The backstory to Greats.
We were inspired to start this company after spending years in the sneaker business and realizing it was completely broken. The old way of brands working with retailers had become very inefficient and those inefficiencies are ultimately paid for by the customer. Innovating the supply chain allows us to produce high-quality footwear and sell it at a disruptive price. So we can build a beautiful sneaker in Italy, using premium Italian leather and suedes, lined in vachetta calf and sell it for $159, almost a quarter of the price of our closest competitor. That has gotten the consumers attention.
The inspiration behind the name
Greats is derived from the idea that we will start with the Great(est) silhouettes in footwear and design our DNA into them. Every major sneaker company has an iteration of each other. Its the brand that makes them different and Greats has quickly become the footwear brand for millennials.
And the backstory to our womens collaboration with Orley
We met Orley about two years ago and immediately felt they were going to do something amazing in fashion. We reached out to them and quickly got to a place where collaborating made all the sense in the world. Theyve been nominated for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award, the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers and, most recently, the CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear so were thrilled to be working with them. Once they decided to start doing a womans collection, it was a no-brainer to offer smaller sizes for the collaboration.
Most exciting part about owning your own business
We are changing the footwear business and pleasing customers by doing it. Thats exciting to me. Customer satisfaction is at the top of the list because if you dont have happy customers, you dont have business. We have a brand affinity that rivals the best brands in the world. Our NPS score is a 77, which is higher than Nike (24), Amazon (69) and Apple (70). As a young brand to have a best-in-class brand affinity, its personally very exciting.
And the most challenging
Challenges, there are just too many to list. Every day there is a series of challenges and there really is no finish line in what we do. Building Greats is both the most challenging and satisfying thing Ive ever done in my entire life and I wouldnt have it any other way right now. Challenges are what allow you to grow.
And how to overcome the above
As a team we attack our challenges. They are there to get through, not be defeated by. Our team is small nine people who are all incredibly smart and passionate about a Great company.
When starting a company, you must
Build a plan and then realize that plan will change the second you begin to execute on it. Things move very fast at a startup and it may be cliché at this point, but we try to break things fast and fix and move forward. Learn how to say no, thats absolutely something you must do. That doesnt mean to be inflexible, but you must make sure you are directionally moving the same way without going in circles, which happens when saying YES to every single opportunity presented to you. Even good opportunities can be wrongly timed for a start-up. Focus on what youre really good on first and foremost.
And never be afraid to
Fail because there will be failures. Learn from them and move on.
Best business advice received
Hire the best possible talent you can. I was told that by basically everyone whos built a great company.
My favorite pair of Greats sneakers..
Thats like picking a favorite child! Personally I wear the Bab and the Royale with the most frequency, but I really do love them all!
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