May 21, 2019
In this episode, I sit down with The Sneaker Lab as a guest on their podcast. I discuss life before REBEL8. I talk about growing up in San Francisco on TV dinners, living in a studio apartment with my mom. I speak on being grateful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don't. I talk about the mental struggles of running an independent streetwear brand and not comparing your life to anyone else's. I also run down the history of the brand in regards to flipping my money hundreds of times over and still hating to fail. I explain why REBEL8 is my hobby and how I've always hated school. I give my two-cents on college and why it's not for everyone. I answer questions on the REBEL8 wholesale business including Zumiez and how we've moved completely to D2C. I also go into detail about how an entire country stopped carrying our products because of what I did at a tradeshow. I talk about the REBEL8 x Vans collaboration and how personal that project was to me. I bring up Travis Barker, the relationship we've had with Famous and all the opportunities that came with it. I reveal why I decided to move REBEL8 from SF to LA. I end the interview with a bunch of sound business advice and how my OCD makes me go all in with whatever I'm passionate about.