PROFILE Chris George, the Branding Guru BY CAL ABBO Chris George Chris George appeared recently on Chaldean News Radio to discuss his business acumen, branding ideas, and how he became successful. George has plentiful ideas and experience to offer young entrepreneurs and branding experts who want to take their business to the next level or even start something from scratch. George worked in his father’s liquor stores when he was younger. He noticed the margins they would make – buy an item for $2, for example, and sell it for $4 – but his only customers were those who lived within a few miles of the store. Instead, George dreamed big. What if he could sell something to the entire world? That’s when George decided to create Gentleman’s Box. This was George’s first wildly successful business venture. Gentleman’s Box uses a subscription-based model for men who want to look “dapper,” in George’s own words. This high-fashion box contains ties, socks, and other accessories that arrive to your doorstep on a monthly basis. “You would also get the latest issue of GQ magazine,” George added. In 2016, years after Gentleman’s Box saw extraordinary success, George decided he wanted to meet others in the subscription industry. He had finally discerned what his personal niche was – building brands and communities, especially with a subscription model. The next step was networking. George and his business partners searched for a subscription box conference to no avail. Their search, however, was not in vain. In the process, they figured out that they could host a conference themselves. So, they set out to plan an event in Detroit, inviting the biggest and baddest names in the subscription industry they could find. “We had no event experience. It felt like we were throwing a high school party,” George said. “We were hoping people showed up.” And they did. “We had 200 attendees,” George said. “Katia Beauchamp from Birchbox came, the queen of subscription boxes at that time.” Birchbox is a subscription box with selected makeup samples. It’s heralded as one of the early successes of the subscription model, and in 2016, it was a big deal to host her at the conference. Since that inaugural year, George and his partners have built the largest community and event for subscription brands, which he dubbed SUBTA, or Subscription Trade Association. In recent years, they’ve even gotten streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ to join their conference and spice it up. George’s most recent venture is a partnership with Michael Sana on the project Sana Detroit. The Chaldean News covered Sana’s success a few months back, and he’s only grown since then. Sana Detroit is Michigan’s premiere streetwear clothing brand. George and Sana met when they played on the same team in the Chaldean Hockey League. After Sana found out George was a branding guru, he asked him for help and advice. It turned into a lot more. George became an official business partner in Sana Detroit after hearing Sana’s ideas and strategy. Now, George acts as a consultant to Sana for marketing and branding strategy. Clearly, something is working, as the two of them continue to build a magnificent brand and community. “Consumers love the brand,” George said. “They like him and they’re loyal. More than 40% of customers are buying more than one shirt on a drop. He’s keeping longevity with customers.” George said that he and Sana are now very close friends and often stay up late working on projects together. “I love startup life,” George said. “Building brands is what I love. When I stopped focusing on money, that’s when I found success.” According to George, much of the Chaldean community is stuck in a trap of looking for fast cash. On the other hand, “Michael is building a brand, not a business. A business prints money but it can go sour if you lose loyalty. He’s building a community,” George said. George compared Sana Detroit’s model to that of other retailers. He pointed out that, no matter how hard you work or try, large companies like Amazon or Walmart will be able to sell your product for cheaper and ship it faster. That is, unless you offer something special, like the community Sana Detroit is building. Amazon can’t replicate that. George praised several relatively new brands in the community. He said many of the cannabis businesses have done a good job branding, some of which have over 20 dispensaries now. One of his friends owns Cosmo Salon Studios, which are available for hair stylists to rent. There are now several locations across the metro Detroit area. The branding guru’s best advice is to find something you love doing and figure out a way to make money from it. While he recognizes this is difficult for many people, he thinks it should be a top priority. He also suggested using routines to build effective habits and work processes. “I have a strict routine during the week of going to the gym, the office for work, and being asleep by midnight,” George said. George is a big fan of podcasts and consistently listens to other brand developers for educational purposes. His favorites are Gary Vaynerchuk and Simon Sinek. He’s had to cut out some social media use to make time for his listening, but he said it’s been well worth it. “I’m a big advocate of not doing things for the money. Work smart, diligent, and be efficient,” he said. “Do something fun. 32 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>SEPTEMBER</strong> <strong>2022</strong>
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