Me, Inc.: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business

168 Pages·2014·0.95 MB·English

by  Gene Simmons

DEDICATION
To my mother, who taught me the value of a penny.
To my family, Shannon, Soph & Nick, who taught me what life is
all about.
And to America for giving this little immigrant boy all the
opportunities it gives to its native-born sons and daughters.
CONTENTS
Dedication
Foreword by John Varvatos
Preface
PART I: ME
1
A Young Entrepreneur
2
Coming to America
3
Discovering TV and American Culture
4
Discovering Junior Achievement and Learning About the Capitalist Business
Model
5
My Early Jobs and Their Influence on Me as an Entrepreneur
6
Who Am I?
7
KISS
8
Learning About Branding and the Music Business
9
I Am an Entrepreneur
10
Gene Simmons Family Jewels
11
Philanthropy/Giving Back
PART II: YOU
12
Who Are You?
13
You—The Me, Inc. Business Model
14
Role Models
15
Vacations, Holidays, and Other Wastes of Time
16
Priorities/Practice What You Preach
17
Single or Married? Career or Family?
18
Brilliant Stupid Ideas/Designing the Right Business Model for You
19
The Importance of Being Able to Sell Yourself and Tell Your Story
20
Speak English
21
Women Entrepreneurs
22
Kid Entrepreneurs
23
Failure: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
24
Investing
25
In Summary
Acknowledgments
Also by Gene Simmons
Copyright
About the Publisher
FOREWORD
BY JOHN VARVATOS
I
grew up in a suburb of Detroit. Five children and my parents in a three-
bedroom, one-thousand-square-foot bungalow with one little bathroom. In this
humble setting, I learned about the importance of family. I also learned about the
importance of independence, and the hard work needed to gain it.
Paper routes, cleaning pools, cutting lawns, pumping gas—whatever it took
to earn some cash to carve out my own identity in these tight surroundings. As
early as I remember, it was music that provided me with the emotional space I
needed and clothes that gave me an edge. My earnings went to the local record
shop and clothing stores.
When I was fifteen, I got a job in a men’s store, selling clothes and taking
advantage of the employee discount. While others sold a single shirt, I was
pulling together outfits and entire wardrobes for my customers, and making
enormous commissions. At eighteen, I went to college and studied pre-med. I
took out student loans and continued to work my way through school selling
menswear. The pre-med curriculum turned into a science teaching degree. I was
earning significantly more selling clothes than I could as a teacher, and so I
decided to stay in fashion.
At twenty-five, I partnered in opening a men’s store, and for the next three
years became obsessed with learning everything I could about running a
business, being a buyer and merchant, and creating a brand. While doing this, I
was noticed by the president of Ralph Lauren, who offered me a job heading up
their sales division in the Midwest. A year and a half later, I was asked to move
to New York and run the sales for the entire men’s division. It was in this
creative environment that, at the age of twenty-nine, a lightbulb went off and I
discovered my true calling. I wanted to design the clothes that I had been selling
for all those years.
I took chances, risks, and pay cuts to follow this calling. Five years later, I
was head of design for all Calvin Klein men’s brands. A few years after that, I
returned to Ralph Lauren to head up men’s design—one of the biggest jobs in
global menswear.
In 1999 and in my forties, I left this amazing brand to start my own
company, John Varvatos. With a fantastic team, we have created one of the top
designer brands in the world. The road was, and continues to be, filled with
bumps and bruises, but the rewards are worth the fight. I have been able to
pursue and execute many of my passions: working with the biggest rock music
artists on the planet, having my own radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio,
designing a car for Chrysler, and publishing my first book on rock-and-roll and
fashion. No one ever said it was going to be easy. Hard work, passion, vision,
and continuing to raise the bar are all part of staying on top. Staying true to my
vision and my brand is the golden rule.
While Gene Simmons’s path has been quite different than mine, we share
many similarities and I see in him a kindred spirit. We both have built brands
that have unique identities and a clear DNA. We both have never forgotten
where we came from. And just as important, our passion and commitment are
stronger today than ever before. These values stand at the core of Me, Inc. and
the hard-learned wisdom laid out here is a road map for success that anyone can
benefit from.
John Varvatos has become a household name. His fashions are everywhere. My
son, Nick Simmons, ran into him at an event and relayed the message that
Varvatos would welcome the opportunity to work with KISS. Soon after, KISS
flew to New York to do a photo session and play a special invite-only show. Little
did I know that, prior to meeting John, he had excellent taste—not just in
clothing, but in costume. The photo above is John Varvatos on January 1, 2000.