Welcome back to The Spark, IDEA GENERATION’s weekly newsletter and your source for all things creative entrepreneurship.
Spark Nation,
This week we want to take time to turn the attention to you, the faithful Spark readers, before diving into the 8th edition of The Spark.
We’re curious, what are your thoughts on this weekly newsletter so far? What do you want more or less of? Do you enjoy the interviews? Do you want more Job Listings? Should there be more Hot Takes? Are you only opening the email to boost morale around the IDEA GENERATION HQ by continuing to provide us with record setting open rates? (It’s working, thank you!)
Feel free to be as brutally honest and email any of your thoughts, feelings, or share a project you’re working on here: thespark@ideageneration.com 📬
Now let’s get into it.
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HOW'D YOU THINK OF THAT?!
Eric Lee on the rise of Superline Network.
Eric Lee is the founder of Superline Network, an apparel wholesaler and media brand based out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Nearly a decade ago, Lee was arrested while selling weed and ended up with a year of house arrest. Lee’s father owned a wholesale business that was selling knockoff Jordan Brand clothes to flea markets. Dejected and stuck at home, Lee decided to step into the family business, but modernize it with a website, content, and an emphasis on social media.
Now, almost 10 years later, Superline Network has a thriving online business, an active warehouse/retail space, and an entire media network dedicated to tutorials and sharing the free game Lee wished he had back when he was 18.
Read the entire interview with Lee below.
How did you get started in the wholesale world?
My dad had a business as a wholesaler of knock-off Jordan brand clothes, like with the Jumpman going the wrong way.
And then I was selling weed and I got in trouble. I got a year of house arrest. I didn't have anything to do, so my dad's like, “Why don't you come work for me?” When I started working, I was like, “This fucking sucks. I don't want to sell this Jordan shit for the rest of my life.”
So I started my own brand, and that shit sucked. It was the era of Jerry Lorenzo and Fear of God. I was like, “I’ma be the next Fear of God.” I made like 300 shirts and the shit sat in my garage. I essentially had to give them away for free. That's when I got the idea: “Everything that I've learned in my failures could be used to educate the customer.”
Where was the business at when you stepped in?
They were doing under a million dollars per year. They had their peaks, but essentially they were sellig shitty clothes in shitty flea markets. They did do blanks, but it was never blanks that were intended for print. They were just shitty, heavyweight cotton shirts. It was just a shitty business model. I didn't want to do that for myself.
“Everything that I've learned in my failures could be used to educate the customer.”
What was your goal as you thought about building the online presence, and how did you make it happen?
The first thought was “I just don't want to be a fucking loser.” All my friends at the time were like 22, 23, so everyone's graduated college. They're making good money, they're getting to travel, and I'm fucking at home every day at my house. I'm like, “My life is so shitty, I'm fucked.”
I didn't really have any creative skills, I was just on my computer learning all this stuff. I built the first website, I learned Photoshop, I learned Illustrator. I didn't have anything else to do other than be at home. I started spraying from the hip making all sorts of content.
This was during the Chris Brown snapback era with TISA on the side. That was the trend. And then Wiz Khalifa started wearing these dad caps. So I found dad caps, I did Facebook ads and Instagram ads—this is when they were well underpriced—and I think the first month I did $30,000. And I was like, “Oh my god, I'm a fucking millionaire. I made it.”
The next success point was during COVID. I was lucky because everywhere else shut down, like New York. But Atlanta didn’t care about that shit. I had to wear a mask but nothing got shut down. So while all the other major stores were shut down, I was one of the only places that was open.
I couldn't have scripted that: all these people having extra money, and the trend of being an “entrepreneur” started and you saw all these kids flexing the poly mailers and they're in the garage with like 200 bags of clothes. I was in the right place at the right time.
As you began to create more content, was it a challenge for you to become on-camera talent?
My goal was never to be famous. I still don't want to be famous. It was just too expensive to pay somebody else to be in the videos. And there was a learning curve. If you scroll down our Instagram, there's so many videos. It was thousands of shitty videos.
I already knew how to edit, but just the little things like the hook, how we do the captions, the presets that we use. But if you're relentless about your pursuit, you'll learn those skills. Even being on camera, it took time.
“I started spraying from the hip making all sorts of content.”
What’s your advice to any creative out there looking to build their own brand?
You just gotta be fucking relentless. There's a saying, “Creative people need time to sit and do nothing.” I think that's bullshit. That's an excuse for being lazy.
I was never really considered a creative. I was always a hustler. I always sold weed, I sold clothes, I sold shoes. It wasn't until this year I played the creative thing because I could make videos. But I think for creative people, you gotta have that business mindset too.
Do you think athletes are saying, “Yo, I need to take time off to do nothing?” No. Kobe Bryant was in the gym every fucking day. Shooting a million shots. It doesn't matter if it's offseason or vacation, he’s always putting in the work.
Follow Superline Network here.
“There's a saying, ‘Creative people need time to sit and do nothing.’ I think that's bullshit. That's an excuse for being lazy.”
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TAKE THIS JOB!
Cool job listings for creatives.
EMPIRE, the independent record label founded by former IDEA GENERATION guest Ghazi Shami, is looking for a Social Media Manager for their DIRTYBIRD Records imprint.
The role requires you to be based out of San Francisco, and they’re looking for someone to:
Oversee all social content and marketing campaigns across all the dance brands social channels including but not limited to DIRTYBIRD, DIRTYBIRD Store, EMPIRE Dance, disposable.
Assist in creating and developing brand voice + look & feel for any new dance brands we create.
Ideate creative and engaging copy for all marketing campaigns.
Ideally you have:
2-4 years of experience in a related field.
Familiarity with the dance music genres & subgenres + the dance music ecosystem as a whole.
Extensive knowledge of social media and community management including hands-on management of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube.
Ability to cultivate creative and innovative social media content that cultivates engagement from our audience.
Sound like you? Apply here.
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CHEAT CODES
The search you didn’t know you needed.
Inspired by Eric’s Superline story and want to try your hand at starting your own clothing line?
We asked for his take on the best t-shirt blanks in the game right now. Here’s his recommendation:
“I would say one of my favorite shirts right now is Shakawear. It's essentially the LA Apparel shirt, but more streetwear, more beefy, and more for mens. I think LA Apparel is really good for unisex. But Shakawwear is a longer cut, it's a wider cut, it's a heavier tee, and the main reason why I like it is the pricing. You can get a Shakawear shirt wholesale for like $6.50. I think LA Apparel is like $8 or $9.”
Check out Shakawear and Los Angeles Apparel.
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KEEP SHOOTING
Your weekly reminder to keep going.
As an 8th grader in Lakewood, New Jersey, designer, artist and entrepreneur Marc Ecko started selling airbrushed t-shirts at school.
This led to the rise of his streetwear brand, “Echo,” originally spelled E-C-H-O. But after years of building the brand, including runway shows and major releases, Marc was hit with a cease and desist for the name “Echo.”
Marc was devastated. He’d spent years building this brand and now he had to change the name. But instead of dwelling on it and viewing it as a death sentence for his brand, Marc embraced the challenge.
He switched the name to Ecko, leaned into the new spelling, and discovered that the new name came with plenty of benefits, SEO advantages, and brought an overall uniqueness to the brand.
As Marc says in our interview with him, “You’ve got to fall in love with the problem.” Being an entrepreneur comes with challenges, and the way you approach them will determine your success.
So the next time you’re faced with a problem, learn to love it.