MOQ’S AND EXPLODING SHOES

MOQ’s and Exploding Shoes! News companies are slamming Big Baller Brand (BBB), the company founded by Lavar Ball & Family, and their basketball shoe line. News outlets have been disparaging their basketball shoes, the Better Business Bureau gave them an F rating for various reasons pertaining to their first shoe’s release, and recently online media has been circulating a clip of Lonzo on a podcast claiming he had to switch his shoes every quarter because they would “explode.” There is still a lot to be learned from BBB, their successes and failures.

1st Run

The first pair of Zo2s (the name of Lonzo Ball’s signature shoe) was rushed in production and was the first shoe the family made. It was listed at 500.00 USD and 1,000.00 for a signed pair.

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Shoes arrived late, with factories pushing the younger company to the back of their production timetable. The video clip of Lonzo Ball lambasting his own shoes was actually him only discussing their first pair of shoes, which as he said in the clip, were not ready. After the problems with their first shoe BBB partnered with some Founders from Brand Black, a shoe company affiliated with Sketchers. Following this partnership new shoes were released for Lonzo and his two brothers. The value that their new experiences partners brought was clear. Lonzo’s new signature shoe, which dropped in cost to a more reasonable 200.00 USD. This is due to their partners getting lower price points. Shoes started being delivered in a more timely fashion, and shoe reviews were actually outstanding. For example this review by well known shoe reviewer Wear Testers.
https://weartesters.com/big-baller-brand-zo2-19-performance-review/

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Additionally, the brand was further hurt when it came out supposedly that Alan Foster, BBB’s co-founder and only non family member, had a criminal background and had supposedly embezzled over a million dollars of Lonzo Ball’s money. This event created uncertainty about the Brand’s survival. Starting your own brand is difficult. Manufacturing a new quality product is difficult. Finding the right partner and team is absolutely crucial. 

Conclusion

People love the idea of a family run business. Celebrities like Jay-Z outwardly expressed support for the brand. BBB had a lot of positives going for it, and still does. However a lack of product knowledge, unvetted business partners, and a poor launch product seriously impeded their progress. We recommend working with industry experts, or at least consult with one before launching your product. If you have a family friend who claims to be an expert, make sure before hand. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us anytime.