Project ETHOS

The Opportunity

Project Ethos started before I knew enough to call what I was doing entrepreneurship.

I was interested in music, fashion, art, and events and saw an opportunity to bring those worlds together. Emerging designers needed exposure. Artists needed stages. Brands wanted to connect with culture. Audiences wanted to discover something new.

I didn't have much money, a big company behind me, or a roadmap. I just believed there was something there worth building.

What We Built

Project Ethos grew into an independent fashion, music, art, and cultural events business producing experiences across major U.S. markets.

Building it meant doing almost everything myself at one point or another. I sold sponsorships, developed partnerships, recruited designers and artists, worked with venues, built marketing campaigns, managed production, created websites and materials, and spent an enormous amount of time convincing people to take a chance on an idea they hadn't seen before.

Some of those conversations began with cold calls and MySpace messages. Over time, they became relationships with brands, media companies, venues, artists, and partners that helped us grow the business far beyond where it started.

It was messy, difficult, creative, and probably the best business education I could have received.

The Legacy

What I learned building Project Ethos has stayed with me throughout my career.

I learned how to sell something before it existed, build relationships from nothing, operate without unlimited resources, recover when things went wrong, and keep finding another way forward.

More than anything, it taught me the power of opportunity. My own career changed because people answered my calls, took meetings, made introductions, and gave me chances before I necessarily had the résumé to deserve them.

I've tried to remember that as my own ability to open doors for other people has grown.