Push Project is a faith-based clothing company that launched in 2017. We sat down with Owner and Founder, Josh Paat, to hear the story behind the Inland Empire-based brand.
What started out as a simple idea has evolved into a successful business venture. From adjusting to a new schedule and keeping up with content creation, Josh’s day-to-day is filled with all levels of business management.
How Push Project Began
Josh always had a dream of starting a faith-based company, but the final vision came after he and his former business partner exhausted other business ideas.
“We actually wanted to start a ramen business together,” Josh says. “I wanted to market it to be on social media, but we realized that it was too ambitious. I told him about my idea of starting this clothing brand and he was down to fund it…It really just took off from there.”
Developing an overall aesthetic to model his designs after was another layer to building the brand.
“[Push] started off as what was supposed to be an outdoors brand,” Josh says. “Somehow it kind of steered away from that, which is totally okay. I wanted to tie in something with my faith, and the aesthetic of being outdoors and adventure.”
Deciding on branding wasn’t the only decision Josh faced. It took years before he was ready to manage the brand full-time.
Leading Up To The Leap
Prior to focusing purely on Push Project, Josh was working from home and juggling two jobs. Ultimately, he decided to take the leap and quit his “day job” in pursuit of full-time entrepreneurship.
“I think what was revealed to me was the fact that I don’t have to do that anymore,” he says. “What led me to actually make the decision was the fact that I was already making my paycheck in a day doing Push. Eventually, I realized that working my day job was almost a waste of time. I feel like I got everything that I needed from that job.”
At first, taking the leap came with caveats.
“Leaving my nine to five meant I was also leaving health insurance, dental, and all the security. I thought to myself, I’m pretty, like self-sustaining though. I think that’s the illusion that we create for ourselves that the security we have in our corporate job is what will help us live our life,” he says. “I realized that I can take care of myself. If Push has a bad month, there’ll be other ways that I can provide for myself. The blanket of security that a corporate job gives, ya it’s safe, but at the same time, it’s not the only way.”
Despite challenges along the way, taking the leap was worth it.
“I’ve always wanted to have something like this that was self-sustaining, but also have the opportunity to do other things,” he says. “I have other plans to someday pursue— you’re going to laugh— but maybe firefighting. I think that’s one of the things that people always get surprised by, but that’s something that I want to do!”
The Beginning Stages
Getting the ball rolling with Push Project took time. Step-by-step Josh made the company official.
“One of the hardest things that I feel like I still haven’t fully figured out is all the legal side of things like the actual business,” Josh says. “I just did my taxes recently. I think I realized how important it is to have somebody who is either an accountant or somebody who knows taxes very well (to help). They’re the ones who helped me guide it to transition from being a sole proprietor to an actual LLC, which was something we had been trying to do.”
As for getting sorting through the legalities and details of running a business, Josh says a lot of it comes down to motivation and being aware of the difficulties.
“A lot of it is just self-motivation,” he says. “I think a lot of people don’t realize how much it takes to start a business. A lot of people jump into it thinking that it’s just all about taking pictures and posting on Instagram. There’s a lot of strategy behind it, too. Most of the time, they don’t realize the actual maintenance costs behind things.”
Josh has found that navigating the metaphorical and literal costs of business ownership is made easier by a network of support.
“I think having a good community behind your mission, to help you kind of get started, really does help,” he says. “A lot of work is going to be you, but the support comes from your community.”
Lesson Learned Along The Way
Josh had to think out of the box when marketing Push Project. Rather than strictly focusing on numbers, he had to strategize different ways to reach his audience.
“I realized more and more that it wasn’t just all about statistics. A lot of what made me push into it, into more marketing and tapping into like, you know, is what people actually like,” he says. “If you’re doing things just based off of what you think other people are doing, that’s so cliche.”
Outside of marketing strategy, Josh also had to decide the best way to manage inventory.
“When we first started, we saw different ways that we can start this drop shipping model, where you can have other people fulfill your stuff for you. So you don’t have to carry inventory. That’s compared to holding everything at home, which is what we’re doing now. The drop shipping model would really work for people who [don’t have storage],” he says. “Just research what makes sense in the beginning, because you have options.”
He has learned that research also can mitigate mistakes made in the beginning. For example, Josh found finances to be much easier to navigate than he originally thought.
“One of the mistakes people make in the beginning is the idea that you have to spend a bunch of money to start,” he says. “I think people make the mistake of not knowing their options in the beginning.”
Goals For The Future
As a company that sells a product, expanding into a physical space is important for Push Project. While Josh doesn’t want to switch to a drop shipping model, he does hope to expand his inventory and his team.
“I think a goal of mine would be to either find a warehouse space where we can work or maybe even a house to store everything,” he says.
As the thriving online brand continues to grow and thrive, Josh continues to look forward to new opportunities. All in all, while it took years from inception to a full-time clothing label, the process of launching a business has been a venture Josh doesn’t regret.
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