Blaise Ffrench is an Actor, Model, Influencer, and Marketing Manager for BODY ARMOR Sports Drink. With over 2 million followers on Instagram, Blaise has a proven track record for successful campaigns with brands such as Target, Banana Republic, Stance, True Religion, Cross Jump Rope, and Fashion Nova Men.
An esteemed Actor, Blaise has made appearances on shows like CBS’s “The Code”, Hulu’s “Wu-Tang American Saga” and Starz’s “Power” to name a few. He is currently gearing up for appearances in the upcoming film “Marry Me” alongside Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson and can also be seen in the “Sex in the City” reboot, “And Just Like That”, with Sarah Jessica Parker.
As a shareholder of the popular sports drink BODYARMOR, Blaise successfully contributed to the company buyout by Coca -Cola for $5.6 billion. Through his work with the brand, Blaise has gained connection with some of the world’s most influential athletes like James Harden, Floyd Mayweather, the late Kobe Bryant, and slew of others. Blaise has most recently worked on campaigns with Puma, Cross Rope, XTEP Official, and Rad Power Bikes.
He has also appeared in commercials for Spectrum, Starbucks, and promo commercials for the 2018 Super Bowl. Some of Blaise’s most recent accomplishments include being nominated for Forbes Top 30 Under 30 of 2019, while also landing partnerships with Cadillac, Genius Pack Luggage, and Sleep Envie.
What is Ffrench Sports Inc all about?
Ffrench Sports Inc is a full-service agency that specializes in Marketing for many different industries such as health and wellness, Fitness, Sports, and fashion
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I grew up in Queens NY, I watched guys like Run DMC, 50 Cent, and Even the former President Donald Trump was born in Queens make it to stardom. I started my company while working under my mentor Mike Repole, the founder of Vitamin Water and BODYARMOR.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
I would say You have to be “persistent” because you will get turned down a lot and can’t give up, Patience because things won’t happen right away and you have to be calm and not go crazy while chasing your dreams, and last but not least vision, you have to be able to see into the future and spot the latest trend before it happens.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
My plan is to continue to expand, right now we are working with brands such as Puma, Banana Republic, MilkBar, LiteBoxer, and UPTIME. We want to continue working with these brands however bring on new clients in different spaces that we can help grow their business.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
The Pandemic was good for my business, and we actually grew 100% during this time because everyone turned to social media while they were in the house. At home workouts became huge with the gyms closed, and the supermarkets were obliterated so any product was sold fast
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
We have a unique relationship with many different brands and our competitors aren’t able to be as nimble as us and cross over onto different markets like we do.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
When I first started my business I filed for a C-corp instead of a LLC, better tax breaks with an LLC start-up. I listened to the wrong people during my beginning stages instead of listening more to myself, and I didn’t go as hard as I could and instead was satisfied with just being able to say I own a business instead of competing to be the best.
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
Social media has been my best friend and best marketing tool. The days of telling a friend to tell a friend are not over however it has adjusted to social media where you’re able to reach everyone, every brand, and come up with dope content to capture an audience and influence them to purchase a product.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenges have been hesitating on myself and not thinking I’m capable of changing the world. It can get scary when you dreamt of something your whole life and when it’s finally here you have to just grab it. I overcame them by surrounding myself with people who are fearless and who are doing way more than me so it pushes me to be better.
What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?
My first business idea was to own an NBA team, I’m an NBA agent and that is a step in that direction, we are working very hard to purchase a team one day.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I’m learning about the Metaverse now and how it will play a huge role in the future. Being a visionary and seeing the future before it happens is very important.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
I would have started earlier, mistakes are going to happen, however the early you can them out the way, the faster you can grow into the person and business you want.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- Planoly.com is a great tool for posting content on social media through a schedule.
- loudcrowd.com is also another social tool that helps you understand the price of someone’s content on social media and gauge the money it made.
- Coinbase is backing our company and we invest a lot of our profit in Coinbase.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
A saying I use a lot now is “I have no choice” I embarked on this journey and signed a contract with myself and a lot of people and brands that I would deliver so I tell myself when things get hard, “you got no choice”. Get it done!
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs?
Rick Ross Hustle book is really good, Earn Your Leisure is also a great podcast about investing and being smart with resources. And online course I suggest is the real estate course, I think everyone should have their real state license because owning property is one of the smartest investments you can have.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
I would wait for bitcoin to drop really low and put the $1,000 on that, when it goes back up, I would take out my initial investment and start an LLC on legal zoom.
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
I was raised by a single mom who passed away at the age of 34, I was 15 at the time. She sacrificed so much for me that I have “no choice “but to give everything I got and to be everywhere doing many things because I’m living two lives mine and my mom’s.
What is your favorite quote?
As residents of Queens, New York says: “Get Rich Or Die Trying”.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
Be super confident, confidence is key, you can will your way through just by having confidence and be kind, kindness goes a long way, everyone is going through something so if you can show them your kind that can be the difference in closing a deal and getting a door slammed in your face.
Who should we interview next and why?
My grandmother Linda Glover. She is the ultimate husky let and taught me how to be witty and to shake and move in this world.
What is your definition of success?
Happiness, because that’s the key to life, being happy, smiling, doing what you want when you want with whoever you want.
How do you personally overcome fear?
With the help of God, I look it in the eyes and break it down, I’ve been through so much worst so I’m not going to let anything scare me or put fear in my heart besides God.
How can readers get in touch with you?
Follow me on Instagram at @blaiseffrench.
