Meet Branden Ivy | CEO | Sneaker Enthusiast | Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Branden Ivy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Branden, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was sitting at my office and had that waking life moment, that I was tired of making other people rich off my abilities. See, in life we all have our own chess board, yet most settle for being a piece on another. I made the conscious choice in that moment, it was time to start playing the board I was given and stop settling for being a piece on someone else’s.

Being a HUGE sneaker head, I knew I had found my lane and started putting the pieces together immediately.

The logo a simple hand, holding a chess piece is what we want to encourage everyone in life to do. PLAY THE BOARD NOT THE POSITION. You have the power if you, choose to play.

Already having a decent following on sneaker twitter, constantly throwing out new designs keeping up with the cultures news has been our claim to fame.

Building upon that we have not scaled up, to providing more than just t-shits and hoodies. We provide a various amount of premium products, with more to come.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In my 20’s, I felt like I was a Swiss army knife, a jack of all trades you could say. From being an onstage performer, to producer, butcher, and a multitude of other skill oriented trade jobs I did it all.

Present day, I am most excited about living off of my own thoughts and creations. Such a fulfilling way to exist in life. Getting into sales 5 years ago was the big ah ha moment for me. Being able to think on the fly and adapt to various situations, I learned quick that I had found something I was an all-star at. Building off of that success, opened up doors for me to step out on my own and create tangible products, that I could sell for myself.

Getting here was an absolute GRIND! It’s funny though, here is not really a destination because the coordinates are ever changing with perpetual motion.

One of the biggest lessons I have had to re learn, is don’t feed into the haters. When a person is climbing and making great strides towards their goals, individuals with low or no self esteem will try and pull you back anyway possible.

Chess N Checks… is a brand for the people, not only sneaker-heads but we provide a community for people to show love and feel like they are apart of something growing from the love they put into it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Great question.. Well it all depends what the weather is like. Cant go wrong with a stroll in Piedmont park, so many childhood memories there, it’s natural to want to share that energy with others.

Food we are def kicking it over to East Atlanta some of my favorite spots happen to be there.

Nightlife, is such a lifetime ago but I can’t say no to some live music or a sporting event of our choice.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a huge shoutout, to my creative director and best friend Danny Rocha. This guy is the epitome of “thinking outside the box”. I love the expression “steel sharpens steel” that would be the best way to describe our working relationship. Also to my mentor OG skateboarding Legend Pete Kelly. He has always been an absolute voice of reason for me and I def want to give him his flowers for always pushing me to make move with courage. Last but not least, my lovely wife and kids! They support me the way I need to be supported and its easy to work crazy hours knowing they look up to what I am doing.

Website: www.chessnchecks.com

Instagram: @chessnchecks

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/66749072

Twitter: @chessnchecks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chessnchecks

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4DQqHEpIHhGuCgvlRlLibg

Image Credits
Photography by Danny Rocha Models Guy Wilson Kayla Noel Montenegro