. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n We asked him to share his experience at the Wilson College of Textiles and some advice for future entrepreneurs:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nHow did the Wilson College of Textiles prepare you for your professional life<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Wilson College of Textiles had just opened on Centennial Campus when I was a freshman, so it was an exciting time...My time there and at NC State in general prepared me for my professional life in so many ways. While I wasn\u2019t very good at it at the time, it taught me how to prioritize, how to be resourceful and how to better balance work\/life -- most of it by trial and error. There was so much going on, so many new experiences, so much to do and so many distractions that I wasn\u2019t prepared for how to juggle all of that; looking back, I was forced to figure out how to accomplish my goals academically...while at the same time experiencing college -- having fun, cultivating relationships and having a social life. There are many parallels there with the \u201creal world\u201d in figuring out what structure works best for you in terms of creating that healthy balance, while still accomplishing all you want to both professionally and personally.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat did you learn while designing the Blue Ridge Camping Hammock?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I learned that you\u2019re going to screw up and that\u2019s okay. I\u2019ve made many mistakes along the way\u2026still do. I also learned that it\u2019s okay to ask for help. There have been many times where my ego wouldn\u2019t allow me to ask for help when I failed or didn\u2019t know something, or times I felt my questions would be a burden or an inconvenience. Most of the time, if you\u2019re humble and gracious, people are more than happy to help. Every successful person has had help along the way and they\u2019re typically receptive to giving back, so don\u2019t be afraid to ask or to fail. Lastly...I learned to be resourceful. There is usually a way to figure something out, you just have to be resourceful, creative and put in the effort.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat keeps you excited about your business<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe potential for growth and continually discovering ways to achieve that growth. That could be coming up with new product ideas or stumbling upon a new platform for selling our products. It\u2019s still a thrill to close deals and generate sales, whether that be a single order on our website or landing a new retailer I\u2019ve been targeting for a long time. I also still get excited when I hear from happy customers and receive incredible photos from people enjoying our products in beautiful surroundings. Knowing that we contributed, even in a very small way, to someone experiencing something new or a place they\u2019ll remember and cherish forever is very rewarding and exciting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Blue Ridge Camping Hammock at Yosemite<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAdvice for students and\/or future entrepreneurs<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is always a tough question for me because every person, goal and situation is different. It may sound clich\u00e9, but follow your heart\/passion and trust your instinct. You don\u2019t need to live someone else\u2019s dream -- live yours and do it your way, because rarely are things strictly wrong or right, black or white. Figure out what resonates with you and if you feel strongly enough about something or want something bad enough, you\u2019ll make it happen. Just be true to yourself, \u201cdo you\u201d and figure things out as you go. Don\u2019t let fear paralyze you, whether that be fear of failure, fear of success, fear of disappointing others or some other fear no matter how large or small. It\u2019s okay to be unsure or scared, or to fail or change your mind along the way. Just take that first step, do it with passion and accept the results with no regrets. It can be liberating.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nYou and your wife have a two-year-old daughter and are expecting a son in late August. Congratulations! What is next for you, professionally and personally<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nRight now, I\u2019m focused on growing the business and on being the best dad and husband I can be. I\u2019m sure I have lots of work to do in all of those departments! Professionally, I don\u2019t know where the road will lead or what path I\u2019ll ultimately choose, but I hope I\u2019m fortunate enough that it involves creative, exciting entrepreneurial endeavors with great people.<\/span><\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"College of Textiles alumnus Wes Johnson is in the swing of things as founder of Lawson Hammock. The company is poised to earn $1 million in revenue this year, mostly due to the success of its signature product, the Blue Ridge Camping Hammock, a consistently well-rated and thoughtfully designed tent-hammock hybrid popular with outdoor enthusiasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":21717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"\",\"displayCategoryID\":2131}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[490,496],"tags":[1268,1269,1270,1271,1272,815,714,729,822,1273,697,721,1274,1275],"class_list":["post-12343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-people","category-tatm","tag-backpacking-tent","tag-blue-ridge-camping-hammock","tag-camping-gear","tag-camping-hammock","tag-camping-tent","tag-centennial-campus","tag-college-of-textiles","tag-college-of-textiles-alumni","tag-cot-alumnus","tag-lawson-hammock","tag-nc-state","tag-nc-state-alumni","tag-tent-hammock-hybrid","tag-wes-johnson"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"
Five Questions with Wes Johnson, Founder of Lawson Hammock - Wilson College of Textiles<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n