Today’s guest is Matt Booth!
West Coast meets Far East in artist and jewelry designer Matt Booth’s aesthetic. While deployed to Asia as a U.S. Infantry Marine, Booth found himself overwhelmed by the rich culture he experienced there. After returning to the States, Booth was introduced to the thriving silver scene in Los Angeles while working at the Whisky a Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard. It was this fusion of Asian influence and an obsession with custom jewelry that inspired Booth to create his own brand in 2003.
With the vision of an artist and the tenacity of a Marine, Matt Booth began blending the traditional Asian characters and motifs he first encountered during his tour of duty with a heavy dose of Los Angeles grit to create the conceptual backbone of Room101. In 2009, he realized the launch of Room101 cigars in the early stages of the development of the craft segment of the premium tobacco space worldwide, earning Booth time in grade in this premium catogory as a brand disruptor and in 2017 once again in the craft spirit space with the launch of Room101 gin. As Booth’s vision constantly evolves, the Room101 Brand has become the go-to for exceptional, custom-made pieces and craft lifestyle goods making Room101 a global yet underground lifestyle brand unlike anoy other in market today.
In this interview, we discuss:
The art of creativity. Building an authentic brand. How he has been so successful compared to other brands. And so much more.Here are some key points that I would advise you to concentrate on:
If you can think it, you can create it. Just because something doesn't exist now, doesn't mean it can't, all the great things we live with were once a thought in someone's head. Easy money is not worth the hassle, building a brand that you are proud of is the ultimate aim, and the money and fans will come naturally. It is not where you are now that matters, it is where you can go, and the journey that you can go on that matters. You can decide to change your story right now and can make the changes you need straight away. This is your life and you can decide the route to go. Matt always watched the top performers to see the habits, mindset and skills that he needed to improve. What can you take from the top performers in your industry, job etc to level up right now? Find your passion, something that gets you out of your bed and energized to chase your goals every day. We all have a passion burning within us that you can go on a journey with. Look at life as a journey of discovery and learning as you go, never settle and never be satisfied. People don't just buy your product, they buy into your story, your message, who you are and your approach to life. There are plenty of ways to make easy money in business, but building an authentic brand to you and creating authentic products is the easiest way to success as a whole. Look at Matt's great example! The fear of starting and chasing your own dream will always be there. You need to have faith in your brand and the direction you are travelling in. Fear is just a message from your brain to keep you safe, look at the message and what its telling you and put in safeguards where possible but take the message it is telling you and keep on your journey. Our sense of fear is still coming from the caveman days, a lot of the mental programming no longer serves us. You can't know everything when you start and need to find those that can help you. Asking for help is not a weakness, admitting you need help and sourcing the right people is a sign of strength. Learning to connect with those who can help is a strong skill to have and will help you throughout life. Design products that you would want to buy yourself. You need to create everyday. Learn to love the process of creating on your products, your brand and self everyday. Build a brand that can attract all kinds of people, build a brand that attracts people to being part of your tribe and not just using the products. Market your products as an extension of yourself and the brand, and the community will follow. Focus on making quality, not the sales. People will buy quality and authenticity. There will be peaks and troughs, there will be demands, challenges and struggles - learn to love the journey, not the designation. When things like COVID hit, there is always a way to change and refocus your business to help keep making sales. Look after your people and they will look after the business. Always be in a state of learning and evolution. Learn to trust your gut on decisions, and that you are living truthfully and authentically. Always take notes to look back, review where you have come from and use it to fix mistakes and shape where you are going in the future. Taking rest and a chance to catch your breath is needed and will help your creativity and ability to go on this journey. Talent will take you so far, hard work will get you success.