Episode Details

How I Created a Successful Brand That Makes People Feel Something

23 May 2024

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Thirty-three days after signing his first NBA contract in 2009, Lanny Smith suffered a career-ending knee injury. After his injury, he transitioned to entrepreneurship, and in 2020 launched athleisure brand Actively Black with the intention of driving a meaningful impact in the Black community. In addition to impressive growth since its founding, Actively Black donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations and programs that support Black communities. 00:00 From career-ending injury to entrepreneur 00:21 Getting started 01:55 A brand that makes you feel something 03:03 Balancing profit and purpose 03:55 How to compete against the Nikes of the world Books, tools, and more: store.hbr.org Follow us: https://hbr.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review/ https://www.facebook.com/HBR/ https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz https://www.instagram.com/harvard_business_review Sign up for Newsletters: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters #HarvardBusinessReview #Entrepreneur #Entrepreneurship #Career #Business #Job #Work #Harvard #HarvardBusinessSchool Copyright © 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved.

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