Dueling beards from Beardbrand, by Mitch and Bonnie Lewandowski, on Flickr

He invented the Urban Beardsman lifestyle brand. He grew his business into a $40,000 per month enterprise within one year. He just pitched the “Shark Tank” investors. And it all started from a blog. Eric Bandholz is an Austin entrepreneur who has successfully created a profitable lifestyle brand.

The Beginning

Originally, the Austin-based enterprise was a website that promoted the beardsman lifestyle. He created content tailored towards bearded men who prefer a more urban style of living. Typically, beards conjure images of the rugged, outdoorsy type; not educated, fashion-conscious individuals. The blog Bandholz created contained videos, postings, and other types of material designed to educate other beardsmen on grooming and proper beard care.

It all changed in 2012 when Bandholz attended a beard and mustache competition in Oregon. At this event, Bandholz realized that there was a potential market that was not being serviced. It was then that he realized he’d found his niche. He decided that he would stop procrastinating and start the business he always wanted to start. Beardbrand was born.

Launching Beardbrand

Beardbrand launched in January of last year. Bandholz hadn’t done any real market research; he was already deeply involved in the beardsman community. He already knew there was a growing market for his product.

Beardbrand was entirely self-funded and it enjoyed low startup costs. It started slowly at first, but by November, they were generating over $40,000 in revenue per month.

Now, Beardbrand is experiencing rapid growth. Bandholz attributes much of his success to his online marketing efforts. Using social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook has enabled Beardbrand to continue to provide helpful content to their audience.

Because of this, Beardbrand’s popularity is constantly growing. It helped Bandholz win the opportunity to pitch his product to the investors on Shark Tank. Regardless of the result of the show, Bandholz’s appearance will gain more exposure for the fledgling lifestyle brand.

Lifestyle Branding

By focusing on his passion, Eric Bandholz was able to create a successful lifestyle brand. The reason he has succeeded is because he has managed to tap into a community of individuals who already buy into the lifestyle he is promoting. Through his content, he has managed to position his company as an authority and thought leader.

However, the reason for his success is not just finding a group to serve. It’s more than that. When you watch his videos and read his blog you can see how passionate he is about what he does.

For him, this isn’t just a way to make money. It’s his life. It’s what drives him. This is what makes him successful. I believe that the most important component of starting a lifestyle brand is passion. You have to love what you do.

What are you passionate about? What do you love doing?

Find a community that shares your passion and figure out how to serve and connect with them. This is how you will establish your brand and find your niche.

Keep Moving Forward.

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