Episode #28
Ikey Franco on Buying Into the Yankees, Selling His Company, & Creating the DUNKMAN Logo | Founder & CEO at Infinity Global
Ike S. Franco is the Founder & CEO of Infinity Global, with businesses spanning real estate, beverage, and sports, including a stake in the Yankees and global sports branding. In this episode, Ike opens up about growing up without a father, the handshake-first business culture that shaped him, and how he built an empire across real estate, beverage, and sports while never losing sight of where he came from. Enjoy! __________ SPONSORS: Real Property Captive: Own Your Insurance. Recapture Your Premiums. Visit RealPropertyCaptive.com Yazdi Entertainment: New York's Premiere Event Production Company. YazdiEntertainment@gmail.com or (646) 765-5643 Michelle Baum Photography: Your Go-To Photographer for Events, Family, Corporate, and more. MichelleBaumPhoto@icloud.com ConnecTen: Never Go Offline Again. Visit ConnectenInternet.com/discount/MOMENTUM35 or $35 off. __________ ABOUT MOMENTUM: ️ Momentum brings you the stories, advice, and wisdom of business visionaries, designed to inspire and guide you on your path to success. Be sure to subscribe on all platforms: YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Instagram __________ GEAR (please use my affiliate links to make me rich!) • Cameras: https://amzn.to/3UuwW5o • Podcast Mics: https://amzn.to/3J5QWsv • Clip-on Mics: https://amzn.to/3H52iwo • Mic Stands: https://amzn.to/4kZj4uL • Lights: https://amzn.to/45lA5up • Tripods: https://amzn.to/4lHHQAI __________ (0:00) Coming up.. (1:13) A High-Level Overview of Ike’s Empire (3:50) Growing Up Without a Father (8:31) Ad: Real Property Captive (9:18) How Losing His Father Shaped Him as a Teenager (12:49) His Approach to Character in Business (12:57) Getting Into the Yankees & Staying Observant in Sports (15:25) Selling $20M Worth of Children’s Clothing at 21 (18:07) Ad: Yazdi Entertainment (19:06) Learning How to Sell and Negotiate Young (21:56) Why He Believes Luck Comes From Hashem (24:34) The Big Break: A Warehouse Full of Baby Gap Product in Hong Kong (28:54) A Chance Encounter With a Chase Banker That Changed Everything (32:36) Scaling From a Family Business to Corporate America (34:29) The Target Check That Landed a $40M Program (41:13) His First Licenses: Snoopy and Japanese Layette (44:02) Ad: Michelle Baum Photography (44:55) Understanding Licensing and Who Holds the Leverage (48:12) Buying and Building Brands: Starter, the Dunkman, and Shaq (51:22) Selling Half His Business and the Moment It Hit Him (57:14) The Strange Story of Buying Into the Yankees (59:41) The NFL Bid That Fell Through and Expanding Into Hospitality (1:02:03) Meeting Prince Albert, Derek Jeter, & Alex Rodriguez (1:06:52) Bringing the Yankees and Red Sox to London (1:08:48) Ad: connection (1:09:44) Developing Relationships With Shaquille O’Neal and Kylian Mbappé (1:11:46) Becoming CEO of the Yankees’ Global Branding Business (1:14:41) Building the Pennsylvania Bottling Business (1:16:41) Getting Into Real Estate (1:21:03) Where He Sees the Biggest Opportunity Right Now (1:22:36) Building a Synagogue on Lawrence Avenue in Deal, NJ (1:28:06) Outro and 3 Key Takeaways
