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.