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Brandon Gomez was born in Galveston TX but my family and I moved around a lot from Texas City, then to Dickinson and Houston and now I live in the small place called Brenham, TX. which is home to Blue Bell creameries.

Hobbies: I love to lift weights. Powerlifting is my favorite sport! I do it to relieve stress and get stronger.

Favorite quote:

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” -Napoleon Hill another is “You control your thoughts and by controlling your thoughts you control your actions. You can create the life you want and because of this you are exactly where you are in your life because of your actions. Control the outcome.” This last one is from me and was more of a thought I had one night while earlier on in my entrepreneurial journey but it has always stuck in my mind.

Twitter: Brandon Gomez

Background

Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Brandon Gomez: It was almost by accident actually. When I remember back it’s funny how a moment can change your life. I actually wanted to be a scientist, neuroscientist to be specific. I just loved how the mind worked and how a shift in attitude or mentality can affect the body so much. I am a power lifter after all so it’s something that interested me.

Before I workout I always watch a motivational video to get my mind right. I stumbled upon a video where the narrator was talking about how the mind impacts your life and success. I loved his philosophy because it was similar to mine. I found out a week later the man narrating the video was Napoleon Hill. I had no idea who he was but i have always been a curious person so I researched his life. I was amazed by his life, more interestingly was the man who changed his life after an interview, Andrew Carnegie.

I researched who Andrew Carnegie was as the only Carnegie I was familiar with was Carnegie Hall. His life is a true rags to riches story and after watching a video on YouTube about his life motivated me to do something about my life. How he rose up from nothing really struck a chord with me.

I knew I had a choice, I could either be a scientist and make ok money OR I could pursue this field of business/entrepreneurship. I knew if he did it I could too. I began then and there to learn all I could about investing, finance, interest rates, personal finance, corporate finance, economics, accounting, how prices are influenced by interest rates, how bonds work, different asset classes, etc.. I spent probably 8 to 10 hours everyday learning all I could, it became an obsession. It became my goal in life.

Who were your biggest influences? Was there a defining moment in your life?

Brandon Gomez: As I said, Andrew Carnegie was a major influence on me. I began looking into other well known successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Carl Icahn , Richard Branson.

There was a defining moment actually. It may seem silly or weird to some people but this is true. I have never written it down but I can recall it vividly. A few days after watching that video of Andrew Carnegie I had a dream. I guess I was still contemplating if I should really quit science for business, they are after all two different areas. I dreamt I was in a graveyard and I couldn’t see anything. There was a tombstone that had my dad’s name on it and when I saw it I broke down. Then there was a voice that said, “There are two realities. Your father try as he might can never seem to get ahead. He works and works and never able to save enough. If you stay on this path he will die a broken man. But if you take this other path, although it is riskier, you can live a life most only dream of! It will be hard and you may want to give up at times, however if you stick to it you can change his (my dad’s) world. You have everything you need, you just have to find it. You have the power to change his world.”

I remember waking up at 2:30 in the morning with tears in my eyes and i was drenched in sweat! It was part nightmare but it was a realization for me. I stayed awake and with a burning desire coupled with rage I began my search. As I learned more and more about business and investing, it has never stopped. This desire has grown and grown.

Now

What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?

Brandon Gomez: I am currently working on my Ecommerce business, Gains N’ Ripped.

I started the business with my cousin, George. I had actually had a previous company called G&R Solutions, LLC which was meant to own my other website Investing4teens, which was a blog I started to teach and explain teens/young adults the benefits of investing, saving and personal finance topics.

My cousin is involved with Strongman and I am a power lifter so we workout together. We were actually joking around and he said something like “Are you looking to get gains? Are you trying to get ripped? Well we have the solution, G&R Solutions!” I thought it was a great slogan so I told him I could have my lawyer change the company to include our new business if he was serious. We just kind of rolled with it from there and thus, Gains N’ Ripped was born!

How is your product/service different and unique? What’s the vision?

Brandon Gomez: Well right now we have Europa Sports as our main supplier but are currently looking for more suppliers to expand our product lines to offer our customers more options and something budget friendly. We utilize drop shipping to sell our products due to the lack of inventory costs. If there are any vitamin/supplement companies that drop ship we are open to doing business.

My vision is to keep making sales and beyond getting more drop shippers to reinvest the profits back into the business. If we can reinvest into buying bulk inventory it will lower the cost per unit and increase our margins. The good think about using drop shipping is there is no cost to list a product. If a product doesn’t sell you can just take the listing off the site or focus on brands/products that do sell, as it’s easier to just list them all from your supplier and see which do best. Since you now know which ones are best sellers you can just contact a wholesaler and order inventory of that product. Fast inventory turnover rates mean more money.

Eventually I would like for us to start our own brand of supplements. It would be amazing to see the company brand on a container of protein or something. I have been on the lookout for companies that can formulate, produce, and package our products with our brand, all we have to do is market it. It’s a little bit aways but I like to look into the future as opportunities are always around the corner.

Who are your customers? How do you find them?

Brandon Gomez: Right now our customers have been our friends and family. I have been using social media like  Facebook ads and Instagram as a means to draw more people to the website and spread  brand awareness.

Did you experience failure along the way? What did you learn from it?

Brandon Gomez: Yes I did. I try not to look at it as failure, it is more of a learning experience. My first mistake was when I started the first business, the blog Investing4teens. I had a friend help with the funding and we were so focused on getting the business up that we wasted a lot of time and money. I spent over $1800 of my own money getting the lawyer, Benjamin House. He’s an amazing person and helped us out big time in the beginning. However, we spent money on business cards, posters, the website ect. A lot of it was unnecessary and didn’t add value to the business.

Another hurdle I faced was getting drop shippers for Gainsnripped. There were alot of supplement suppliers but most were foreign companies and the ones based in the U.S. did not offer drop shipping. My cousin and I contacted over 25-30 different companies and only got approved by 2! So if someone says no or not interested, don’t give up. Just move on and keep hustling and keep your enthusiasm alive. People don’t want to do business with someone that sounds depressed on the other end of the line!

I learned that if you’re starting a business, focus on the business! If you want to sell party supplies, do not worry about setting up a LLC or Corporation. Don’t worry about business cards or suits or a logo ect. Focus on getting suppliers and if you plan to sell online, get a website and hosting, maybe a P.O. box as your “office”  but that’s it! Facebook ads seem to get more exposure than other marketing channels but Instagram works too if you use the right tags. If you do get business cards DO NOT get the highest bulk quantity, you may mess up or change names or your logo and you waste all the unused cards.

Also it helps to learn abit of accounting to familiarize yourself with terms you will have to use in business. I got a few deals closed because I knew the lingo (and I actually knew what I was talking about.)

Value-add questions

Give the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.

Brandon Gomez: The best advice I can give is if you have an idea, think is it viable? Then act quickly! There are too many dreamers today and not enough doers! It’s even better if it is something you are passionate about. If you are passionate about the subject or idea go with it! Being passionate makes it harder to quit when things get hard and they will get hard!

Teach us something about {internet marketing, social media ads, fundraising, sales funnels or another topic} Can you recommend any favorite websites to learn that topic?

Brandon Gomez: Using ads can be a little expensive especially if you are starting out so you have to be a little creative. We had a limited budget and only ran a few ads on facebook. What I realized was I could use Instagram and post eye popping/ creative photos and by using the tags I could reach a certain audience also looking for similar interests. By using tags you get more engagement with your posts and people like and/or follow you. You can build an audience for free on instagram, although it may take longer and just include a link to your website or facebook page at the top of your account so as people like/view or follow you they will click on your link and see your website or facebook page.

What should an entrepreneur focus on?

Brandon Gomez: Focus on the business! Don’t worry about the little things. Use the 80/20 rule.

What are some of your favorite books?

Brandon Gomez: I am a big reader as that was how I gained all my knowledge about finance and investing. This may be an unpopular opinion but I believe you don’t need school. If you have drive and passion you will make it, as long as you act. My favorite books are “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, “The Intelligent Investor” by Ben Graham, “The Millionaire Mind” by Thomas Stanley “Security Analysis” by Ben Graham, “The Quest for Value” by G. Bennett Stewart which was given to me by my mentor Mike Appling, CEO of TNT Crane and Rigging. It is a very thorough book and may seem complicated to some who read it but I found it very eye opening and use the methods taught there to analyze prospective investments.

Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?

Brandon Gomez: I see a bright future. My business will be successful and I will have all the abundance I ever wanted. I want my company’s brand to become the go-to brand in the supplement industry. I will keep reinvesting my profits back into the business and other investments. My goal is to not only make it on Forbes but to join the top like Bill Gates, Carlos Slim and Mark Zuckerberg. Once I reach my goal I will give away all my money to charities and others, much as Andrew Carnegie did before me. Of course I will leave a small sum to my future wife, of course for her to live but beyond that, give it away. That is my goal and would be a life well spent.

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