Prometheus Worley is the Founder & Head Fashion Designer of Fashion 4 The Leisure Class™. Headquartered in a 7,200sqft., 9-bedroom, 11-bathroom, historic Landmark 1870 Victorian Mansion (Maison de Pillars), Fashion 4 The Leisure Class is a vintage fashion design company located in the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District in Plainfield, New Jersey (historically known as “Millionaires Row” from the influx of, Intellectuals, Wall Street Bankers and generational wealthy families from the late 19th and 20th century).
What is Fashion 4 The Leisure Class™ all about?
Being nostalgic, we are a vintage brand for the intelligent, sophisticated, upwardly mobile persons who take great pride in working hard at pursuing their passions while deriving great pleasure in pursuing all the grand leisure activities they so rightfully deserve to enjoy. From vintage-styled Tops, T-shirts, and Blouses for Women to designer Graphic Tees and Dress Shirts for Men, we design leisure wear fashions and accessories dedicated to an old-money aesthetic, with a contemporary twist.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
Although I’ve called New Jersey my primary residence over the past several years while traveling back and forth between Europe and the US for business & personal reasons, I actually grew up in New York City. A deep passion for Art and Fashion Design as well as tailoring has always been in my blood since the time, I was a teenager and my aunt taught me how to tailor my own clothing for school. Before I knew it, I was getting requests from family members and neighbors to alter /tailor their clothing for a better fit. Though many years would pass after majoring in college for Environmental Management and working in both the healthcare and environmental sustainability fields, my true love and passion for the world of fashion never left.
As the old saying goes, “Find your true passion, and you’ll discover your true love”, and in my case it was meeting my beautiful wife and Muse Tracy de Rushe, who inspired me to both, pick up my pen and pursue my love of writing (start a publishing company and publish my book: Wisdom From The World’s Greatest Guru’s) as well as to launch a clothing line; since I follow Fashion Week in Paris, Milan, and New York ; and usually engage in some sort of art-related design sketching in my down time.
It was her inspiration that motivated me to start our family-run company Hampton Court Press and launch our fashion brand Fashion 4 The Leisure Class™.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
- First, I’d say vision because, I truly believe you need to have an idea of what you want your end goal or product to be, even if you are in a service industry. Like planning a trip on a GPS, one wouldn’t or shouldn’t embark upon a trip without having an end destination in mind.
- Second, learn the lay of the land. Many, many helpful business lessons I’ve been fortunate enough to learn over the years have been from good friends who just happen to be lawyers and other successful entrepreneurs. They’ve schooled me well in making sure to engage in a healthy dose of due diligence before making priority business decisions. Being preemptive in this area can really prevent costly errors in wasted time allocation, funds spent and reduced productivity.
- Third, Patience & recognizing when you realize you need help or the expertise of others. These last two are “uber” important because, many entrepreneurs just starting out, may not see the plethora of huge sales they first anticipated when they launched their business, or the market did not respond the way they anticipated it would when they first launched.
Like mentioned in that awesome book “Peaks and Valleys: Making Good And Bad Times Work For You (by Spencer Johnson M.D.), “When you’re experiencing a downtime (when you’re in the valley and things aren’t necessarily going the way you want them to), first have patience, knowing that the situation is “temporary and will eventually change”. Next, while in the midst of that somewhat discouraging time, realize that you are getting “feedback” (which is a good thing), use that feedback to reassess, and recalibrate (if necessary) before you move forward again.
As they say in the Construction and the Carpentry trade “Measure twice cut once”. Lastly, be keen enough to realize when you need help. And wise enough to lay pride aside and seek out the help you need to get you and your business growing to greater levels.
What are your plans for the future, and how do you plan to grow this company?
Great question. I’m not at liberty to reveal all the elements of our competitive advantage, but I can mention this. We have a 7-year growth plan that incorporates both strategic partnerships and cross-industry promotional collaborations with 3 specific luxury brands and 1 Athleisure wear brand. Our international marketing plan is quite comprehensive. Fortunate enough for the company, we have friends, associates, and family members on our team who have lived in various regions within London, France, Italy, China, India, and South America. They have key global contacts within the Fashion and Entertainment industry as well as operate on a multiplicity of diversified social media platforms.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
In regard to the business, the Pandemic /Lockdown has been somewhat beneficial to us as a family business. It has brought us much closer as a family as well as encouraged us to learn how to utilize various new cutting-edge eCommerce platforms and marketing technologies. The local lockdown even highlighted a new customer base among the various historic districts we are located next to.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
As I mentioned earlier, we already have an extensive supportive network of friends, business associates, and family members who collectively possess a vast social media following on various social media platforms (WeChat, Weibo, Facebook, LINE, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Snap Chat, YouTube, Pinterest, etc.). As well as possess key Fashion and Entertainment Industry contacts within various countries across the globe. We already have Brand Ambassadors in a few key countries, with as they say, “boots on the ground”, spreading the good word about Fashion 4 The Leisure Class™ and upcoming product drops.
Our key philosophy, as a family, as a business, and more importantly as bilingual global citizens is “Think Globally, Act Locally” …..this philosophy literally resides within our DNA.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
- Taking “suggested marketing demographic advice” from someone who had never run a business. LESSON LEARNED: Research your targeted audience “way before” you allocate funds towards a very unsuccessful marketing campaign
- Not having a “ready-to-go” RELIABLE “backup” supplier/manufacturer, in case a supply or unforeseen logistics problem occurs. LESSON LEARNED: Make sure to have a reliable backup supplier.
- Thinking I could wear all hats and perfectly run every aspect of the business. LESSON LEARNED: Humble yourself first. Realize your core competencies and get advice /help from people who are specialists in their field of expertise, when you need it.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest reoccurring challenges I’ve had to overcome, over the years, has been learning to trust my gut instinct. For many years, I’ve always been able to spot trends in various industries while they were still somewhat in their nascent stage. Things like the mega rise in popularity within the billion-dollar Energy Drink market, the massive popularity for adventure “Tough Mudder” like competitions, and the world’s move from DVD rentals to the adoption of streaming services becoming the norm. Believe it or not, I honestly saw the trends within these industries evolving into what they would eventually become, years before they became standard practice. What’s funny and sort of a running joke amongst my friends is, they know this about me (my ability to see trends years before they blossom), and they always joke saying, I’m they only guy they know who should’ve already been a billionaire 10 times over by now”.
For the most part, the tools I now use to overcome this gut instinct hesitancy is to simply proceed forward. And I can honestly say my decision to trust my gut is indeed working.
What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?
My first business idea occurred back in 2007-2009 when I launched my first full-service Adventure Fitness Training business. At the time I was, both an ACE certified Personal Trainer, as well as a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, with well over a decade of Emergency Medical Training and experience with the New York City Fire Dept.
My company was based in NYC and New Jersey. My Adventure Fitness Training business trained corporate clientele, various people within the entertainment industry as well as in Professional and Collegiate sports. My training program back then was quite unique for its time. Though it is common practice now, back then I combined a mix of traditional indoor strength & conditioning training; with strenuous outdoor environmental conditioning like taking my clients hiking, backpacking, Delaware Water Gap Kayaking, Rowing, Weekend Camping, Cycling, Trail-Running, wood chopping, and various other fun outdoor activities. I would also routinely work along with their doctors helping to coordinate much-needed endocrinology testing, in order to assess certain baseline levels/information needed regarding their Hormone and Thyroid levels, and possible Insulin issues. I would also work along with a nutritionist to help keep them steady on their goal path towards achieving the results they were striving for.
Back then, not many trainers, (none that I was aware of) were offering comprehensive Personal Training Services like that.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Right now, I’m literally in the middle of finishing up the first rough draft of my new book When World’s Collide: Leveraging The Power of Literature, Art, and Fashion (Due for release in Fall 2022). As well as learning more about NFT’s and digital fashion within the Metaverse.
Both projects are important because, first regarding my book, it explores the very fascinating historical allure, reverence, and power each of these reoccurring elements (Literature, Art, and Fashion) possess while simultaneously uncovering their persuasive ability to fashion the very fabric of multiple psychological and societal defined hierarchical structures that thrive and transform all levels of society.
Regarding learning more about NFT’s and the Metaverse, it would appear that Generation Z’s massive global influence within numerous digital platforms, as well as their rising disposable income levels, are the two main factors among many which are currently driving the interest within the digital fashion landscape, purported to be worth Trillions in the years to come. According to the latest fashion news and highly popular blogs and YouTube channels like The Business of Fashion, “the Metaverse is fashion’s next big goldmine”.
As the parent of twin 18-year-old teenagers who has lived abroad and are both avid gamers, with a gaming network of “real friends” that number in the hundreds from different parts of the world; I tend to believe their assessment regarding the growing popularity of digital fashion within the avatar gaming space, and especially their predictions of where they and their friends see the Metaverse heading. For me, this is literally like getting a glimpse into the future of the fashion marketplace from a demographic that’s actually shaping it as we speak.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Like every athlete knows or person who has ever played a team sport, it’s all about the fundamentals. Every championship won began with practicing drills during your warm-up. For me, a good goal-oriented psychological warm-up always gets my creative juices flowing. For example, one of the short-term professional goals we have for the business is to eventually add handmade Italian leather goods among our product offerings. To keep myself inspired and deeply motivated towards this goal, I often take 15-20mins to watch YouTube videos on the incredible craftsmanship of Italian handmade leather goods as well as the corresponding leather manufacturing regions in Italy.
Knowing that my wife and I will be visiting these very same manufacturing regions /businesses within Italy in the upcoming months keeps me extremely motivated while sustaining my levels of productivity.
I guess you can call it a form of actualized goal-oriented creative visualization practice.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- SEMRUSH: is an all-in-one tool suite for improving online visibility and discovering marketing insights. The tools and reports are able to help marketers that work in the following services: SEO, PPC, SMM, Keyword Research, Competitive Research, PR, Content Marketing, Marketing Insights, and Campaign Management.
- UPWORK: connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies around the globe. This is a great site to find and hire talented freelancers. Especially if you need help from experts in areas like Venture Capital Consulting, Contract Drafting, Business Development, and Digital Strategy.
- FEEDSPOT: this site gives access to thousands of Blogs, News Websites, YouTube Channels, Podcasts, Magazines, RSS feeds, and Social site accounts from one place. This site has given me a great competitive advantage by allowing me to read thousands of blogs from all over the globe to access the “real” upcoming & growing trends, as well as giving me access to correspond directly with hundreds of bloggers and influencers from all over the world.
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs?
I’d actually recommend 3 Great Books that really helped keep me inspired and motivated (the audiobook version of these books are excellent to listen to.)
- Book #1: Peaks and Valleys: Making Good And Bad Times Work For You (by Spencer Johnson M.D.)
The Maverick Mompreneur Podcast – Personal Brand Coaching, Start a Blog + Use SEO, Create a Course, Build Multiple Streams of Income
[ONLINE COURSE]: Here I’d highly recommend utilizing COURSERA. You can literally take dozens of online business courses from the TOP Business Schools and Universities from all over the world for FREE. This service is truly an asset for entrepreneurs, and I HIGHLY suggest making the time to take whatever business courses you are interested in before they become unavailable or start charging exorbitant fees.What is your favorite quote?
It’s purported that Confucious said,
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
- 1) First, network, network, NETWORK with other entrepreneurs, other people within various sectors in the Business community, and with your customers.
- 2) Second, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
- 3) Third, consider the possibility of engaging in mutually beneficial collaborations with other business entities.
- 4) Fourth, always remember and never forget: “Do not be afraid of failure.” “Failure is not forever, it’s feedback”. Every single great success and legendary figure that has ever existed throughout history, has at some point in pursuing their dream or goal has failed. And the most legendary ones have failed spectacularly multiple times. The key is to get back up, brush your shoulders off, review, reassess, and be consistent in pursuing your agenda.
- 5) Fifth, think of ways you can incorporate a charitable element within your business that allows you to help others by giving back somehow.
Who should we interview next and why?
If you want real insight into the current state of the Fashion marketplace and where it is projected to go: Imran Amed, Founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion
What is your definition of success?
Giving my ultimate best to my family, friends, business partners, and customers. As well as to training the next generation, my children; to become highly successful Entrepreneurs operating with a global business mindset.
How do you personally overcome fear?
This is an awesome question. Believe it or not, I often take, what I call a “Shakespearean comedic perspective” towards fear. I remind myself regularly of my faults, flaws, shortcomings, failings, fears, and mortality. And then I smile, laugh, and don’t take myself too seriously, reminding myself to give my very best. Then I purposely think of my successes, triumphs wins, and various other challenges I’ve overcome. While simultaneously encouraging the emotions of gratitude and acceptance.
This “psychological warm-up” grounds me in a “successful mindset”, preparing me to face the “fear” whatever it may be. As well as “accept” whatever outcome manifest as a result of facing that fear. I’ve adopted this method for overcoming various challenges multiple times…and I can honestly say, it has worked.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can reach me via Instagram, and Twitter or, via Email: info@fashion4theleisureclass.com
