Hello everyone, welcome to the second company feature!
The company features serve to show who the people are behind the business, and what they are about. I hope that this part of the blog can help provide these entrepreneurs with a spotlight to talk more about their own journeys of building their brand!
I was also thinking that this could be very helpful for any fighters or other companies who might want to connect and/or collaborate!
Without further ado, here is the interview with Christos, the founder of Product of Ares!
Rahmon: Tell us a little bit about your brand. Who are you and what do you guys represent?
Christos: I have been training MMA most of my life. I started with TKD and Karate at a young age around 6 years old then took a break from age 11-13 and started MMA in high school
and received a purple belt in BJJ and competed in the NY golden gloves. I always
wanted to start my own brand to represent fighting because it really helped me grow as
a person so I created Product of Ares which is based on the Greek god of war. Because
of my Greek background and Greece’s long history of warriors I decided to dedicate this
brand to my ancestors who have survived thousands of years of war and oppression to
keep our culture and history alive today. We represent the everyday grit of life, the
underdogs, the ones who are going through hell but smile the whole time; the people
who never stop. The people who keep fighting no matter what.
2. What are some of your proudest moments in developing your brand?
Some of the proudest moments of my brand was seeing one of our affiliates Max
Tucker taking a picture with Anderson Silva while Max was wearing our gear. Anderson
Silva is one of my favorite fighters so that really lit up a spark in me to continue pushing
this brand because there are no limits. Other proud moments are real solid professional
fighters giving me compliments and having calls with/meeting with them. It is an
honorable but humble experience.
3. How do you spend your time building your brand (marketing, advertising, etc.)?
Mostly through social media and word of mouth.
4. What are some of the hardships that you have faced when building your company,
and how did you (or how are you planning to) overcome them?
Others doubting my brand and even family not seeing the vision. That is why I moved
out recently and am catching my dreams. In all honesty this is more like fuel to me.
Other hardships include balancing work and training life to grow the brand. But you
must be patient because it’s a process.
5. Where do you see your brand in 5-10 years? If you could summarize your brand in a
quote, what would it be?
In 5-10 years I see my brand being a massive competitor to brands such as venum and
Reebok. I will be in the field competing and bleeding to make this happen.
“ There is nothing impossible to him who will try” – Alexander the Great
6. What advice would you give to your past self of when you first started the
company/brand?
Do not listen to those who are not seeing your vision. Dump all distractions, parties,
girls, beef, drama, and move out to create your own lifestyle. Spend every second of the
day self improving.
7. Are there any particular types of athletes you had in mind to sponsor?
The Diaz Brothers are my favorites.
8. What do you look for when sponsoring someone?
Potential to grow together but humble down to earth people who can help make a
difference not just with growing our brand but also spreading love throughout the world.
9. Do you have any projects or products you are working on/would like to promote?
Yes. We are rebranding and working on a lot of things. We def would love more people
to use our products because we believe they will not only love the quality, but they will
appreciate the genuine community we are building.
10. Is there anyone you would like to give a shoutout to?
Shoutout 2Tuff, Max Tucker, Mikey Conlon, Theodore Macuka, Matt Brown, Bubba Jenkins, Coach Anthony, Ryan Ahmed (COO of POA) Markos Lagos (My teacher), Master Kno, Vito Leonardo, Mehrdad Janzemini, Elias and Eleni Lolis, my parents, Karla Saltos, Angelo tables, George Korfiatis, Ilias Loukiasses, Yianni Boulas, BIlyl Rizos, Dimitri Shneeze Hatzikontas, Brandon Rico Garcia, Frankie Ruggerio, Phil Janice, and everyone who has been supporting me. Friends ,family, loved ones, anyone who I'm leaving out you know who you are I love and appreciate everyone whos rocking with me. And a big thank you to
Sponsor the Fighters for supporting me and rocking with as well. Much Love.
_______________________________________________________________________
And that's the end of the interview! Thank you very much for your time Christos, and if you haven't already please go follow his social media (@productofares on Instagram and Facebook), and check out Product of Ares' fight gear at www.productofares.com !
please leave a comment of what you thought below!