility compounds.

There’s a moment every entrepreneur reaches where the grind starts to feel… different.

You’ve been working.

You’ve been building.

You’ve been doing everything you can just to survive.

And then one day, something happens that makes you think:

“Wait… are we actually being taken seriously now?”

For me, that moment came in the early 2000s.

It was my brother Branden and I.

And it was the first publication we were ever featured in:

Pacific Edge Magazine.

Before the Feature, It Was Just Us

At that stage, we weren’t a “brand.”

We weren’t a “company.”

We were just two brothers from Hawaii Kai doing what we could to make something real.

I was making shirts for friends.

Designing logos.

Printing whatever people needed.

One job led to another.

And suddenly, requests started coming in faster than I could keep up.

The magazine described it like this:

“Surfers with a mind for business…

the business of printing and designing stuff with companies names on it.”

The First Time We Looked Legit

When the magazine came out, it wasn’t just an article.

It was a mirror.

For the first time, we saw ourselves the way the outside world saw us:

Young. Professional. Real.

It gave us credibility.

Bringing Branden On Board

One of the coolest parts of the article is that it captured the exact moment Branden joined me.

Demand was growing.

Schools. Clubs. Retail stores.

We were up to our elbows in orders.

And suddenly this wasn’t a hustle.

It was a real business.

The Standards Were There From the Start

Even back then, our core value was the same:

Quality.

“We may not be the cheapest in town…

but we do have good quality product and excellent workmanship.”

That line connects directly to Episode 5.

Systems.

Standards.

Control.

The foundation was already forming.

The Takeaway

Every entrepreneur starts invisible.

But keep building.

Keep delivering.

Keep showing up.

Because eventually…

There will be a moment where the world starts to recognize what you already knew:

You’re not playing business.

You are business.

If you’ve read this far, you might enjoy my music too.

Check it out at https://ctzns.co