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

Hi Lino, thanks for joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

I used to work in finance and some of my clients were what we would consider extraordinarily high net worth individuals. Some were very laid back, but some wanted to be treated in a specific manner. A lot of them worked very hard to where they were and felt being treated beyond how you would treat a normal person came along with their status, which I completely understood. One person that has always stood out in my memory had a security entourage, two chauffeurs and was driven around in a Bentley. When they came to see me I would already be standing behind my desk and would not sit until they did. I got to know them quite extensively over time and while I was taking care of their financial business I would be asking about them and their family, which was the most important thing to them. In the end, when they left, they always felt satisfied with their experience; so much so that when I was out on vacation they would get upset because I was the only one they wanted to meet with.

Other clients were very laid back, but the interactions were similar. Depending on the person I would talk about different things, such as their business, their travels, or the great deals they got on a pair of shoes. Each person wanted to be treated special. They wanted to know that the person across the desk cared about them and was willing to make them feel like they were at the center of the universe during their appointment. This is how I realized that the customer, no matter what your business is, is your business. It’s not selling clothing, paper products, lawn furniture, or life insurance. Your business is your customer. They are the lifeblood of every interaction and transaction. Without them your business doesn’t exist. Therefore, your business is making sure that your customer feels taken care of and that you actually care about them more than your product and more than the business itself. Because without them you have nothing.

Lino, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a United States Army veteran who entered the finance industry when I got out of the military. I was fascinated with finance since I was small. I also always wanted to own my own business. I tried a few businesses over the years, such as selling electronics online and owning my own martial arts school due to the fact I have been a martial artist since I was 14. Nothing really stuck, but I kept trying. I finally came up with the concept of my business, Combat Factory, which was a mixed martial arts based clothing line during the time that was very popular. It was all the rage and the fact that I love martial arts was really a driving force behind the brand.

I went to martial arts trade shows, conventions, tournaments and other events to get the name out there, but in the end, I over extended myself and had to step away from the business, although it was gaining momentum. Fast forward a few years later, my son, who is a teenager, had developed an international group of friends through gaming and other platforms during the epidemic. I watched him and his friends play online and was completely awestruck about their interactions and how much fun they were having even during the lockdowns. I spoke to my son who knew of Combat Factory and he had suggested that I start it up again, but with a focus on gamers. I thought it was a wonderful idea and a few months later it became a reality.

I realized that there are very few apparel companies that were focused on gamers and their lifestyle and I wanted to provide something that they could wear that would be made just for them. It had to be comfortable, durable and stylish. I wanted to create something that said “we know you’re serious about your gaming and we’re serious about what gamers wear”.

I’m most proud of the fact that we get input from actual gamers. They come from all over the world. They are the ones sitting in front of their computers and televisions logging in the hours and sometimes even designing the environments in which they are playing. There are also professional gamers out their who have careers playing games and streaming their game play. Some have huge followings.

E-Sports is also a growing sector of gaming where leagues of professional game players compete for money, prizes and championships. Some leagues are international. We recognize that this is a serious lifestyle and input from players is what makes our brand different.

Ultimately, Combat Factory is an apparel company that designs its clothing specifically for comfort and durability to cater to the gamer athlete competitor without sacrificing an ounce of style. We want every gamer to eventually wear Combat Factory and feel proud doing so as much as we feel proud to make our clothing for gamers around the world.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pivot should be my middle name. Pivoting is a part of life. There is a saying I learned in the army which states, “adapt and overcome”. Your days aren’t the same way twice. Every day is a new one that brings its own challenges and I have had a few.

My biggest challenge was transitioning out of the military without a plan and without an idea of what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I had my mind set on being a soldier as a career, but because of injuries I couldn’t pursue that dream anymore.

The military trains you to be an excellent soldier, but when your time is done, they don’t train you to adjust to the civilian world again. So it’s trial by fire without any real support. As a result, I became homeless for a short time. Luckily, with the help of friends, I made my way back to New York where I grew up and got a job in finance.

This taught me to plan, not take too long making decisions, and once a decision is made to understand that the long term outcome can change quickly. Nothing is written in stone and the quicker you can adapt to your new environment, the better off you will be.

I apply this concept to not only my daily living, but also to my business. It was a very valuable lesson.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

Combat Factory uses Shopify for all of its ecommerce needs. It’s easy to set up and it’s easy to adjust and change. You can even hire someone to make changes relatively quickly if you don’t know how to do what you want it to do.

I also like the fact that the payment processing has a variety of options and that tracking, adding and subtracting inventory is very simple to understand as well. It’s an excellent platform that encompasses everything you might need to get started with your own store.

The only downside is probably the monthly cost, but in the end, it is a lot cheaper than other alternatives. Combat Factory has used other platforms in the past and they were very expensive compared to Shopify.

Currently we don’t sell on other platforms, but we are looking into it at this time. Maybe you’ll see us on one of them in the near future!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.combatfactorygear.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/combatfactorygear/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/combatfactorygear
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Combat_Factory

Image Credits
Damian Donach