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Bolstr
Simplifying Your Day to Day
By Bringing Zen to Your EDC items
To find out more about how Bolstr got its start and what’s in store for the future, Matt interviews Bolstr founder, Jay Yoo
More about the episode
Matt sits down with Bolstr founder Jay Yoo. Bolstr makes ergonomic everyday carry bags and accessories designed to help simplify your life, unburden your mind, and bring a little zen into your everyday life.
Jay isn’t quite a serial entrepreneur, but more of a serial problem solver. He initially got his start as a product manager before moving on to the fashion industry leaving his mark, only to go on and completely revamp how we look at wallets with the inception of the Slimmy wallet. Despite substantially affecting each industry he enters and making it seem like nothing, Jay’s biggest feat has been staying level-headed and focused through all the hard parts of his career. Jay is an incredible reminder that no success comes without struggle and keeping the right perspective and healthy habits pays back in dividends.
Although it’s clear that Jay has a lot of interests and passions, one stands out more than any and that’s stepping back to look at something and simply make it better. His vision with starting Bolstr was more than just making an incredible bag, it’s to modernize what it means to grab your stuff when you walk out the door. (There’s no rush to grab your keys, then your wallet, your phone — with Bolstr’s bags everything you need and normally stuff your pockets with is on hand and easy to grab and go).
Jay’s experience, background, mindset, and attitude towards his career and life, in general, are a great reminder of mindfulness and he wants to help bring that kind of zen to your everyday life with Bolstr.
In this episode of Built On Passion Jay Yoo walks us through his colorful career highlighting how he ended up starting Bolstr, some serious wisdom on what it means to be an entrepreneur and how he navigated some personal roadblocks along his journey, and the “How” and “Why” behind starting Bolstr
Have an opinion? We want to hear it! Join the conversation and leave a comment, check out show notes, and get all the links mentioned in this episode below
Key Points From This Episode:
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An introduction into Jay, the intention behind Bolstr, and the story of its founding.
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The creative process of developing the concept for Bolstr and the hurdles Jay overcame.
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An interesting series of coincidences that helped Jay decide to pursue Bolstr aggressively.
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The success of Jay’s Kickstarter, an unforeseen crisis, and how Jay solved it using persistence.
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Fashion endeavors of Jay’s before Bolstr and the lessons he learned from them.
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Realizations about changing customer behavior Jay had after working with Apple.
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The soul searching Jay is doing to nurture the Bolstr culture and refine its messaging.
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Why Jay is so inspired by the idea of the artist who takes every risk to put their art in the world.
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The philosophy of minimalism and essence at the center of the Bolstr brand.
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Different models of Bolstr bags, their use cases, and the different niches they can serve.
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The innovation Jay brought to his corporate job and why it got him fired.
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Perspectives on Apple’s philosophy around the spirit of designers existing in their products.
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Thoughts on corporate versus creative career paths and the need to have a strong why.
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The double-edged sword of progress; how it brings us closer to our destruction.
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Examples of people who left something soul-destroying to follow their heart.
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The creative paths Jay’s kids are following and how they were influenced by his actions.
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Advice from Jay about how to be happy and live a fulfilled life.
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Where to find Bolstr online and learn more about the brand.
Links/Resources:
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What do you think of Bolstr? Leave a comment below to let us know!