The following interview was taken by Joshua Raab on February 27th, 2009 for a piece on Entrepreneurship and Young Adults in America.

JR:  So tell us about yourself.  Your age, occupation, and how you got started at your current position.
Dominic Mancuso:  My name is Dominic, most of my friends call me “Dom”.  I’m 23 years old and I own and operate DRIVN Industries, which is a casual wear clothing label for men and women.  It started in early 2008 but product didn’t really get to shelves until late 2008.  I basically started the company because I didn’t want a typical 9-5 job.  I would have probably killed myself by the time I was 40 if I went that route.  Nothing against those who take that route or enjoy it (my father is one, for example), but it’s just not for me.

JR:  So you’re a firm believer in doing what you want in life, in terms of work and accomplishments?
DM:  Of course, that’s what the whole basis of my company stands for.  The “drive” (driv-en) someone has within themselves to succeed in life by any means necessary.

JR:  “By any means necessary”, isn’t that a bit extreme?
DM:  Absolutely not.  If you’re not willing to make the sacrifices someone else will and they will outdo you.  I made up my mind a long time ago nobody was going to outdo me, and that’s the type of attitude I like to promote with my company.  At one point a lot of people talked sh*t and said I wouldn’t ever have a car with over 1000 horsepower.  So I built a car with over 1000 horsepower.  A lot of people said I wouldn’t ever have a company of my own succeed, so I went and busted my a** and am now enjoying success with DRIVN.  You have to listen to what haters say, use their words to fuel your fire, and then let them get burned when you prove them wrong.  Nothing more satisfying.

JR:  So tell us a bit more about DRIVN Industries, your current clothing label.
DM:  Like I said before it was founded in early 2008 by me and myself.  I did all the research, worked out all the designs, sought out artists to make touch ups, made the business contacts, found the printers, found the t-shirts for the best prices, made the cold calls to retailers, etc.  It was a lot to undertake at first, but once you get into your second and third orders of product, it becomes pretty easy to bang out 20 phone calls in a row to make it all happen.  It just comes down to having the drive and want to do it.  To succeed.  Right now we offer apparel for men and women, and will soon be branching into children’s clothing, swimwear, and more.  We recently got picked up by a few major retailers, so it’s a pretty exciting time for us.

JR:  So where do you see the company going?
DM:  I see it doing big things, because people seem to be taking to the brand well.  I never wanted to be a “behind the scenes” owner, I wanted people to associate my brand with me.  Big names like Martha Stewart, George Foreman, Michael Jordan, etc all believe in associating your name from your brand.  I read that in a magazine awhile back, and honestly I figured if they thought it was a good idea too, might as well try.  When people see my youtube videos of me acting goofy or racing my car, I want them to represent what I stand for.  Basically never bailing on your goals and having as much fun in life as possible.  Everyone can do it, it’s just a matter of setting your sites on a goal and going after it with all you’ve got.  Based on sales now, I honestly expect the company to hit the million dollar mark sooner rather than later.  I’m not saying it will be tomorrow or even this year or the next, but it wont take me 10 either.  Call me confident, call me cocky, its whatever.

JR:  So overall, it’s safe to say you’re pretty confident in yourself.  Do you think this comes off as cocky?  Or just the entrepreneurial spirit?
DM:  I don’t know, do you think I’m cocky?  I don’t think I’ve said anything in this interview to be deemed “cocky” or “arrogant.”  Confident absolutely.  People who call me cocky are usually the ones who are 30 years old and still living with their parents, afraid to do anything with their lives other than talk sh*t about somebody else.  You never see someone who is truly happy about their situation crying or bi*ching about someone else’s.  I don’t know if you would call my attitude “the  entrepreneurial spirit”, but that’s definitely a part of it.  I really just truly do not think that anyone else on this planet deserves to be happy over someone else.  Unless you’re too lazy to work for it that is, then the other guy absolutely deserves better than you (laughs).  Unless you have some sort of mental or physical deficiency, you get no sympathy from me for being lazy.  Plenty of people have way nicer stuff than me.  Plenty of people are better looking than me.  You will never in your life see me hating or talking sh*t about any of those people just because of those reasons.  Now, if you’re an a**hole or a piece of sh*t I would be happy to let you know. 

JR:  So tell us about school, would you say it played a major part in fueling your drive?
DM:  Other than the fact that some of the administrators and I got along so terribly, I set a goal to do a burnout in a Ferrari in front of the main office (laughs).  I figure that would piss them off.  But seriously school’s most notable thing it did for me was allow me time to find the drive within me.  My freshman and sophomore year I was the typical “guy looking for the next party.”  Once I hit about age 20, I realized I needed to kick myself in the a** if I wanted to do something big with my life.  I had some great teachers as well, but I will never attribute my ultimate success because I went to college.  There are millions of ultra successful people that never stepped foot into a college classroom.  Everyone’s got to find their own way.

JR:  So did you come up with DRIVN at that time?
DM:  No actually, my first big project is something I still work on to this day, and I hate to bring up the economy because it feels like a copout, but it’s a project that needs some big funding and people are holding onto their cash right now.  I may just fund it completely myself if things continue to go well for DRIVN.  Who knows, right now I’m concentrating on t-shirts and racing.

JR:  Speaking of racing, tell us about your “baby”, your silver Camaro.
DM:  (laughs) I was hoping you would ask about it!  I’m a huge car dork.  I don’t have 1/8 of the cars I hope to own before I die, but I do have the most bada** one I think.  It’s a 2000 Camaro, basically a race car I drive around on the street.  It has a 408 cubic inch motor and a 98 millimeter turbocharger on it.  It makes north of 1500 horsepower to the wheels and you can drive it on the street.  We recently just completed it, but were hoping to crack the six speed LSX record with it, and then maybe shift it into the 7’s.  It’s a monster.  It only weighs about 2800 pounds, so I think its fair for me to say it is one of the baddest street cars on the planet.

JR:  Why did you build the car?  Did it have anything to do with the business or your marketing strategy?
DM:  Why not?  I wanted one of the baddest street cars on the planet so I built one of the baddest street cars on the planet.  I spent a ton of money most people would probably call me stupid for, but I don’t care.  The car is an extension of me and I am an extension of my company.  When people see the car they see the big a** “DRIVN” logos on the side.  Can’t say its bad advertising.  I want people to equate the car with DRIVN, and DRIVN with the rush of doing what you want in life.  Not a whole lot of rush to be found anywhere else than at the helm a 1500 horsepower vehicle.  I’m not sure if anyone will read this or where exactly this is getting printed or whatever, but if you read this and live by me and want a ride in the Camaro, just ask.

JR:  Wow (laughs), so just like that?  Anyone can have a ride?
DM:  Why not?  I’m not one of those people that keeps my cool sh*t to myself.  I try and help out anyone whenever I can.  If it would be cool for you to get a ride in the whip then come on down.  I don’t care.  I’m the same way with my friends.  If there’s something I can do for a friend, I spare no expense.  On the other hand if you’re a douchebag or a hater or you’re someone who just talks sh*t then I’d happily throw you a cinderblock if you were drowning.  That being said, I’ll be that 65 year old guy giving kids rides in his lambo all day just because he doesn’t have sh*t else to do and he likes making people happy.

JR:  Damn, so you have a Lamborghini already at 23?
DM: (laughs) Nah man, hypothetical.  I haven’t sold enough t-shirts for that yet (laughs).  I am going to try and scoop up an 03 and up Viper here soon though.  It’s no Lambo, but the Viper has been my favorite car since I was like 10.  Gotta start somewhere.  I’m just happy with what I have right now.  A lot of people have Lambo’s, not a lot of people have 1500 horsepower cars.  Don’t get me wrong, if someone came up to me and said “I’ll trade my Gallardo for your Camaro” I would do it in a second, it just makes good business sense really.  One of my good friends owns a GM high performance shop, so it’s nothing I couldn’t build bigger and better the second time around.

JR:  So do you consider autosport and drag racing your bread and butter?
DM:  I wouldn’t say that, I mean in the most basic of forms you could say “I sell T-shirts” (laughs).  I mean that’s my bread and butter.  I do a large part of my advertising from simple youtube videos.  People see my car, they see the money I have sunk in it, and they see that I am one of them.  I’m not some random guy that started a clothing label for the sole purpose of making cash.  I wanted to start it as an expression of me.  Automotive sports and drag racing specifically is what I love.  On that same note, I love cars from Ferraris to Camaro’s, I love having fun and I love women.  I wish I could tell you I was a playboy but I’m not.  I’m just as basic as everyone else when it comes to girls.  I love meeting girls but unless I have a few drinks in me, I’m not that confident.

JR:  So there’s one area you are not confident in?
DM:  (laughs) I wouldn’t say that.  I can talk to girls, but I am not a guy who can just walk up to anyone and spit some game.  I’m confident, but I am always more comfortable with people I know, as are most people.  I keep a very tight click, I think to an extent that’s necessary in successful business.  I have maybe five or six friends who I would truly trust for anything.  A lot of people want to be friends but a lot of people will f*ck you if it benefits them.  Not saying all of my friends would do that, but you need to watch yourself.

JR:  How does that translate into business?
DM:  It’s pretty much the same way with business.  I’ve met a lot of good people just being in business for a short time, but at the same time when it comes down to it I have to do what is best for the company.  For example my printer (who is a great guy) recently shipped me a batch of product that was incorrect.  It was a small mistake, but one I was very specific about not happening beforehand.  I hated to do it, but I had to make him eat the cost of those shirts and send me all new stuff.  You don’t want to ever have to make a call like that to someone you like, but if you are going to be successful you need to know when to make those calls.

JR:  In closing, where does this entrepreneurial spirit and drive come from? Who do you accredit your success to?
DM:  My attitude comes from my parents, but the “own business” thing I’m not sure.  A lot of entrepreneurs emerge out of having no other way out like they cant get a job, or their parents pass it on to them.  Nothing wrong with either of those origins, but I didn’t come from either.  I know I could get a “normal” job If I wanted, and neither of my parents are entrepreneurs.  My dad worked his way from nothing up the corporate ladder and didn’t take sh*t from anybody (and still doesn’t) and my mom never started any of her own business’, although watching her personality and aggressive “get what she wants” attitude I’m sure contributes to my drive.  I guess I really just hate having people tell me what to do to be honest. 

JR:  So that’s where the owning your own business idea comes in.
DM:  Yeah.  If you own your own business you don’t ever feel like saying “f*ck you” to your boss, because you are your boss.  Unless you drank too much the night before and are hating yourself the next morning for doing so.  I’ve said “f*ck you” to myself a few times in those situations (laughs).  As far as my success, a lot of it goes to my friends and the guys and girls that work with me.  If it weren’t for my friends buying my stuff and helping to spread the word about DRIVN initially, it probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere.  I know who my friends are and I know who they aren’t.  Yeah, I made the calls to distributors and advertisers, etc, but if you don’t have some support along with your product, It makes things a lot harder.  I can’t thank those friends enough who were the first to buy some of my stuff and help spread the word.  I owe them everything.  And a big shout out to the haters too.  If it wasn’t for you, I may not have had such a big drive to toss up a big middle finger to you once I started to make some money.  I’m not anywhere close to where I want to be yet, but I can tell you I’m on the right track.