We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brian Penn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brian below.

Brian, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The clean kicks concept fell in my lap to some extent. I’m a Personal Trainer at Avenue X Fitness, located in Grandview. In December of 2022, one of our clients kept complimenting my shoes. She asked me how and where I keep buying new shoes from. I responded, “I don’t buy new shoes, Jess. I just clean my kicks a lot.” She asked me to clean hers and I agreed.

Fast forward three months and it’s a Saturday afternoon. I’m on a picnic with my partner, Brittany. I received a text from Jessica stating she put 5 pairs of shoes on my porch to clean. When I got home, there they were. 5 or 6 pairs of kicks. I cleaned them on Sunday and while taking them to Jessica’s house (Monday afternoon), the idea hit me like a running into a brick wall. I thought…

“A pickup/drop off sneaker cleaning company. Hmm. That doesn’t exist here in Columbus.”

I called my team which includes my daughters, my business partner, my two best friends, my mentor, my mom and my brother. When I have an entrepreneurial idea, those are the people I call to help me understand if it’s a good idea or something I should steer away from. If I can get 4 or 5 of them to cosign my idea, I usually run with it. Every, single one of them loved the concept and said “DO IT NOW.” I knew it would be a hit.

clean kicks fulfills a need for the Columbus metropolitan area. A “barbershop meets a dry cleaner” type experience for sneakerheads, cool kids, families, businesses and more. So many people have a nostalgic connection to their kicks. Our goal is to bring the community together, grow the brand in a “word of mouth” grass roots way, and bring peoples kicks back to life.

Over 500 pairs of kicks and 95+ (5 Star) Google Reviews later, we’re here and havin’ an absolute blast.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well, I’ve been cleaning my own kicks since I was a teenager. Most weekends, you could find me in my bedroom cleanin’ my kicks with a toothbrush. I’ve always been fascinated with making sure my shoes are clean . With that said, I never saw the monetary value or the actual “need” for it. I also grew up with an extremely creative mind. I’m a songwriter, piano player, poet, emcee/host and I do graphic design and consultation work for companies and brands. To some capacity, I’ve been working towards the development of clean kicks my whole life.

clean kicks provides all types of “services’, but (in lament terms) we’re shoe restoration and shoe cleaning company. We’re “Premium Sneaker Treatment. For Premium Sneakerheads. We clean and paint kicks along with offering Ice Sole Restoration, sneaker cologne and more. What sets us apart is our authenticity, hard work, talent/skillset and the fact we absolutely LOVE what we do. Our team is a true family, full of love and support for the brand, each other and the community we represent; Columbus, Ohio.

What am I the most proud of? Great question. It’s the Google Reviews for sure. 95+ Google Reviews is one thing for a small business. The fact we’re all 5-Star is beyond overwhelming to me. We’re a local, small, black-owned business. Our reviews are a true testament to our work, Customer Service and the relationships we’ve built with our clientele.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth has a been the best source of new clients and it’s not close. When a client leaves and tells/shows a friends their experience with clean kicks, it’s the best form of marketing. Not only do they trust their friend/loved one, but they have they can actually see their kicks. When they see their shoes come back looking dam near brand new, they want theirs done immediately.

Secondly, would be Google. We’ve received many calls from potential clients who saw our reviews & pictures on Google and called us strictly based on it. The photos and reviews don’t lie.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had to pivot so many times in my life, but I can say clean kicks has been biggest (and most rewarding) pivot, quite truthfully. In 2018, I got fired from my job. To be honest, I’ve been fired from every job I’ve had. I finally learned “I can work with people, but I can’t work for people.” I didn’t want anyone being responsible for my financial livelihood and I got tired of utilizing my skillset to make other peoples dreams come true. I decided to launch my first company. Penn Media Consulting is a marketing agency focused on social media, website content, graphic design and more.

The first couple years were phenomenal. I was doing marketing for restaurants, gyms/workout facilities, an apparel company and some other local brands. When the Covid-19 shutdown happened, my clients couldn’t afford to pay me anymore. I truly had no clue what to do. When I received the text from Jessica in March of 2023, the shift/pivot was born.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.cleankicks614.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cleankicks.614
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cleankicks.614
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-kicks-614
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@cleankicks.614
• Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@cleankicks.614