Brett Conti turned his unfulfilling finance job into his own skateboard empire – here's how

Brett was tired of his life in finance and wanted to do something he was passionate about. He launched Fortune out of his dorm room where he sewed and created all his clothing by hand – now, he runs the entire company and makes skateboards, jackets, hats, and so much more.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

BRETT CONTI: When I was in college, I studied finance and marketing. And I got an internship. It was literally like Wolf of Wall Street, where I was the intern. They brought me in. They're like make 500 phone calls a day, and don't pick up your head until lunch.

I'd really dread it. I would see where I could potentially be in 10 years, and that wasn't me. That's what forced me and motivated me to do something that I really love.

I started skateboarding when I was about six years old. And, man, I can't believe it's been that long. Then I always had dreams of becoming a pro skateboarder.

Skateboarding is a way of self-expression and a way of giving myself freedom. And there's nothing like just skating down the streets of New York City and freeing my mind. And it's almost a meditation.

When I was 20, I chose the path to go to college, and still tried making it as a skateboarder. But then I got severely hurt, and I couldn't skateboard for six months. That was definitely a stressful time in my life.

So I took my grandma's sewing machine to my college dorm room. Probably the only kid in a business school with a sewing machine, and I just started sewing pocket t-shirts, hats.

I remember it so vividly. I was on the subway. And it was insanely cold, and homeless people were still outside. And I started a fundraiser where every beanie bought for $20, 100% of that money would go to helping the homeless.