Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Urtnowski.
Ian, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started URT! in 2010 in Coronado, CA. You can say the idea for the company found me. URT has been my nickname ever since I started beach lifeguarding in Coronado, CA in 2006. URT is the abbreviated version of my last name URTnowski. On a mandatory PT, where lifeguards are required to do an hour of “physical training” during their workday, I was surfing when I heard a friend bellowing my name, “URT! URT!” I wheeled around to find myself face to face with a sea lion who continued to bark my name. The idea bulb went off, and a company was born.
I created the barking sea lion logo and found myself branding t-shirts as I started my journey. I started off printing a whole year of tide charts on the inside of the shirt, so the shirt could have some utility value. I wanted the brand to appeal to customers with a high beach IQ.
It wasn’t long after I created the logo that I had my buddies in the Navy reach out to use the logo for their platoon patch while on deployments. That is not something you say no to. From that point on, our company told the story of Coronado: a beach town bookended by two Navy bases. So, we include designs encompassing beach and patriotic culture, with some military vibes.
I started the company from my bedroom, then to the attic, then to my parent’s garage, then to my garage, then I got a small warehouse in Chula Vista. It wasn’t till the exact day we launched our Chula Vista location that we were hit up by the store owner of an Office Supply store in Coronado, saying that we should take over the lease at that location. So, I jumped all in and started moving warehouses again. We opened up the retail store in the font in May. So, after a long journey, we finally made it back home.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting from nothing and having no experience was the biggest challenge. All I had was a logo and no real direction. I hit so many obstacles and pitfalls along the way that I could write a book called, “Easy Lessons Learned the Hard Way.” I had to learn how to design, hot to run a company, and how to actually market and sell the product. I didn’t pay myself for 7 years as I lived with my parents while I pursued success. I was loyal to the experience and found motivation in anything and everything.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about URT!?
I started URT in 2010 as I lived in Coronado, and I finally opened up our Flagship store in Coronado May of 2023. We sell creative ocean-centric designed graphic tees and clothing, as well as utility-minded gear. We run several ocean-themed events during the year. URT WOMP: Bodysurfing Contest, URT DIG: A beach hole digging competition. LOB OFF: Freedive Lobster Grab competition. URT Spook: Halloween Costume Surf. Santa Surf Off: Christmas-themed costume surf with a toy drive benefitting the Ronald McDonald Children’s hospital.
I also create and produce the C4 Foundation collection, which is probably the thing I’m most proud of.
My good friend Charlie Keating IV (C4) was killed in action while serving this country as a Navy SEAL in 2016. He was one of the biggest supporters of our brand and repped the logo everywhere. When he was killed, I raised up donations to create shirts to be handed out at his memorial service. After we handed out all of them the desire for people to have one grew. After talking with his family, we decided to release the memorial shirt to the public. The community’s reaction was so overwhelming that the family decided to start the C4 Foundation in Charlie’s honor. Their mission is to strengthen and preserve Navy SEAL families. We feature their full collection on our website as well as our flagship store.
It wasn’t long before I was asked to do another memorial design for someone else and then another. I’ve done over 35 memorial shirt designs for soldiers killed in action, in training, or accidentally with the profit going to various charities and organizations of the family’s choosing. This is something I never thought I would be doing when I first went on this journey, but I’m very proud to be there for those families and friends in their time of mourning…
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
When you start from nothing, everything is a risk. So, I adopted an “Aim Small, Miss Small” approach. The company has crawled its way from the very first day when I invested $700 on a website and product, basically, all I had to my name at the time. I’ve been recycling that investment for over a decade now and just now jumped in the deep end with the opening of our flagship store in Coronado. The risk is real, and so is the motivation. Coronado rents will do that to you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.URTURT.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urturt/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urtclothing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/urturt?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZmlDtGudKl3VF-1VqNSwXg
Image Credits
Matt Lingo
Nick Betts
