Never Say Die Mindset By Peter Takis of Local Advancers In the last year and a half of riding the waves of starting a clothing company I believe I've learnt the most important attribute to a successful mindset, I call it "Never Say Die". This is the single most important element to success because you can apply yourself, grind 24/7 and sell quality products but if your going to quit or "Say Die" you will never reach your full potential. No matter what path you chose or what you do in life your going to run into walls its weather or not you find a way around the wall that matters. I look at this mindset more valuable than wealth or even natural born talent. I honestly believe that the majority of people if not all people who are truly successful in life are not nearly the smartest, wealthiest or most talented but they have committed to never saying die. I imagine every single person who runs a clothing company is more educated than myself being just 15, and they probably have a job that pays unlike me. But why have I launched after all the struggles, why have I sold out of many sizes in just 4 days, or why I am already prepping for my next big release? Because I never said and never will say "Die". Saying Die Too Soon- The number one reason why people say "Die" is because they confuse a simple or complex "speed bump" with a failure. A setback is NEVER a dead end. I look at a set back and act as a sponge, I literally sit down and absorb every detail of that very set back. Because by becoming informed by that set back, I've turned it into a giant leap forward, I now know it will NEVER happen again. I have seen so many set backs in this journey that others considered failures, even my own parents who are typically very supportive have said "Die" about my brand before. They seen a set back, and with out truly looking into what went so "wrong" they quickly chose the easier route and said "Die". Of course at times I felt temped to quit, I didn't see this way of thinking back then. I always thought very simply, like you either do or do not. Which is still what I'm trying to spit! Just don't say "I did not" too soon. Being Resilient Is a Super Power - Resilience is in my opinion the most important characteristic to success in business. Sure having a strong faith in yourself, being dedicated, and working hard are good traits. But they become GREAT by simply adding resilience. No matter how good you are at whatever you do thanks to your work ethic or natural talent you will hit a big old wall. Being successful is how you deal and plan to pass that wall. Trust me, the wall will fall but it may take time. So show your resiliency and the wall will show its lack of resiliency. *Mistakes only cost you when you don't take information away from them. I learnt recently that I should stop using my screen printer when he screwed up on about 15 of my tees. I cant sell them, I wont get my money back. But I sat down took mental notes and gained knowledge. I now know to stick to true companies like Threadbird or MerchSpin. That knowledge was worth 15 messed up tees and saved me time and money in the future. You Can't Work Too Hard - There is no such thing as working too hard. A success has never been resilient when times where tough then forgot about it once they feel they "made it". As good as I feel right now when I'm selling tons of tees, answering interview questions or being written about in major indie blogs. I know that their will still be walls to pass through, maybe even bigger ones now that I'm "under the spotlight". You can never work too hard weather it's early or late in the project. Go all out, work as hard as you can on passing those walls. Here is a quote I made for you to remember when times are tough - "It's impossible for your brand to get up and quit, the only way it dies is if you say it dies." Cheers - The Advancer