Humble Beginning Entrepreneurs | Justin & Nibin

Willingness to Understand

Growing up Nibin and I used to play t-ball together and we attended the same elementary school. We ended up in separate highschool and universities but our friendship remained. Nibin took business at Laurier and I took Kinesiology which evolved into psychology at York. Nibin worked in supply chain for some years while I personal trained and did some construction. I had always been into watches since high school and never really saw what I wanted in a watch. I sketched it out at some point after taking some time to travel for a bit. Ultimately it was the belief in an idea that created our business and a post on Instagram. I (Justin) set out to make a watch out of wood for myself with the intent to make it just for me. Nibin who has been a lifelong friend since kindergarten loved the product and with his enthusiasm behind what I created, here we are today!

What were the biggest initial hurdles to building your business and how did you overcome them?

The biggest initial hurdle came from building a second watch. Knowing that watch isn’t just for me but for a customer and someone who will be excited about it puts a massive amount of stress on me to ensure that the product is as perfect as I can make it in that moment. Each watch we produce gets of better and better as time/building/experience grows.

Did you ever deal with contention from your family and friends concerning your entrepreneurial pursuits? How did you handle it? What would you do differently in hindsight?

We definitely experienced contention and still do today but ultimately it has been communication that helps deal with it. It comes down to communicating your perspective and helping the other person understand why it means so much to you. In that process you ultimately reach a willingness to understand.

What would you say was the single most influential factor in your business success?

Nibin. Haha he’ll like that ;) On top of that, again just communication, with customers and each other. Businesses are about people and I’m lucky to be partnered with a person that understands that.

What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started as an entrepreneur?

Nothing. Everything I know today is as a result of what I didn’t know in the beginning.

What advice would you give to an upcoming young and old entrepreneur locally and internationally? 

Just start. Probably simple and the most common piece of advice but its true. The idea for our product was sketched out 2 years prior to actually making an attempt at conceiving it. In hindsight that drawing was the start.

Originally posted: https://www.hbeonline.com/single-post/2018/04/30/nibin-justin-ontario-willingness-to-understand