SALISBURY — Kwame Molden, co-founder and CEO of Springbreak (SPGBK) Watches, visited Catawba College on Sept. 15 to speak with entrepreneurship students about his experience building his company from a small side-hustle to a successful fashion watch company.

The N.C.-based designer watch company started with an initial investment of $1,500 each by Molden and his co-founder, Maurice Davis. Almost 10 years later, the business has products that can be found in more than 200 retail stores, including partnerships with Nordstrom, Macy’s, Belk and the MoMA Design Store.

Molden said success was the result of persisting through challenges, consistently working hard and believing in the unique value of SPGBK Watches.

“You have to be the King of Harlem before you can be the King of New York,” Molden said. “Leverage your network and get buy-in from your local community before you pursue global distribution. Sustainable businesses are built by repeatedly executing small releases, capturing feedback from customers, and continuously improving your product.”

“The SPGBK Watches story is ideal for students to hear directly from the founder,” said Dr. Jeremiah Nelson, the Ketner School of Business faculty member teaching Introduction to Entrepreneurship this semester. “The approach SPGBK Watches uses engaging with and seeking feedback from potential customers before a product is even available for purchase and the iterative process the company uses before dropping new products is the same entrepreneurial approach my students are learning in class.”

Dr. Sharon Sullivan, associate provost, agrees. “For students to hear directly from a successful entrepreneur reinforces Catawba’s mission of preparing students to reach their highest potential. It demonstrates that what students are learning in class is the real-life way that successful companies develop products and services to address the needs, wants, and desires of their customers.”

Freshman Catawba student and YouTube content creator Namaurion Koontz was inspired. He said, “Mr. Molden opened up my eyes to different ways to use my creativity to achieve greatness.”

After class, Molden demonstrated the power of networking in real time as he connected one student with a product idea with Koontz, who is an influencer with an established following, and a third student who is a photographer. He pointed out that by working together, all three students will benefit.

SPGBK Watches is a designer watch company that is Black-owned, HBCU-made and designed in North Carolina. For more information visit springbreakwatches.com or email info@springbreakwatches.com.