EnTrends

Sweedler says, "It is unfortunate,
financially, what Kmart has gone
through. We know that our brand,
plus the other initiatives that they
have going right now should make
them a lot stronger."

Sweedler is now facilitating similar
initiatives with manufacturers such as
the Hathaway Company to bring
retailers into the loop creatively,
forming true partnerships among the
owner of the brand, the manufacturer,
and the retailer, to form an allegiance.

"That, in my opinion is the wave of
the future in our industry," says
Sweedler. "We have to have a captive
audience who will work with us, not
against us, to present our brand in the
best means possible."

Sweedler is also working with a well-
known celebrity in the urban market
business and looking into several
other brand acquisitions and potential
licenses as well.

Sweedler's father is the Chairman of
his company and the junior Sweedler
is the acting CEO & President.

"Neither of us thought that the
company would grow to the extent it
has. It's been phenomenal. The most
important thing to any business is the
people and talent that you have.
Without our team, none of this would
have been possible."

A typical workday for Sweedler
involves working internally at his
company's Connecticut base, or
traveling to meet with top customers
and vendors.

Married with three children, Sweedler
says that, unfortunately, he does not
get to spend enough time with his
children. He literally works every day.
On the weekends he stops in the
office to do something, or he uses his
Blackberry to send e-mails and also
makes phone calls.

"It's a constant battle, in which I want
my kids to win. I have got to figure out
a way to do it, but right now it's a
losing battle. You just have to find
dedicated time to spend with your
family."

While his time may be limited,
Sweedler's success has earned him
luxuries. His dream was to have a
house on the water near his hometown
of West Port, Connecticut. A couple
of years ago, the dream became reality
as Sweedler and his wife purchased a
home in one of the areas where he
grew up. The couple knocked the
aging home down and built a new one
on the property.

"I pinch myself everyday when I come
home and I have my house with a
dock in the back on the water," says
Sweedler.

To put things in perspective, Sweedler
says, "Once you have the ability do it,
and you buy something, it doesn't
make life any better. At the end of the
day, you can have all the toys in the
world but what matters most is having
family and good friends. The most
exciting thing about a business is
knowing that you have created reason
for being and that people and their
families have prospered because of
the business idea you have realized."

When giving advice to other
entrepreneurs starting out, Sweedler
says, "Do not give up. Keep your
nose to the grindstone. The harder
you work, the luckier you get. Don't
listen to the pessimist within you. Be
an optimist. Even when you fail, you
have to bounce right back and do it
again. That can make a huge
difference in the success or failure of
any business."