All Sports Head Gear's Robert Helm: From Idea to a New Innovative Brand

by Cyrus Webb

There is nothing like having a vision and then doing the work necessary to turn it into a reality. That is exactly what Robert Helm has been able to do, and now he is able to share it literally with the world.

Robert and I have never met each other in person, but we connected on social media several years ago. He's an individual who likes to inspire and to educate others. He's now also celebrating a great entrepreneurial venture called All Sports Head Gear, a revolutionary product that allow you to stay comfortable during work and play at an affordable price. In this conversation we discuss his journey.

Robert, this is a big year for you with All Sport Head Gear. Let's talk about that for a moment and then we're going to go back to your journey. How does it feel to have had an idea and now to be able to have it available for the world to have?

Well I have to say it is very exciting. I've kind of coined myself as an inventor since I was a young person, always looking for solutions to problems, and I feel like I really hit it big this time because I have developed a product that is really simple yet sophisticated.

One of the things that everyone I think knows is of course of your passion for young people, being able to inspire them and to educate them. You mentioned being an inventor. Have you always known that you had something that you were supposed to share with others?

I have to say as I got older, got married and had children, I think that's the point when I started to realize that I had a purpose in life that was bigger than me. From there, just going through the roles of parenting and marriage and things like that, I realized that having a positive relationship with my wife and building a strong relationship with my kids could be beneficial for other people. And that kind of started my journey off into wanting to help motivate and encourage others.

That's exactly what you've been able to do. I like the fact that you mentioned, Robert, their being bigger than you. I think a lot of times people don't realize that that the gifts that they have are not just for them. Of course it is to benefit other people. So when you see the work that you've been able to do, Robert, being able to do just that—to benefit other individuals, as I mentioned, either through inspiring them, through educating them, through motivating them—does that make you feel then along this path you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing?

Yes, but it seems like my life just continues to evolve, and I continue to find things. As I say, my kind of natural instinct is always to look for solutions to problems.

I think the other thing is that people will find out about you, Robert, is that you kind of approach the world with eyes wide open. And what I mean by that is a lot of times we get so focused on our stuff that we miss out on opportunities. You and I had a great conversation where you kind of were talking to me about the inspiration for All Sports Head Gear. Share that with our audience.

With the All Sports Head Gear it was one of those things that was kind of like a fluke. I was sitting with a really, really good friend of mine who's actually a custom clothing designer. We were sitting and talking and I think I was watching YouTube or one of those online video streaming sites, and I happened to see Steph Curry sitting on the sideline with a towel over his head. It kind of pushed me back to my younger days when I played sports. I started thinking why people did that, put a towel over their heads. Some people do it to keep their bodies warm. Some people do it if they're embarrassed or whatever and you don't want to be bothered with looking at other people or other people seeing them.

From that point something just triggered. I grabbed an old towel out of my linen closet, took a permanent marker and started drawing on this cloth. It was kind of like an epiphany moment. My friend the designer grabbed a pair of scissors and started cutting out what I did and within a matter of 15 minutes we had a prototype that had both of us like “Wow. This can be a really amazing thing”.

Actually before this interview I was just reflecting on that and watching the videos, cause I had documented it all through video and through pictures. It was just reliving that experience all over again. There's times, as you said, if you have your eyes wide open and you're always looking for opportunities. It’s about trying to put possibilities into perspective. It is the little things sometime that have the greatest impact. That's what I really see:  the idea for head gear as being a really simple thing, like I said, that becomes a sophisticated product that can have a major impact on athletes around the world. I'm really excited about that.

Thanks for sharing that! Really an inspiring story. Lots in there for our audience to get value from. One things you talked about, though, that is definitely important is being able to cooperate with others. What was it like for you to have people in your circle, Robert, who can be able to compliment the skills and the talents that you have?

Oh, I think it's a God-send for sure. When you are the kind of person who is always looking to solve problems in that process, you realize either you don't have money or you don't have skills sometimes to do things. There’s nothing like having a network of people that you can lean on who believe in you and who care for you in a way that they're willing to contribute to your efforts. And I think most entrepreneurs that we talk to, successful entrepreneurs especially, will be able to share that same type of attitude.

I know when I first started out as an entrepreneur, you know, it was like, “I gotta do this”. I got an idea, and I wanted to keep it secret, keep it to myself so nobody would steal it. What I found is that that's really counterproductive, because as an entrepreneur one of the most valuable things that you can receive is feedback from your peers and from the consumer market. Those things can really help get you over the hurdles that you will encounter trying to do everything yourself.

Social media has been a big part of your marketing. One of the things you were able to share on social media are individuals wearing All Sports. How does that feel to see something that began in your head now on somebody else's head?

it's heart-warming, and it's encouraging and inspiring.  Being able to see people using the product, people enjoying the product, and in some cases people identifying uses for the product I hadn't even considered is great. It just really makes me feel encouraged and wanting to continue developing more products.

You mentioned the uses for the All Sports Head Gear. What are some of the other things you've been seeing and even being able to share with people, Robert, that they can use the all sports hit gear for?

It's funny. I created the product, but then I talked to other people about how they thought the product could be used. I also turned to the internet, googling how people were using towels for different applications. I spoke to one individual that told me that he thought it was great for sports and athletics and all that, but he also thought it would be good for people who go to football games sitting outside in the sun and are sweating. Even good for when it was cold outside or raining.  It was made for all of that. And we even took it a step further by adding a pouch in the neck area of the product so that if you know it was hot outside, you could put an ice pack in there, and it could help keep you cool.

So excited for you, Robert. I know this is going to be a great year for All Sports Head Gear and you. Last thing I want to ask is your advice. What do you hope our audience realizes about the importance of acting on our gifts. What would you say to them about the importance of acting on it and walking in line with that gift?

As you said, we all have gifts and there's no doubt I think one of the biggest struggles in life is identifying what that gift is. The only way to find out what that gift is in my mind is to act on every opportunity that is revealed or presented to you. And through that process you can begin to either develop your gifts or find the gifts and then you should certainly act on that gift without hesitation. Some people live and die with ideas, and they never have an opportunity to manifest into the world. My belief is the more ideas and concepts that you are able to unfold and manifest into this world, it has a greater possibility and greater potential to be able to help generations to come.

Discover the world of All Sports Head Gear at www.allsportsheadgear.com.