For my interview this week, Brian Probst recommended I talk to Robbie Reid. Robbie Reid seems to have done it all. After graduating from the University of Michigan in Finance, Robbie went on to be a pro basketball player overseas, become a financial analyst in New York, get a Harvard MBA, and work on Wall Street. Recently, he just launched his own product on www.energyorbz.com.
“Working 100 hours a week on Wall Street was a lot like going to Oz and looking behind the curtain to find a guy pulling all of the levers. Once you have seen it, you can go back to Kansas. A 100 hour work week is not living. It was a good experience to climb the ladder and work at the highest level of finance, but I decided I wanted to live my life how I wanted, spending time on the things that interest me most and living closer to family.
“If you have taken a warm shower, you have a viable business idea.”
Robbie believes everyone has a good business idea. “If you have taken a warm shower, you have a viable business idea. It is just a matter of whether or not you are willing to take a risk and spend a couple years of your life making it work. You need to be smart, persistent, and have staying power even when things get tough. If you are willing to work hard, you will get where you want to go.”
Over the last two years, Robbie has been working on making Orbz a reality. Orbz are small all-natural mints with 7 mg of caffeine to give you the burst of energy you need. “I worked and reworked the chemistry and packaging until I had something I was proud of. You have to have the right product, and it has to work. I wasn’t going to get behind something that I wasn’t confident in. Two months ago, I officially launched Orbz, and I’ve been very busy making sure that my work over the last two years enters the market smoothly. Starting this company didn’t feel like a leap of faith, because it was a leap of faith. Entrepreneurs have to believe in something when there is resistance or doubt from those around them.”
“Be an interesting person.”
Part of Robbie’s success is definitely related to his personal branding. “Be an interesting person. Read books, have an opinion, and seek a variety of experiences. These things will help you relate to a larger audience by giving you a vast pool of experience and knowledge to draw from. You need to know your audience. I am growing out long hair, and will show up to some meetings in a hoodie and jeans. I know this turns some people off initially, but with a little bit of knowledge about those I am meeting with, I can quickly establish some common ground and I know I will be memorable. There are times where you have to dress to the nines, and there are times where it is more important to be yourself.”
“If you find a problem, there is a solution out there if you are willing to dig deep enough to find it.” If you are interested in talking about business ventures, finance, or even basketball… reach out to Robbie Reid.