Gettin Blown with Robert Poole of Blown Glass Goods

What’s currently your top 5 on your spotify playlist? Funny question right? We figure at times, you can get a glimpse into someone’s life, by taking a ride in their mind via the music they ride out to.

“I mostly listen to everything on shuffle lol! [I have] Over 10,000 songs in my itunes…Music is a big inspiration to me in the morning when I’m driving to the office I put on the hype jam and listen to it on repeat, just kind getting into the zone, think about slaying the day,” Says Robert Poole. Poole is an energetic young entrepreneur who has an obvious zest for life and appreciation for those around him. He walks with a smile on his face to a tune of his own, while he handles business.  

I dig the biz that Poole’s in – that of doing things the right way. Now the owner of more than one brand in the glass business – he hasn’t stopped growing. We asked him about his business growth – what folks might not really think about, when one thinks about making money the way Poole does. He said, “I feel very lucky to call this “My source of income”—at the end of the day it’s work just like anything else, there is good, bad, and ugly!”

Of said, good, bad, and ugly – he talked a bit about what it took to get started, in relation to how closely it mirrors what it’s taken to keep things going. “I put everything I have into this business since day 1. I was 18 working on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday- day and night while my friends were hitting musical festivals I was on the grind—now I can take some time for the family, but I’m still here 5-6 days a week GRINDING,” said the proud and gracious Poole.

He should be proud. It’s a crazy world out there. Some businesses never get out of the conceptual stages – others are a flash in the pan – one-hitters of sorts… Poole’s biz seems to have growing power and sustainability, two amazing attributes for success. Of his success and future plans, Poole, told us, “We are still here! It’s a tough economy out there, and most startups fail within 5 years! We are coming up on our 10 year anniversary in 2020—I want to do something crazy to celebrate being in business for our 1st decade.”

Most folks that come to know just what Poole is thinking about when he says “crazy,” would actually think it – awesome! Leading by example is something the head of Blown Glass Goods does very well; need proof? Listen to this:

 

“I’m excited for our big Blown relaunch—we are going to be flying winners plus a guest to Las Vegas, NV—all expense paid by Blown Glass Goods! Lacing them up with some smoking gear and $1,000 spending cash—gonna show the love back to our loyal customers and followers,” he said! You excited yet? You should be. And stay that way. Blown Glass Goods plans to stick around the industry for a while, aiming to be your household name. That being the case, you’ll have quite a few things to continuously be excited about, while getting’ blown. Poole waxed poetic on his dreams for things.

“I Want to be the coca cola of the smoking world. When people order a soft drink they often say I’ll take a “Coke”, if I could get that type of connotation with blown glass goods and smoking gear—that is my idea of being a household name, across the world and USA when someone says blown glass goods—I want their friend to say “Oh man did you see they are flying people to vegas next month?” or “man I have 3 of their pieces and LOVE THEM!”

That sounds awesome – especially coming from someone who LOVES New Mexico! We asked Poole a bit about Burque and the surrounding sunkissed Southwest. He said, “Albuquerque is home really there isn’t much of a reason for me to leave, I love the mountains and other outdoor activities we have right here in NM. There was no business like ours in NM at the time, I would visit Los Angeles, and see these cats rocking big businesses around the smoking industry—I had to get my hand in the game—I saw how unorganized they were running things, I knew that if someone came in with strong business practices, and a real connection to the industry—not just someone trying to make a buck and run, if you truly care about the culture and do solid business—you would always have customers willing to spend. It’s nothing that crazy really just basic stuff.”

About the basics – since this cat has it down pat – before we let him go, we had to ask. Best advice, short and sweet for “someone” looking to do “something?”

 

“Make a plan, make a budget, and go for it,” he said.

 

Ain’t nothing wrong with that.