Podcast appearances and mentions of ryan babenzien

Every TikTok sensation has a backstory. You may know the viral Jolie shower head that people swear has transformed their skin. Ryan Babenzien, the visionary behind this product, set out to create something that seamlessly fits into daily routines. The idea started as a simple note on a wall, evolving over time until a shower thought quite literally pointed him to the solution for acne and dry skin. Ryan's journey from leader to founder is filled with insights and triumphs, proving he's a boss in every sense of the word. No shortage of ounces of gold on this episode. Shoutout our folks at JM Bullion: https://www.jmbullion.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=business_untitled Neither the information, nor any opinion contained in this podcast, constitutes an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities or other financial instruments or to participate in any advisory services or trading strategy. Nothing contained in this document constitutes investment, legal or tax advice or is an endorsement of any of the investments/companies mentioned herein.

How do you discover something magical in the DTC space? For this week's guest Ryan Babenzien, CEO of Jolie, he looked at everyday things: the shower. Wellness. Vanity. Your wallet. And then the filtered shower head took the world by storm. How do you create a successful product when there's already a ton of stuff out there? Why is everyday customer behavior so important to a wellness brand? Ryan shares his framework, his history from other brands, and how gut and instinct play a role in your success.  Plus, Nik and Ryan talk about packaging—how does it differ between wellness brands and other CPG products? When you're a DTC brand, a way to polish things is to make sure you have efficient packing. No packing peanuts, just simple and easy. Do creators care about packaging being environmentally friendly? (Hint: yes.) Then, it's all about people influencing people. Word of mouth—from influencers, UGC, your friends and family—all play a role in the success of a product. How can you make sure these positive words are converting?  And don't forget to check out Nik's helpful hacks here: nik.co/tiktokads nik.co/everydaydose   Haus is an automated, self-serve platform that allows you to configure regional experiments to measure incrementality, optimally allocate marketing dollars, and maximize growth. Test all your marketing channels, both online and offline, measure the impact across all your sales channels (DTC, Amazon, and retail), and calibrate your platform reporting for incrementality with Haus. Add scientific rigor to your marketing and make the most impact with your spend. To learn more, go to haus.io/limitedsupply to get started.   Want more DTC advice? Check out the Limited Supply YouTube page for more insider tips.   Check out the Nik's DTC newsletter: https://bit.ly/3mOUJMJ   And if you're looking for an instant stream of on-demand DTC gold, check out the Limited Supply Slack Channel for Nik's most unfiltered, uncensored thoughts.   Follow Nik: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mrsharma

On this episode of The Kara Goldin Show, Arjan Singh, Co-Founder of Jolie, shares the story of his journey building what he says is The World's Best Shower Filter. We hear about the company's mission to reimagine skin and hair care by focusing on water, how the product removes chlorine and heavy metals improving overall health and well-being, plus Arjun shares the real deal on challenges of launching the startup along the way. Consumer education and word-of-mouth marketing are all part of the conversation as he shares what it takes to build brand awareness. Arjan, along with his co-founder Ryan Babenzien, have created a buzz in the industry and I am excited to share this very inspiring episode with all of you. Sit back and enjoy. Then grab your Jolie and feel the difference! Now on this episode of #TheKaraGoldinShow. To learn more about Arjan Singh and Jolie:https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjanhsingh/https://www.instagram.com/arjansingh/https://www.twitter.com/jolieskincohttps://www.instagram.com/jolieskinco/?hl=enhttps://www.jolieskinco.com/Enjoying this episode of #TheKaraGoldinShow? Let me know by reaching out to me at karagoldin@gmail.com or @KaraGoldin on all networks.Check out our website to view this episode's show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/543

On this episode of The Kara Goldin Show, Arjan Singh, Co-Founder of Jolie, shares the story of his journey building what he says is The World's Best Shower Filter. We hear about the company's mission to reimagine skin and hair care by focusing on water, how the product removes chlorine and heavy metals improving overall health and well-being, plus Arjun shares the real deal on challenges of launching the startup along the way. Consumer education and word-of-mouth marketing are all part of the conversation as he shares what it takes to build brand awareness. Arjan, along with his co-founder Ryan Babenzien, have created a buzz in the industry and I am excited to share this very inspiring episode with all of you. Sit back and enjoy. Then grab your Jolie and feel the difference! Now on this episode of #TheKaraGoldinShow.  To learn more about Arjan Singh and Jolie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjanhsingh/ https://www.instagram.com/arjansingh/ https://www.twitter.com/jolieskinco https://www.instagram.com/jolieskinco/?hl=en https://www.jolieskinco.com/ Enjoying this episode of #TheKaraGoldinShow? Let me know by reaching out to me at karagoldin@gmail.com or @KaraGoldin on all networks. Check out our website to view this episode's show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/543 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jolie founder Ryan Babenzien expects the company to bring in almost 50 million in revenue in 2024 selling just one product — a filtered showerhead. Here's how he created a framework for the perfect ecommerce business and leveraged consumer-generated content on TikTok.To learn more about Jolie and for show notes: https://www.shopify.com/blog/jolie-ecommerce-framework

In today's episode, Jon tells us about Ryan Babenzien, the CEO of Jolie. Learn about how Ryan reinvented the way people look at something as simple as a showerhead.  Visit JonDavids.com for more info. And follow Jon across social: X (Twitter) | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube 

Jolie launched with the thesis that it could convince people that a shower head is a wellness product. The bet seems to have worked. The company, which says it is profitable, is about three years old and brought in more than $25 million in revenue in 2023. Co-founder and CEO Ryan Babenzien credits two things with its success: an ardent fan base that evangelized the brand and a growing omnichannel strategy. Babenzien joined the Modern Retail Podcast this week and spoke about Jolie's growth and future business strategy. Jolie makes a filtered shower head. As Babenzien described it, this is "step zero" of everyone's skin care routine. "The one constant… is your shower," he said. "You may change your shampoo every week, but you still shower." With that, Jolie has taken great pains to market itself as something beyond a product you would buy at the hardware store. Some of the brand's first store accounts were in untraditional spots. This was by design -- find retail environments that cater to people looking for better wellness products. For example, Jolie is available at Erewhon as well as Revolve.com. "That was sort of step one, let's show up where the customer with an interest in this stuff will show," said Babenzien. "It's pretty simple, not a lot of complexity, common sense. And from there, we can start to scale out." Once the customers found Jolie, the company made user-generated content a big part of its marketing play. "People influence people," Babenzien said. With that, the company has amassed nearly 20,000 pieces of unique UGC over the last few years. The idea was to use this free content as a way to offset expensive digital marketing. "Paid marketing has not performed well for over a decade. And yet the entire industry is still spending the majority of their marketing budget on paid," Babenzien said. "It just isn't working, guys." With that the focus is on more growth, but keeping profitability in mind. While the company has focused on beauty and wellness destinations, that doesn't mean Jolie won't be sold in some more traditional environments. "We see us showing up in Home Depot one day and Costco," Babenzien said. "Even though we're a beauty wellness tool, we're just going to be positioned slightly different in Home Depot."

The following episode is a panel discussion from the BUILD Summit in New York led by Nik Sharma, the CEO of Sharma Brands. He is joined by Ryan Babenzien, the CEO & co-founder of Jolie, Ali Moiz, the founder of Native, and Juhi Pikale, the VP of Performance Marketing at Fabletics. Topics include how to build CPG brands, how to market, how to scale your company, and how to actually have a product people want.  ======================= Trust and Will has simplified the process of creating and managing your will or trust online. They leverage a data-driven, design-first approach and amazing customer support to help you protect your legacy from the comfort of your home starting at just $159. Sign up today for 10% off using ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://trustandwill.com/pomp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ======================= Get Better Crypto Data: Do you want faster, easier crypto data? Sign up for Velo Data, a new product that we have been working on to solve this problem: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠velowaitlist.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ======================= Pomp writes a daily letter to over 250,000+ investors about business, technology, and finance. He breaks down complex topics into easy-to-understand language while sharing opinions on various aspects of each industry. You can subscribe at https://pomp.substack.com/

Ethan Song and Ryan Babenzien of Jolie Skin discuss the importance of profitability in business. Hear how DTC has evolved over the last decade from a business model to a distribution channel. Gain insights from Ryan as he shares his experience scaling brands without sacrificing profitability. This episode also delves into supply chain, venture capital and remote work.Subscribe to our Substack and YouTube for more engaging content and thoughtful analysis.- - - - - - - - - - - - Links DiscussedJolie SkinGreats- - - - - - - - - - - - Show Notes:9:13 Sales channels14:33 Identifying a market opportunity17:03 Launching Jolie19:53 The advantages of experience26:23 Lean overhead30:03 The importance of saying no34:18 Content strategy38:33 Retention41:33 Getting profitable quickly46:48 True disruption - - - - - - - - - - - - Past guests on the Pop Up Report include Stephen Kuhl (Burrow), Jake Karls (Mid-Day Squares), Alan Wood (Rally Beer Company). Stay tuned for new episodes from upcoming guests including Rami Helali (Kotn), Genevieve Brousseau Provencher (Dose Juice), Tricia Stevens (Plantd Skincare) and many more.- - - - - - - - - - - - Additional Episodes You Might Enjoy:E5 - Why You Shouldn't Take VC Money, Even When You Can (Bonus)E6 - Scaling Blume to $10m through Omnichannel and Community BuildingE10 - How Lanny Smith Went From Career Ending Injury to $30M Brand- - - - - - - - - - - - The Pop Up Report interviews DTC and CPG founders to uncover how they fostered and scaled their communities to create profitable businesses. Gain a deeper understanding of the tools, tactics and retention strategies that build true customer loyalty.Subscribe to the Pop Up Report on Substack or YouTube for more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepopupreport.com

Ryan Babenzien, co-founder and CEO of Jolie, talks about why he made the decision to market his shower head brand as a beauty and wellness company.

In this episode, Ken sits down with Ryan Babenzien, the brilliant mind behind Greats, a renowned footwear brand that has taken the industry by storm. But today, Ryan is here to share his latest venture: Jolie, a groundbreaking showerhead filter brand.Join Ken as he delves into Ryan's entrepreneurial journey, from building a successful sneaker empire to tackling a new frontier in personal care. Discover the inspiration behind Jolie and how Ryan's passion for sustainability and wellness led him to revolutionize the way we experience showers.

Ryan Babenzien, the Founder of Jolie Skin and Greats Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanbbabenzien Jolie Skin Co - https://jolieskinco.com/ Babenzien began his career managing clients at ICM Partners. Towards the end of the 1990s, he began consulting with fashion companies, including Eckō Unltd. and Mecca. He later worked for Puma, eventually landing with K-Swiss. Babenzien served as the director of lifestyle and entertainment marketing for that company, and then the Global Director ofEntertainment Marketing. Babenzien became the CEO of Boast in 2010, re-establishing the retail brand that had been founded in 1973. Babenzien worked with Andy Spade to revive the company, and began showing collections for both men and women in advance of the company's 40th anniversary. In 2013 Babenzien founded the online footwear company Greats Brand with Jon Buscemi. Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanbbabenzien Jolie Skin Co - https://jolieskinco.com Sponsored by:

today on read receipt i'm talking with ryan babenzien and arjan singh the founders and ceos of jolie, a showerhead company that is revolutionizing beauty with clean water. after leaving behind careers in footwear marketing and consulting, this duo came together to launch a product that promises to be your essential beauty tool.we chat about being nimble with your brand vision, launching an e-commerce business in the pandemic, and consumer groupthink. 

Ryan Babenzien, the Founder of Jolie Skin and Greats, adds his page to the Marketing Playbook. Hear how to take the road less traveled, establish the pillars for your business, market in the channels where the customers are, Ryan's top startup tips, and his New Year's resolutions. Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn and JolieSkinCo.com

Ryan Babenzien is only the second person I've brought on for another go, and I guarantee you will think about your shower differently after this conversation. More importantly, you will think about water differently after hearing Ryan speak about his new venture, Jolie Skin Co. I was so excited to have Ryan back on the show, he's become a good friend, and certainly serves as an inspiration to me. He and made time during my last trip to New York City not only to catch up, but record this shorter pod to spread the word that it's high time you consider how you're treating your body's largest organ. STANDARD H https://standard-h.com/ @standardh_ @standardh_podcast Ryan Babenzien https://jolieskinco.com/ @jolieskinco @ryanbbabenzien Passion Fine Jewelry https://passionfinejewelry.com/ @passionfinejewelry Independent in Time https://www.independentintime.com/ @independentintime

Ryan Babenzien talks with the guys about how he utilized collaborations to hack early growth for his sneaker brand GREATS, and how he leveraged strategic relationships to ultimately sell GREATS to footwear giant Steve Madden.

Ryan Babenzien, founder and former CEO of GREATS shoes, talks with the Nerd Sniped team about startups, direct-to-consumer business models, innovative brand launches.

As previously stated, season 3 has been prerecorded so amidst these times of COVID-19, please note these conversations all took place prior to Social Distancing recommendations and mandates. Episode 32 hosts Ryan Babenzien, the founder of the very versatile shoe brand, Greats, which has experienced an impressive rise within the saturated market of footwear. We talk about growing up riding dirt bikes on Long Island, his 12-year stint living in Los Angeles, as well as his return to his native New York to create and organically grow one of the first digitally native brands. Having spawned from the desire to create a line of shoes representing some of the greatest silhouettes ever designed, there’s a lot we unpack including great insight as to what he’s experienced over the last 7 years and why Greats has been able to excel. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation as it‘a the first episode that dives a bit deeper into the business side things. Ryan was incredibly gracious about the ins and outs of everything from start-up to sharing operations-based information of Greats and I can’t thank him enough for being open. We also have some fun chatting about cars and watches, of course, so stay tuned for that. Links: STANDARD H @standardh_ Greats @greats Passion Fine Jewelry @passionfinejewelry Independent in Time @independentintime --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/standardhpodcast/support

On episode five of COVID-19 Retail Pulse: Live, Ryan and Joe are joined by Ryan Babenzien, CEO of Brooklyn-based luxury sneakers company GREATS, a WITHIN client.  Some key takeaways from our talk today were: How to maximize your cash flow by focusing on metrics other than CPA or ROAS to increase profit without more spend How SMS has become a top channel for GREATS during the outbreak even though only 1/4 of marketers use it Ways to adapt your messaging for COVID-19 authentically and effectively Giving back through initiatives like BRANDS X BETTER To sign up for the next Retail Pulse Live podcast, visit: http://covidretailpulse2020.splashthat.com/w For WITHIN’s COVID-19 Retail Pulse dashboard visit: https://covid19.within.co/covid-19retailpulse/ For BounceX’s COVID-19 dashboard, visit: https://www.bouncex.com/covid-19/

On this episode of The Laws of Style, host Douglas Hand is joined by the founder of a men’s footwear phenomenon GREATS, Ryan Babenzien. They discuss the DTC, vertically integrated business model, the GREATS Steve Madden merger they completed this year, and why white sneakers with a suit is sartorial suicide. Listen in. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For the last 15 years, Manish Chandra has motivated pivotal shifts in how and where we buy things. Manish is the CEO of Poshmark, a social marketplace for people to buy and sell secondhand fashion and home goods. Long before founding Poshmark, he was creating social shopping experiences online. An engineer and marketer by trade, he believes in connecting community and technology, with people at the platform’s core. Community guides all the decisions that he makes for his company. On this episode, Manish talks about the logistics of online consumer-to-consumer resale (7:39). He shares how Poshmark negotiated PoshPost, the first-ever USPS shipping label designed for the marketplace economy (9:19). Most ecommerce plays start on the web and then move to mobile — Poshmark bet on an iPhone app first. Hear how they design their app as the expectations for selling pre-owned items evolve (12:21). He talks about challenging linear growth (15:56) and the Marie Kondo effect (23:46). Manish wants consumers to rethink the merchandising for social (31:50), and how Poshmark facilitates discovery amidst millions of items on the platform (33:04). Finally, Manish shares how he’s fostering an authentic community (36:59) and steadily growing their big ideas, even when it means taking a step back (43:27). Also mentioned on the show: Celebrating the Stories We Wear with Nellie Cohen on Well Made Moving the Rock from Zero to One with Ryan Babenzien on Well Made Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations Oprah and Eckhart Tolle: A NEW EARTH Links and images and can be found on the Lumi blog.

Ryan Babenzien is the founder and CEO of Bobbi's favorite sneaker company, Greats! Unlike other popular/mainstream sneaker companies, Greats offers timeless sneaker designs that are crafted in Italy for pretty much the same price as a lot of designer sneakers.Before starting his own sneaker company, Ryan tried different career paths including being a talent agent, a manager, and a producer. It wasn't until he realized his entrepreneurial spirit, and began his own sneaker company. In this conversation Bobbi and Ryan talk about how to go it on your own, building your dream, and why you should trust your gut.

I’m a huge fan of Greats Brand sneakers. I own 9 pairs of their Royale (yes, I have a sneaker problem…) so this is a huge pleasure for me to have Greats CEO and Founder on the podcast to talk to the man himself Ryan Babenzien about his passion for footwear, how he got Greats started, having the balls to call the company Greats, growing up on Long Island, fashion and what building an iconic brand really means and the loneliness and challenges of being an entrepreneur. In 2013 Ryan Babenzien founded the online footwear company Greats Brand with Jon Buscemi. He knew that he wanted to create a high quality footwear brand that was sold direct to the consumer rather than through 3rd party retailers. Taking a similar concept to what had previously been successful in other arenas, GREATS rapidly gained traction in a finicky market. By going direct-to-consumer, GREATS has been able to offer high-quality footwear -- not unlike other luxury footwear labels -- but at reduced costs. Babenzien began his career managing clients at ICM Partners. Towards the end of the 1990s, he began consulting with fashion companies, including Eckō Unltd. and Mecca. He later worked for Puma, eventually landing with K-Swiss. Babenzien served as the director of lifestyle and entertainment marketing for that company, and then the Global Director of Entertainment Marketing. Babenzien became the CEO of Boast in 2010, re-establishing the retail brand that had been founded in 1973. Babenzien worked with Andy Spade to revive the company, and began showing collections for both men and women in advance of the company’s 40th anniversary.

Ryan Babenzien, the founder and CEO of Greats, has a long history with sneakers and streetwear. When he was growing up, streetwear was a type of fashion that celebrated the rebellious spirit of 1980s youth; it pulled inspiration from luxury brands and flipped them into styles the majority could afford. Nowadays, streetwear has moved up and onto major runways, and for Babenzien, it has morphed into something that can no longer be defined by the same term. On the first episode of our limited series, Glossy Trend Watch: Streetwear Edition, fashion reporter Danny Parisi sits down with Babenzien to to discuss the evolution of streetwear, including the reason he believes it's now dead.

After leading Entertainment Marketing at Puma and K-Swiss, GREATS co-founder, Ryan Babenzien built his own brand of premium footwear, online. Four years in, Ryan is sharing how GREATS is toeing the line of tradition and trend in retail. On this episode, Ryan talks about scaling influence (4:16). He shares how finding the razor’s edge in growth is an exercise in brand building (10:54) and managing marketing collaborations tightly (11:30). Ryan explains what all great brands have in common (12:56), and how he found the right wholesale partner in Nordstrom (15:51). He talks about GREATS’ design ethos (18:11) and how classics will always drive volume over trends (21:09) — arguing that hype is the enemy of brand (28:27). He shares how they leverage Single’s Day even when they don’t sell overseas (35:30) and their biggest design learning (36:46). Lastly, Stephan and Ryan evaluate cost per wear (47:11) and Ryan’s own set of “greats” (49:20). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

When Ryan Babenzien decided to launch his own sneaker company in 2014, the direct-to-consumer brand boom was in full swing. He saw it as an opportunity to develop a brand that struck a balance between traditional and digitally-native retail. In this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Babenzien to discuss how he's growing a brand that embraces DTC and traditional retail, balances quality and cost, and serves casual and fashion-forward dressers alike. 

Cory Stout is the founder and "captain" of Woodies sunglasses. More than making cool shades, he's found a way to run a business that suits his lifestyle, allowing him to travel whenever he wants (which is most of the time) rather than living in boardrooms and offices. We caught up with Cory just steps from the sands of Venice Beach to hear his lessons on how he's applying the 4 Hour Workweek and what he's learned along the way. If you liked this episode, check out our interview with Ryan Babenzien: https://soundcloud.com/rebel_radio/ryan-babenzien EDM.com Track of the Week: https://soundcloud.com/chill/tim-schaufert-and-cashforgold-awake

My guest this week is Ryan Babenzien, founder of the cult sneaker brand Greats.Ryan and I discuss how he started Greats with zero advertising, the importance of mentoring future entrepreneurs, and how “hype is the enemy of brand.”Follow Ryan on Instagram**This episode is sponsored by Panacea Skincare -- Blamo! listeners get 20% off their first purchase**Follow Blamo! on Instagram and Facebook

The Guest: GREATS Edited by George Drake, Jr. Music by Lucas Brahme — About Loose Threads — Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the latest analysis and podcasts: http://eepurl.com/buLQY9 Twitter Full Transcript The Loose Threads Podcast explores the intersection of consumer, retail and commerce. Hosted by Richie Siegel, the founder of Loose Threads, each episode features an in-depth conversation with one guest about their founding story and how it fits into the current state of the industry. Guests come from all different backgrounds, spanning the consumer goods, fashion, retail and technology industries. The unifying thread is always the rapid change facing the industry and how entrepreneurs are responding. You can listen to the podcast on any player of your choice, in addition to on LooseThreads.com.

Ryan Babenzien, Founder of Greats, steps back on to the New York Launch Pod to discuss the growth of his vertically integrated Brooklyn based sneaker company. Since we first spoke to Ryan in March 2016, his company has more than doubled in revenue, the headcount of the employees has doubled, opened their first retail location and expanded their offerings with a women's line of footwear.  However, it has not been easy.  There is increased competition in the online footwear marketplace and finding the right people to join the Greats team has taken some time. In this episode Ryan talks about the successes and challenges behind his company's growth and the plans for the future of Greats.  Listen to the podcast to find out how the company will expand its brand through physical stores, how the brand collaborates with designers, and what Greats looks for in its employees.  Ryan also tells the story of how Barack Obama and Ryan Seacrest came to be fan of the sneakers and one competitor he is not afraid of.   More on Greats: https://www.greats.com/ Transcript available here: http://nylaun.ch/HYDGreatsTr

Our host Ross Martin isn’t just a fan of sneakers—he’s a superfan. For this Fan Club episode we're going inside the lives (and closets) of people like Ross whose lives are consumed by sneakers. First we tour Ross's expansive sneaker collection with Ryan Babenzien, CEO of Greats, a Brooklyn sneaker company. Then Ross talks with Ron Faris, GM, Nike NYC Digital Studio & SNKRS App, about the power of digital fanatical communities and the depths fans go to express their love of sneakers.

Luggage isn’t an industry you’d think of as ripe for disruption. Unless your name is Netta Shalgi. Today’s guest set out to make a better suitcase. He started his journey 11 years ago with an idea and some design skills. Fast forward to last year, his G-Ro luggage launch raised over $4 million on Kickstarter. The first bags shipped at the end of the year. They’re dope. Just making a cool bag with big as wheels wasn’t enough. Netta is out to build a brand that better suits the needs of modern travelers than the current options. If you liked this episode, check out our interview with Ryan Babenzien: https://soundcloud.com/rebel_radio/ryan-babenzien EDM.com Track of the Week: https://soundcloud.com/thisisechelon/ronzel-arpyem-come-back-home-virginia-palmsVirginia Palms

Brothers Ryan Babenzien (GREATS) and Brendon Babenzien (NOAH) on building a brand. How do you create a brand today? The internet and social platforms like Instagram have made it easier for anyone to sell and promote a product or service, but has it made the market better? With so many different brands competing in the same industry, is it still possible to make something authentic? GREATS co-founder Ryan Babenzien and NOAH founder Brendon Babenzien are two brothers with plenty of experience in brand building. We talk to them about the challenges of having an independent brand in 2016, and the lessons they've learned along the way. Brands mentioned in this podcast: www.greats.com www.noahny.com Visit www.highsnobiety.com for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brothers Ryan Babenzien (GREATS) and Brendon Babenzien (NOAH) on building a brand. How do you create a brand today? The internet and social platforms like Instagram have made it easier for anyone to sell and promote a product or service, but has it made the market better? With so many different brands competing in the same industry, is it still possible to make something authentic? GREATS co-founder Ryan Babenzien and NOAH founder Brendon Babenzien are two brothers with plenty of experience in brand building. We talk to them about the challenges of having an independent brand in 2016, and the lessons they've learned along the way. Brands mentioned in this podcast: www.greats.com www.noahny.com Visit www.highsnobiety.com for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Babenzien, Founder of Greats, steps on to the New York Launch Pod to discuss his Brooklyn based sneaker company. Greats is vertically integrated so that the company manufactures and sells directly to consumers. Without relying on retailers, Greats is able to sell at a lower price than “legacy brands” and cut traditional twelve month development cycles in half, all while making a premium product.

We interview Ryan Babenzien, founder of Greats Brand shoes. "Who are Greats, and what’s a Babenzien,” you ask? We finna tell you. Greats is a great, ahem, sneaker brand out of Brooklyn. Did you hear us? Brooklyn. That right there should tell you it’s great. Ryan and his team are making classic sneaker designs with high-end materials and craftsmanship, the kind of shoe you get for $400 at Barneys or whatever, except these ain’t at no store and they don’t cost no $400. Greats is pioneering a direct-to-consumer business for sneakers, maybe the first one out there doing it. This means you can’t buy them in stores and don’t pay the markups that are typical at retail stores. You buy them at Greats.com and get a lot more for the money. We're bringing you the future right here. But this also means that Ryan and the rest of the Greats crew have to really be on their shit when it comes to marketing and building a brand. Ain’t no Al Bundy selling shoes out there for him. He has to hit you on the Twitter or Instagram or whatever and make you want to click that buy button. We’re gonna find out how they do it. And why. And we’re giving away a pair of Greats shoes to one lucky listener. Follow us on Twitter to find out how to win. Leave us a comment and let us know if you want more from the streetwear and fashion industry. We'll make it happen for you. The EDM.com track of the week is Sum1 Else from WITHOUT: https://soundcloud.com/ivoryoasis/without-sum1-else If you enjoyed the music snippets from this episode, please find the link to the track here: Leon Bridges, Coming Home https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/leon-bridges-coming-home-album/id973792791?i=345999654&mt=2