How do you kick-start a new brand when you’re up against deep-pocketed competitors? That’s what Jaylen Brown is considering. In September the reigning NBA Finals MVP launched his own apparel brand, 741, with plans to sign other athletes. As he was getting started, Brown met with Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor, a man with extensive experience in marketing—his platform has helped founders raise more than $8 billion to launch products.
So to your point about seeing the whole game at once, I have the vision that I want for my life, and I’m essentially working backwards from that. It’s about, “This is what I want my life to look like.” Every move that I make, every job that I take, everything that I do is intentional to get to that path.
I’ve gone through my own experiences, dealing with major corporations and how they value your creativity, and how they value you. I met with every brand and none of them stood out. They all kind of approach things the same. I was looking for the brand of the future, not the brand of the past. And I couldn’t find it, so I had to start it.That’s something a lot of people don’t do, because they’re willing to just take the scraps that other people give them.