November 16, 2022 - The Chicago Journal

Athletes Can Now Build Their Own Personal Brand With the Help of Athlete’s Thread

The Chicago Journal Staff on November 16, 2022

In 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced its policy change allowing college athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness. However, with this new policy, many athletes often struggle with the finer details. For this reason, Luke McGurrin and Karthik Shanadi set up shop and founded their company, Athlete’s Thread, to help athletes make the most of the new policy, monetize their brand, make meaningful collaborations, and advance their careers.

A dynamic duo taking giant strides in the entrepreneurial space, Luke McGurrin and Karthik Shanadi are the brilliant creators of Greek House. This platform has made a name for itself as the go-to shop for custom college apparel. Established in 2013, the company has revolutionized the custom merchandising space, making the process of ordering custom apparel hassle-free and even expanding its services to over 500 colleges.

After their first business venture saw massive success, Luke and Karthik launched College Thread and accommodated all student organizations and college departments. On their third venture, they established Threadly, which expanded beyond the college market to organizations such as businesses, 5k’s, creators, and churches.

After reviewing the NCAA policy, the brilliant entrepreneurs realized that, generally, brands only work with the star athletes of each school. To give every athlete an equal chance of profiting off their brands regardless of gender or social following, McGurrin and Shanadi founded Athlete’s Thread.

“The best part about this is helping tell the unique story of every student-athlete,” McGurrin shared. “We believe that if you’re a student-athlete, even if ESPN isn’t telling your story, you’re already a hometown hero and have a huge community behind you that would love to support you. So we want to help all of these students realize how much they have accomplished and be the driving force to get their story out and help them be successful,” he added.

With a business model aimed at bridging the gap in collegiate sports, Athlete’s Thread gives every student-athlete a platform to launch their businesses and make money from their name, image, and likeness by giving them full access to licensed designs that can help start them selling personalized merch on online stores.

On top of its hassle-free process, the Athlete’s Thread platform can launch every student-athlete in less than three days of signing on. As a result of its efficiency and utility, the platform now boasts over 2,000 athletes from 12 colleges, with 58 colleges more coming. Some of Athletes Thread’s impressive athlete list includes Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and break-out athletes Jahmyr Gibbs, Jalen Milroe, and Trashon Holden from the University of Alabama.

“Our mindset working with all these athletes, the colleges and the athletic directors are to help them tell their story, but also make sure we are helping them be successful both on and off the field,” Shanadi shared.

In the coming years, Luke McGurrin and Karthik Shanadi aim to scale Athlete’s Thread massively, expand to include 8,000 more athletes before the end of the year, and take over significant market share.

“We want to expand well beyond merchandise and apparel, including posters, coffee mugs, stickers and water bottles. Our goal is to become a leader in the Sports Merchandise Industry. We are starting with licensed merchandise for college athletes, then expanding into collegiate retail merchandise and professional sports after,” Shanadi envisioned.

Entrepreneur Ryan Margolin on how to conquer the world

The Chicago Journal Staff on November 16, 2022

With a post-graduate and Master’s degree in Digital Marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute in Dublin, Ireland, Ryan Margolin is a business leader and an experienced entrepreneur. What sets him apart from the rest of his competitors is the fact that Ryan runs 6, 7, and 8-figure companies and has sold over $40 million of products globally. Over the course of his career, he’s taken on seemingly impossible projects and created value by looking at them from a different perspective than everyone else. Having worked in more than 15 countries, he excels at connecting the dots for success.

Ryan’s expertise lies in his ability to quickly formulate simple, realistic strategies that create value from what others thought were dead ends. Moreover, he is an integral part of his family business, Professional Hair Labs, and contributed to taking it to the top of the industry by becoming the #1 Choice of Hair Replacement Professionals as well as the World Leader in Cosmetic Bonding. He is also the founder of Aesthetic Technology, a consulting firm that helps businesses automate their lead-generation processes and develop business strategies that promote lasting success.

His mantra for success is based on ‘Occam’s Laser’ principle. “You’ve probably heard of the Pareto principle that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. You might have even heard of Occam’s Razor theory, ‘The most likely answer is often the most simple’. But I am sure you’ve never combined the two. And that’s the only reason why you are stuck and can’t seem to scale to 7-figure profits and beyond,” informs Ryan Margolin. “See, Occam’s Laser shows that 80% of a business’s success is due to 20% of its effort. And that it’s usually the simplest, easiest actions that create colossal results,” he elaborates.

In fact, Ryan claims that following this principle has allowed him to achieve success as far as all his businesses are concerned. Apart from that, he has also helped many of his clients create breakthroughs after being stuck for years. Being a proficient entrepreneur and managing many businesses successfully, he believes in sharing the secret of success as well as his strategies with all those who want their companies to thrive. This is not all! He has a passion for mentorship and believes in empowering small businesses. Ryan frequently leverages his wealth of experience in order to assist other business owners. With his help, many start-ups have made the most of their concepts while successfully scaling their businesses without sacrificing flexibility, clarity, or dedication to putting people first.

Ryan Margolin grew up in a house where both his parents worked as business owners in the hair replacement industry. Watching them manage their business, along with the ups and downs over many years, inspired him to take a similar route. He learned that taking risks is essential. If it works, that’d be great for your business, but if it fails, then it provides valuable opportunities to learn and grow.

As for his company, Professional Hair Labs has been named among the top 500 fastest-growing companies in the USA for three consecutive years. They have also won awards for the best export company in the National Enterprise Awards in Dublin, Ireland, in 2022. They have taken the business from a 6-figure company to an 8-figure one after launching Ghostbond adhesive in 2009. Hence, their simple strategies of focusing on the right team members to provide excellent customer service have worked wonders for them.

Success is something that anyone can achieve, given that they have the right attitude and mindset. “The truth is that it all starts with taking a good look at yourself in the mirror,” shares Ryan. His mentor taught him, and he recalls, “You can cheat in every aspect of your life. You can be dishonest with others. But at the end of the day, you can’t cheat that reflection in the mirror looking at you straight in the eye. In essence, if you pay close attention to the person in the mirror and learn how to take an honest look at yourself, you can get through any challenge and accomplish anything you set your mind to.”

Moving on further, he explains that you will often find that nobody will believe in you until you have already achieved success. What many people fail to understand is that hard work has to come before you earn the belief and support. This means that you are going to have to work by yourself. For a long time. With no applause. No awards. And no recognition. You will have to learn how to be your own inspiration to continue when the going gets tough.

To sum it up, at the beginning of our lives, everyone will have an opinion on how things should be done or what you should or should not pursue. If you are passionate about something, do it. If anything, you will learn from it. Take every step and every curve as a learning process. Whether it helps build your business or not, it will definitely refine your personality.

Ryan Margolin’s ethos is based on the core values of putting people first, challenging industry standards, and paying it forward wherever possible. His intuitive business sense, attention to detail, and dedication to his customers have paved the way to his success, and this is what he instills in aspiring entrepreneurs too.

Breast Reduction surgery touted as receiving the most patient satisfaction? Consider Breast Reduction | Dr. Adam Kinal

The Chicago Journal Staff on November 16, 2022

Even though the trend of breast enhancements has taken the world by storm, there are those that are not so happy with their naturally large breasts. Wondering why? The fact is that being well-endowed might be ruining the quality of life – to be more precise, destroying your back daily. Millions of women struggle with the burden of large breasts every day. Luckily, there are several ways to reduce the size and weight of your breasts, from diet and exercise to surgery. However, breast reduction surgery is a sure-shot way to help reduce the size of your breasts. This is where Dr. Adam Kinal comes in and saves the day.

An expert cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Kinal has been committed to enhancing his clients’ natural beauty through careful and long-term tested systematic procedures. He is renowned in California, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia for implementing various successful procedures that produce exceptional results, along with boosting self-confidence and improving one’s appearance.

It’s no secret that having large breasts can be a pain in the neck (literally and figuratively). If you’re one of the many women who suffer from large, heavy breasts, you know the pain and discomfort they can cause. From backaches and neck pain to indentations in your shoulders from your bra straps, large breasts can take a toll on your body.

Oversized breasts can be a nuisance when it comes to ruining your back, resulting in severe backaches. If you’re tired of dealing with the daily struggles of having large breasts, then it might be time to consider breast reduction surgery. By going under the knife to reduce the size of your breasts, you can finally say goodbye to your back problems.

Most patients report excellent results from breast reduction surgery and often return to their normal activities within a few weeks. If you are considering this type of surgery, be sure to consult with Dr. Kinal to discuss your specific goals and expectations. He can surely help you achieve the results you desire. As far as his success rate as a plastic surgeon is concerned, Dr. Kinal is very successful, and in fact, patients love their results. This success rate has made him a highly sought-after surgeon in the United States.

Dr. Adam Kinal is a Board-Certified Surgeon and fellowship trained in Cosmetic Surgery who understands the struggles that come with having large breasts. He offers the procedure of breast reduction as a way to help women get what they’ve always wanted – breasts that are smaller in size. Moreover, he recommends that it is very important that patients follow a strict diet of lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, probiotics, good hydration, absolutely NO smoking, and limit alcohol, sodas, and processed foods once the surgery is done. Light exercise is advised after a few weeks, but it is essential to move a little after surgery for blood circulation. Once patients are healed, they should protect their investment by working out, eating healthy, and staying hydrated.

According to Dr. Adam Kinal, breast reduction surgery involves removing excess tissue and skin from the breasts and can also include repositioning the nipples and areolas. This type of surgery can be performed as an outpatient procedure, and it usually takes about two to three hours to complete.

After the surgery, you will need to wear a surgical bra for about four weeks. You will also have some drains placed under your arms to help collect any fluid that may accumulate. These drains will be removed after a few days.

If you’re ready to take the next step, contact Dr. Adam Kinal’s clinic today to schedule a consultation with him. He will be happy to answer any questions you have and help you determine if breast reduction is right for you. You won’t regret it!