“I’m a Ferrari-in-a-bathroom-doing-donuts-kind-of-person,”

– Jack Roche

And that he is. Jack is truly a Renaissance man, constantly involved in multiple projects and businesses, always in pursuit of learning the next thing.

This conversation was a thrill-ride. Jack, as the owner and founder of Old North, has built a business that is both fulfilling and allows him to constantly pursue new curiosities — like sailing from the Caribbean to Maine or living in the jungles of the Amazon.

Here’s What You’ll Learn:

  • Old North’s origin story as a retail store in Asheville (it opened at the worst possible time)
  • The importance of pivoting early and often when you’re a new business
  • The logic of understanding and diversifying your risk as an entrepreneur
  • Why positive reinforcement is so important in entrepreneurship
    How critically important resilience is — especially in a seasonal business
  • Jack’s thoughts on working in the clothing industry, why he loves it and why he hates it
  • Lessons on buying products for a retail shop (larry vs nick), including the differences between creating your own private label vs. carrying other brands
  • Jack’s shares some thoughts on his marketing and brand strategy
    We talk about men’s fashion, women’s fashion and what it means to communicate with your clothes
  • What to do if you don’t know where to begin with improving your personal style
  • Jack shares his perspective on the community in Asheville and his favorite restaurants/bars in town

Show Notes

Old North is a boutique clothing store specializing in exceptional quality from American, Japanese, and European manufacturers. Think: timeless tees, casual cargoes, and durable denim made for the effortless stylists. You can connect with them on their website and on Instagram

Books and concepts mentioned during this episode:
During the episode, we talked about a couple of concepts from noteworthy books. One was the idea of building a muse business as referenced in the 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. The other was accessing a state of “flow” as discussed in depth in the book Flow: The Psychology of the Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Jack’s Favorite Restaurants & Bars in Asheville:

  • Bull & Beggar – “Consistently the best restaurant experience I’ve ever had in my life.”
  • Crucible – “I don’t drink beer — it smells like farts, so this is my favorite bar.”
  • All Souls Pizza – “It reminds me of portland in the 80s.”

Music by Commonwealth Choir

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Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.

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