Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Sheinkop.
Eric, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my first company, an independent record label, when I was 16 years old, after graduating from Lincoln Park High School.
Music was an obsession for me and, motivated by the chance to help Chicago artists make a living from their music, I built my second company – a music licensing company which I was fortunate to sell part of to The Coca-Cola Company early on. That company is still today the largest community of independent artists in the world, pre-cleared for commercial use.
After working with some of the world’s largest brands and securing artist placements in over 100 countries, I continued to run the company for the next 5 years before selling my control and ultimately leaving at the end of 2014.
It was at that point that I took some time out to capture all that I had learned about the subject of music and marketing in 2 books, published by MacMillan. My last book, “Return of the Hustle, The Art of Marketing with Music”, became the #1 best seller in both Music as well as Business Communications on Amazon. I recently learned my book is part of the curriculum at Princeton University alongside NYU and others which makes my mom proud!
Over the years of working with artists and consulting with brands, I started to see trends emerge that presented a new opportunity.
Specifically, the concept of ‘influencer marketing’ has become a staple for brands, but they continue to lack a good understanding of the ROI and impact on their bottom line from these efforts.
Additionally, the retail industry is in flux. Over 300 name brand retailers shut their doors in 2017 alone. As someone who is always on the lookout for new opportunities, the idea of building a solution that helps provide much-needed curation for the retail industry and transforms the way brands partner with influencers, was the seed of the thought for my new company DesireList.
Just launched this summer, DesireList provides quick and easy access to advice, tips and shoppable product recommendations from top professionals.
We work with NFL Players, top-models, celebrity makeup artists, stylists, musicians and more, to share their Pro tips including the products they use and recommend to be successful in all aspects of their lives.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anyone who tells you that building a business doesn’t have constant obstacles and huge challenges every day is either lying, or they haven’t gotten very far yet!
You have to be pretty crazy to try and build a company. I’m a firm believer that the reason why the vast majority of startups fail, isn’t because of a lack of product/market fit, pricing issues, sourcing challenges or any number of the typical reasons you hear. I believe that one of the biggest reasons a startup fails is because the founders give up.
There are constant challenges that pop out of nowhere and make you want to quit on a regular basis. But, believing we’re building something valuable and transformative for brands, shoppers and top professionals is all we need to power through and use strategy and sometimes, sheer brute force to overcome obstacles.
DesireList – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
DesireList is changing the game in online shopping by providing access to honest product recommendations from top professionals to help people make better purchase decisions.
With all the fake reviews on Amazon, paid reviews on Google and #sponsored Instagram promotions, people need a trusted resource for authentic product recommendations.
On DesireList, shoppers can watch product review clips featuring top Pros talking about the products they genuinely use and hear what it is, how they use it and why they like it.
Someone like an NFL player has dedicated their life to achieving success. They’ve bought and tried every product imaginable to give them an edge over the competition, so who better to ask for recommendations on the best fitness equipment that an athlete.
At DesireList we are helping brands move from influencer marketing to expert marketing, tapping into their most loyal and influential consumers to reach potential shoppers with authentic and compelling content.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proud moments in business come from seeing how the work you do positively impacts other peoples’ lives.
One of my favorite emails was from an artist who contacted me to say that he was able to use the money he’d made through the placements we got him, to buy a home which allowed him to get custody of his child. On another occasion, a band we had placed used the money to go on their first tour which resulted in them landing a major label deal.
There were countless stories like these over the years and each one was a proud moment which culminated in our announcement that we had earned our artists over $15MM directly in their pockets.
On a personal level, something I used to try and hide, but now understand the power in sharing, is that I grew up with dyslexia. My mom often jokes that she can’t believe that a kid who couldn’t really read, has since written two books that have been published by MacMillan and are taught in universities across the US and Europe!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DesireList.com
- Email: info@DesireList.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/desirelist
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/desirelist/
Image Credit:
China Taylor, Asiel Hardison, Zach Moore, Shelby Bay, Donna Feldman
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
