Opportunities are Everywhere E144
Brian Sather joined Tycoons to discuss his experience in production and entrepreneurship. He discussed his desire to being a part of defining the industry. Brian also talked about some of the choices he made during the pandemic and how he had to make changes to his business.
Tune in to hear Brian talk about the importance of finding your niche in business and how social media changes have affected businesses so drastically over the last few years. To learn more about Brian visit blacksmithint.com
Blacksmith International and West Brand Lab form a 360 degree service for brand creation and extension in the physical product space. From brand strategy to design and development, GTM, product production and QA, through delivery of product, thet have the team consumer goods brands need to be successful in this changing market.
Their management team is well seasoned across all product disciplines and bring years of training and experience from some of the world’s most respected CG brands like Nike, Lululemon, Puma, and more. They have seen about every possible way to execute on projects and can bring that knowledge to brands who need projects managed from start to finish, or simply an extension of a department that may be understaffed.
The type of expertise they have is rare to find outside of major corporations. There is simply no other company like them.
Brian Sather is the CEO of Blacksmith International, a company passionate about reforming the inefficient, costly, and environmentally damaging way apparel and other soft goods are manufactured. Blacksmith International has headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah and Shanghai, China.
Brian is also a founder and the CEO of West Brand Lab, a company founded to build and launch new an innovative product lines in the apparel, uniform, and accessory space. West Brand Lab partners with forward thinking brands to launch product line extensionss. West exists at the intersection of brand, product, and tribe where entertainment, content, and innovation come together to create opportunity.
Brian is a founder of the Product PowerUp Conference, a community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. He is a music fan, musician, skier, Dad, and hardcore entrepreneur. Brian’s career has taken him from startups to Fortune 100s, from acquiring companies to being acquired, from Silicon Valley to the Silicon Slopes, and all around the world.
Brian has previously held the position of Head of Technology Product Marketing at Apollo Group and Vice President, Acquisition Marketing at Optionetics/Charles Schwab.
In Brian’s own words, “I have been blessed with the drive and passion to find solutions to big problems.” Brian received his BA in Political Science from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities.
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Show
Tycoons of Small Biz spotlights the true backbone of the American economy, the true tycoons of business in America… the owners, founders and CEO’s of small businesses. Join hosts, Austin L Peterson, Landon Mance and the featured tycoons LIVE every Tuesday at 1 pm, right here on Business RadioX and your favorite podcast platform.
About Your Hosts
Austin Peterson is a Comprehensive Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners in Scottsdale, AZ. Austin is a registered rep and investment advisor representative with Lincoln Financial Advisors. Prior to joining Lincoln Financial Advisors, Austin worked in a variety of roles in the financial services industry.
He began his career in financial services in the year 2000 as a personal financial advisor with Independent Capital Management in Santa Ana, CA. Austin then joined Pacific Life Insurance Company as an internal wholesaler for their variable annuity and mutual fund products. After Pacific Life, Austin formed his own financial planning company in Southern California that he built and ran for 6 years and eventually sold when he moved his family to Salt Lake City to pursue his MBA.
After he completed his MBA, Austin joined Crump Life Insurance where he filled a couple of different sales roles and eventually a management role throughout the five years he was with Crump. Most recently before joining Lincoln Financial Advisors in February 2015, Austin spent 2 years as a life insurance field wholesaler with Symetra Life Insurance Company. Austin is a Certified Financial Planner Professional and Chartered Life Underwriter. In 2021, Austin became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses.
Austin and his wife of 23 years, Robin, have two children, AJ (21) and Ella (18) and they reside in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in French and of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in sales and entrepreneurship.
Connect with Austin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Landon Mance is a Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He rebranded his practice in 2020 to focus on serving small business owners after operating as Mance Wealth Management since 2015 when Landon broke off from a major bank and started his own “shop.”
Landon comes from a family of successful entrepreneurs and has a passion and excitement for serving the business community. This passion is what brought about the growth of Backbone Planning Partners to help business owners and their families. At Backbone Planning, we believe small business owners’ personal and business goals are intertwined, so we work with our clients to design a financial plan to support all aspects of their lives.
In 2019, Landon obtained the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation through the Exit Planning Institute. With this certification, Backbone Planning Partners assists business owners through an ownership transition while focusing on a positive outcome for their employees and meeting the business owner’s goals. Landon is also a member of the Business Intelligence Institute (BII) which is a collaborative group that shares tools, resources and personnel, and offers advanced level training and technical support to specifically serve business owners. In 2021, Landon became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses by counseling owners about exit options, estimating the value of the business, preparing the business for exit and tax considerations.
Landon enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, stepson, and new baby twins. He grew up in sunny San Diego and loves visiting his family, playing a round of golf with friends, and many other outdoor activities. Landon tries to make a difference in the lives of children in Las Vegas as a part of the leadership team for a local non-profit. He regularly visits the children that we work with to remind himself of why it’s so important to, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Landon received his B.S. from California State University Long Beach in business marketing and gets the rest of his education through the school of hard knocks via his business owner clients.
Connect with Landon on LinkedIn.