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Unlabel: Selling You Without Selling Out
One of the most provocative entrepreneurs of our time, who started Ecko Unltd out of his parents’ garage and turned it into a media empire, Marc Ecko reveals his formula for building an authentic brand or business.
As instructive as it is innovative, Unlabel will empower you to channel your creativity, find the courage to defy convention, and summon the confidence to act and compete in any environment.
This visual blueprint will teach you how to grow both creatively and commercially by testing your personal brand against the principles of the Authenticity Formula.
Marc Ecko shares the bruising mistakes and remarkable triumphs that reveal the truth behind his success, growing from a misfit kid airbrushing T-shirts in his parents’ garage to the bold creator of two hugely successful branded platforms—Ecko Unltd. and Complex Media. As Ecko explains, it’s not enough to simply merge your inner artist with business savvy, you must understand the anatomy of a brand, starting with its authentic spine.
With Unlabel, you will learn how to discover your own voice by overcoming fear and taking action, what it means to deliver on your promises, why failure is essential, how to understand how your product or service makes people feel, and how to recognize if your nostalgia for the past is hampering your ability to envision your future.
Unlabel is a bold and honest approach to building an authentic personal brand, growing a bootstrap start-up into a sustainable business.
As instructive as it is innovative, Unlabel will empower you to channel your creativity, find the courage to defy convention, and summon the confidence to act and compete in any environment.
This visual blueprint will teach you how to grow both creatively and commercially by testing your personal brand against the principles of the Authenticity Formula.
Marc Ecko shares the bruising mistakes and remarkable triumphs that reveal the truth behind his success, growing from a misfit kid airbrushing T-shirts in his parents’ garage to the bold creator of two hugely successful branded platforms—Ecko Unltd. and Complex Media. As Ecko explains, it’s not enough to simply merge your inner artist with business savvy, you must understand the anatomy of a brand, starting with its authentic spine.
With Unlabel, you will learn how to discover your own voice by overcoming fear and taking action, what it means to deliver on your promises, why failure is essential, how to understand how your product or service makes people feel, and how to recognize if your nostalgia for the past is hampering your ability to envision your future.
Unlabel is a bold and honest approach to building an authentic personal brand, growing a bootstrap start-up into a sustainable business.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2013
84 people are currently reading
2200 people want to read
About the author
Marc Ecko
10 books9 followersMarc Eckō is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, investor and artist. He is the founder of Marc Eckō Enterprises, a global fashion and lifestyle company. He is also the founder and chairman of Complex Media, a network of 110+ websites that generate more than 700 million page views and 70 million unique visitors per month. Eckō serves as an emeritus board member to the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Big Picture Learning and Tikva Children’s Home. Ecko’s first book “Unlabel: Selling You Without Selling Out” is out October 1, 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 15, 2013
Fantastic for creatives wanting to be more entrepreneurial and taking charge of their brand. I also bought the print version because it is full of Marc's own art as well as stickers (yeah!) that I stuck in my diary along with my notes. Now that IS good branding!
The book explores a 'formula' for authenticity, relating to unique voice, truthfulness, capacity for change, emotional impact and imagination. Marc explains each relating it to his own personal journey from graffiti artist and t-shirt designer to multi-millionaire clothing empire and lifestyle brand Ecko, but he talks about the art still being critical to him.
I'm not "street" in any way at all, and I had never heard of Marc Ecko before this, but I think any creative can learn from the personal branding and authenticity lessons.
The book explores a 'formula' for authenticity, relating to unique voice, truthfulness, capacity for change, emotional impact and imagination. Marc explains each relating it to his own personal journey from graffiti artist and t-shirt designer to multi-millionaire clothing empire and lifestyle brand Ecko, but he talks about the art still being critical to him.
I'm not "street" in any way at all, and I had never heard of Marc Ecko before this, but I think any creative can learn from the personal branding and authenticity lessons.
October 20, 2017
An entertaining read, despite Ecko’s penchant for expressing his Brand Philosophy through page upon page of pseudo-mathematical formulas. It’s like he wanted to write a math book but didn’t know any math, but wrote a math book anyhow.
So 1 star for the formulas but 4 stars for the grind, the hustle and the sheer artistic talent. Ecko is a very talented artist! And if you care about your Personal Brand, there’s much of interest in these pages. I came to it by way of Complex (magazine/youtube channel/website). I wanted to know more about the guy who founded this quintessential hip hop/sneaker/hot wing/hypebeast... uh, brand. So much talk of brands in this book
Ecko’s come up is an interesting tale. He’s a Jewish boy who became obsessed w graffiti and rap— not the first, but one of the most persistent and interesting. He tells a good tale when not trying to distill life into some cryptic multivariable formula “Hustle * Ego / Power to the limit of brand = Potential squared”
I laughed aloud at his graph of selfless to selfish. Gandhi on the far left, Hitler on the far right. I ... guess? But then he’s like “you have to be kind of like hitler! Be as selfish as your destiny requires! It’s not authentic for hitler to be gandhi!” I might be misrembering, it was pretty confusing. It’s just a funny scale to sort people on
I had fun reading this book. He made a graffiti video game, improbably. I hear it’s “antifa”
So 1 star for the formulas but 4 stars for the grind, the hustle and the sheer artistic talent. Ecko is a very talented artist! And if you care about your Personal Brand, there’s much of interest in these pages. I came to it by way of Complex (magazine/youtube channel/website). I wanted to know more about the guy who founded this quintessential hip hop/sneaker/hot wing/hypebeast... uh, brand. So much talk of brands in this book
Ecko’s come up is an interesting tale. He’s a Jewish boy who became obsessed w graffiti and rap— not the first, but one of the most persistent and interesting. He tells a good tale when not trying to distill life into some cryptic multivariable formula “Hustle * Ego / Power to the limit of brand = Potential squared”
I laughed aloud at his graph of selfless to selfish. Gandhi on the far left, Hitler on the far right. I ... guess? But then he’s like “you have to be kind of like hitler! Be as selfish as your destiny requires! It’s not authentic for hitler to be gandhi!” I might be misrembering, it was pretty confusing. It’s just a funny scale to sort people on
I had fun reading this book. He made a graffiti video game, improbably. I hear it’s “antifa”
July 23, 2016
Ecko made millions designing hip hop and skate culture inspired t shirts and hoodies. In this book he explains how he overcame various production and marketing obstacles while trying to build the brand. I think the only part that interested me was how he found affordable ways to do full color screen printing. The 50th law written by Robert Greene and 50 cent is a much better riff on business and "street instincts." It's better to go to the source than to some privileged white man's ideas for that. But also, there are so many whiffs of insincerity that you start feeling compromised. For example he says at the beginning of the book that he wasn't going to drone on about the secrets of his success. Well, that's exactly what he ends up doing. When he draws contrasts between himself and Donald Trump you wonder if he is proactively trying to avoid the inevitable comparisons.
He writes "you don't make Grease without John Fucking Travolta" when describing his realization that fashion lines could be built around one signature item, like a fleece hoodie. After the first few strong chapters his voice begins to sound less articulate, more vulgar and noisy. But I got to the end.
The packaging of this book is attractive. with a few pages of stickers to put on your laptop to show the people at Starbucks that you're on board.
He writes "you don't make Grease without John Fucking Travolta" when describing his realization that fashion lines could be built around one signature item, like a fleece hoodie. After the first few strong chapters his voice begins to sound less articulate, more vulgar and noisy. But I got to the end.
The packaging of this book is attractive. with a few pages of stickers to put on your laptop to show the people at Starbucks that you're on board.
October 27, 2013
Disclosure: I won a free copy of this book in a First Reads giveaway.
Though I didn't know much about Marc Ecko before reading the book (save for seeing his Ecko Unltd. clothing line here and there), I was interested in what he, as a notable entrepreneur, had to say on the topic of branding and marketing. I wasn't disappointed. Unlabel is part memoir, part business/marketing "textbook" (as described by Ecko himself) -- but don't let the word "textbook" fool you. The content is honest and relatable, and Ecko's voice and sense of humour definitely come through. (The pop culture and rap references help. Oh, and the swearing.) About 75% of the book is anecdotal, telling the story of his business chronologically; interspersed between anecdotes, Ecko provides notes and tips for entrepreneurs, creative "instigators," and anyone who wants to develop their personal brand -- and Ecko asserts that everyone, no matter their personality or profession, is in fact their own brand.
While the advice Ecko provides is valuable, I wouldn't go as far as to call this a self-help book; Ecko concocts an "Authenticity Formula" to use as a guideline for personal branding, but he doesn't aim to prescribe a specific methodology to use. He simply shares his personal experiences with the reader and draws lessons from these experiences. He takes a down-to-earth tone and doesn't shy away from discussing the bumps along the road, either; his words seem genuine (though well-edited; and does he really read Thoreau in his spare time?), which ties in to his notion of authenticity.
As for the physical book itself, I did enjoy the hardcopy. It has great-quality printing and binding, and the paper is lovely.
I'd recommend this book to the aforementioned entrepreneurs/instigators, people interested in business/marketing/operations, and anyone who is looking for inspiration to put action to ideas. Even if you're not big on the man, check it out if just for the little tips (he has great ones on professional networking, "jus' sayin'"). Who knows, you might learn something!
Though I didn't know much about Marc Ecko before reading the book (save for seeing his Ecko Unltd. clothing line here and there), I was interested in what he, as a notable entrepreneur, had to say on the topic of branding and marketing. I wasn't disappointed. Unlabel is part memoir, part business/marketing "textbook" (as described by Ecko himself) -- but don't let the word "textbook" fool you. The content is honest and relatable, and Ecko's voice and sense of humour definitely come through. (The pop culture and rap references help. Oh, and the swearing.) About 75% of the book is anecdotal, telling the story of his business chronologically; interspersed between anecdotes, Ecko provides notes and tips for entrepreneurs, creative "instigators," and anyone who wants to develop their personal brand -- and Ecko asserts that everyone, no matter their personality or profession, is in fact their own brand.
While the advice Ecko provides is valuable, I wouldn't go as far as to call this a self-help book; Ecko concocts an "Authenticity Formula" to use as a guideline for personal branding, but he doesn't aim to prescribe a specific methodology to use. He simply shares his personal experiences with the reader and draws lessons from these experiences. He takes a down-to-earth tone and doesn't shy away from discussing the bumps along the road, either; his words seem genuine (though well-edited; and does he really read Thoreau in his spare time?), which ties in to his notion of authenticity.
As for the physical book itself, I did enjoy the hardcopy. It has great-quality printing and binding, and the paper is lovely.
I'd recommend this book to the aforementioned entrepreneurs/instigators, people interested in business/marketing/operations, and anyone who is looking for inspiration to put action to ideas. Even if you're not big on the man, check it out if just for the little tips (he has great ones on professional networking, "jus' sayin'"). Who knows, you might learn something!
November 28, 2013
This is a complicated book, likely cause? The author is complicated.
Artistic in its layout, not surprising. This book seems more biographical than self-help. Still, it had some helpful moments. I received this from the Goodreads First Reads Program and at first I thought, this is going to be a loooong read, but it wasn't, it was interesting.
I'm not sure if I'm convinced of authenticity, but as far as branding, Ecko is a master.
Artistic in its layout, not surprising. This book seems more biographical than self-help. Still, it had some helpful moments. I received this from the Goodreads First Reads Program and at first I thought, this is going to be a loooong read, but it wasn't, it was interesting.
I'm not sure if I'm convinced of authenticity, but as far as branding, Ecko is a master.
November 16, 2013
The most authentic look at branding I've ever read!
April 3, 2023
"I've made some really ugly shit. That's part of the process. If you're never making ugly shit, then you're never taking chances, and you're never pushing yourself to make the sublime."
Cool book i found on creativity, art, and authenticity.
Cool book i found on creativity, art, and authenticity.
November 4, 2013
Full disclosure: I won a copy of Unlabel from a Goodreads contest. Also, I’ve been a fan of Marc’s.
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Firstly, I think Unlabel is best read as a hardback. The quality is incredible and there are many artworks and images to take in. As a paperback or ebook, I feel something would be lost, and I usually prefer ebooks and paperbacks.
The two cons I had about Unlabel were how it was annoying when some of the summarized lessons were placed in the middle of a section and how I would have liked to know more about his parents.
I understand that Unlabel is intended to be set up like a textbook. However, it sometimes interrupted the flow of Marc’s story. This was most likely the publisher’s decision so I won’t take any stars off. Plus, it’s not a huge deal to flip back after you’ve finished a chapter or section to read the lesson. It just seems like it would flow better if the lessons were at the end.
The other thing was that I wished Marc had written a bit more about his parents, especially his mother. He mentioned his parents helping him buy his first airbrush and compressor, then how there were money problems, pushing him into the Rutger’s pharmacy school, and a few other small mentions, like his mom crying on the phone when he had a successful trade show. Family is important to him, so I just wished Marc had written about what his mother and father thought of his later successes and failures, and how he helped them out when he became a success. That would have made the book even more down-to-earth (even though it already is, as I touch on below). Perhaps his parents didn’t want to be talked about in the book, but they seemed to be great parents so I’m sure it would be positive.
The aspect I appreciated most about Unlabel was Marc’s honesty. From his fear, feelings of inadequacy, failures, moments when he said he was jerk, and the awful feeling he still carries with him from asking his early employees to use their personal credit cards to pay the company’s bills. He’s a businessman with a heart. And Marc is right, you rarely see this in other books by successful entrepreneurs. As a reader, it inspired me. Though Marc has achieved amazing success, it doesn’t seem unattainable thanks to his humility.
Unlabel is not a book for the pretentious artist. I understand the struggle between art and business, but I also know what it feels like to be a starving artist. I grew up with my mother being a starving artist, and I’ve been a starving artist and entrepreneur for the past 10 years or so. It’s not fun. I have no problem with people making a great living creating their art and doing what they love as Marc stresses. It helps to be a starving artist at some time—it humbles you—but there’s no need to remain starving just because it makes you a “real” artist.
Obviously, this is a great book for those interested in starting a clothing label—there’s lots of industry info. But it’s a great book for any “creative/artistic entrepreneur.”
----
Firstly, I think Unlabel is best read as a hardback. The quality is incredible and there are many artworks and images to take in. As a paperback or ebook, I feel something would be lost, and I usually prefer ebooks and paperbacks.
The two cons I had about Unlabel were how it was annoying when some of the summarized lessons were placed in the middle of a section and how I would have liked to know more about his parents.
I understand that Unlabel is intended to be set up like a textbook. However, it sometimes interrupted the flow of Marc’s story. This was most likely the publisher’s decision so I won’t take any stars off. Plus, it’s not a huge deal to flip back after you’ve finished a chapter or section to read the lesson. It just seems like it would flow better if the lessons were at the end.
The other thing was that I wished Marc had written a bit more about his parents, especially his mother. He mentioned his parents helping him buy his first airbrush and compressor, then how there were money problems, pushing him into the Rutger’s pharmacy school, and a few other small mentions, like his mom crying on the phone when he had a successful trade show. Family is important to him, so I just wished Marc had written about what his mother and father thought of his later successes and failures, and how he helped them out when he became a success. That would have made the book even more down-to-earth (even though it already is, as I touch on below). Perhaps his parents didn’t want to be talked about in the book, but they seemed to be great parents so I’m sure it would be positive.
The aspect I appreciated most about Unlabel was Marc’s honesty. From his fear, feelings of inadequacy, failures, moments when he said he was jerk, and the awful feeling he still carries with him from asking his early employees to use their personal credit cards to pay the company’s bills. He’s a businessman with a heart. And Marc is right, you rarely see this in other books by successful entrepreneurs. As a reader, it inspired me. Though Marc has achieved amazing success, it doesn’t seem unattainable thanks to his humility.
Unlabel is not a book for the pretentious artist. I understand the struggle between art and business, but I also know what it feels like to be a starving artist. I grew up with my mother being a starving artist, and I’ve been a starving artist and entrepreneur for the past 10 years or so. It’s not fun. I have no problem with people making a great living creating their art and doing what they love as Marc stresses. It helps to be a starving artist at some time—it humbles you—but there’s no need to remain starving just because it makes you a “real” artist.
Obviously, this is a great book for those interested in starting a clothing label—there’s lots of industry info. But it’s a great book for any “creative/artistic entrepreneur.”
December 1, 2013
I knew little of Marc Ecko before reading his story, aside from knowing his clothing line and being reminded (while reading) that he's the guy who bought the Barry Bonds home run ball, branded it with an asterisk, and sent it off to the HOF a few years back…
His book is a really good (and fun) read for anyone interested in business or entrepreneurship… and I'd imagine an even better read if you're into merchandising, or if you are a creative, etc.
A few takeaways for me:
- If you want to be successful, you have to be proactive. Endless anecdotes here about Marc **taking action** on things from his earliest days as a kid, right up until present day.
- If you want to be truly successful / truly happy, you should honor yourself by being as authentically you as possible (good advice for us all).
- Failure will never go away, and you are "always pitching," no matter how successful you get. This is good perspective.
In a lot of ways, I was reminded of Tony Hsieh's "Delivering Happiness" (aka "The Zappos Book"), as the building of Ecko was absurdly precarious at times, and the company was also on the brink of failure many, many times (as was Zappos). Both guys beat the odds and grew their companies into huge successes. These near-failures are good reminders of what it takes to really get the job done, especially at growing something at scale.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in business. It's a good reprieve from higher-level books that stick mostly to the theoretical, and it certainly gives as many good lessons (i.e. it won't be a waste of your time as an educational resource). Plus, you get stories about what it was like to hang w/Puffy back in the day, and that's always a plus.
His book is a really good (and fun) read for anyone interested in business or entrepreneurship… and I'd imagine an even better read if you're into merchandising, or if you are a creative, etc.
A few takeaways for me:
- If you want to be successful, you have to be proactive. Endless anecdotes here about Marc **taking action** on things from his earliest days as a kid, right up until present day.
- If you want to be truly successful / truly happy, you should honor yourself by being as authentically you as possible (good advice for us all).
- Failure will never go away, and you are "always pitching," no matter how successful you get. This is good perspective.
In a lot of ways, I was reminded of Tony Hsieh's "Delivering Happiness" (aka "The Zappos Book"), as the building of Ecko was absurdly precarious at times, and the company was also on the brink of failure many, many times (as was Zappos). Both guys beat the odds and grew their companies into huge successes. These near-failures are good reminders of what it takes to really get the job done, especially at growing something at scale.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in business. It's a good reprieve from higher-level books that stick mostly to the theoretical, and it certainly gives as many good lessons (i.e. it won't be a waste of your time as an educational resource). Plus, you get stories about what it was like to hang w/Puffy back in the day, and that's always a plus.
January 2, 2019
Unlabel este o carte despre personal branding si despre cum sa iti pastrezi auteniticitatea. Este autobiografica si contine amintiri placute si mai putin placute, care iti dau o idee despre cum a fost pentru el sa navigheze drumul de la creator -> antreprenor.
Cartea incepe cu o formula matematica a autenticitatii dar nu te chinui sa o intelegi/memorezi pentru ca fiecare capitol va descrie cate un element al ei.
Desi predica modestia, tonul vocii m-a facut adesea sa ma gandesc la un personal "plin de el", cu a healthy dose of selfish.
Cartea incepe cu o formula matematica a autenticitatii dar nu te chinui sa o intelegi/memorezi pentru ca fiecare capitol va descrie cate un element al ei.
Desi predica modestia, tonul vocii m-a facut adesea sa ma gandesc la un personal "plin de el", cu a healthy dose of selfish.
October 17, 2013
Marc Ecko has a voice that speaks directly to you. He tries to peel away the ideas of how to play everyone elses game and create your own. This is an autobiography in short, mixed with the way struggled to stay true to his art. It is a great read and will definitely change your perspective on the way you view yourself.
February 16, 2015
So, I've never heard of Ecko Unlimited, which should have told me I was the wrong audience for this book. I stuck it out, waiting for the marketing/business advice...but really it's just a long autobiography full of name-dropping and blame-shifting.
August 31, 2017
Kind of interesting at the beginning, but quickly got boring until I finally gave up before finishing. Not a whole lot of business advice, mostly just Marc Ecko's story. I might have liked it more if I knew who he was before I started reading, or was a fan of his brand.
September 12, 2016
you should never be busy counting! bad boys move in silence, made my understand the brand is person with his story, voice, failure and success
December 17, 2018
Dafür dass ich überhaupt nichts von diesem Buch erwartet habe, hat es mir erstaunlich viel gegeben. Marc Ecko ist in einer völlig anderen Branche als ich tätig und hat sich darüber hinaus in eine Liga vorgearbeitet, von der ich aktuell nur träume. Und obwohl ich mehr Input dazu erwartete habe, wie man Kreativität und Geschäftsleben unter einen Hut bringen kann, war "Unlabel" ein echter Glücksgriff. Ecko beschreibt vorbehaltlos die Entwicklung seiner Marke. Höhen, Tiefen, Abstürze, alles ist dabei. Ich habe für mich daraus einiges gelernt. Ich sehe jetzt Bereiche, in denen ich betriebsblind geworden bin, in denen ich hätte mehr tun müssen, aber auch die, in denen ich zuviel getan habe. Darüber hinaus hat Ecko mir die Augen dafür geöffnet, was alles MÖGLICH ist, wenn man bereit ist, die entscheidenden Schritte zu tun und sich selbst und seiner Idee vertraut. Mut ist eine entscheidende Komponente, die leider vielen kreativen Köpfen abgeht. Und Ecko zeigt wie man mutig vorwärts geht, auch wenn man mal eine falsche Abzweigung genommen hat.
February 27, 2018
4.5 stars. I liked this book quite a bit (listened to the Audible version, so I didn't get the full hardcover effect I've read about in other reviews). As someone with very limited knowledge of the Ecko Unltd. brand (almost embarrassingly so) and Marc Ecko himself, I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of brand story arc. It proved to be an interesting one. As far as entrepreneurship books go, I much prefer a creative-turned-businessman story than a businessman-building-another-business narrative. I felt that Marc truly believed in his art and his brand, and it served him well, even if he learned some costly lessons along the way.
This book is filled with interesting stories that I feel I should have heard before, but hadn't (the Barry Bonds home-run ball, for instance). I also appreciated the message to be true to yourself and your brand (which is essentially one in the same). Authenticity is important and ultimate success doesn't come without failure.
This book is filled with interesting stories that I feel I should have heard before, but hadn't (the Barry Bonds home-run ball, for instance). I also appreciated the message to be true to yourself and your brand (which is essentially one in the same). Authenticity is important and ultimate success doesn't come without failure.
July 17, 2020
This is required reading for anyone looking not only to start a business to have a deeper understanding of what moves them. Ecko is honest and open about both his business success and failures and it's really refreshing and inspirational. I've read a ton of business and philosophy books and this is by far one the best books I have read on both topics. Honestly, it's one of the best books I have ever read. This should mandatory reading in high school and or college courses. I'll be sure to have my daughter soon read it and have discussions with her along the way as she progresses through the book. What a great book!! Thanks Marc!!
February 3, 2022
I will come back to write this review. I have lots to say about this book by designer Marc Ecko. It left me quite ambivalent. I wasn't sure what to make of it all throughout.
For reference, my personal star assignment roughly corresponds to: 5 stars, very good, I would recommend to anyone (provided they're open to the genre). 4 stars, a good book, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone. 3 stars is, among other things, "uhhhmmmm I'm not sure whether I even actually liked it, but I got something from it? - if someone I know picked it up, I would be able to point to a couple of passages I enjoyed, but also a lot that left me scratching my head, so just uhm... we'll see".
For reference, my personal star assignment roughly corresponds to: 5 stars, very good, I would recommend to anyone (provided they're open to the genre). 4 stars, a good book, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone. 3 stars is, among other things, "uhhhmmmm I'm not sure whether I even actually liked it, but I got something from it? - if someone I know picked it up, I would be able to point to a couple of passages I enjoyed, but also a lot that left me scratching my head, so just uhm... we'll see".
December 19, 2021
I am interested in what Marc Ecko has got to say about what he’s done and how he did it, even if I had to google him first. As for this book, I tried several times but couldn’t, because he tries too hard to sound smart? or as an alcoholic making amends on their way to recovery. I find he sounds petulant and hard to follow (“be a brand but don’t be labeled”?), except when he goes down memory lane: when he tells his story it’s way more enjoyable. After all, I spent nearly 10 consecutive hours reading it.
July 19, 2022
Truly a fascinating, eye-opening, and interesting read. I could not put the book down and finished this 290 page book in a week.
As a young entrepreneur myself, I often have doubts and encounter failures. In this book, Mark shares his journey, his ups and downs, his successes, his failures, which helped me stay the course on my own journey
this was the best book I’ve ever read. I recommend this book to any artist, entrepreneur, creative, or anybody veering off the common path and pursuing their own venture, art, Business, YouTube channel etc.
This book is worth its weight in gold.
As a young entrepreneur myself, I often have doubts and encounter failures. In this book, Mark shares his journey, his ups and downs, his successes, his failures, which helped me stay the course on my own journey
this was the best book I’ve ever read. I recommend this book to any artist, entrepreneur, creative, or anybody veering off the common path and pursuing their own venture, art, Business, YouTube channel etc.
This book is worth its weight in gold.
May 10, 2018
I started this in e-book form a few years back. Picked up the audiobook and really dug in. Hearing Mark speak himself on each experience really changes the tone of the book. Lots of great life and business lessons and some very interesting side-notes I hadn't known prior.
Whether you rocked ecko in high school, want a different perspective on business or just loved Complex magazine, this book should be on your list.
Whether you rocked ecko in high school, want a different perspective on business or just loved Complex magazine, this book should be on your list.
December 5, 2017
Really enjoyed it. Marc emphasized authenticity while growing his brand.
Fun Fact: Lucky break to have a professor at Rutgers design a curriculum for him to barely come to class while still pursuing his t shirt business.
Fun Fact: Lucky break to have a professor at Rutgers design a curriculum for him to barely come to class while still pursuing his t shirt business.
May 26, 2018
This book is entertaining and thought provoking. When ever I need a little lesson about authenticity -- I revisit this book. I love it. PS Todd Haberkorn does a great job voicing for the audio book. Mind you is really good!
June 10, 2018
Hilarious, pop culture-filled, and preachy (in a good way), towards the end part I asked myself, "Has this been made into a movie?" The lessons in the end will touch any creative who struggles with doubt and identity.
November 1, 2023
The cover is misleading. I thought this would be a lot of information and knowledge on creating an authentic brand. Instead it’s a Marc Ecko biography.
Which is fine, I guess. I just wished it was marketed and branded differently.
Which is fine, I guess. I just wished it was marketed and branded differently.
November 28, 2023
I found this book to be honest and interesting. Almost made me want to start a clothing brand and then it convinced me not to. I have had Ecko zip-up sweatshirts for over 15 years now and I wear them hard. They are almost at the end of life with zippers falling off, but man, are they built well?
January 27, 2018
Not a bad book on branding but also not really memorable to me. Truth is the most important point that I got from it, meaning your brand needs to be authentic.
December 18, 2019
Massively important for anyone interested in the connection of personal brands with organization brands. Well bloody done.
March 1, 2020
Great blend of creativity and commerce.
February 3, 2015
In today's world there number of voices has exploded beyond measure. Whether they come from blogs, books, magazines, newsletters, podcasts, Vine videos, or tweets it is becoming far too easy to miss worthwhile voices in the din of noise. So imagine how rare it is to just randomly reach into the stream and pull out not only a book that looks like it might be fun to read, but have it turn out to provide useful business-related information.
TLDR? This book is a surprise. There.
The entire book is the autobiography of Marc Ecko, a graffiti artist-turned clothing entrepreneur. Being that I am terminally unfashionable, I had never heard of him. But the story of his early years move along quickly and it doesn't take long before the story of this successes and setbacks becomes engaging. Soon you are riding along in the car with Ecko in much the same way you accompany your favorite TV show characters in each episode. Unlike most TV shows, Ecko's experiences have real lessons to teach. Towards the end, Ecko evens comes right out and spells this lessons out on the wall with big spray-painted letters.
I won't say that you will cheer for Ecko. In fact, he is sort of unlikable in the many ways that real people are unlikable. What I will say is that anyone who does not admire this man's sheer honesty probably has issues with their own failure.
Ecko makes no bones about doing things right. But he also admits to the things he did wrong. Ecko shits the rug and tells the full story in an effort to help others not do so. Maybe Ecko isn't as successful as Martha Stewart, Puff Daddy, or other millionaires. And Ecko Unlimited may not be a juggernaut like Apple or Google. What you can say about Ecko, and this book, is that where others who write business advice texts tell you all about success, Ecko tells both the highs and the lows. He discusses his transformation from shy kid to high roller and finishes as "smarter, but somewhat poorer" business person.
This book may not be as well written as some biographies and business books, but it is real as hell and I think it will almost be in the top 10 best books I read in 2015.
TLDR? This book is a surprise. There.
The entire book is the autobiography of Marc Ecko, a graffiti artist-turned clothing entrepreneur. Being that I am terminally unfashionable, I had never heard of him. But the story of his early years move along quickly and it doesn't take long before the story of this successes and setbacks becomes engaging. Soon you are riding along in the car with Ecko in much the same way you accompany your favorite TV show characters in each episode. Unlike most TV shows, Ecko's experiences have real lessons to teach. Towards the end, Ecko evens comes right out and spells this lessons out on the wall with big spray-painted letters.
I won't say that you will cheer for Ecko. In fact, he is sort of unlikable in the many ways that real people are unlikable. What I will say is that anyone who does not admire this man's sheer honesty probably has issues with their own failure.
Ecko makes no bones about doing things right. But he also admits to the things he did wrong. Ecko shits the rug and tells the full story in an effort to help others not do so. Maybe Ecko isn't as successful as Martha Stewart, Puff Daddy, or other millionaires. And Ecko Unlimited may not be a juggernaut like Apple or Google. What you can say about Ecko, and this book, is that where others who write business advice texts tell you all about success, Ecko tells both the highs and the lows. He discusses his transformation from shy kid to high roller and finishes as "smarter, but somewhat poorer" business person.
This book may not be as well written as some biographies and business books, but it is real as hell and I think it will almost be in the top 10 best books I read in 2015.
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