IAM1486 – Fashion Designer Uses His Brand Platform to Help Others with their Brands

Mugzy McFLY, Creative, Fashion Designer & Part-Time Superhero. 100% self-taught. Hailing from The Bronx.

• CEO Story: Started with appearance and fashion when he was just in the fourth grade where he really cared about what he was wearing. Those were the seeds planted that have grown to where Mugzy is right now.
• Business Service: Host events like Back to School. Live fest event. Pop-up shop. Fashion show.
• Secret Sauce: Being connected with the event and stakeholders in a person feeling actual energy.
• CEO Hack: Making a list day to day and on a calendar. What you see, you have the urge to work on it.
• CEO Nugget: Entrepreneurship should be treated like school – higher learning. Keep learning in your business, and make mistakes. Love what you do.
• CEO Defined: You get all the credit, everybody wins, and you win last. Just like a mother nurturing a child, putting in all the sacrifice and dedication.

Website: signedbymcfly.com

Instagram: mugzymcfly ,signedbymcfly

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00:24 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkness values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:51 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Mugsy McFly signed by McFly. Mugsy, super excited to have you on the show.

01:01 – Mugzy Mcfly

Glad to be here man.

01:03 – Gresham Harkless

I appreciate all the awes you're doing and I want a bit about Muggsy so you know of those awesome things t on Muggsy is a creative and part-time superhero, and hailing from the Bronc to getting to have you on you ready to speak.

01:23 – Mugzy Mcfly

I'm ready.

01:23 – Gresham Harkless

Let's go. Let' So to kind of kick everything to rewind the clock a little bit more on how you got started, and what to call your CEO story.

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01:32 – Mugzy Mcfly

It's funny because I'm at different levels of when I got started. I would probably say I was just younger, let's say around fifth, the fourth grade maybe I think I go to that part because there are different levels of starting And I feel like that's where I started to really be kind of obsessed with appearance and fashion. Like I kind of cared more so about what I was wearing and I put outfits together. And I think that might be 1 of the most important seeds of getting to where I'm at now. Unprofessional-wise, it was that. Yeah. Just prior to being good-looking and encoded, you know?

02:09 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes so much sense. I appreciate you sharing that because I think so many times when people get started, they do awesome work and they really become experts at the craft and everything that they do, you don't pay attention sometimes to those seeds and how important they are to build and grow into the awesome things that we see.

02:26 – Mugzy Mcfly

Yeah, everything you do is like, it's a story. It all starts somewhere, like even before that. So it wasn't till, I wish you had told me this earlier, it wasn't until I got way further and deep into clothing that my mom shared a story with me that I kind of was obsessed with a brand before I could really talk. And that was Keds. And I loved ProKeds as a kid. They had a little blue box on the back of the shoe on the hill. She told me, I was going to go to the store and try and buy me shoes and I would cry if the blue blocks were not on the back. And I'm like, wow, I was that obsessed with brands from then.

And I knew this rule before I knew people's names. And it was just kind of crazy to the point that if she wanted me to get something, she'd have the sales associate draw a blue box on the back heel of my shoe. So I would be fooled to think, I knew logos and design from a very young. See, these are things you would never know. And I don't have that in my memory to remember, but my mom does, so it's been there.

03:25 – Gresham Harkless

It is definitely crazy, but I feel like that's where it speaks a lot of times the gifts that we're given, you know, in order to kind of manifest in the ways that we do. And sometimes I've always felt, and I don't know if you feel the same way, is that if you are unsure of like who you are, sometimes what makes you tick, what makes you go, a lot of times you can go back to those childhood stories when you were doing things when you weren't doing it for accolades or doing it because you were trying to make this amount of money or whatever it is, you did it just because it's a part of you and it's an essence of who you are. And then you can start to get a little bit, a little bit, I guess, clarity around who you are and what makes you tick.

04:00 – Mugzy Mcfly

I completely agree. I feel like it's there. You just gotta like to rush through all the clutter and realize oh this is extremely honest. Like I sell clothes, make clothes, and do community stuff in the Bronx. That is the essence of who I am and have always been. So why not, you know, emphasize that and try to, you know, bring real value, eventually get paid for it, why not?

04:23 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I think we live in this day and age where you can do that. You know, you do have that opportunity to, you know, create that value and make that impact on an extremely high level and also inspire other people to do that as well. Let me add that in. So I wanted to drill down a little bit more. Could you take us through a little bit more about some of that value you're providing, some of the art and you know, the fashion, all the things that you do? Could you take us a little bit more on how you serve the clients you work with?

04:49 – Mugzy Mcfly

I do back-to-school stuff. I have a back-to-school thing I'm hosting within 2 weeks where I'll host the event. I'll also be, I also plan to give away some stuff. I'll be the face, I'll physically be there. I did McFly Fest recently and it was an event catering around the brand, but it was free. So it's kind of like a custom appreciation, but brand awareness at the same time. And it brought something back to my neighbor because it was 5 minutes from my hands. You'd probably have to go to Long Island, deep in upstate to go to like a fair carnival, but there's nothing right here at home.

So I want to bring that back for the kids and the family aspect of things. Cause you know, you might just go party, but bring your kid out, bring your grandmother out. You know, if you own the brand already, then you part of society. If not, get something too and you can join I have performances at free food, at cotton candy, at games, and everything. So the value of bringing it back and having that experience, keeping the family together is really important to me. Then on the business aspect, I also keep a pop-up shop for supply to men around Black Friday. And that kind of helps both ways where people aren't able to shop and get certain things, but if we keep it in the community, you could get and I can make.

And I also put about 20 and 25 independent businesses under 1 roof. So you can be aware of who you can spend your dollars with, and know that you can see in places. And I know for most vendors, that's their best event of the year. Some vendors have their very first power shop ever and I think that's very very very important that I can share my platform with these people. And lastly, my biggest event probably is the usual suspect it's a fashion show I keep around my birthday. I try to take my attention from my birthday, you know, trying to capitalize on it. But more so, it helps a lot of people, because 1, brings that fashion aspect here, and I also house 4 to 5 other brands that are part of the show.

So they get their awareness. More than that, it's also a hub for the creatives because now if you're a model around here, you're not a Vogue model, how do you get a start? How do you even get a practice? How do you even get any type of exposure to that? So I usually have 20 plus models, some never modeled before, some are the only show they get or this is what boosts them up. And they come in, they model, they get a bunch of experience and stuff from 5, 6 designers. They get put on a stage for 3, 400 people. They get video, they get media, they get pictures. They're able to build up immediately after this event. And I've seen people that I've asked friends I played basketball with, like you're shooting and then shooting with the billionaire boys club. I had 1 guy shoot with me 2 months later, he's in palace fashion. It was the first time he had the model. And I'm just happy I'm able to be that guy. It's just, I believe in you.

And it's honest. And I don't sit there and look for like, the skinniest, most proper model. No, I want characters. And I want to be able to show that like, we the people that make the clothes, why don't unwrap the clothes? We should be the ones modeling it.

07:48 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And you might've already touched on this. This could be for yourself, the brand, or a combination of both. But is it that ability to understand that we're on that journey, that marathon? Do you feel like that really sets you apart and makes you unique?

08:04 – Mugzy Mcfly

I feel like what really sets me apart is that I'm still here. I've grouped with Nike and it's like they have to us what we think because to ask nobody because I'n is that. And I can tap into that tonight. I'm confused about what girls might want to wear. And I go out tonight and I see exactly what it is. And I can just speak to someone. I can just go out. I just have that there. And I think that's why I'm still connected to the power source. You know, it's a hard wire connection. It's not Bluetooth. It's not scrolling. I'm actually there. I'm not zoomed called. I'm in person talking to you. I'm here.

So I feel like people forget that this little aspect of actual energy, like there's a big difference. Like we can have energy right now in this meeting, but if we were right here next to each other, the energy is gonna be amplified. And people kind of discount that because everything is so distant. You could follow somebody for years and then meet them and have a type of relationship with them. But if you meet this person, it's a whole new thing. I think people forget that, but I don't. But I come from that.

And we are kind of like in the last stages of people that still exist that can be outside, be on the internet, moving forward to completely more internet. So I keep that and I respect that and I know that that superpower of mine, I don't want to lose.

09:28 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely appreciate that. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. You might have already touched on this, but it could be like an app, it could be a book, or it could be a habit that you have. But what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

09:44 – Mugzy Mcfly

One thing that changed my life forever was a list, making lists. And it seems really, really simple, but a list, like they say, No plan is a plan to fail. And I don't want people to dig too deep into it because I also don't, I'm not a 5-year plan guy. I'm not a million years old. Like I think about something and I'm not going to like, Oh, if I don't make this dot, this dot, this dot. No, I plan, but it's more so more energy with the bigger scale things. But I'm talking about less as a day-to-day.

So today I know I had my interview at this time, I have this job and then you do it this time. I have this, I need to do it this time. Sometimes it doesn't work out. It gets pushed back. Sometimes some stuff gets brought forward because I'm doing better than I thought. But the thing about this journey is that you have to, it moves so fast, that you have to keep rewarding yourself. And I've actually learned this from fitness professionals. It's like, they tell you to make a calendar of when you work out and X the box. Now the first-week people work out they max out like 5 4 days a week 4 days in a week and the next week try to keep up next week after that you get them down then they get to 1 then they get to none Then they get to 1 every other week.

But if you can physically see on the calendar that you declined, it will put something in you that I gotta work to get that X on that calendar. I got to work. I have 20 things on my list. When I see that I have none for the day, the reward, the feeling I get, even though it's not anything exactly physical or monetary or food or something, the reward I get of seeing I get all of that, It's amazing. Like it's a feeling, it's energy. And it's really important every single day. And it's just like keeping on track, keeping on top, holding yourself responsible.

It's also come to a point where now if I didn't have this meeting in my calendar and I didn't have it written down on my to-do list. I might have gone out last night and just been like, you know what, 5, 6, and I didn't really pay attention to it, I looked at the clock, not a clock, what am I gonna want to go to? But no, it's there, it's written, it's a constant reminder, I need to do this. Who's to tell me I have no 1 above me to tell me what to do? Send me. So I'd make sure I'm my own boss all the time.

12:10 – Gresham Harkless

I love that you shared that with us. So you might've already touched on this as well too, but I want to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this is a little bit more word of wisdom or a piece of advice. I usually say is something if you were to hop into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

12:26 – Mugzy Mcfly

If we were, if you treat your business like school, like, all right, first 2, 3 years, I'm going to do things openly and learn, figure it out, learn what makes sense to make, what different fabric to use, what my clientele is, how I should market, how I should make content. 3, 4 years, I'm telling you about that third, fourth year, you're gonna hit the stride where you have a company stand of what's going on. You might not be a master, you say 7, 7 years, 8 years, you do something enough, you'll catch on that, you just know what you're doing. You know what you're doing well. But I believe 3, 4 years, if we were, if I go back to my younger self, I go, treat it just like school. Just learn, just keep doing.

Do not sit back and be hands-on, create, and make mistakes as much as you possibly can. 3, 4 years, I promise you, you hit that stride. And that's kind of what happened to me, but I just didn't have the faith. I just, and I believe by like year 3, I hit a point where I was able to see, and foresee things a little faster. No 1 made sense visually, financially, and everything. And I believe any business you have, you know, I look at it now during the pandemic, a business started and a lot of I helped with those things.

And a lot of those people, they don't make this, they don't do the business anymore because at the time you're getting the financial backing, you're home, you have all the, everything is out of the way, but when all the noise comes back and now there are options and you get that slump in year 2, give up. Because like, I love it that much. So treat it like school, give yourself 3, or 4 years. And anything we do, you should love. Love is what's gonna get you through it all.

14:05 – Gresham Harkless

Truly appreciate that, Nugget. And I wanted to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Mugsy, What does being a CEO mean to you?

14:15 – Mugzy Mcfly

Being a CEO means you get all the credit, you get all the blame. Everybody else wins, you win last. Everybody wants, they throw around the word boss and all that stuff, CEO, But it's way darker than that. You know, you carry, you're at the bottom of the upside-down triangle. You know, everybody's out there celebrating. You're at the very bottom and you're holding it. And it's like, you can't blame anybody. You can't ask anybody certain things because it's all on you. You're, you build in the house. Like this is my job, you know, I gotta make sure that the formula is there, food is there, the diapers is there.

Then when the baby's put to sleep, I put the rest together. I might have 2 hours in my day to just be by myself, but this has to take care of itself. I got to take care of this to take care of yourself. And that's what CEO means to sacrifice the biggest word in the world. Sacrifice. That's exactly what it means. Sacrifice. Everybody sees a celebration, but I see the sacrifice, the dedication, the CEO, and basically the mother.

15:19 – Gresham Harkless

Mugsy truly appreciates that definition, and obviously appreciates your time even more. So what I wanted to do now was pa to see if there's anything want to let our readers of course how best people find out about all the awesome on.

15:33 – Mugzy Mcfly

Try it now. Any failure is not a failure, it's just experience. There's always value in everything. If you never made a mistake, you're not doing something right. Cause if you made a mistake, I mean, You know too much of what you're doing, so you're not going at all. And I'm reachable everywhere. Monthly McFly or Instagram, that's probably my most popular social media. If you have some questions or want to tap in, I'm in the Bronx. You can write me just don't write anything too crazy. I answer everything. Side of McFly.com. I have an app on the app store. Both app stores are signed by McFly. Yeah, I'm easy to reach, man. And I just want to be that guy that I needed. So you need that guy, here I am.

16:16 – Gresham Harkless

I appreciate that Mugsy. We will have the links and information in the show notes as well too to make it even easier for people to find you. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:23 – Mugzy Mcfly

Thank you. Pleasure.

16:25 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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