Jason Rivera founded Live Life Every Day ® when he was only 22 years old. The brand was founded shortly after he graduated from Lehigh University with a B.S. in Business & Economics (concentration in Marketing) and minors in Entrepreneurship and Psychology.
A lifelong optimist, Jason loves to inspire more and more people every day. Like many entrepreneurs, “businessman” is only one of the hats he wears. Jason also moonlights as a bartender in New York City, where he also resides.
Please tell us a little bit about your company – what is Live Life Every Day all about?
Live Life Every Day ® is an inspirational and eco-friendly clothing brand, made in the USA. Our mission is to inspire the world to never take life for granted and to take advantage of every opportunity that life throws at you. The Live Life Every Day ® motto is: “Do what you gotta do. Live Life Every Day.”
All Live Life Every Day ® products are produced using various eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, bamboo and recycled polyester. We use water-based inks to print our designs and use 100% recycled paper for our hangtags, letters and promotional materials. All products are shipped in eco-friendly packaging. Live Life Every Day ® is not only dedicated to helping our fellow man, but we are also dedicated to helping our environment and our world.
$1 from every Live Life Every Day ® t-shirt and hoodie that is sold, is donated to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. We are proud to say your purchase has a purpose!
I also write The Live Life Blog for our website. The blog features various original inspirational poems providing yet another avenue for the brand to inspire!
Live Life Every Day ® is unlike any company or brand you have ever known. Our success is based on how many lives we change.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
During my time at Lehigh University, I was bit by the entrepreneurial bug. I always knew I wanted to start my own business; the only question was what business that would be. I graduated in 2009, right in the heart of the last economic recession, so there were not very many jobs available. Because of the limited jobs available, unfortunately, or fortunately, I had plenty of time to soul search. I knew I did not want to start a job just to start a job. I wanted to be happy and I knew it was a crossroad in my life and the decision I made then, would shape the path my life would be headed for many years later.
After brainstorming many business ideas, I finally landed on Live Life Every Day. It was a no brainer really. Live Life Every Day is a personification of who I am. I have always been a positive and fun-loving person. To found a business that was based on my core life values, well, that was a dream, and not much after that, a reality.
And here we are today, I have inspired thousands of people, and am so very proud of that!
What are your plans, how do you plan to grow this company?
I am always very clear to describe Live Life Every Day as a “brand” and not just a “clothing company.” T-shirts and hoodies are only the beginning. The plan is to expand to not just other clothing items, but other products in general. The overall goal is to grow Live Life Every Day into a major global brand with a variety of products and services. I want to change the lives of as many people as possible!
What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it?
The lofty goal of changing the world is the biggest problem I have encountered so far. There is a lot I want to do with Live Life Every Day and the biggest struggle is figuring out what to focus my time and effort on. I’ve learned to prioritize my work and break it up into manageable pieces. If I’m going to change the world, I’ve learned it’s going to be one step at a time and certainly not all at once!
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
For most of my life I have been one of those “if you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself” type people. But I have learned through the years of running my business that this is not how successful businesses are grown. I most definitely cannot do it all alone. And while I have done most of the work alone to date, there are still various areas I have outsourced to other people or technology and apps to help break the workload. Experts exist for a reason and I’ve learned you can’t be an expert at everything, so you might as well use them when you can! My goal is to continue leveraging the skills of various experts to help grow Live Life Every Day.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
Live Life Every Day is all about inspiring as many people as possible, so we separate ourselves through all the various ways we inspire. Live Life Every Day is a trademarked brand, so you cannot find those words printed on another clothing item, this is a huge competitive advantage that I worked very hard to obtain.
The various other messages on Live Life Every Day t-shirts are all original and so are the poems that I write for the blog.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
I try to interact with my social media followers on a daily basis which helps to grow Live Life Every Day as a brand but also helps me to grow as an entrepreneur as I learn from what others are doing to grow their businesses.
What are three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
- One Million Followers by Brendan Kane
- What On Earth Am I Here For by Rick Warren
- Stackskills – online courses on a variety of topics at very reasonable prices
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
However long you think it’s going to take, it’s going to take longer, so plan accordingly! This is not meant to be read in a negative manner, but rather simply as a way to mentally prepare yourself for the long journey ahead.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
I have tried a variety of marketing strategies, and while each of them has its benefits, absolutely nothing compares to person to person contact/marketing when you meet someone in person, they have a face and personality to match with your business. I have gained many lifelong fans through the number of people I have met in my life. When it’s safe again, get out there and grind!
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Once I’ve decided on my new business’ name, I would purchase the domain name matching the business name because these days, a domain name is almost like a trademark in itself. Your website is a huge marketing tool and a much cheaper way to pay rent for a storefront.
I would sign up with an e-commerce service provider, such as Shopify, to make it easier to sell my new products or services.
Then I would go on Fiver.com and hire someone to make a unique logo for my business. Finally, I would use the majority of the money to get my new products produced or if it’s a service then get marketing materials printed and go out and distribute them!
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
I have been asked this question many times and my answer is always the same: Whatever idea you have, just do it. Don’t waste any more time planning for the perfect moment to start. Many people have ideas and they never amount to anything because they get stuck in the planning stage. Like everything else in life, much of what you learn is through experience. So stop waiting, start doing and learn as you go!
What is your favorite quote?
“Live every day like it’s your last, because one day, it will be.”
This quote has been attributed to many people in a variety of different ways, but I heard it first from my Dad. It embodies everything Live Life Every Day is all about. Life is short, go out and live it!
How can we get in touch with you?
You can visit my business website Live Life Every Day, find me on social media via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. You can also email customerinspiration@livelifeeveryday.com.
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