“Just don’t quit. Chase your dreams.”- Evan Abbott
Meet Evan Abbott, innovative beverage creator and marketer & founder of Vodkyte.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Evan Abbott: I never enjoyed consuming alcohol because nearly everything in a can was highly carbonated and had little substance to it. When I would drink I would mix Gatorade with Grey Goose. It then came to me that nothing in a can really existed that was similar to my drink of choice.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Evan Abbott: My business partner Kyle first tried mixing the beverage in his kitchen. It tasted awful. I then told him to go to a store and buy Gatorade and Grey Goose and mix them. It tasted much better.
We then knew we needed to contract with a lab. The first iteration of our drink that the lab sent us was absolutely atrocious. But when the second iteration came in, we knew we had something to work with. 8 months later, we brought the product to market. It has been the most humbling experience that a group of 24 year olds could ever imagine, but nothing is stopping us from moving forward.
What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Evan Abbott: Just don’t quit. Chase your dreams.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Evan Abbott: There is always a way forward. Sometimes when obstacles present themselves, you need to go a separate direction. Stay true to your core values and everything will progress accordingly.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Evan Abbott: Vodkyte is a media company that has a phenomenal beverage to promote alongside it. We are entertainers at heart and have an incredibly wide band of support. Vodkyte is a movement that was created by the youngest demographic of alcohol consumers.
What do you consider are your strengths when dealing with staff workers, colleagues, senior management, and customers?
Evan Abbott: Everybody that works with Vodkyte is close to one of our founding members. I am open to and encouraged by everybody adding value in their own way.
Being a CEO of the company, do you think that your personal brand reflects your company’s values?
Evan Abbott: I absolutely feel as if my personal brand reflects our company’s values. I have had to really put myself out there to build the foundation of this business. As Vodkyte continues to grow, I think the company will outpace the bandwidth of any one individual’s capacity. But the core values will always remain consistent to mine.
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Evan Abbott: Just being yourself and making sure you get out and do things. Nothing happens without purposeful action.
Do you think entrepreneurship is something that you’re born with or something that you can learn along the way?
Evan Abbott: I definitely believe almost all character traits are learned. There is no history of entrepreneurship in my family. I think part of what motivates me is the opportunity I have to live life on my own terms and do things the way I want to do them.
What’s your favorite “leadership” quote and how has it affected the way you implement your leadership style?
Evan Abbott: “Fear the man who is his own brand.” I made a decision to ignore all outside humility and stick my neck out there to create this movement. Any hate that comes my way only makes our business stronger and I lead by action.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Evan Abbott for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Evan Abbott or his company, you can do it through his – Instagram
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