Leveraging state pride to build a fashion brand — Mike Spangenberg // State Forty Eight

There's so much competition in business today, but if you're authentic and people see that you're not in for a money grab, people gravitate toward your brand. That's how State Forty Eight has been leveraging its genuine love for Arizona to build a multi-million dollars fashion brand. It's a story you don't want to miss. Listen to the conversation as Mike Spangenberg, the CEO & Co-Founder of State Forty Eight, discusses how leveraging Arizona Pride has helped his clothing brand startup to early success.
About the speaker

Mike Spangenberg

State Forty Eight

 - State Forty Eight

Mike is CEO & Co-Founder at State Forty Eight

Show Notes

  • 02:12
    Why do Mike Spangenberg and State Forty Eight do a lot of collaborations?
    The brand is more about collaborations than it is about selling T-shirts. That's why even when it seemed like too many collaborations would devalue the brand, State Forty Eight stuck to their guns.
  • 03:32
    What State Forty Eight's success can teach you about being authentic
    People will sense if you're fake and what you're doing is a money grab.
  • 05:08
    A peep into State Forty Eight's growth by the numbers
    From scratch to $4 million a year in revenue, three retail locations, and counting
  • 08:39
    Best practices on how to collaborate with other brands and grow together
    According to Mike, State Forty Eight makes the most of collaborations by striving to add value.
  • 10:30
    What to expect from State Forty Eight and some marketing trends to look out for
    State Forty Eight is working on more retail locations to expand the business and possibly own a building for its HQ.

Quotes

  • "People will sense if you're fake and what you're doing is a money grab. You need to have a genuine interest to want to build these relationships and work with people you like and trust. There's so much competition in business, and working together is essential because there's enough to go around." - Mike Spangenberg

  • "We make the most of collaborations by striving to add value. So not only the affordable pricing offering and design, but we also add marketing. We post on our social media channels to say thank you and highlight it in our email." - Mike Spangenberg

  • "We, again, appreciate how much business we're receiving from collaborations because they're helping us get out to different demographics and new people. We're marketing with a profit and trying to add as much value as possible." - Mike Spangenberg

  • "The hardest part of being an entrepreneur is that it takes a lot of sacrifices, and more stress comes with growing the team. But when you invest in the right people, it all tends to work out at the end of the day." - Mike Spangenberg

  • "I always tell everyone that the more you put into it, the more we will pour back into you. And that's the exciting thing about a startup. You control your destiny. It is astonishing that everyone, no matter their role, plays a part in our success, and there's no coincidence that we continue to grow because of the people we bring on." - Mike Spangenberg

About the speaker

Mike Spangenberg

State Forty Eight

 - State Forty Eight

Mike is CEO & Co-Founder at State Forty Eight

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