We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Patrick O’Connor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Patrick , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.
Yes, absolutely! Since our official launch in early 2022 we have been committed to sharing proceeds with various non-profit organizations. We currently are members of the 1% for the Planet, and also One Tree Planted. We have had monthly charitable partners in the past where we’ve supported mental health initiatives, women-empowerment movements, animal rescues, reforestation projects, ocean protection agencies, and others. This charitable aspect is foundational to our business and we always quote the mantra, “small business, big impact.” Our small team really believes in this and knows that if we stay true to this value that it’ll pay off in the long run.
Every time we chose a new organization to support it is based on the desires of our community members and the causes that are important to our them. We may be the piece that brings people together, but we are always representative of the community and the voices there within.
Patrick , 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?
My wife Jules Jacobson and I started Togeth3r in early 2022. Our founding mission was to make conscious online shopping easier. We had our own pain point of trying to find brands that care about the same values that we care about, and while these brands are definitely out there, they weren’t easy to find in one location. So we set out to build a singular location where you could shop from brands that do more than just have awesome products — they care about people and our planet!
For background on us as individuals, my wife Jules is a social media influencer with 200k+ followers across her channels so she has many relationships with amazing brands, which helped us get started. We integrated and expanded those relationships and once we built our brand, it became easier for us to find more brands that aligned with our values. For myself personally, I coached college football at Temple University and Duke University before leaving to work in private equity and management consulting.
As startup founders who are always a married couple, I think we are most proud of just the fact that we are still going. So many start ups close their doors even before hitting 1 year. It’s been a roller coaster of ups and downs and we are so grateful for the many relationships we’ve made trying to live out our mission and we are excited to continue pursuing our passion and growing our impact.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Two of my favorite books that I always recommend are Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith and The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. The first book is a master class on marketing and how to think about branding and sales. The second book is a mindset book that teaches how to overcome challenges, and to change your perception that challenges aren’t hurdles, they’re launch points.
Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?
As a husband and wife duo running a business, there’s a fine line between business and personal life. We’ve luckily had no near death moments, but we’ve definitely had moments where we’ve contemplated our marriage and running a business together. It’s hard but the reward has been us actually growing closer together.
One specific story took place probably about 8 months into running our business. Business was slow, COVID was still ongoing, and our relationship was worn out from having an additional strain on it. It took a few very hard conversations to reignite our motivation and keep the business going.
Contact Info:
- Website: togeth3r.com
- Instagram: @togeth3r