CU Entrepreneur Showcase Week #4: Milad Hosseini and Vatsal Darji, Class of 2021
Name: Milad Hosseini
Business: Clothing Brand Co-Founder
CU Leeds Marketing Major, Class of 2021
Name: Vatsal Darji
Business: Clothing Brand Co-Founder
CU Leeds Marketing Major, Class of 2021
“Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re up to these days?”
We are both recent alumni from CU and focus most of our efforts on growing our clothing brand Afterparty.
“Obviously, starting your own venture is not the easiest things to do. What’s your strategy to manage your time?”
We really don’t have a strategy. We are both committed to Afterparty as the future of our lives, so reminding each other of that is enough motivation to make us manage our time as best we can.
“Do you think, knowing what you know now, you’d have taken the same path?”
We would definitely take the same path knowing what we know now. There have been countless failures and learning experiences that have propelled us to new levels and given us new knowledge that have been tremendous for our growth not only in the business but as people. While it hasn’t been easy and we have made mistakes that could have been prevented, we wouldn’t trade that experience and fun for the world.
“Would you recommend that other entrepreneurs attend CU or college in general?”
Yes, we have made countless connections that have created great opportunities for growth from college. Networking is incredibly important and can open up possibilities you didn’t even know existed.
“Can you describe more about your venture and what it does?”
At face value Afterparty is an online clothing brand that focuses on streetwear, but diving deeper our brand is a manifestation of looking cool and being confident. We like to think our brand projects an aura stronger than just clothing.
“If you had to pitch your service or product in 1 sentence, what would you say?”
If you don’t want compliments – don’t wear Afterparty.
“In your journey as an entrepreneur, what’s been the biggest personal challenge you’ve had to overcome, or are still working to overcome.
Balance has been the most difficult journey to overcome, as it is a lifelong challenge that is taken day by day. Ensuring that you are putting enough into every facet of your life without leaving other areas empty is the challenge that stands the test of time in business and our personal lives.
“Do you make use of AI in your daily life or in your business? If so, how? If not, why?
Sometimes we use AI for copywriting purposes, but it has not been a forefront of our entrepreneurial journey. We believe in being authentic and our brand comes from the heart.
“What’s the end goal for your venture? Where do you see the finish line?”
We want to do this for the rest of our lives, so that is the end goal if you can consider it one. Working on this every day and finding new ways to adapt and push Afterparty further for as long as we can is what we are focused on. We are doing this because we love it, so there is no end goal or exit point.
“Looking back from when you started to where you are now, what has been the most surprising or unexpected aspect of your entrepreneurial journey?”
The most surprising aspect of our journey has been the inevitability of failure. When you first start you never imagine there to be as many roadblocks as there really are, but that is all part of the process. Constant failure and need for adaptation have made us much more refined in our venture and taken us to levels unreachable without it. While it was surprising, we learned that failure is the key to growth and success.
“What’s the next step for you in your business?”
Our next step is content creation and influencer outreach. We are in the final stages preparing for our first drop at Afterparty and could not be more excited to show the world what we have been working on.
“If you had unlimited funding and unlimited time, what would you do in the world?”
We would still work on Afterparty as we love to build the brand and it is a part of us. On the personal side we would both spend time traveling and gaining new, enriching experiences with friends and family. By having all the money and time in the world it wouldn’t be hard for us to have as much fun as possible.
“Are there any specific problems you are still trying to overcome that you would like to consult our audience and readership about?”
Our biggest issue as of now is learning to market as efficiently as possible and finding unorthodox new ways of sharing our brand.
Have a Question or An Idea? Here’s How To Get In Touch With Milad and Vatsal:
https://www.instagram.com/miladho_/ – Milad’s Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/vatsaldarji/ – Vatsal’s Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/afterpartysupply/ – or checkout their brand on IG
If YOU Are An Entrepreneur at CU, I’d Love To Tell Your Story
My name is Bennett Black and I am a columnist on AboutBoulder who tells the fascinating stories of entrepreneurs at CU. I am an entrepreneur myself and provide website design for home service businesses. If you’re looking to be featured in one of my next posts, you can DM me on instagram @bennettblack.io
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