Episode 3 – Brian Preston of Lamon Luther
“What do I want to be known for?” – Brian Preston
//
My guest today is my friend Brian Preston, who describes himself as a social entrepreneur who leverages free enterprise in order to help others. He does this specifically through his companies Lamon Luther and Shelter Supply Company.
Brian started Lamon Luther (which is a furniture company) in January of 2012 in his garage while admitting that he “knew nothing about furniture”. He started with one homeless craftsman making benches out of reclaimed pallets and selling them on Craigslist. Since then, Lamon Luther has turned into an incredible brand, employs 20 craftsman, and has given away 2 tiny homes. Their latest project is building the tables for the new Atlanta Falcons (Mercedes Benz) Stadium!
You are gonna dig this convo! Brian is a passionate story teller, a genuine dude with tons of insight and you are going to hear the behind the scenes look into his life and work.
Topics include:
- How Lamon Luther started
- How to give your life to something great
- Star Trek or Star Wars?
- The process of making the deal with the Atlanta Falcons Stadium
- Who he looks to for advice
- The reason for being a For-Profit company
- The crazy things you do with a start up company
- Book Recommendations
- What to do when your passion runs low
- Ways to stay focused on product development (Product Matrix)
Connect with Brian and his company here:
- Website/Store: lamonluther.com
- Instagram: @lamonluther
- Facebook: Lamon Luther
- Check out his TEDx talk HERE.
- Shelter Supply Co (TINY HOMES)
Don’t forget to connect with me here:
- Website/Store: fieldtreasuredesigns.com
- Instagram: @fieldtreasure
- Facebook: Field Treasure Designs
- Twitter: @fieldtreasure
Now, enjoy the show! (Below are all the show notes and links.)
- Listen to it on iTunes
- Stream it by Clicking Here.
- Download it as an MP3 by Right-Clicking Here and choosing “Download File As.”
Here are the links to everything we talked about:
Various Mentions
- Blake Mycoskie (TOMS)
- Chic-fil-A
- Journey (band)
- Boston (band)
- Elon Musk
- SpaceX
- Mercedes Benz Stadium (Atlanta Falcons)
- Jeff Shinabarger (Plywood People)
- Brother Moto
- Publix (grocery store)
- Dumb and Dumber Bell South Commercial
- West Georgia Cornhole
- Basset Furniture
- Mike Rowe
- Dollar Shave Club
Similar Companies – 31:00
Why Be a For-Profit Company? – 32:00
Shelter Supply Company (Tiny Homes)
- Instagram: @sheltersupply
- Website: sheltersupply.co
Book Recommendations – 39:10
*Clicking my links below to purchase helps support the Field Treasure Show!
- The E-Myth by Michael Gerber
- The NEWEST book by Michael Gerber!
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
Product Matrix – 47:50
This is a very cool concept that you want to dive into if you make products and need focus and boundaries.
Great Quotes:
“If you are a winner, and a lot of entrepreneurs are, they are gonna do whatever they can do to make it work.”
“Looking back that was probably some risky stuff we were doing.”
“I knew nothing about furniture.”
“The sooner you discover what you are called to do the sooner you will begin to live.”
“We are a job creation business. Our goal is to hire 100 craftsman.”
“When we first started, our products were not good.”
“Whatever personality the founder has in the organization, the enterprise will form that same personality.”
“Our whole business is about second chances.”
“We started this business with no money.”
“Dive into what keeps you up at night. Those are the ideas that are worth pursuing.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“You don’t get 100% of the things you don’t ask for.”
“We are all just people.”
Have you listened to Episode 2? I talked with Bill Mitchell of Billiam Jeans and we have an awesome conversation about how to start something on the side.
- Listen to it on iTunes
- Stream it by Clicking Here.
- Download it as an MP3 by Right-Clicking Here and choosing “Download File As.”
- Grab the show notes by Clicking Here.
As always, please let me know in the comments what you liked, how I can continue tweaking this new Podcast. I’d also love any guest recommendations you might have!
