10 Reasons why Eric Bandholz inspires: We all know the Beard ‘thing’ isn’t a mystery or fantasy anymore. It took us unaware like a thief in the night. The Beard is here to stay and making waves also. It is not just a trend, it’s a Lifestyle for the guys.
Beardgang is a term used to refer to the Beard men community, but when we talk about style for the urban beard men, we are talking about Beardbrand. Just as Benjamin Carson is to medicine, Albert Einstein to Atomic physics, the Beardbrand also has a God-father-like figure. The name Eric Bandholz rings a Bell among the Beard community. He is seen as the Mahatma Gandhi of the ‘Beard Brand’.
Beardbrand may not be a popular name like the Beardgang but is relatively known in a host of counties and social media platforms. Take a stroll to Google and see the popularity is getting. The Beardbrand is unknown is Nigeria, which is the reason why this piece is written. Our objective is to educate and create awareness, we are certainly living up to that promise.
In this piece, you will find all that is to the Beardbrand, founder Eric Bandholz and how this inspires the Beard community.
History of the Beardbrand
The Beardbrand is an American men’s hair grooming company based in Austin Texas. It specializes in the sale of products for grooming beard and mustache. Eric Bandholz with the help of Lindsey Reindeers and Jeremy McGee founded this company in 2012.
Prior to founding Beardbrand, Eric Bandholz worked as a financial advisor at a company that implemented a ‘no facial hair’ policy which he strongly disapproved of. It is worthy to mention that most of his pictures before he founded the Beardbrand had no Beards on him. He was typically the ‘clean-shaved’ type.
His contempt for this made him leave his workplace in favor of starting a beard grooming company. In 2011 he attended a start-up weekend event where he met the duo of Lindsey Reindeers and Jeremy McGee. The trio went on to launch the Beardbrand in Spokane in 2012.
It was reported that this company commenced operation with an initial capital of $8000. The zeal and passion to make it a global brand prevented ‘the trio ‘from dipping their hands into any profit realized from the business. This went on for good 10 months in a bid to keep the company afloat.
The Company moved to Austin, Texas in 2014. On October 31, 2014, Bandholz showed up on a scene of ABC’s Shark Tank with an extreme target to accumulate further financing for Beardbrand. Bandholz requested $400,000 as a final share of 15% on the Company.
Since their start in 2012, Beardbrand’s YouTube channel has been an irreplaceable piece of the publicizing of their affiliation. As of May 2018, the affiliation has 630 000 endorsers on their YouTube channel. Their channel wires annals that circuit data about facial hair, getting ready tips, barbershop accounts and assorted narratives identified with having and growing fibers. A ton of Beardbrand’s introduction has begun from their YouTube channel,
After Eric Bandholz was featured as a beard expert in an article for the New York Times, the Beardbrand intensified their marketing across platforms like YouTube, Tumblr, and Reddit. They also launched their online store at the same time and the rest is history. That was how the Beardbrand became a name in the facial hair care industry.
The step taken by Eric Bandholz to promote the Beard is a brave one, not everyone will leave their job all because of a ‘no facial hair’ policy. Which is why he is a great inspiration to the Beard community. Beardbrand isn’t just a brand it represents hope to the Beard community and inspired in various ways:
A way to unite Beard men and the Beard gang community
The goal behind the Beardbrand and reason why Eric Bandholz resigned from his job is to create a society where the Beard men are free from discrimination. He likes to think of the Beard style as a family tree. He is certainly leading by example, you can never find a recent picture of him without a beard. He spots some of the craziest beard styles you can ever find.
If you consider the endless quantity of videos floating around the web promoting women’s styles and make-up tips, it is amazing to find someone who is taking the subject of men as Bandholz is doing.
Eric represents the ‘Mandela’ figure to the Beard community, his effort to promote the bearded lifestyle is like Mandela’s fight against apertheid. For that, he features as a smart reason to inspire folks to worry about their looks especially their beard. The face behind the Beardbrand and e-commerce stores that are Beard-related is no other than ‘Eric Bandholz’. He promotes quality beard oil and luxury trimming set.
The Beardbrand isn’t just an online store, it promotes, educates and unites the Beard community. No platform celebrates bearded men like this, through their YouTube videos and diaries beard men have never gotten attention like now.
All thanks to Bandholz!
An attempt to put an end to the negative stereotype about Beard men
It is no secret that before now, the beard gang received alot of negative comments for their looks. They were deemed as unkempt and lazy. Everyone frowned upon the sight of a Beard. This is one reason why Eric created the Beardbrand. He wanted to put an end to it. Through his online store, men can get different Beard oil and products to cater for the appearance of their Beard.
Eric himself was a victim of this stereotype because when he started keeping his Beard, he was seen as a Misfit at social events: ‘When going to events, I got all the typical stereotypes associated with Beards, from the Lumberjack and ZZ top to the duck dynasty. Although they were all cool guys, it wasn’t me, I never really identified with them’.
This showed his passion for the Beard and how he so wanted to get public approval. His efforts have not been in vain because bearded men are now a popular sight. The stereotype doesn’t seem to get to the Beard guys anymore. In fact the public are beginning to respect them. The Beard is no longer a mark of shame but that of Masculinity.
Provides style inspiration for others
The first picture of Bandholz I saw on Google caught my attention. I wasn’t there to search for him but I couldn’t help but dig deep into this personality. You know why? ‘ His Beard’!
Some people will ask why his Beard is so different, we see beards on the likes of Drake and Rick Ross. So what make’s Eric’s different. I asked myself this question when I was typing his name on Google search tab. His isn’t just any Beard, apart from the Bulkiness, He rocks some of the most unique Beard styles. Some say he is crazy, for me I will say he is ‘daring’.
Eric inspires others to get creative with their beard. You don’t have to rock one particular Beard style all year round. The beard is like a makeover, change your look regularly.
This is what Eric does, the man doesn’t give a ‘hoot’ about what others think, his styles are as outrageous as it gets, he rocks them ‘like is no man’s business’ That is probably one of his trademark. If you see a guy with a rediculous Beard style on Google, make no mistake that is’ Eric Bandholz’.
Inspiration to Entrepreneur and Business Men
Eric Bandholz never believed in his financial advisor work, he knew he was made for more, and wanted to get it at all cost. The ‘no facial hair’ policy may have been the last straw that broke the camel’s back, but Eric had that determination of becoming an Entrepreneur since childhood.
Like every Entrepreneur, he struggled to find the right product for his Business. His passion to make the Beard acceptable paved way for him to kickstart his business career. Finally, he found that product.
Entrepreneurs are known as problem solvers, Eric brought a solution for the Beard guys which they couldn’t resist. Even when things weren’t gloomy when he launched his brand, the entrepreneurship spirit kept him going.
Presently, His company has gone from making 100 bucks to millions every month.
Leader and motivator to the Beard community
Prior to the arrival of the beardbrand, Eric discovered that there were alot of people who shared the same ideology as him. There were people who wanted to change the way the society perceives a Beard man. A change was needed, but no one was ready to take action. He met a lot of them on social events like the mustache championship.
He realized that what they needed was soneone to lead and motivate them. They had the zeal but the voice to keep the passion burning was missing. Through the beardbrand, he was able to inspire those people. His company isn’t all about making money, they have the interest of the common man at heart.
Make the Yeard fashionable
Most men see the Yeard as rediculous. For long, only a few were willing to rock this style. Apart from being unfashionable, it gives the community more reason to frown upon the beard but not when it is done correctly. Bandholz has proven that a Yeard can be the missing piece for you. Yeard happens to be his natural style, surprisingly He slays with it.
Inspires people to go for what they love
One of the most important factors that made Eric start the Beardbrand was the urge to grow facial hair, this was one of the reasons he had to quit his work and start other business. Apart from the urge of being an entrepreneur, the urge of growing a Beard also contributed to it. He could not grow his Beard when he was working. We all know you aren’t free to do things you like when you work in an organization, the same law applied to Eric.
Not willing to adopt the status quo, he dumped his job and pursued his dream. His story propel people to seek for freedom.
Provide the tools necessary for men to feel confident about growing their beard
Not everyone is comfortable with their Beard, you can’t blame them either. The pressure from the society doesn’t help as well. With the right tool and product, you’re enroute to rocking a superb beard that stands out. Beardbrand store provides you with all that.
Eric wants to change the way society looks at beardsmen.
Most beard men were thought of as lumberjacks, bikers, or outdoorsmen, but never as professionals.
Eric wants to change the way the society looks at beardsmen, his mission is more than just business.
There are lots of companies who see a Beard guy as a misfit. Top positions aren’t given to them because they are seen as not trustworthy. Eric, in his own small world, believes this has to stop. Every man should be treated equally irrespective of the Beard. A Beard doesn’t make any difference.
Here’s what he has to say concerning it:
“He’s essentially a normal dude, but he chooses to have a beard: they’re car guys, outdoorsmen, entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors. Probably the one thing that unites them is the beard.
Beard is a part of who they are, to a certain degree it’s a part of their identity. And they want to invest in themselves, they want to grow and push their comfort levels, and make their mark on the world.”
Inspires people to create their unique product
Below is an advice from Eric Bandholz to those inspired by Eric story and planning to start their own business.
“Don’t get into the beard care market! Hah. But really, it’s important for you to build a business in your own unique way. Don’t just copy someone else and expect to see success. You have to do more than just sell products; you’ve got to inspire and unite. Consumers are tired of being sold to and as a business owner, I’m tired of selling stuff. I just want to do cool things in life and be around other people who love the same thing I do. I think that’s been a big reason we’ve been successful. We don’t sell our products; we just make people aware of them. They can buy when they are ready to buy”.