We recently connected with Althea Robotham and have shared our conversation below.
Althea, appreciate you joining us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
It has always been a rule to not involve friends and family in business. Time and time again the reason why was presented in the lack of advocacy towards my goal list. I’ve taken some business courses, and in each one, the common denominator phrase has been “Those you think will, won’t. Those you think won’t, will.” Every time it never fails. Meaning the people you think you can depend on like friends and family are the first people to back out or show no support. They will talk a good game and act as though they have your back, but to what capacity is the question. The people you think would not care or would never show any interest, are the ones who soar leaps and bounds for you in an unimaginable way. Complete strangers have promoted my company and products multiple times without me knowing or asking. The support we receive from various people around the country is truly unbelievable.
A woman from Brooklyn, NY got a pair of our B’klyn Bam sneakers and she attended a Biggie Smalls Tribute event at Lincoln Center in NYC dressed to the nine’s and matching the Bam’s. She took photos with so many people who inquired about the sneakers she was wearing. Even after the event, months later, she continued to post photos of different outfits that highlighted the sneakers and would tell people about our website. We had to make her an honorary ambassador at that point. Our ambassadors get first dibs on new products.
In my opinion, friends and family should not be involved at all because, for one, feelings will seep through the crevices. Secondly, if you have to sever ties later on, it will be a daunting task due to history. Humans love to add 2 cents to $500. Opinions will hit you from all angles. Suggestions and of course negativity are a given. They will give you 10 reasons to not pursue your dreams and 10 reasons why they will fail. It is not conducive to growth to share your process with anyone who is not in it for the long haul like business partners.
Simply put, be very careful who you talk to. I have my diehard friends I know I can depend on and family is completely excluded. It makes life easier for me to keep the separation adamant. There is less to explain and energy is allocated to what matters, the business.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
The basis of my creativity is graphic design and fashion has always been a close second. I started out dabbling in T-shirts, caps, and hoodies just to get a feel for conducting a product-based business using print-on-demand options. The quality of prints was not always up to par or was just disgraceful. Then I learned the majority of these types of companies are drop shipping the items. When I thought they were the dropping company, turns out they were paying other companies to drop ship the product. This explained why we kept getting inconsistent and inferior items. They never saw the final results before shipment.
After trying different companies I decided to pivot, reduce my items, and seriously hone in on the purpose of the brand I wanted to build because at the time I was working on started 2 other companies as well. I love huskies and wolves because they represent loyalty, strength, and resilience. Did you know some female wolves will take in a pup with no parents into her pack and raise it as her own? I just love how wolf packs remain supportive of one another and will fight to the death for each other. Hence, the reason for our brand wolf logo.
The Rekanize tagline is “Rekanize your truth.” We want to urge people to look deep within and tap into their inner wolf. Within your soul is where your strength, courage, perseverance, and loyalty reside. Your wolf will lead you to greatness if you listen and succumb to its’ calling. It’s that inner voice you may sometimes close off because you doubt yourself. Your wolf will never doubt. Whatever your aspirations are, know they can be achieved. It is never a question of IF, but WHEN?
First impressions end with footwear. People are viewed from head to toe. Growing up in NY teaches you to always evolve and stay on your game especially when it comes to fashion. Footwear must be clean, every color matches, every style is cohesive and you never mix the main brands, Nike, Puma, and Adidas. Sneaker designs came first and then the laces. The main laces we wore back in the day were called Fatties, which had a width of a 1/2” or more. These are hard to find, especially with unique designs. That is why I started out designing my own Fattie laces. I found a manufacturer and had them made to an exact size and width and currently sell them on Amazon.
To expand the brand we will be debuting our electric, sneaker cleaning machine a few months from now. The sneaker-collecting community are fanatics when it comes to their kicks. Keeping them clean is imperative. So we created a custom machine equipped with taylor made brushes, a water-resistant body, lightweight, and USB rechargeable battery. It will be a game-changer.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Sponsoring sneaker conventions by supplying a batch of our laces has broadened our brand awareness quite a bit. Each event included a competition where 3 attendees were timed as to who could lace up a pair of sneakers the fastest. The winner receives a pair of Rekanize laces along with the kicks they use in the battle. The winner receives a pair of Rekanize laces along with the kicks they use in the battle. These events bring in thousands of people. Our commercial is shown on a constant video loop during the event day and the host promotes our brand on social media leading up to the convention day.
Another avenue I ventured into is connecting with DJ’s. I noticed many of them wear designed t-shirts while recording themselves on the one and two’s at home or at an event. I figured there was an opportunity for promotion. They wear a Rekanize shirt or hat and upload their videos on social media. They make sure to tag us and include the hashtags #rekanize and #rekanizeyourtuth. We in turn create a video to promote the DJ and post on our social media platforms.
Another Idea I had to drive home the connections between the wolves, the brand, and the mission was to create and produce a short fictional film about the origin of the Rekanize wolves and their purpose. The film is called “Rekanize Wolves: The Origin.” It is an introduction to the wolf statuettes we will release this summer. They will be detailed, limited edition, resin wolf collectibles that represent our mission and reinforce the importance of Rekanizing your truth. The packaging is superb and packed with detailed luxury items. I can truly say nothing else exists like it. It ties in with the concept of tapping into your inner wolf, the significance of understanding your calling in life, and remaining steadfast in future endeavors.
Making the movie was a lot of fun and educational as I had to learn how to make it with the help of a 3d animator for the body of the film and good ‘ol YouTube University. It was grueling, but rewarding in the end. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback about it. It became another moment where I had a big idea, but no clue on how to bring it to fruition. Sheer will, determination, and resilience kept me striving. It’s a lifelong belief that I can not stop until the goal is met.
The movie can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rekanize.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/rekanizebrand
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/rekanizebrand
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/rekanizebrand
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/@rekanize
- Other: https://rekanize.shop
Image Credits
“TheAvebyRekanize-cover.jpg” and “DSCF1502_revise.jpg” photography by Anita Kurzyna