Interview with Benjamin Leis Founder Of Sweat EquiTees

Benjamin Leis is the Owner and Founder of Sweat EquiTees, a clothing company for entrepreneurs. The mission of Sweat EquiTees: an expression of entrepreneurship nationwide, is to support and promote entrepreneurship by providing the clothing to display entrepreneurial pride and through evocative designs, inspire would-be entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams. Benjamin is a serial entrepreneur, having started the first of six organizations at the age of 18 years-old as a freshman at the University of Miami and selling his first for-profit business at the age of 26. He has established himself in the college student and youth markets having developed five different brands in the industry. He was a finalist in the 2004 University of Miami’s Rothschild Business Plan Competition and Fellow in the University of Miami’s The Launch Pad. He is an active member of the Young Entrepreneur Council, the Miami startup community’s Refresh South Florida, The Startup Forum, and the University of Miami’s The Launch Pad. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication degree from the University of Miami (2004).

 

What made you think of Sweat EquiTees?

One evening in downtown Miami, two entrepreneur roommates were trying to decide what pizza restaurant to order from for dinner.  I asked my roommate, “How about Piolas?”  Will responded, “I can’t afford that, I’m a starving entrepreneur.”  The lightbulb went off (actually on, well you understand)!  I instantly thought of a T-Shirt that would read “Starving Entrepreneur, will work for Equity.”  After more thought (and googling) I realized that there weren’t any ways for lifestyle entrepreneurs (like us) to outwardly express our passion for entrepreneurship with clothing.  Drafting a list of over 100 T-shirt ideas I quickly enlisted my friend Alina to create the artistic vision for a handful of the best ones. A few weeks later the first batch of T-shirts were out on the street and being worn by some of the hippest entrepreneurs in Miami (Yup, I said hippest).

What makes your clothing line unique or different from others?

Our niche. We make our clothing specifically for proud entrepreneurs. It allows us to have laser focus on marketing and product design.

What are some of the entrepreneurs you have spotted wearing your shirts?

My roommate every Friday night and also all the local entrepreneurs in Miami that proudly wear our shirts like Brian Breslin, Davide Di Cillo, Agustina Prigoshin, Willie Morris, Jamie Silva, Susset Cabrera and countless others. Marc Ecko, Loren Ridinger, Peter Shankman, Gary Whitehill, Scott Gerber, AJ and Gary Vaynerchuk also rock our shirts.

In the future are you going to expand your designs to jeans, shoes, and other accessories?

I can’t foresee jeans and shoes but definitely hats, posters, stickers, buttons and other mediums of self-expression.

Where would you like to see Sweat EquiTees a year from now?

Worn by more people. I would be proud to know that our shirts would be worn in all 50 states. That would be cool.

Up to this point with the company is their anything different you would do from when you first started out?

I wouldn’t have tied up our cash in the initial inventory that we purchased.

What is your marketing focus for the upcoming year?

Partnerships and affiliates. We are looking for people that want to be entrepreneurial themselves and set up pop-up shops with our products at entrepreneurship meet-ups, conferences and workshops.

Besides your own what are your favorite fashion labels to wear and why?

Puma and Lucky Brand Jeans. Both make products that fit me well, look great, feel great and last a long time. Characteristics that I like to think define our brand as well.

If you can share three tips to entrepreneurs just starting out what would it be?

• Stop your research
• Bootstrap your product to launch
• Launch, learn and pivot to improve your offering