G&E Magazine aims to deconstruct the journey that golfers and entrepreneurs alike take on their road to success. Their achievements – as well as their trials and tribulations – serve to inspire us, and our goal is to pass that inspiration along to our readers.

This week, we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Redvanly of REDVANLY.  Enjoy!

Good to meet you, Andrew.  Before we jump into what you’ve built in REDVANLY, let’s get some background on you.

Of course.  I grew up in Bergen County, NJ which is right over the GW bridge outside of Manhattan.  I went to Suffolk University in Boston and worked a few jobs out of college.  My first job was at a sports agency, then I worked for the talent agency called Gersh, and lastly I worked for Grey, which is an ad agency.

Thanks – so what made you want to start REDVANLY?

I’ve always wanted to start my own business.  After college, I figured I would work for someone and eventually break off and do my own thing.  When 2008 hit, there wasn’t much money lying around for promotions, so I decided it was time to make it happen.  I have a severe passion for sports, and at the time, I saw a need for premier athletic wear for those competing in individual sports.

Passion usually sets you in the right direction.  So what is your mission for REDVANLY?

The REDVANLY mission is to nurture our consumers’ athletic nature by honoring their commitment to sports and passion for performance through our unparalleled product design.  We aim to enhance personal discovery with our ultra-comfortable pieces that are created to withstand the grit of competition.

Awesome.  So what exactly sets REDVANLY products apart?

We have some of the most unique technical fabrics you’ll find.  They perform second to none and feel better than anything you have ever competed in.  We are constantly searching for the best fabrics for our apparel.  You can count on us to be on the cutting edge.  Also, the fit of our apparel is something we pride ourselves on.  Creating apparel that looks great and allows you to perform without any restrictions has been our goal since day one.

Chauncy Polo

Can’t wait to check out some of the gear.  So what have you learned since starting REDVANLY?

Tough one… To be honest, when I look back, I didn’t know anything at all.  Starting my own business has been the most humbling yet rewarding experiences I’ve ever had in my life.  It’s definitely more work than you can imagine, but I can’t picture my life without it.

I could ramble on, but to keep it short, I would say I’ve learned two important things.  I’ve learned how to stay even keel and resolve problems.  There are so many ups and downs when you own a business, and in the beginning, it’s very easy to get excited.  It’s just as easy to get down on yourself.  But after a while, you start to take everything in stride and never get too high or let yourself get too low.  This has allowed for better decision making.

In regard to resolving problems, there will always be a fire you need to put out.  In the beginning, they can be scary.  But later on, you look at them as opportunities and accept the challenge to resolve anything that comes your way.

Merrimac Polo

It helps to keep that perspective, I’m sure.  What is your vision for REDVANLY as we look to the future?

The vision for the brand is to have 5 or 6 collections within a handful of sports.  Golf, Tennis, Run/Active/Swim and potentially Ski.  We want to have a piece of each market on both the male and female side while keeping the brand exclusive.  We believe that by not pigeonholing ourselves to one sport or gender, we’ll be able to maintain exclusivity while discovering new locations and people to sell to.  The overall goal is to touch as many athletes as we can without sacrificing uniqueness, quality or design whatsoever.

We can’t wait to see the REDVANLY story develop.  Now we’re going to run through a couple rapid fire questions.  Who or what is your greatest inspiration?

My Father — he has the greatest work ethic I’ve ever seen and has taught me to always work hard.  He also owned his own business, and I learned a lot by watching him.

If you could play 18 with anyone?

Tiger.

Naturally.  We can’t thank you enough for taking the time with us today, Andrew.  REDVANLY is already on the road to great success, and we can’t wait to see what else is to come!