A drive to succeed: 21-year-old is biz whiz

By MARY CLOUD TAYLOR

The CEO of the Kalispell-based Eloi Marketing Corporation drives a Mercedes, spends weekends in Vegas and has wealthy business connections across the country … and he’s 21 years old.

Keanan Brown said that at 15 he already knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur, a word some ninth-graders struggle even to spell.

“I knew I wasn’t called to the traditional route of doing things. You know — Go to college, get a degree in something and then you start your career.”

Born and raised in Kalispell, his goal had always been to start his own business, but he had no clue where to start or what to do. His answer came from an unexpected place.

Unsatisfied with the apparel offered for his favorite sport, freestyle skiing, the 15-year-old taught himself how to sew and began making his own. As more and more people began to take interest in his work, Brown decided he’d found his business.

He spent the next 18 months researching wholesalers and manufacturers before deciding to put out his own line of ski apparel. Retail stores soon began to carry his merchandise, launching Brown’s career in business.

His entrance into the world of marketing came three years later when, as a senior at Glacier High School, Brown was invited to Las Vegas by the owner of one of the biggest wholesale manufacturers in the world.

The meeting came at a pivotal time for Brown, whose clothing line was starting to attract the interest of an international brand. Ultimately, Brown said, conversations he had with the manufacturer in Las Vegas led him to choose the path he felt had more potential — marketing.

In the beginning, Brown said, he spent most of his time reaching out to other entrepreneurs for connections and advice.

“I’ve probably contacted about a thousand businesses,” he said.

Then, as the company grew and word of mouth began to spread, he saw the roles begin to reverse as more companies started reaching out to him.

He said the key to his growth has been the collection of mentors he has developed all over the world and the relationships he’s built with both clients and coworkers.

“With business it can’t only be business. My goal is always to build relationships before business because business will come naturally from a relationship,” Brown said.

In the three years since its birth, Brown said his company has grown out of his bedroom and into a multi-branched national corporation.

Eloi Marketing Group is now a nationally recognized promotional branding and imaging company that offers over 20,000 products, including high-end corporate gifts that feature brands like Bose, Beats, Under Armour, Polo Ralph Lauren and more.

While his friends form study groups to cram for college finals, Brown mingles with celebrities and corporate giants across the country.

However, his success did not come without its share of obstacles.

Back in high school, Brown was working late into the night on weekends, long after his classmates had stumbled home from parties and gone to bed.

“Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of sacrifice,” Brown said. “I lost friends because I just couldn’t connect to them anymore, and I made sacrifices with my time, with going out and hanging out with friends.”

Though Brown had the complete support of his parents, Jason and Michelle Brown, he said every penny that ever went into his business he earned himself.

After so much work and sacrifice, Brown said it can be difficult not to want to flaunt the many perks that come with the business he has built.

“The perks are amazing. I do drive a nice car. I have been given amazing opportunities that not everyone my age gets. I get to buy nice things and take nice vacations and travel,” Brown said. “The cool thing about it is you get to be on the inside that not everyone gets to see.”

As a teen starting to reap the rewards of his hard work, Brown said he was highly driven by the prospect of making money. Over the years, however, he matured as his company grew, and the focus of his efforts, and the company itself, has changed.

His goals with his company now, he said, are to educate people and help identify which products are going to work for them and which aren’t.

“Even if that means not making as big of a sale, we’re trying to educate businesses on how to market themselves the right way,” Brown said.

Though he said he’d never trade the career he is passionate about for anything, Brown quickly realized his need for balance in his life.

“I got caught up in working all the time for a while and realized I didn’t have any friends,” he said. “Friday night would come around, and I’d get done at the office and I wouldn’t know what to do because I didn’t have anyone I could reach out to. I realized that was an issue I needed to fix.”

Brown said that fix came from his church when a conversation with his pastor prompted him to step back and ask himself what he was living for.

For a while, he said he felt like he could focus only on himself and furthering himself through his business.

It was his faith that he said helped him remember who he was and who he wanted to become, both as an entrepreneur and as a man.

“I don’t want to be seen as this cocky young kid who has money and is able to go and do all these fun things. I want to be seen as someone who cares — because I do care,” Brown said. “The community gives to me and I need to give back.”

As his business has grown, Brown said he has realized that he can’t do it all on his own.

The advice of mentors and the support of his family have helped shape and develop his dream into a successful company, and now one of his current goals is to build a team of employees who mirror his drive and vision.

“Right now my goal is to build a successful team where we work together for the mission of the company. As the company grows I want my employees to covet their jobs because it’s such a fun atmosphere,” he said. “Maybe we’ll play basketball in the office or something.”

One of Brown’s long-term goals is to eventually become an investor and start an organization to help young entrepreneurs discover their passions and develop tools to help make their own business ventures successful.

Brown said he is often approached by people who are discouraged with their own progress when they compare it to his. Brown said he tells them not to compare, because their version of success will look very different from his due to the differences in their skill sets.

To anyone with a passion and desire to pursue a business, a clothing line or any other career, Brown said he strongly urges them not to get discouraged.

“There are times when I think I’m not cut out for this,” he said. “But I know this is for me. I might just feel down at the moment. It’s definitely worth it.”

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.