Meet Calan Smith | CEO

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

Hi Calan, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from Brampton, Ontario, Canada. A city within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) that is the home to many successful individuals such as NFL Wide receivers Josh Palmer and John Metchie III, NBA Allstar Tristan Thompson, Rap celebrity Tory Lanez and twin Youtube sensations Jay and Trey Richards of 4yallentertainment.

Growing up within a Jamaican and Guyanese household, my brothers and I were taught that nothing in this world is given to you for free. In other words, in order for someone to become successful in whatever they choose to do in their life, they must work harder than the average person. This is especially because we are hailing from Canada, and we are viewed as minorities within a society that does not give enough to the less fortunate.

With this in mind, I am always looking to prove myself to others while also constantly looking to improve on my current skills. This includes my communication skills, knowledge of sales, marketing and understanding of how to approach an individual based on the location in which they live.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Growing up, I’ve always enjoyed making people smile whether it was through my presence and personality, or through events that I’ve thrown. As I grew older, I realized that I have the ability to empower others by speech and fashion. I began looking to icons within the rap industry such as superstars and fashion icons Kanye West and the late Nipsey Hussle. Like them, I also felt that I could carry a form of influence for people to be empowered by.

I realized this is something I can look back at and realize that I started this business from the bottom and turned it into a well-known store within my own neighbourhood and/or city. I’d like to show people that if I can find success solely from perseverance and grit, they can do the same thing within their own community.

Although it was not easy, I feel like taking risks is just something that comes with starting a business and just beginning anything from scratch. Specifically for me, starting with low capital and not having much stock on hand as I would have wanted was one of the biggest risks I had taken in my career.

Having to constantly watch how much money was spent on jerseys and how much money I was putting into promotions while not having a lot of money to even begin with was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Especially because I started my production during the height of COVID in 2020! Being from Canada, everything was shut down; so when it came to importing shipments and exporting deliveries to individuals from different countries such as the US and Germany, business was a lot slower than what was deemed to be normal.

So one of the biggest lessons I learned was becoming more aware of the principles of saving money and becoming more inclined with the means to gain success through saving.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ever since COVID became a global virus I have not gone out as much as I used to. Therefore, in regard to building an itinerary, I usually like to keep things sporadic and in the moment. I personally believe it makes for better memories.

However, going downtown is always a fun time. If one of my friends came to visit me for the weekend I’d definitely bring them to Downtown Toronto regardless if we are doing something during the day or the night. There are numerous things to do in the city such as going to well-known nightclubs like 44 and Door 3, eating gourmet food at places like Heartbreak Chef or dining in the CN Tower’s 360 restaurant.

Although this next place is not within the downtown core, I’d definitely bring the person who came to visit me to the Niagara Speedway. This is a well-known go-karting place located in the Clifton Hill area of Niagara, Ontario.

I’d also bring them to one of my favourite food spots in Brampton called Gladiator Burger, located in the heart of the city across the street from Bramalea City Centre Mall.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All of those who have purchased and are currently buying from me now, in addition to those that have been in support of my movement from when I first started deserve a shoutout.

Website: www.6ixjerseys.com

Instagram: @sixjerseys

Facebook: sixjerseys

Image Credits
Photo credits: Kishawn Hemmings (@KaysoKreative & @itzmightyk) Yussuf Kareem (@yussufkxreem) Shaeyan Brown (@_perspectivephotography)