Pro skater Chad Muska went broke. Now he's bootstrapping his own brand.

In 1999, I met Chad Muska at Slam City Jam in Vancouver. He was at the height of his popularity. His pro model was selling 10,000 units a month, and he was one of the first playable characters in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game. But then, all the money and fame ran out. "Right around the beginning of the pandemic," Chad says, "everything ended in skateboarding for me as far as finances go. My last check came in, and it was done." So, what's Chad Muska doing now? He's building the Muska brand as an independent company and bootstrapping it just like you or I would. "I'm becoming a businessman for the first time. I've always been a skater. I've always been a creator. I've always been part of the marketing assets, but I've never been a businessman. I've always allowed others to do the business." – Chad Musk on ‪@thenineclub‬ He's learning what ‪@nathanbarry‬ at ‪@Kit‬ has been talking about for a while: "Creators need equity. Having real ownership in a successful company is the best way to build wealth." In this video, I explore what Chad's doing now as a solopreneur, what he's getting right, and some tips on what he could improve. Currently, Chad is leveraging his ‪@instagram‬ to connect with his fans, where he announces the limited edition product drops he sells on ‪@shopify‬. This is a great start! My advice is for him to start building an email list. With email, you own your distribution channel (instead of depending on social media). He's already sharing amazing personal updates on Instagram that feel like letters; he could start emailing these updates to his list as well. Plus, when it comes to announcing a product drop, nothing beats email. I think anyone who's pursuing work as a full-time creator, solopreneur, indie hacker, would get something out of this. ★ More about me: ★ I'm Justin Jackson. I founded https://transistor.fm (a podcast hosting and analytics platform) with Jon Buda. I write, podcast, and make videos about bootstrapping, startups, marketing, calm companies, and business ethics. My blog: https://justinjackson.ca Twitter:   / mijustin