Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ike Lewis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ike, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I created Flip Or Drip because I saw how the big sneaker platforms were taking over the sneaker game, inserting themselves into every deal, and charging high fees. I wanted to build a free marketplace where buyers and sellers could connect directly, negotiate on their own terms, and truly reclaim the game. To me, this is that direction that sneaker culture should have gone years ago. We should have not sacrificed convenience for connection. But nobody has been willing to build a platform that is totally free.

Ike, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been into sneakers ever since the 4th grade. You just feel better when you are wearing a cool pair of shoes. I realized that there were many people just like me that enjoyed the same passion. I’m most proud of building something that truly helps the community by making buying, selling, and trading sneakers more personal, accessible, and fair.

At the end of the day, Flip Or Drip is all about connection—helping sneakerheads build relationships, grow their collections, and keep more money in their pockets. For those that are tired of high fees and impersonal transactions, this platform is long overdue.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I thought that if I brought on a few partners, and gave them equity, that they would have the same passion that I have on this project. This is not the case. It turns out that people do not appreciate what they don’t earn themselves. I gave a significant amount of ownership to an individual to help me get the word out. After one year of him doing nothing, we had to go separate ways. He treated this business like it was a high school group project and expected the rest of us to do the heavy lifting. Anything that is worth having requires sacrifice. I am nowhere near my goal, but I have learned to enjoy the journey.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of the biggest pivots I had to make was realizing that a lot of sneaker resell shops weren’t going to support Flip Or Drip, even though the platform benefits them. At first, I thought they’d use it to promote their inventory for free, but many saw it as a threat because it lets people buy and sell without paying consignment fees. Instead of relying on shops, I shifted all of my focus to individual buyers and sellers—the real heart of the sneaker community. This pivot made Flip Or Drip even stronger because it reinforced our mission: empowering sneakerheads to connect directly and reclaim the game.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flipordrip.com/
• Instagram: @flpordrp