Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erik Greer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Erik , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?

The best investment I’ve made as a business owner was taking time to learn as much as possible about the industry I chose and how to build a successful business. In order to have a successful business in any industry, you need to be very knowledgeable about that particular industry. Who is your competition, do they manufacture their own products, are they a small or large business, what do their similar products retail for, etc?

When I started my first business, I had no clue what I was doing but figured I could learn on the fly. My motivation to make a difference in my community made me continue anyway. I knew how to start an LLC but didn’t know the difference between distribution and wholesaling. In the early stages, I thought all product based businesses bought their inventory from distributors. I didn’t know the distribution company was basically a middleman until a friend (already doing business) asked why I wasn’t buying directly from the manufacturer. This question made me realize I needed to slow down and take time to research manufacturers in my industry vs distributors. I called a lot of manufacturers, asked them a million questions, then eventually found a manufacturer that felt comfortable working with me, which in turn, lowered my cost from $4 with the distributor to $1.85 from the manufacturer. This increased my profit margins considerably.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My journey into business began around age 7. My mother explained having a job is how people earn money to buy the things they desired. I was determined to make my own money so one morning I put on my suit, snuck out to the corner gas station owned by my grandfather’s friend and told him I was there to work. He walked me back home, told my grandfather what I was doing and my grandfather gave me $3 simply for trying. This chain of events sparked my entrepreneurial spirit. Growing up, my neighborhood & community was plagued with drugs being sold openly on street corners by kids my age. Some of the kids were friends I grew up playing & riding bikes with. I knew a job would provide enough money to support my family but not enough to change my entire community. My thought was to hire my friends and others within the community so they wouldn’t have to risk their lives selling drugs.

I started by selling t-shirts, then ice cream, auto accessories, real estate, mortgages, and eventually created a multi-media company. Things changed considerably when I ran into a college friend running his own successful businesses. He taught me how to get my own branded products into retail stores. I started another business and began sourcing products while my friend walked me through the entire process. We currently sell eco-friendly beauty accessories, camping accessories and home goods through Lowe’s, Meijer, Walmart and our website.

We are proud of three specific things. The first is being able to support our community by providing jobs and donating time/resources. Next, all of our product packaging has a printed scripture verse. This is our way of giving honor to God for our many blessings but also to bless the consumers that purchase our products. Lastly, we are proud to be able to share information with other entrepreneurs to help them reach their next level of business.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

In order to build the business we followed the saying, “all money in.” The money we make selling products is reinvested into the business for equipment, marketing material, advertising, travel, payroll, etc. We also use the money to create new business streams of income as well. The money earned from the first t-shirt selling business was used to start the ice cream selling business. A portion of those profits were used to invest in real estate and so on. This way, if one business is a little slow, the profits from the other businesses help keep things afloat. Today those streams of income include our home essential products, real estate, graphic design, cinematography, photography, plus government contracting is on our to-do list.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The most important lesson I had to unlearn was not to hoard information and not to share my talents with other entrepreneurs. When I started my first business, I was told not to give away information unless I was being paid for it. This initially made sense until I realized my business wasn’t moving forward. I didn’t know why business was stagnant until I had a random meeting with another business owner. After explaining my current situation, the business owners first question was “how many other people have you helped with their business?” When I said ‘none,’ he smirked and replied “that’s where your business is failing.” I decided to try his advice and asked a different fellow business owner if my multi-media company could shoot a free commercial for them. He didn’t understand why I wanted to do it but accepted my offer. To my surprise, the commercial not only increased his sales, it also brought me three new customers wanting commercials as well. That was enough to convince me. These days I love to share information and learn from other entrepreneurs. I understand the power of giving and how the universe rewards those that give freely to help others, without expecting something in return.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oceanridgedev.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MI_CASABRAND/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/micasa.brand
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-greer-4447a9b6/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEPcyAPEP5BxiRSXMjX_1aw