Entrepreneurship
Carry these 4 tips from GOT BAG’s Benny Mandos to do what you believe in
In the Red Bull Basement Sessions podcast, the innovator behind the first backpack made from ocean plastic reveals how he created an idea, a product and a company – from scratch – to help the planet.
“Innovation is one of my great passions,” says Mandos, a former freelance cameraman from Germany who came up with the idea for GOT BAG by brainstorming with a friend who shared his passion for protecting the ocean.
But when you’re aiming to do something that’s never been done before, passion alone is not enough. Check out the podcast below to discover how Mandos went from a good idea to a successful brand with a reach that spans continents – and that has resulted in the recovery of over 400 tonnes of ocean plastic so far...
Top advice from Benny Mandos for taking action on your beliefs:
1. Learn as much as you can about your topic… and about yourself
“In my opinion, it’s really valuable to try to understand yourself and where you’re coming from. Understand your mind, how you’ve been raised, your beliefs, beliefs have been passed on to you by your parents, the environment you grew up in, whatever. I think it’s really important to understand your mind and to invest in that,” Mandos asserts.
An avid reader, in the podcast the entrepreneur shares some of the books that he has found particularly helpful on his learning journey.
Get mentors early on, get people around you who have done what you are trying to do. That’s something you cannot overestimate.
2. Actively seek out mentors
Expanding on the subject of learning, Mandos also recommends, “Get mentors early on, get people around you who have done what you are trying to do. That’s something you cannot overestimate. I think something we have done right is we went out and searched for help in the first place, and we found people who believed in our project.”
3. Trust in the future
Mandos describes, “When we first started trying to create the world’s first backpack from ocean plastic, there were no structures or already figured-out ways to do it. So we started from scratch, basically: Trying to find partners. Trying to set up a supply chain. Trying to figure out ways to extract plastic from the ocean… stuff like that. Obviously it was a challenging time, and it took us two and a half years until we had the final product in hand.”
Serendipitously, luck and timing came into play: When the product was ready, the media was waking up to the problem of ocean plastic, and as global attention focussed on the topic, GOT BAG had what Mandos calls “a small solution to a big problem” already at hand.
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4. Take that first step!
It may sound obvious, but Mandos cannot emphasize enough that “It is really, really important to just start.” He continues, “When I’m invited to conferences or talking to future founders, I often have the feeling that there’s still a lot of hesitation to get the first step going, trying to be perfect to a degree which you cannot when you start a start-up – because there are always things you need to figure out along the way.”
The podcast series is part of Red Bull Basement, a global programme for students who want to develop ideas for tech solutions that can drive positive change. You can listen here and follow Red Bull Basement Sessions on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon and wherever you listen to podcasts.