always talked about maybe doing something together one day. So when that opportunity presented itself, that's when we started Icebox back in 2001. And the whole idea was to provide branded items that were much cooler, much more fashion- forward, much more relevant than what was available at the time. And at the time it was limited -- it was a very limited offering of cooler products. So that was the foundation of when we started the company. We wanted to bring in the most creative people we could early on, and the very best that we can afford, which that was something that I think ended up serving us well. Because we brought in a level of talent that probably could have come a little bit later, but we made some sacrifices. This is early on. Marshall Atkinson Okay. And so, it's really about getting the right people in place. It's like the Jim Collins book, right? So you want the right people on the bus and the right seats. Jordy Gamson Right. And that's an always evolving, challenging, probably the most difficult thing of anything that most businesses go through is the people, and the seating, and who stays on the bus and who gets off at the next stop. Marshall Atkinson So somebody listening right now, you started small, and now you're doing stuff for these mega brands, right? So how did you get the first one going? How do you earn that trust with brands where you're doing these big programs? You gotta start somewhere -- so walk us through kind of how that evolved. Jordy Gamson So it all comes down to, I mean, sales is trust. And, you know, when we started, we were very, very small. I think we did maybe $200,000 - $300,000 in revenue our first year, which was, you know, nothing to be ashamed of, but nothing to brag about. And so when you're trying to land larger customers, you have to build that trust. So, when the purchasing person, or the supply chain person, or the marketing person sticks their neck out and invests in their reputation and their own company. We have to make sure that we deliver. So, our first big break came from building trust with one particular guy who we followed his career, and he kept growing in his career, and he kept bringing us along with him. And he finally got into some pretty large brands and leadership roles and he was able to bring us in. And, we were able to land the first large uniform program that will put us on the map. Once that happened, then we were able to reference sell, and grow from there. But you do need someone to give you that break, and it all comes down to trust. And you can't let them down and you have to be forever grateful that they trusted you and they gave you that opportunity. Marshall Atkinson Just thinking holistically here. What do you think are the biggest challenges right now with doing programs for brands? And what are you doing to solve that?
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