From building his own furniture as a teenager because his first apartment had none, to founding one of the most popular sofa brands in the world, Edgar Blazona is no stranger to building a business successfully — on his own terms. And the lessons he’s taken from that journey can be applied to any business, in any industry.

Edgar is a modernist American furniture designer and founder of DTC sofa brand BenchMade Modern, which he sold to furniture powerhouse American Leather. He’s a high school dropout, turned graffiti artist, turned serial entrepreneur.

Listen to the full conversation for more on Edgar’s background, the business lessons he’s learned from his unconventional experiences, and how he’s ensured success in the long-term, not just the short-term. 

Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn: 

• More of Edgar’s backstory, including his struggles in school, what happened after he dropped out of high school, and how his first apartment at age 16 inspired his future company
• How Edgar scaled his business from selling solo pieces of furniture outside a bar over the weekends, to a much larger enterprise
• What Edgar’s “furniture college” was, and how that experience changed the course of his life
• Edgar’s experience with the “fake it ‘til you make it” philosophy 
• What it’s meant to Edgar to have his “eye on the prize” and how that’s helped guide his business development
• The difference between a short-term and long-term business mindset, and some of the biggest lessons Edgar learned throughout his own experience 
• The genesis of the “Ask Edgar” program that Edgar started as a way to add value to his customers—and what other companies can learn from that concept 
• How Edgar measures success in his business (beyond the finances) 
• The chip on Edgar’s shoulder that has driven much of his success
• Edgar’s “COVID slump,” how that period of time affected his creativity, and how he got himself out of the rut 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 

• Edgar Blazona on LinkedIn
• Edgar Blazona on Twitter
• BenchMade Modern Furniture
• 40 Strategy
• Contact 40 Strategy
• Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn