Today we’d like to introduce you to Dane Lawrence.
Dane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started with music. Growing up in Long Island, New York, I was heavily influenced by Hip-Hop culture and was always drawn to the moves of the biggest entrepreneurs in the game. From Russel Simmons to Jay-Z to Master P to Diddy, I just loved the way they built they’re own respective empires and put others in a position to win.
Back in 2013, when I started building a solid catalog of my own music, my focus had to shift to figure out how to independently release and roll out my music. While many up and coming rappers from Long Island were taking a more gangster rap approach in an effort to gain respect and admiration in the NYC music scene, I choose to tap into a sound and content that highlighted what many associated Long Island with; Money and Success. When choosing the name, I wanted to make sure it was something that could represent luxury and superior craftsmanship. This is when the Gourmet name was created, but even though the music was my focus at the time, I knew that I wanted to produce more than just music and build an empire similar to those giants I previously named. So to not put myself in a box by calling the company Gourmet Music or Gourmet Entertainment, I felt Gourmet Everything was most fitting.
I created a mobile app later that year to utilize as my platform to release my music. On the app, you could listen to my music, watch videos, shop our online store, buy tickets to upcoming events and stay up to date on the news through various cultures and lifestyle logs feeds. The vision was starting to come together and we became known for the quality work and products we delivered.
Over the next few years, we continued to grow but the difficulty of balancing building the company while still working a “9 to 5” definitely limited our gains. It was a gift and a curse as my corporate accounting job was funding these Gourmet endeavors but at the same time, demanding roughly 50 to 60 hours a week. I had to figure out how to get out of the corporate world so I could focus full-time on Gourmet business. At this time, the music and clothing line was definitely leading the way in terms of income so I made investments into acquiring a sprinter van to hit the road as well as equipment to create the clothes in-house. In mid-2017, I was in a position to walk away from the “9 to 5” and finally give 100% to Gourmet Everything.
I relocated from Long Island and set up shop in Tampa, knowing that my money would likely stretch further in Florida versus New York. I was also very familiar with the area as I attended and graduated from the University of South Florida. Since the move and renewed focus, Gourmet Everything has grown into a solid conglomerate. The sprinter van turned into a fleet of rental vehicles. The equipment turned into a Print Shop (opened our first location in Clearwater July 2019), one clothing brand expanded to three, our reputation of strong branding and quality products have given us the opportunity to consult brands. I’ve even been able to create an accounting service company to help small business owners struggling to maintain their books.
Outside of Gourmet Everything, I teamed up with my cousin Chef Bob Law to create Gourmet Life, which is a CBD company focused on education and creating quality branded products to improve the quality of life for our consumers. We launched our first product Toplife Original Balm in the second half of 2019 and have several new and exciting products in development. I have definitely taken a step back from creating music the last couple years to focus and invest more heavily into some of these other ventures but the success we see today is solely due to my aspirations of being an independent artist. I always felt like music would be the bridge to building generational wealth and though I can’t say I reached the level of success I hoped for in the music industry, it still somehow became that bridge and for that, I am forever grateful.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A smooth road where? Lol. As a young black man coming from a single-parent household, we are already starting out behind the ball. There aren’t too many examples out there for us outside of sports and entertainment so navigating through the mud and learning a lot on the fly about starting and running a business can be pretty bumpy. The main thing is you have to try not to make the same mistakes twice. Self-inflicted mistakes are a powerful learning tool but try not to repeat them.
Despite all this, my biggest challenge was being able to give my company the time and attention needed. As previously mentioned, I self-funded every venture with the income I made from my accounting job. Being able to take that leap and completely walk away from that steady income was the only true obstacle for me. If I could only give 25% of my time to my company, I could only expect 25% of gains from my company. You get out what you put in. No matter what you do or what industry you find yourself in, there’s always going to be challenged. The best advice I can give is to fall in love with the process so those challenges do not deter you from where you are ultimately heading.
We’d love to hear more about Gourmet Everything.
Gourmet Everything is a fast-growing conglomerate of brands across multiple industries. I would say we specialize in branding, quality and process development. We believe in quality over everything and want to “wow” our consumers, regardless of what product or service we provide. From the fashion industry to the travel, financial, entertainment, and, most recently, the CBD industry, I am most proud of making a difference for my customers and employees.
The following brands fall under the Gourmet Everything banner:
Gourmet Branding Co. – Brand Consulting
GEM (Gourmet Everything Music) – Music Distribution/Live Events
Gourmet Store – Clothing Brands/Online Store
Gourmet Travel Services – Rental Vehicles
GPS (Gourmet Print Shop) – Custom Apparel
Lead Accountants – Accounting Services and Consulting
Outside of Gourmet Everything I co-founded:
Gourmet Life – CBD Education and Branded Products
What were you like growing up?
As a kid, all I cared about was sports (mainly basketball and football) music and girls. I did very well in school and was always involved in multiple extracurricular activities. I wanted to excel in everything. I have to thank my mother for setting the bar high for me and never letting me become complacent. As the youngest of four kids, I was able to avoid some missteps by learning from others’ mistakes and doing my best to not repeat some things I’ve seen derail others from their goals. Personality-wise I was always pretty quiet and reserved. I was also very observant.
Contact Info:
- Website: gourmeteverything.com
- Email: info@gourmeteverything.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danelawrence/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=107766787416255&ref=content_filter
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/gourmet-print-shop-belleair
- Other: DANELAWRENCE.COM
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
