How I Crafted a Successful Brand That Resonates With People

0:01This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners, sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once.

0:35So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9 % of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com. Just 33 days after signing his first NBA contract in 2009, Lanny Smith suffered a career-ending knee injury. Afterwards, he transitioned to entrepreneurship, and in 2020, he launched an athlete's brand called Actively Black. Smith's company donates a meaningful percentage of its profits to organizations and programs that support Black communities in the United States.

1:16Lanny Smith:The first brand that I actually launched was called Active Faith, a faith-based sports apparel brand. launched that brand out of my mom's house in 2010, had some great success with it. Unfortunately, we do have to deal with the realities of society. I was actually hiding myself from people knowing that I was the founder of Active Faith. I was afraid that if they knew it was this young black male that was the founder, that it would have a negative impact on the business. And unfortunately, I had multiple experiences that supported that fear. There was a group that was emailing in that had interest in possibly investing in active faith and go back and forth over email, set up the in-person meeting.

2:02Lanny Smith:I never forget walking through those doors and just seeing the looks on their faces. They were shocked that it was me. And all of a sudden they weren't interested in investing anymore. My parents raised me to be proud of who I am, to be proud of my culture, to be hiding myself for those reasons was something that I struggled with internally. And so in 2018, the movie Black Panther came out and, you know, it shows the power of representation. That was my first time really like seeing a superhero that looked like me. And it was just such a powerful thing. And I saw the way the Black community and the entire diaspora really kind of came together around, you know, Black Panther and the movie.

2:41Lanny Smith:I remember walking out of the theater saying, man, I want to create a brand that makes my people feel the way that we felt in that movie. When you make something that makes somebody feel a certain type of way, people might forget what you say, but they'll never forget how you made them feel, right? I think that's part of the success that we've had is people are getting the product, they're buying into the brand and how they feel changes. One of my favorite pieces of feedback I get is when there's complete strangers who are in an airport or somewhere and they see each other wearing actively black and then they have a conversation.

3:19Lanny Smith:They connect over them both being part of this tribe. There's power in that. The negative images, the oppression, all the things that have been, the negative things that have been attached to being black, we're moving our people away from that and talking about, you know, the greatness that lives within us, the Nikes of the world, the Adidas, the Puma, et cetera, et cetera. You know, Nike wants you to be a walking billboard for Nike. They want you to wear the swoosh across your chest and be a walking billboard for Nike. The power in the brand and what we're building with Actively Black is that my customers, the tribe, they don't see themselves as a walking billboard for Actively Black.

3:56Lanny Smith:They actually see Actively Black as something that is the billboard for them. Giving back and impacting our community is, it's part of the why of why we're doing this. In 2022, we did, you know, over 5 million in revenue. We donated$500 ,000 back into the black community. So that's 10 % of our revenue. When our audience also sees that, oh, they're actually about what they're talking about. Like this isn't just lip service. They're actually putting action behind it. It continues to have that compounding effect because now, you know, we get those comments all the time where our customers are like, you know what?

4:33Lanny Smith:I know that my money is going to something that's also going back into my community, that's also helping somebody. I don't mind spending this money with Actively Black. You know what I mean? Like I want to spend my money with Actively Black because I know that it's going for good. That makes me very proud. And this is just the beginning of that. Some people will look at, you know, oh, you're serving a niche audience as a negative. But to me, that's actually the positive. Actually, that is the unlock. That is the way that you stand out and give yourself the best chance of success. I can't compete with Nike on research and development on R &D.

5:09Lanny Smith:We don't have a budget for that. I can't compete with them on the technical side of the product. Can't compete with them on so many different things. But I have a place where Nike cannot compete with me. They cannot out Black culture a company that is literally built from that. That's our foundation. That's who we are. We are this 365 days out of the year. It's not just a Black History Month collection that, you know, Nike's going to release that. You know what I'm saying? It's not just for Juneteenth. Those giants cannot compete in that space.

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