There is something unearthly magical about owning a set of limited-edition, rare or highly sought-after sneakers.
It comes the moment you crack open the lid on the quality-crafted shoebox, peel back the uncrinkled tissue paper and lay your eyes in your brand new kicks (don't even get me started on the glorious smell of new leather, mixed with rubber and Velcro!). Pretty close to heaven, right?
One individual who knows this exact feeling is Noah Vitale, a sophomore at Los Osos Senior high school in Rancho Cucamonga. The 16-year old has found a method to capture that piece of sneaker-heaven and bring it to sneakerheads all over the globe through his upstart company, Vitale Kicks.
Not only is Noah an honors student, maintaining a 4.5 GPA and person in the Grizzlies' team, he's also a consummate professional who are able to be found hours before school starts at his desk completing orders, answering customer emails and looking out for exclusive sneaks for any fanatical subculture of sneaker aficionados.
In just six months time, Vitale Kicks has earned over $250,000 dollars in product sales, thanks to a low-supply-high-demand market and a lot of effort and commitment from Noah.
Recently I sat down using the young entrepreneur to talk about how he turned his own sneaker obsession right into a thriving business.
Quesiton: I love your company logo. Who designed it?
Noah Vitale: My brother Nick designed it. He's 18 and a senior at Los Osos. We sat down together one day and merely put it together. People seem to like it so it exercised really well.
Q: So what exactly is Vitale Kicks?
Noah: Basically it's this - Nike and Jordan brands will to produce series of limited shoes whether its shoes from Jordans or Nike Running or anything like that. And since they're limited, you will see a huge interest in them.
So we find a way to buy them from retail stores after which mark them up after we have them within our hands. So, say we have a shoe that retails for $160 dollars, and it is sold-out in stores all across america. We'll take that shoe then sell it for maybe $230 dollars on our website.
We can do that due to there being such a huge demand and you can't get into a retail store and purchase them. So, the only real choice is to purchase it from the so-called reseller, which is somebody like us.
Q: So, if Nike drops a limited edition Air Force 1, and I don't want to sit before Undefeated for 2 days, I can call you up?
Noah: Yeah, exactly. We actually have people who do sit beyond stores on release day after which after they obtain the shoes we'll sell them a bit over retail. So yeah, definitely any kind of shoe as an Air Force 1 we can perform the same exact thing.
Q: Like a consumer, I think that's well worth the mark-up right there because who has time to sit in front of a store for several days?
Noah: Yeah, definitely.
Q: So do you employ individuals to sit in front of stores?
Noah: Yeah occasionally we all do. I'll pay friends say $20 bucks for one night to camp out with us. That's one of the many ways we're able to obtain the shoes.
Q: What are some other ways?
Noah: We buy them online and direct from retailers like Footlocker or NikeTown. We'll enter raffles. They are not the simplest to get. It is a complicated process. Over time we've built up friends and a network of individuals like store managers and such.
Q: It actually sounds fun.
Noah: It is fun because you're meeting new people and it is thrilling every weekend to get as numerous shoes as you possibly can and also at the same time I'm with all of my friends. It's a good experience, together with making a good profit every weekend.
Q: So basically, you've made a business from your hobby.
Noah: Definitely, since it all began with an interest in these kind of limited-edition shoes. And then realizing that there was a large potential chance to create a business making a little money.
But it all originated as a hobby of collecting and wearing these footwear. So, it is a company and a hobby at the same time.
Q: When have you start it and just how old had you been?
Noah: Well I was 15 years old and that i started the business in April of 2013.
Q: Do you remember the exact moment the idea sparked?
Noah: It started when my father and that i were outside of a Finish Line one night, where they were doing a raffle and that we could pick up two pairs of Air Jordans.
As soon as we left from the store some people stopped us and offered us a huge $150 dollars over-retail for them. I was like, 'Wow did that really just happen'?
It motivated my dad too because usually whenever you tell a parent about doing something similar to this they would say, 'Nah, there's no way! You cannot go purchase a shoe that's inside a store and resell it for more.'
But as soon as somebody around the sidewalk stopped my father and said, "Hey, I'll get those for $280 dollars at this time," I think that actually type of lit the spark for everything.
Q: It truly helps to have your dad in your corner doesn't it?
Noah: Yeah it will be did assistance to have my dad on my small side. When someone my age is beginning off they'll not have the revenue to be able to buy 100 pairs of shoes. So having my father to help me out (and his credit card) was definitely a great benefit.
But, my parents will always be supportive of whatever I actually do. After i told my father I needed to get this done, he was all for this because after i would be a younger kid I'd another business and he saw how well Used to do with that.
Q: What's the most expensive shoe you've sold?
Noah: Nike includes a foundation with Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Oregon. At the to begin the entire year they released footwear known as the Nike Air Doernbecher that retailed for $250 dollars and we sold it for $1300 dollars.
So that would be a very large profit. It was type of difficult to find a buyer then when we found one for your price it was satisfying. And we could obtain a couple pairs of these. That was definitely our biggest sale.
Q: What's been the most interesting shoe magista pas cher you've sold?
Noah: We're focusing on that right now. We possess a shoe called the Nike Air Yeezy which is a collaboration between the hip-hop artist Kanye and Nike. The shoe retails at $250 dollars and it's currently reselling on an average of about $4,000 to $5,000 dollars.
We've one pair within our hands at this time and we're just waiting to find the right buyer who'll pull the trigger. But that's definitely our most valuable shoe that we've ever endured.
Q: How can you start selling a shoe that's worth so much? It sounds almost dangerous.
Noah: Right! We've been with them within our possession a little over a month and also the challenge with a shoe like this is you need to be careful about how you sell it since with this type of huge demand, it's dangerous to meet up for a shoe that's worth $4,000 dollars.
So you've to become careful. But we're definitely keeping it safe until we discover the best buyer. That'll be nice after we let that go.
Q: Nice payday! Exactly what do you typically use the profits you earn?
Noah: I'll occasionally buy myself clothes but most of the money is put away within my bank account and saved up for school.
Also, I just bought myself an Audi. So, that's one helluva first car for me personally. But other than that, I just place it away for school.
Q: How amazed are you when you relax and find out the success you've been in a position to create from reselling sneakers?
Noah: It's amazing. After i was driving home from buying my Audi, I had been just thinking, 'Wow! This thing that I'm doing has resulted in me having this car.'
It's just great to determine hard work pay off.
Q: Exactly what do your pals think about Vitale Kicks?
Noah: You know my buddies are actually those that I'll bring with me to get shoes and I'll pay them for coming beside me.
I'll text them some nights and say, 'Hey everyone right down to go to La beside me this weekend to get some shoes? I'm paying everybody so-and-so amount of dollars.'
And often, they don't even desire to be paid since it is only a thrilling experience to visit right down to these populated areas and to be around these folks who are crazy in love with sneakers. And it's fun just to walk from the stores with exclusive shoes and everybody's looking at us saying, "Oh look, look, look, they got a."
So my buddies have definitely helped me be where I am today and also have been a resource of support and have solved the problem throughout everything.
And the good thing about it's, some of my buddies have actually started their own sneaker cristiano ronaldo cleats reselling businesses on the smaller level. It's cool to see that influence spread throughout all the group of my friends and also to discover their whereabouts be successful too with what they do. Sometimes they'll ask me for help and I'm more than happy to assist them to.
Q: Are your customers surprised once they find out that you're a high school kid?
Noah: Well, I only tell people I'm near to but when I do tell them I'm 16, they're very surprised. If anything they think it's really cool that somebody younger than them might be doing something like this.
Q: The testimonial page on your website is just photo after photo of super-stoked people revealing these shoes they purchased from you. How satisfying is the fact that?
Noah: The client appreciation is fairly cool. That's one of the best parts is to see the customer testimonials. They're really a big help to our company and it is rewarding whenever we get those back.
Sometimes we'll even give out discounts if customers post a testimonial because that attracts a lot of individuals that haven't purchased from us. People will see that and say, 'Oh those guys are legit ' they are fully aware what they are doing.'
Q: What's the biggest challenge you've faced as a young entrepreneur?
Noah: My biggest challenge is maintaining school and the business simultaneously. I'm taking all AP and Honors classes and hold a 4.5 GPA. After i go back home I usually have 3-hours of homework and when I'm playing soccer I won't go back home until 5 p.m.
Then I'll have 40,000 people on social media which are emailing and contacting me regarding their order or about the shoes which are coming out and asking if I'm getting certain shoes. So that's definitely hard trying to balance all that.
But I think I've kind of discovered that balance. I take some time out at a certain hour to resolve emails, to get back to customers, and to post up on social networking. Then obviously, I take out other time for you to do school work and other things that tend to be more important.
Q: Personal time management is surely a skill is it not?
Noah: Yeah, it is something I've learned to do.
Q: What exactly are your plans after high school?
Noah: I don't know what college I wish to visit yet, but I intend to go in to a 4-year school. I additionally plan on hopefully running multiple businesses when I'm from senior high school.
However i will go to college with either a Business or Computer Science Major and hopefully have other businesses on my hands in those days.
Q: Who are a number of your influences or people who have inspirited you?
Noah: I'd say a business owner like Mark Cuban. Or you watch the show Shark Tank, those people on there. It's inspiring to see how successful they are and just how they can help people out with businesses and stuff.
Q. Ever consider taking Vitale Kicks on Shark Tank?
Noah: Not necessarily. You know, there's over 10,000 individuals who do the exact same thing as Vitale Kicks. It's not like we're some unique thing. We've just discovered a way to achieve success.
Q: Whoever else learned is the most important aspect of creating a successful at-home business?
Noah: How big social media is within terms of how it can help a company. I began last year with one follower on Instagram and now I have over 40,000 followers. Social media has truly helped grow my company and it's one of the most important factors for just about any business these days.
Even the importance of good customer service is big. Like I said earlier, since the shoes are so expensive, individuals are sometimes afraid to spend so much money. I would be nervous too if I was spending $400 dollars or more. Whenever you contact a customer, you're making them feel comfortable about their purchase.
So, without a doubt social media and good customer service are the two most significant things of a business.
Q: A lot of young adults think about starting their own business or doing something entrepreneurial like you. What kind of advice would you give a teenager with a really good idea and wants to take it to the next level?
Noah: I'd tell others to go searching and see what other individuals are doing. Because after i was starting the business, I researched with other resellers and learned from them. So probably the most essential things is to take advice and learn from others and build upon that.
And also, never be afraid of just getting started. Decide to get it going. Because you can have so many thoughts when creating a company and become thinking, 'I do and that i wish to accomplish that.'
But you just have to go and get it done. Eventually it all works out.
So my advice would be learn and take advice from others and believe in yourself and do not be afraid to just start. Take a chance and merely start.
Q: Simply do it! As the famous shoemaker says!
Noah: Exactly! Simply do it!