GIVEAWAY: BEEING (2 WINNERS)
It's no secret on here that I admire the entrepreneurial spirit. One of the best things about blogging has been interacting with so many impressive self-starters, individuals who decide to go at it on their own. So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to Beeing and the wonderful team behind the brand: Michael Idiokitas and Feginse Youance.
When did you guys start this business and why?
We all met in 2003 while students at NYU. The original idea was to simply make a shirt that celebrated and embraced our culture and heritage. The first shirt, "I love Beeing Black" was born. We officially launched our first T-Shirt at a NYU fashion show in 2004. The response was amazing, so we thought that it would be cool to do the same for our extremely diverse group of friends. Our focus has always been to empower people to embrace their heritage and that of others as well. The growth and expansion has been a joy to experience.
Is this a full time gig ?
No, it's not full-time for us. We are both what you might call serial entrepreneurs. It will be pretty difficult for us to just do one thing full-time.
So, how do you manage the time to do everything?
We have pretty fluid schedules and dedicate a portion of everyday to work on something that will make Beeing better. We usually speak, email or text each other every day (weekends included).
What are your plans for the future?
We’re going to continue to grow and expand into more products that are relevant to the culture and heritage of our customers. We are also looking to start doing more appropriate partnerships, like what we recently did with Just Shea. You can find out more about the partnership and the great products made by Just Shea here (http://www.ilovebeeing.com/partnerships/just_shea.html).
Do you have a workspace/factory space/production space etc?
There is no specific work space. The designing and meetings take place everywhere. We are committed to a lean and flat company structure, so no matter how large the brand gets we will still have meetings on the go or at a café.
Where else can we find your goodies? (website, FB, stores etc)
You can find all our goodies at our website (http://www.ilovebeeing.com/).
Lessons learned, Any advice for people considering starting their own business?
Think BIG but be realistic. Don't be scared to try something. Go out and test your ideas. Do not wait until the product or idea is perfect before you bring it to market, the things we think are perfect now took a while to become perfect products/ideas.
For fun: What are you NOW
Listening: Bruno mars- Locked out of heaven and Nas-Life is Good
Reading: Moonwalking With Einstein by Joshua Foer
Watching: Something Ventured (documentary about Venture Capitalist)
Must Travel recommendations: Anywhere sunny- Jamaica, DR, Belize, Ghana etc.
I always have to ask this, your Fav place to Brunch in the city:
You can’t go wrong with Mamajuana Café (the Inwood location is our favorite-247 Dyckman St).
Last but not least, a special invite, From Beeing:
For those in NYC, come enjoy food, fashion, music and culture as we celebrate 9 years of Beeing. The party will be on Friday, February 15 from 7-11pm at Nicholas Brooklyn (570 Fulton St Brooklyn, NY 11217).
UPDATE:
You can view the entire collection on their website, with close to 40 nations currently represented.
Thanks and Good Luck!