Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenton O’Bryant.
Brenton, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I relocated to Los Angeles back in 2015 and L.A definitely ate me up and spit me out. I moved out here with the intention to work as a PR assistant to a very well-known Hollywood Actress. (Tasha Smith). Unfortunately, there were issues with the budget and they could no longer offer me a paid position. I found myself racing to find income, ended up working three different restaurant jobs to survive, even with three jobs, I found myself homeless at one point. Looking back on it, I am very grateful that I had hit rock bottom because it is at that moment that I was humbled and a new fire was lit inside of me.
I saw so many wealthy people around me in Los Angeles and that let me know it was possible, I just had to really apply myself. I asked myself “what can you do to make better money and actually enjoy your work?” I have always had a love for men’s underwear and accessories. I always felt that menswear was boring when you compare it to the world of womenswear, so many more options. Especially underwear, men’s underwear are just too basic and I felt that there were other men out there like myself that wanted more fun, stylish underwear. With that being said, I decided to start my journey to starting a business. With no college education and no mentors in my life, I turned to Youtube & Google, they were and are still my best friends. I studied everything I needed to know to get this thing off the ground.
The first year or 2 was a struggle but I understood that a business of this nature would not blossom overnight and that it will take time, hard work and patience. I was blessed to understand this as I didn’t always see things this way when I was younger. My business actually went under in 2018. Initially, I was very sad and depressed about it, but as I get older and wiser I now understand that “nothing is happening to you, it’s happening for you” There was clearly something that I needed to learn from this life lesson, and damnit I learned it. I reopened the company in 2019 and I am proud to say that sales are through the roof and I am a very happy business owner.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I was forced to shut down my business in 2018. Why did I shut down? Well, I simply wasn’t managing my finances, like AT ALL! I just knew money was coming in and I had a lot of it so I would swipe, swipe, swipe and there was no budget in place, no accountant on staff, etc… Again, another lesson learned, I now monitor my finances like a hawk and have a full team of accountants to always keep me on the right path. I never realized how much goes into a business behind the scenes, it is so much more than just selling a product or service. I recommend that anyone with a business small or big invest in an accountant. This was something I did not want to invest in at first because I did not want to pay them, but let me tell you, cutting corners like this can be very detrimental to you and your business’s finances.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the OBobbyBehave story. Tell us more about the business.
We sell men’s underwear and accessories, however, these are not all traditional styles. We have a wide range of men’s (sexy/lingerie) underwear. From boxer briefs to thongs. Companies like this have been around for years but I never was able to find any of these stores that really had models that I could relate to. (Me being a young African American male) There was not much diversity in the men’s lingerie world. This is where I stepped in and began running ads with a wide array of models, Blacks, Asians, Latinos, etc… This makes me very proud as I receive endless emails from other brown boys thanking me for making them feel included as they have felt excluded when shopping other brands. This really makes me just feel amazing inside to hear this. Aside from that, I am truly just honored and amazed that people around the world know my brand and shop it. At this point, it is not about the money at all, it just makes me feel great to know that I created a product and others were moved towards it and liked it enough to not only purchase it but to post pictures of them confidentially wearing them. It just really proves everything wrong that I thought as a child. I thought owning a business was something I’d only ever be able to dream about but here I am, Owner of OBobbyBehave 🙂
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
So I myself do not really believe in “luck” as I stated previously, I don’t think that anything bad or wrong ever happens in life. It is just how we perceive things. Nothing is happening to you it is happening for you. If anything I feel like if something happens to me and It could be considered good luck, I tell myself “good this means you are moving in the right direction because the universe is helping to make this work smoothly” Whereas if something is happening that seems like bad luck, I tell myself “hmm, what am I supposed to learn from this situation? What is the universe telling me?”
One of my favorite books is “The Alchemist” It is a very popular book that many have read but if you have not had the pleasure of reading it, I definitely recommend you check it out as the book kind of breaks this concept down.
Pricing:
- 15% off code “voyage” expires 12.31.20
Contact Info:
- Website: obobbybehave.com
- Email: info@obobbybehave.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/obobbybehave
- Twitter: twitter.com/obobbybehave
Image Credit:
Just Brenton O’Bryant
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