BY COLE NEVINS
People work so hard on trying to invent something — and others try to improve something instead.
Even at the age of 60, Brandon Steiner — the founder and former CEO of Steiner Sports — is still improving on his prior successes, with the launching of his new company, CollectibleXchange.
Steiner discussed his brand new venture — CollectibleXchange — as well as his history as a bold entrepreneur, and his many thoughts on the new age of incoming Gen-Z entrepreneurs at the Distinguished Business Leaders Awards Luncheon held by, Long Island’s networking group, Advancement for Commerce Information Technology (ACIT).
CollectibleXchange (CX) is a brand new global online collectible platform that allows customers, top-tier collectors, store owners, celebrities, professional athletes and teams to sell their collectibles directly to consumers. All products are thoroughly authenticated and verified by CX’s experienced staff members.
In comparison with Steiner Sports, Steiner described CX as “bigger, better, smarter and more creative.” CX is an online giant that is perfect for the modern-day, online consumer, he said, especially with it’s ability to connect collectors with other collectors, and even athletes. It is important to recognize that CX is truly a continuation of Steiner’s philosophy throughout his career, which has been to be bold, stick to what you love, and continue to learn and improve.
Steiner’s first big hit was the Sporting Club, which he co-founded. The Sporting Club was a sports bar that originated in New York City, and pioneered the model for the massive modern sports bars we have today, scattered everywhere around the world.
Ironically, people laughed at the idea at first, according to Steiner.
“People said I was stupid for the idea of eating and watching [sports] at the same time,” he said.
Looking back, it’s obvious that the idea was far from some silly fantasy, as Steiner’s model came to life with a successful opening run of the club with notable support from New York sporting legends such as Mickey Mantle of the Yankees, and Lawrence Taylor of the Giants. The success inspired the following boom of the sports bar industry, as people became hooked onto this revolutionary idea, as Steiner described it.
While his ultimate dream was to create a 20,000 square foot sports palace, he never received enough funding to do so, something he says still crushes him to this day. Fortunately for Steiner, he realized, “a lot of great things in life start off with something bad” and went on to launch Steiner Sports in 1987.
At the time, Steiner Sports was another revolutionary product. The company allowed collectors, athletes, and buyers to exchange authenticated collectibles in an organized fashion. Steiner emphasized how this was a helpful product for even himself, as he put over 30 million of his own personal items, up for grabs. He made a true improvement on an issue, rather than an invention.
Fast-forwarding to today, CollectibleXChange — which Steiner says is an improvement of Steiner Sports — is set for even greater success for the foreseeable future.
Steiner offered a word of advice to the next generation of entrepreneurs looking to make a difference in the business world, suggesting that they start their careers as early as possible, just as he did when he was 10 years old.
Steiner also gave credit to the young brainpower of today’s teenagers that have helped him in the modern business world in an era that is now powered by advanced technology and social media.
“As much as you think you do know, you gotta realize how much you don’t know, which supersedes what you do know,” he said.
To this day, he makes it his mission to seek help from the today’s youth; he even called the idea of up-and-coming kids teaching established adults “reverse mentoring.”
“The world is in great hands with this new influx of young minds,” he said.
Cole Nevins is the founder of Phenom Media, a sports media outlet consisting entirely of high-school aged writers with a shared passion for sports.
[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdfQpzU2nVc”]
