Passion Wins: Interview with Drew Plotkin, Founder of DermDude
I recently went one on one with Drew Plotkin, founder of DermDude. Drew is an Emmy-nominated producer and is the author of the new book Under My Skin.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Drew: My path to ‘here’ has been more of a 25-year roller coaster versus a highway or any other track - twists and turns, drops, and big climbs back up to the top. I am a big believer in the acronym FAIL. First Attempt In Learning. Starting out, my mindset was very simplistic. It was all or nothing. Win or lose. I didn’t have the maturity or genuine wisdom to realize that my most significant ‘setbacks’ were, almost always in reality, my biggest advances towards success. Just because a job or a situation went differently than I intended initially did not mean I did not gain invaluable insights and tools that would become my keys to the kingdom. Once I could look at my journey through this lens, everything changed, and my valleys became nothing more than springboards back to my PEAKS.
Adam: What do you hope readers take away from your new book?
Drew: Humility. I never in a million years would have imagined I would have allowed myself to be so brutally raw and truthful with…the world. Thank God I did. Doing so was a gift to myself, I now realize, even as difficult as writing the book was. I hope readers see me for who I am.
Passionate, caring, flawed, loving, loyal, dysfunctional, giving, and someone whose busted heart has been patched and stitched back together so many times, I’ve almost run out of glue, tape, and staples. But here I am, stronger and more alive than ever. And I take readers through this wild ride of mine and tell my story via one tattoo at a time. The book wrote itself.
Adam: How did you come up with your business idea and know it was worth pursuing? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with and test business ideas?
Drew: I had already been heavily involved in the skincare and personal care business for almost 20 years. Helping to develop and run major celebrity beauty brands was the core business for the agency I founded and ran out of Los Angeles. I had wanted to launch my own brand for a very long time but had not landed on a concept that made me feel "THIS IS IT! ALL OR NOTHING!" Two specific situations had a considerable impact leading me to the launch of Derm Dude™. First, my passion for tattoos only increased more and more with age. So at 49, I was becoming quite a giant POST IT note of tattoos from head to toe and most places in-between. Second, I saw a huge void in quality, efficacious tattoo aftercare products. I believed that a genuine tattoo collector (me) with a real background in skincare could create products of genuine purpose and value. So it was no accident that the first products Derm Dude offered were for tattoo aftercare. The third significant factor opening my eyes to Derm Dude was my own personal life.
During Covid, I was in the midst of a painful separation after 25 years with the same person. I had never dated 'online,' never asked a girl out over text message, and was 'behind the times' on anything and everything in regards to 'dating/being single.'
That's when I also became more cognizant of personal grooming and men's hygiene products. I took proper care of myself when I was married, but I wasn't very detailed or aware of what products I was using on myself or what types of products were even available. And as I started looking for products to 'up my own game' for my beard and my personal hygiene, including body, balls, etc.). I realized that just like the tattoo category, there was a vast empty void of men's products being developed by the actual dude's who needed and wanted them. So that became my mission with Derm Dude™. And from the first minute, I was ALL IN. Adam:
Adam: What are your best tips on sales, marketing, and branding?
Drew: Find something to work on that you are obsessive and passionate about. Passion wins. Always. Also, remember that your audience is the consumer, not the ten other ‘marketers’ who will constantly weigh in along the way. Do you want to be run with the wolves? Or hang with the sheep? Ask yourself this question as you dive into your creative process.
Adam: Who are the best leaders you have been around and what did you learn from them?
Drew: Chuck Feeney is one of the most generous and trailblazing philanthropists of all time. He also was the founder of DUTY-FREE, which led to his fortune. In addition, he helped fund a non-profit I was blessed to be associated with. From my few experiences with Chuck in person and learning about his life from those closest to him, I learned the true meaning of compassion, success, humility and humanity.
My Father was never able to attend college and went to work at a young age. He ended up becoming CEO of a public company he co-founded. I write about my Father a lot in my book, Under My Skin. Our relationship was complex, to say the least, but he was one of the best leaders I ever saw because he always led from the front and cared about his team and their well-being as much as his own, if not more at times. And he always believed in win-win relationships, be it employees, vendors, partners...whoever it was. He did not seek out or desire a ‘home run’ deal at the expense of the person on the other end. Instead, he preferred a mutually beneficial approach to business. I admire that and have tried hard to emulate that mindset.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Drew: First, never put yourself first. Just because you ‘can’ put yourself first doesn’t mean you should. In most, if not all cases, you should not. Also, do your best to surround yourself with people who are smarter and better than you at whatever role you hire them for. Ego and insecurity are dangerous flaws. They will sink the ship if you wear them around your neck. And finally, try to have fun and encourage your team to do the same. Yes, work is hard. Yes, being on vacation in the Islands would be more pleasant, but miserable company cultures and negative attitudes absolutely hurt the entire team and end product. I always look for the following three attributes in any person I consider hiring or growing internally: positive attitude, work ethic, and skill. My priority is the first two listed.
Everyone’s skills can and should improve with good leadership and the right environment, but if someone doesn’t have a positive attitude and good work ethic by this stage in life, don’t burn your time or valuable resources babysitting people who didn’t learn the basics earlier in life.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Drew:
Be authentic and candid, even when it may not be your most flattering look.
Relentless, genuine passion will always win and overcome any challenge, competitor, or roadblock.
Be Human. It’s easy at times to forget this, especially when you are in the weeds. Those windows in the weeds are the most critical times to remind yourself to be Human.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Drew: "Buy the ticket. Take the Ride." It is a quote by the author Hunter Thompson. I try to apply this to my personal life and my business life.
Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally-recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.
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