Ronnie Fieg is synonymous with New York sneaker culture. At the young age of 15, he worked for David Z, a retail chain that focused more on brown shoes for the everyday man. However, it was Fieg and his love affair for sneakers that brought a different angle to the New York staple, one which saw an athletic and lifestyle element added to the traditional footwear retailer. Quickly rising in the ranks of this family-owned business, his passion and work ethic were key reasons why he moved from a stock boy to a full time buyer. But it was the allure of designing his own sneakers that Fieg sorely yearned for. Oddly enough, that opportunity first came with Asics, and in a blind luck of fate, he was given the chance to redesign the Gel Lyte III, a favourite of his growing up. His collaborative work with Asics (in 2007), which was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal for selling out in one day at David Z, spiraled into future partnerships with countless footwear brands.

Despite the rejuvenated success David Z was experiencing, Fieg had an itch he professedly needed to scratch, which was to own a brand of his own. On the other side of town, Sam Ben-Avraham, owner of retail chain Atrium and former founder of Project, was looking for a new opportunity, one where it would bring a new challenge for the seasoned business entrepreneur. The two knew each other for quite some time and often toyed with the idea to work together. But after many years of focusing on their own endeavors, all signs pointed to “now” rather than “later” to take that prospect and convert it into reality. The result was Kith — a footwear retailer that housed some widely popular in-house collaborations, as well as a self-titled apparel line. In less than 2 years, Kith has amassed a mountain of success that has resulted into two widely successful shops both in Manhattan and Brooklyn. With Kith’s quick rise to the top in such a short span, some may argue that a brand shouldn’t grow too quickly. But as far as Fieg is concerned, you either keep up or get left behind…

You started working at shoe retailer David Z at a very young age, what pushed you to do that?

Well, back when I was younger I wanted to dress better than everybody in my grade, but I wasn’t happy with the gear my mom was buying me. I wanted Polo and she was buying me Chaps. So that was my initial motivation to start working at such a young age. But after I was able to get the gear I wanted, I realized that wasn’t enough for me because I still wanted to push the envelope.

You rose in the ranks of David Z, first starting off as a stock boy and ultimately earning the title of buyer. Today however, you’re now the boss of your own brand. What’s life behind the desk like?

To be honest, being your own boss can be a gift and a curse. Depending on your workflow, you’ll either gain respect from people, or they’ll just despise you. Being in that position takes a lot of energy out of you, and you have less time to cater to things that are a part of your personal life. My personal time is something that I chose to sacrifice so I can do this. But I’ll tell you, [running your own business] is not for everybody.

You’re right, it’s a gutsy move to leave the comfort of a career in favour of chasing your dream…

Going off on your own doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be successful. You can be just as successful working for someone else, but it takes a certain type of individual to leave a comfortable situation, like a regular 9–5 job, to chase a dream. It’s a lot of hard work and commitment.

Well, it’s been said that the hardest part of a business is not starting it, but the real challenge is after you launch it…

People might be able to respectfully start their own business, but getting it to a level where it’s really successful in a short amount of time will only happen if you’re willing to give up certain things. I’m not saying you have to give up things like a family, but it involves a lot of sacrifice that some people are not willing to do.

Talk about your brand, Kith. What was the thinking behind it?

I have a very strong team. The motto behind the Kith brand is “just us”. It means that everyone who is involved with the brand feels like they are a part of something that is better than the mass. My goal for Kith was to make my team feel part of a group that is “just us”. It was important to me to cultivate that within the brand. I strive to offer something better than what people pay for.

Growing up, did you always have an itch to open up a shop like Kith?

When I was in Junior High, I was sketching the designs of the stores that exist today. After I opened up the Manhattan location, my mom found one of my old notebooks and showed it to me. That [Manhattan] store’s sneaker room was something I envisioned — all black, clean design, with lit up shelves. It was an idea I thought about for a long time, so to see it afterwards was moving.

“If you could do what you love and get by, then you’re doing good. But if you can do what you love and make money, then you’re blessed.”

The partnership between you two is a unique pairing. On one side of the coin you have Ronnie, who is still in the thick of their career, and Sam, a seasoned veteran who can who has been in the game as an owner for countless years…

Sam: At one point, I almost gave up on people. It was Ronnie’s work ethic and his passion to keep on going that provided me a new breath of fresh air. We always knew each other, working in the industry, and we always talked about the possibility to work together. But the time was never right. Then came the day when we both wanted to make changes in our life.

Ronnie: It made sense. Everything just fell into place. It’s an amazing thing when you can put two people together and make something happen.

Why did it feel right to work together?

Sam: His passion was the catalyst for me to want to work with him. You don’t really get to see a lot of people who are so passionate about one thing, and have a clear vision of what they want and where they want to go with it. Some people today don’t have the patience to work towards a goal, nor do they understand the process of reaching it. With Ronnie, he wants to keep on going until he reaches his goals.

Ronnie: I don’t have an addictive personality, but the obsession is a huge factor because I do things until I can’t do it anymore. Being around Sam and seeing what he has done in his career is something I look up to. He speaks with everyone at the same eye level and that’s something I definitely wanted to implement in my work ethic. When I first came here, my attitude was very different and that has changed since we began working together.

Sam, it’s evident you’re putting a lot of your trust in Ronnie…

Sam: It’s simple. If I believe in the idea and the person, and I feel that person is passionate enough to get there, that’s all I need to know. I want to reach a point of success with this venture, but his hunger is more than mine. Knowing that, it was an easy decision to put my trust in him. I don’t mind Ronnie getting his shine, I had my moment. In the beginning, it was hard for him to believe me. It was as if he was looking for the catch in the deal.

I would’ve been like, what’s the tax on this lottery ticket?

Ronnie: The thing is, the lottery ticket isn’t the investment, but rather the work that you put in to this day. Sam noticed my talent and came to me with an offer to basically make my dreams come true. If you put in the work for so many years, somebody will notice it, and they’ll offer you an opportunity.

Sam: It’s funny. I had a dream to have people line up. In my 20 years in this business, I always wanted people to line up for my product but I never had that. With Ronnie, well he brought those line ups within the first month.

Sounds like the perfect match (laughs)…

Sam: I needed him just as much as he needed me. The partnership has to work both ways. I’m not just talking about financial needs. I’m at a point in my life where I have to enjoy the process. I don’t want to come into the office and drag my feet knowing I have to work with this schmuck (laughs), but things like that are so true.

Ronnie: We both love what we do and have checked our ego at the door. To find that in a partnership, with no disconnect, it’s special.

What’s the end goal for this brand?

Ronnie: There is no end goal. The goal is just to keep pushing the envelope and keep expanding. There is no 5 year plan. If we sell this and just cash out, what would I do? Even if I had all the money in the world, it wouldn’t matter to me if I didn’t have Kith.

From the looks of things, it looks like the success behind Kith is paying off…

Ronnie: If you could do what you love and get by then you’re doing good. But if you can do what you love and make money, then you’re blessed. I wish for that type of success for everybody’s dream.

Originally published at inqmind.co.

If anyone can tell you how far Brendan Fallis has come, it’s Fallis himself. It’s not because his hometown of Durham — a small town in Ontario, Canada — is far removed from New York City, but because this DJ/Entrepreneur is, in fact, making it in America.

Since moving to NYC to pursue bigger and better aspirations, he has quickly risen the ranks as one of the city’s go-to DJs, all while managing recording artist Theophilus London and Brooklyn-based design duo, Dee and Ricky. However, his interest for opportunities does not stop at music and fashion, as evident by his latest venture, Waiola Coconut Water. Since teaming up with founder David Lin and fellow partner Matthew George, this start-up business has made quite the impression since it’s launch in late 2012. Stocking some of the best spots around the world, from Colette in Paris, Hazelton Hotel in Toronto, Cafe Select in New York City, and Dean and Deluca in Japan, it’s no wonder why this newly formed brand has been the beverage of choice amongst key influencers and the health-conscious crowd. Not bad for a small town boy.

With only a few years under his belt as an entrepreneur, Fallis has acquired a portfolio worth bragging about. But the humble Canadian won’t boast about his accomplishments. That’s not in his nature, and that’s surely not how he got to where he is today. He has experienced success by simply treating each opportunity like his last and being respectful along the way. And while some believe that “nice guys always finish last,” perhaps Fallis may have a different outlook.

©You learned the basics of DJing just a few years ago, how did you get your first big break?

One day a friend of mine, who was managing this cool eatery spot in the West Village called Pop Burger, approached me about DJing every Monday at a Pop Burger that opened up Uptown. Basically, I took the gig so I could eat dinner and have a few drinks, and since there was no one really there on Monday’s, I had ample time to improve my skills.

Today, your DJing everything from Vogue parties to Cannes Film Festival, was there a defining moment where you gained confidence in your DJ abilities?

Well one day at Pop Burger, the owners friends were in there, Randy Gerber and Cindy Crawford, and Randy told the manager that he thought the DJ was great. When I found out, it was my first real confidence boost. Shortly after, the owner found out what was said and next thing I know, I’m DJing every Saturday with Marley Marl. I’d watch him for like an hour or two every time I’d open for him, which was inspiring.

Would you say networking helped contribute to a lot of your success?

In my opinion, I was too old to be starting DJing at 27. I treated it like a business and printed cards, that was my networking way. I would follow-up the next morning just to say thank you and to offer my services again. A lot of DJs go in, get wasted and get paid. I was partying every night, but I still made it into the office at 10 a.m. I made sure I treated it like a profession, and that helped me a lot, or at least gave me a leg-up on a lot of contacts in the city. As soon as I started DJing I thought “It’s gotta be so easy to meet people,” so I was always clean cut, not caring how much it paid and looked at it as an intern position.

So what was the catalyst for you to make the leap to New York?

I had a friend from my old ski team who moved down here to New York and started an agency called Launch Collective, which helped launch fashion brands into the U.S market. After taking a trip to Thailand, I made a stop to NYC to meet him, it was then when he told me he needed help. So in the meantime, I got a bartending job, got my VISA, and moved down.

“I was partying every night, but I still made it into the office at 10 a.m. I made sure I treated it like a profession, and that helped me a lot.”

What were you doing in that aspect?

I thought I was coming in as a consultant, but little did I know I was the ‘go-to’ guy — coffees, FedEx, accounting, payroll, buying photocopiers. I was pretty much the only employee for three people, so I was doing everything while trying to bring my own clients in. I moved here making only $21K/year, which is the salary of a starting company. My rent was like $1250 a month so it was tough but the guys at Launch Collective were great and I thought the company was cool, it was like working in emerging fashion, which at the time I thought was amazing.

Outside of DJing, you also manage guys like Dee & Ricky, as well as Theophilus London, how did all that come about?

I met Dee & Ricky while working at Launch Collective, and continued to work with them on the side. Fashion business is higher end, with a bigger space and I met a lot of people, but Dee & Ricky were more of my speed and they opened a door to that lane. Launch Collective taught me the ropes of business and what it was like to work in that environment. Dee & Ricky opened up my “cool connection” and through them, I was able to meet everyone from Steve Stout to Theophilus London, all the Supreme kids, that whole cool side of things, which I think helped a lot.

Your first encounter with Theophilus started when the both of you collaborated on a Cinco De Mayo party and since then it has evolved into a great business relationship. Does it stop at DJing, or do you consult in his endeavours?

Yeah, we did that and it was a crazy turnout. After that, he approached me to DJ for him back around December 2011. At the time, he was still using other DJs. Initially, I was only supposed to do 2 weeks during his tour. But during the mid-country leg of his tour, I was looked at as more of an asset to the business rather than just the DJing. I was there on that day-to-day level, talking about hotel deals and advice on different routes and stuff. His other road manager eventually said, “You have to stay on with us.”

You have your hands dipped in a lot of things — managing, Waiola, tours, and rocking parties. What is key to keeping balance in your life?

I enjoy my life so I always try to balance it really well. You can’t really turn off your phone anymore, you can’t just have a weekend, especially with managing an artist and DJing. I love what I’m doing, so it doesn’t really feel like work. It’s balanced, because I enjoy it. I like traveling with Theophilus London, going to other studios and meeting the other managers. Last time I was in Paris we did a song with Uffie and I was talking to her manager on how he got started. Even though you’re stuck in a studio for eight hours, in what may seem like a black hole with the same song constantly playing, you can still find ways to make it interesting.

Would you say you approach things strategically or do you just go with the motions?

Coming from a skiing background I was always trained to set goals, which I was never that good at. I hardly wrote any of my performance goals down. I don’t think my approach is calculated, but I am concerned with never burning a bridge. I learned this in skiing a while ago. There was a coach on our team that everyone hated. She was a three time Olympic champion but I thought there were a lot of pointers I could get from her, I just had to find a way to get to know her. Even if there’s someone you meet who you just don’t relate to, you can still gain something that could prove to be beneficial to you out of that relationship. You’ll never feel bad about reaching out because they’d reach out to you. I guess it’s the age-old “treat people how you want to be treated” type of thing and all the old cliches that your dad taught you, universal rules that are forever applicable.

Despite all the opportunities that are happening around you, what does success mean to you?

People always say, “don’t work with friends” but I don’t think that’s true anymore. I look at my friends who are part of a great team producing amazing work. I really like working with good people whom I enjoy spending time with, and there would be nothing better than making money with these people. That would be a success in my mind — to get everything I’m working on and all the people involved to get to the same level so we can all enjoy that same success.

Originally published at inqmind.co.

The New Year is a time of reflection. A time when we, as creative individuals, size up our annual expectations that we set forth since day one. But like everybody else, life finds a way to throw us a curveball. What we thought was a hard liner down the middle, inevitably curved to the left, at a time when we least expected it. I doubt any of us can ever say we had a perfect year, and if we did, that year must have been a fucking bore, which brings me to the reason I am writing this piece. Each year, our creative ambitions inspire us with the expectation that we will conquer any fears, doubts and self-criticism we’ve had experienced in the past, in hopes to better oneself. We dream and talk about a renewed assurance that we’ll have an improved year, yet none of us ever discusses what happens when the ball decides to take an unexpected turn. It’s almost as if we approach the New Year with naive hope, only to set yourself up for broken promises.

As we find ourselves at the top of 2013, I don’t want to sound like I’m raining on anybody’s parade, that’s not my intention. But I will say this, I’m ditching the presumptuous New Year’s goal, in favour of failing. You can argue that I am merely setting lowly expectations for myself, because, at the end of the day, I can’t lose. But if I don’t plan to fail, it will be difficult to reach that elusive goal. Setting milestones and mapping a plan to get there is easy. What’s easier is starting that mission. If you ask any creative individual, I’m sure they’ll tell you the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey is the best thing, ever. There is no better momentum than taking that first step. But in the middle of that journey, when you take the wrong turn, and the ball curves to the left, or right, that’s when you lose momentum instantly. Feelings of dejection and confusion can tremendously alter your swing, and you may find yourself wondering if you were hoping to get a base hit, a double, or a sacrifice bunt.

This article is not a plea to prepare for the worst, but rather embrace the tough times, because there will be. I guarantee it. We have to swing and miss. It’s part of life. Now, does that make me less focused and less ambitious when compared to the guy gunning for the top? That’s for you to judge, me to decide, and for fate to determine. Although I welcome the notion of failing in 2013, that doesn’t mean I can’t have a blast while doing so.

Originally published in inqmind.co.