We recently connected with Leana Shayefar and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Leana, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Arebesk specializes in high quality luxury grip socks and creator of the first sock wash bag sold with each pair of grip socks. Arebesk was born after I took a Pilates class 5 years ago which reignited my passion to design. I had given up on being a business owner / designer after starting 3 businesses in the past and not being able to fully get them off the ground they way I wanted to. I had 2 kids and took some time off. It was during that time I walked into a Pilates studio and after taking classes for a month I noticed really bad grip on all the sock options in studios as well as basic socks that didnt match nicely with any of my fitnesswear. I had the idea to make more elegant socks and started on my first prototype which was a grip sock with fish net design. I used my savings to bring in 1 style in 4 colors , started working out of my garage and started selling them in local studios to see if there was a demand. We sold out in only a few days so I knew I was onto something. I sold all the units I brought in and then grew into my 2nd style and then my 3rd and so on. Today we sell in over 600 studios around the world as well as Nordstrom and Free People
Leana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I moved to Los Angeles from upstate NY when I was 19 and while finishing me bachelors degree I started an accessory line and pitched it to RAMPAGE and got my first purchase order ;) I have worked in design as well as Marketing and publicity for over 15 years. I have had every kind of job you can think of in this industry which has prepared me for my current business AREBESK . I am proud that I didnt give up because I had a few failed business attempts in the past and at the time I thought I had failed but it was all a stepping stone for what I am doing today.
Arebesk started with only 1 style because of limited funds and with lots of hard work has blossomed into a beautiful business. We have expanded into fitness gloves, legwarmers and are collaborating with FREE PEOPLE and selling to major retailers as well.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I started with 10K start up which is not much but it was the smart way to start to see if there was a demand for what I was doing before spending more money. I have used 0 outside money and have used good old hard work which is cold calling, working hard and turning alot of wheels myself. You dont need to borrow money if you start small and plan wisely
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As I mentioned before I had tried launching a few other businesses and when they didnt grow the way I thought they would it was a really big fall for me emotionally. I stepped back from this industry for a while until one day I realized I didnt want to do anything else and that nothing else would make me happy. So i picked myself back up and told myself I would work hard again and give it another try and I am glad I did because today Arebesk is growing and thriving and I am very proud that I was able to get my mindset back to where it is today to be focused and driven like never before.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arebesk.com
- Instagram: arebeskusa
- Facebook: arebeskusa
Image Credits
Photo credit : Sarah Orbanic Photo credit : Jose Landeros