Meet Brian Portes| CEO of Sole Seriouss

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Portes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think of risk taking as a necessary evil, in my career and life alike. Regarding my career, I realized early on that taking risks was going to the be the way I would grow the company. It’s always nice to stay comfortable and safe, but the reality is that the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. The tricky part of that equation, however, is taking the correct risks at the right time. For me to accomplish that, I realized that I needed to educate myself in the business aspect of my career and think critically about every step and every necessary risk, in order to bring my ideas to fruition. I saw a pattern; when I took a step with little to no risk, things would become stagnant much faster and for much longer than when I took my time to be detailed and take bigger risks. Only then was I able to see upward progress; which not only helped me and the business, but it got me to a point where I could hire employees and help others out. This all applies to life as well; many get complacent and become stagnant, just because things are not going necessarily wrong. That, in turn, breeds laziness and unproductive people. I try to stay away from the “comfortable” mindset and I try to find opportunities where I can take risks, just because I know I’m capable and the satisfaction that comes with the reward, is itself a prize. The best part about taking risks, is the more you do it, the more you learn and the better you get at it. It’s a win-win!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sole Seriouss has been one of the toughest things I’ve done to date. What sets us apart would have to be the start of Sole Seriouss; how it all came about. The core team that helped start the company all knew each other personally for a while before working towards the idea. Not only were we very close friends, but we also all had a profound love for shoes and clothing. Being from NYC, we’ve always been in the center of global fashion and exposed to the sneaker collecting, from an early age. So the knowledge of sneakers and fashion served as a pillar in the start of the company, but the work ethic of the core team is what stands out to me. When we first began selling shoes, it required a lot of physical work, and still does to this day, but back then transportation was not as accessible to us. We were teenagers and we didn’t all have drivers licenses, therefore public transportation was our main form of getting around NYC. It was not easy at all, especially being teenagers in NYC walking around with expensive sneakers. There were many times where things got difficult, to the point where I didn’t know if continuing the business would be possible, but having a solid team has helped immensely in that regard. I’ve learned to be patient, smart, detailed, and organized. Things will take time sometimes, so patience is key when it comes to wanting to move things forward. I’ve learned that doing your research is essential in being able to make the right moves at the correct time. When creating and maintaining a business, repetition is inevitable, therefore it’s crucial to be detailed and organized to lessen the work on yourself and others; work smarter, not harder. It might come down to not even seeing results in the beginning, but that’s part of the journey, pushing forward is key.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The amount of things to do in NYC are endless. But I would take my friend out for breakfast and coffee at a nice bagel spot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. From there, we’d explore the city starting the Williamsburg piers looking over the East River, then we’d take the subway to Manhattan and come out to Union Square, where we’d take a walk around the park and see what street performers are out! After that we’d head uptown towards Times Square and take a look at all the luxury stores and shopping centers! We’d end up at Central Park and rent some bikes and explore the park! By that time we’d be hungry and we’d catch some tacos at an outdoor food truck somewhere in the city. After enjoying some food, we’re taking the subway back downtown and getting on a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! After that’s done, we head to Queens and have some drinks at a nice bar, then head to the Bronx for some dancing and partying at a loud club! We can end the night by crossing back over to uptown Manhattan for some more food truck food, like steak sandwiches! This is a typical day and night for us in NYC!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shout out to the core members of the group that helped me start Sole Seriouss. We were high school friends before the sneaker scene took over. We are now as close as family and successful coworkers. I realized very early in, that a strong foundation is necessary, and having the support of my close friends aided in Sole Seriouss coming to life. There are very tough days where things don’t seem like they will work out, and that’s when you need the advice and suggestions of your support group or team. When building a business, there are a lot of moving parts and one person will have grave difficulty growing their company without a solid team there to support. We call each other the core four, and we’re as close as ever as Sole Seriouss grows!

Website: soleseriouss.com

Instagram: instagram.com/soleseriouss

Twitter: twitter.com/soleseriouss

Facebook: facebook.com/soleseriouss

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@soleserioussllc

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