We were lucky to catch up with Dylan Green recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dylan , so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
This question feels like it has strings attached to it and implies a certain sort of response. I grew up in an all-white community in a very small town in the middle-of-nowhere Washington state as an awkwardly tall half-Asian guy with eccentric tastes that didn’t fit the mold. It would be very easy for me to say that there was a connection between my misgivings and failures and the fact that I was visually the outsider. However, whether or not any of the barriers I came across had to do with how I appeared is arbitrary to me – in almost every case life is simply hard, and if you’re a born visionary there will be very few days where the answers are handed to you.
I found that I could be effective and meet my personal criteria for success when I put the responsibility for my outcomes on the only person that mattered – myself. If something didn’t work I didn’t point a finger or blame it on how I may be perceived. It was taught to me early on that if I employ integrity and diligence I’ll be able to produce a result that benefits others. Sticking with that model will eclipse any bias, or even discriminate beliefs that people may hold, and I believe that to my core.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’ve spent a decade chasing beautiful visions and responding to the chaotic fires that inevitably come with building anything of worth. My work has orbited brand design and development, whether that means working with my own brands or others. What does this look like? It means spending quality time with the nuts and bolts of a brand such as logos, brand marks, and colors, but also zooming way out and looking at seasonal campaigns and long-term planning.
Moving to Texas meant the inevitable – stepping into real estate. No matter how wild my story has been I can look back and understand that every step has been largely crucial to not only the next step up but also the framework of everything that I do. Real Estate has introduced me to one of the fastest-growing and most fascinating metroplexes in the nation in a unique way. It’s put me in rooms that I’d previously had no business being in and taught me lessons that heavily inform the more creative side of my work.
Most recently, as a result of what I’ve learned from Dallas and what Dallas has given me in terms of community, my sister and I have launched an apparel brand that’s rooted in a belief that joining hands in our commonalities is the most powerful behavior we can act on in the modern age. We’re called Everybody Invited (@everybody_invited) and recently launched “Court Club”, which is a capsule release focused on communities that surround court sports (think tennis and pickleball).
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
If you want to pursue any form of business or creative endeavors I’d recommend the following:
1. Do what comes naturally to you. Yes, discomfort is where we grow, but you can only push a circular peg into a square hole for so long. Know your strengths and know when to pivot.
2. Communication is key. If you aren’t a strong communicator and cannot be timely in every instance of your life make the changes that will lead to improvement. Business is about opportunity and opportunity comes to those who make themselves available to it. Once that opportunity is in your grasp you need to be able to articulate the vision to others, or else it will only live in your mind’s eye, where it’ll eventually die.
3. Patience. Know when to strike, know when to hold back. Lean in, but also lean out. This can feel counterintuitive to the urgency that business requires, so consider this the yin to the yang. Both are needed to create a full circle.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
This question relates to some of what I’ve covered, which is my natural tenacity for all things, rather than the hyper-focus of an athlete who is willing to practice the same shot for a year. And I believe both types of people exist. For many years I cursed the way I went about my life and business and felt cursed by the “jack of all trades, master of none” moniker. The moment I realized this was my strength and that I could empower myself to be more me everything changed.
Everyone needs to realize that they truly are an individual, and we’re all lucky to live in a country that allows us to pursue our wildest dreams (within reason). This doesn’t mean copying the funniest person you can find on TikTok or espousing hot takes on X. It means legitimately doing the work to understand who you are, turning off the noise, and finding where you can be most effective.
So the answer – focusing on a specific skill or trait may be what’s right for the individual. On the contrary, some may find their success in being a human octopus. Don’t look to the success of others for validation – find it on the road to learning more about yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dylansgreen.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dylansantosgreen
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dylansgreen
