Job Description

All-in-One

I am a business owner, or as the new buzz word goes, an entrepreneur. I run a sportswear company in India. The name of my brand is Admiral. When one thinks of an entrepreneur, the image the image that usually comes to mind is something like this:

Evan Spiegel and his co-founder celebrating their company's IPO

Humans have a positivity bias. They only see the positive side of things. However, I’m here to tell you that if you want to live a cushioned life with relatively less stress, do not, I repeat, DO NOT start your own company. There’s no easy way to describe the role of a business owner in a lean, fast scaling company. It requires dedication and belief in what your company is doing. My company’s mission statement is: “To provide the best possible equipment to those who need it most.” In a country like India, the sports industry has the potential to change lives by giving a chance to the lower strata of society to lift themselves out of impoverishment. My company aims to provide them with the tools at the right price and in the right place.

Here’s a list of what my roles and responsibilities are and a brief description of each one of them-

• Product Strategy and Development
• Marketing Strategy
• Anything and Everything Under The Sun

All of these topics are incredibly vast and are entire jobs by themselves. Here’s a short description of what each one entails-

Product Strategy and Development-

• Product Strategy

The product is what makes any company stand out. If there’s no product differentiation from the rest of the market, it becomes tough to compete, especially in the sportswear industry, where you’re competing with behemoths like Nike, Adidas and Under Armour.

• Product Design

One of my key jobs is to coordinate with designers to capture upcoming trends and ensure that the products we’re developing give value to our customers. 

On any typical day, I go through 3-4 mood boards and trend analysis reports and give weekly feedback and direction to our design team. This process is different for both the apparel and footwear team.

• Product Quality

Product quality is one thing that no company can compromise on. To ensure top-notch quality, I have to go through 'QC' reports of every product that the company makes to ensure that it adheres to the company's global testing standards.

Marketing Strategy-

It’s foolish to create products if you can’t sell them. Marketing is a vast subject and encompasses a whole range of functions. My roles are-

• Campaign Creation-

The creative and most enjoyable side of the process is conceptualizing the theme for the season based on seasonal trends as well as crucial brand tie-ups (ex: partnering with a soccer team). I conceptualize all brand campaigns and come up with the creative ideas for content creation.

• Key Partnerships-

For a sports and athleisure brand, tie-ups with teams/individuals is an essential way of bringing the brand into the limelight. It is my job to identify potential partners, reach out and close deals.

• Social Media Calendar-

Social media has become increasingly important for any brand. Most of the engagement with fans is now on social media platforms. My role is ensuring our social media strategy is in line with our overall strategy and resolving all customer care queries.

Anything and Everything Under The Sun-

As a business owner, there are no off-days. Every problem is your problem, and every inefficiency is money out of your pocket. On a daily basis, I have to encounter and solve the most bizarre of problems. Small things which no one can fathom, but someone has to do. One day, we’re running out of printer ink. The next day, its trims for one of our products that's already in production.

Being a business owner is a FILO profession- First-In-Last-Out. Don’t let the glamour and hype fool you. One day, you’re the CEO, the next day, you’re the peon. However, it’s highly rewarding if you’re quick on your feet and love the challenge. Believing in your company’s mission is vital. Otherwise, fatigue and burnout set in and it becomes difficult to carry on.

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Flesch Kincaid Grade level : 10.19

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