How Gianni Lee crafted his hustle

What does entrepreneurship mean to you?

To Philly native Gianni Lee, it’s all about monetizing an idea and building a solid network. The former Temple University student created his own clothing line, Babylon Cartel, and changed the future of hip hop with his eccentric beats. Of course, success didn’t always come easily.

As a kid, “I had a very active imagination and it helped me cope with the realities of life in West Philadelphia,” he says.

“My mother and sister were the closest people in my life. We moved from house to house and I remember telling my mother that one day I was going to be famous and take her away from it all. That day had to be the beginning of Gianni Lee. I decided that I was going to be great.”

From that moment on, Gianni took on challenge after challenge. He got himself into an architecture and design-themed high school. He played sports, learned Karate and decided that college would be his “way out of the hood.”

But his biggest lesson turned out to be something altogether. He learned that sometimes it takes a village to succeed.

“One of the most important things I’ve learned is being able to have a good network,” he says. “This goes above and beyond just having people that are smart or have money, but being able to have people that can push you.”

Watch Gianni tell his own story below: