Episode 84: How Failure Drives Success with Joseph Sommer of Whitestone Branding — commonsku Blog

Joseph Sommer is a 29-year-old entrepreneur and the founder of Whitestone Branding, a boutique branded products agency, in New York City. Recognized in 2017 by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S., Joe exemplifies what it means to be a resilient and relentless entrepreneur.

In 2016, he acquired American Icon Screen Printing & Embroidery, New York’s premier apparel decorator. This acquisition was a customer-driven strategy to increase apparel volume, shorten lead times, manage production, and ensure the highest level of quality of service in the industry, but after 18 months, he closed it because of low margins and high overhead.

In this episode, we chat with Joe about how this failure ended up shaping his success and charting a new path that led to significant growth. We also chat with Joe about:

• How failure at hiring salespeople led (finally) to a successful formula
• Growing from a salesperson who works in the business to an entrepreneur who works on the business
• Refining his customer base to focus on the right kinds of clients
• What fuels Joe's desire for success
• And more!

Join us as we explore the relentless hunger of a millennial entrepreneur who simply won't accept failure as the final option.