Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.

Thanks for having me, Jordan. My name is Matt Haydu and I own a clothing brand called Venus Fallen. The adventure started in May of 2011, which means I hit my 4 year anniversary this year. The niche vision of my brand simply explained is science + t-shirts. My experience in entrepreneurship prior to VF’s inception was 2 years of college and an obsessive love for science/astronomy/philosophy. I was a young gun with big dreams. Thankfully, after far too many insomnia-inspired nights and some luck I am still able to continue on with the journey.

What drove you to choose your career path?

For Venus Fallen, it was me adding my life’s most cherished ingredients into the cauldron. Science and business becoming one. For those who know me know me as the kid who’s constantly looking up into the night sky as a way to quench life’s various ailments. I find immense joy in the ability to inspire the perspective minds of other individuals with artistic curiosity blended with scientific fact/wonder. Luckily enough, my “career” is two-pronged so VF isn’t fully responsible for all the beer I buy that one could argue is enough to store for a zombie apocalypse. Back to reality, I also work for an aerospace helicopter OEM based in New England called Sikorsky Aircraft. Personally, this workload can be heavy at times but I love what a diligence-injected lifestyle could do for one’s dopamine levels.

How did you go about getting your job? What kind of education and experience did you need?

The answer to this may be less complex than people think. The key is the mindset and drive to see something difficult through to fruition. For me, like mentioned above, it was a couple years of college [studying Management Information Systems & Business] and the passion to take all patterns of thought bouncing around my brain and bake them into a cake that other people enjoyed as well. 

What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?

The majority of my time in the first 1-2 years as a business was different than the current weekly tasks. 3-4 years ago, I was working from home knee deep in the hustle of growing the brand through more art, more numbers, more marketing, more everything. Nowadays, I’ve reached a nice balance that allows me to work less hours weekly as I have the experience and fortunate situation where the brand sort of “runs itself.” Needless to say, that doesn’t mean I’m not checking in at least 1 hour every day for various tasks; sometimes more than 1 hour.

What misconceptions do people often have about your job?

In my opinion, the biggest misconception that I’ve noticed is that folks think it’s much easier to sell a t-shirt than it actually is. I’ve seen a lot of folks with big hearts fail to the hard work involved. Getting sales isn’t easy, which is why it’s so important to involve yourself in a business you love. If not, motivation takes the back burner and eventually goes up in smoke.

What are your average work hours?

3-4 years ago I would say 30 hours a week. [Important to note that I don’t handle printing or shipping – that is done by a fulfillment agency called MerchNOW; who as you could guess save me A LOT of time]. Currently, I’d say 5-10 hours a week. 

What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?

Mine are: 1) Computer file organization. 2) Remember that customer service is king. Issues will arise – how you handle those issues separates yourself from competition. 3) Never stop having fun. Laugh about mistakes, learn from them, treat yourself fairly for successes; do not be afraid to be honest.

What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession?

Hard to answer this one. The correct answer may be as silly as the time of day I prefer working [night] or as strange as my preferred method of conceptualizing. I prefer putting myself somewhere out in nature with some post-rock music, a few beers, and a notepad. Then concepts are born.

Do you have any advice for people who need to enlist your services?

Be kind, understanding, and relentlessly professional when something is truly needed. This mostly goes for things such as the printing services that I help bands/organizations with as well.

What's the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?

I’d have to say the worst part of the job is the rare customer who receives a product that somehow snuck its way through quality control. Whether it’s a rip, ink stain, etc… I always try my best to personally help out the customer and make sure their issue is properly handled.

What's the most enjoyable part of the job?

My absolute favorite part of being the brand owner of a science/space clothing brand are the beautiful e-mails I get from fans. It makes my day over and over again when I check my inbox to see a fan whose life I’ve inspired with something as simple as a wearable canvas but as complex as the concept supporting it.

What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?

This is a very tough question to answer because every single brand will produce different profits/sales in this industry. Early on – first 1-2 years, you’ll be fortunate if you break even. After that and a hopeful following is established, you may want to shoot for 30-40% profit overall for the year but it could be more or less.

How do you move up in your field?

This question doesn’t quite apply to what I do in terms of an organizational hierarchy but “moving up” would be marketing/organization/brand growth.

What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?

Also… always, always remember that you can’t think of your immediate social/life network as your main customer base. Those 10-20 core folks are nothing compared to the 7 billion living on this planet. Think global and think logical. I also mentioned this earlier. Never stop having fun.