He used the money he got for his 12th birthday to buy his very first pair of Nike Air Max.
“It still feels just as good as when I started. Only now I also make other people happy with it,” Frank begins.
“My mother raised four sons. Because we were always breaking things and playing football, we always wore mountain shoes. A strong pair that could not break. In summer they were replaced by sturdy sandals. I really wanted sneakers. So when I turned twelve, I could not wait to buy a pair of Nike Air Max with my birthday money. The Nike Air Max 90 Red Safari, to be exact.”
According to Frank, this was not very cool at the time. “Kids at my school wore other brands. But I thought those Nikes were fantastic. That one pair made me want more.”
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Sneakers with dog hair"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"During the search for more unique models, Frank often found sneakers that were not his size. “Or I found a cool pair, but not in the right condition. Still, I bought them – one and a half size too big, covered in dog hair or worn down – because I knew: if you want something this much, you must make concessions. And if you find the perfect pair a year later, you can sell the others again. Buying and selling every day became a matter of making sure I had the right items to trade.”
His hobby, which got out of hand, could only be paid for by selling other pairs from his collection. And so his collection grew – from two pairs a year, to two pairs a month, to two pairs a week.
"}},{"componentType":"testimonial","testimonialList":[{"authorInfo":{"authorName":"Frank Klerks:","image":{"transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/11f75260-1110-4216-9543-816cea975c95/Outsole-12","type":"image","width":5226,"original":"https://assets.ing.com/m/45ce9d18676402dd/original/Outsole-12.jpg","extension":"jpg"}},"testimonialText":{"body":"Here you find very exclusive sneakers that you almost cannot find anywhere else."}}]},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Exclusive sneakers"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"“Soon my room and the hallway in my mother’s house were full,” Frank continues. “But my brother collected reptiles, so my mother was used to a lot. She found it funny. When I moved out, I took two cupboards full of sneakers with me, I did not have more space. That hallway stayed full of sneaker boxes for a long time.”
“Buying and selling, that is how it all began – and that is what I still do. Only now my online platform Outsole, which I run with friends, has the world’s largest offer of Nike Air Max 1, with thousands of visitors a day. Here you find very exclusive sneakers that you almost cannot find anywhere else.”
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Attic-room hobby"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"They are actually more a museum than a webshop, Frank sometimes says. “It still feels like a hobby from the attic that got out of hand. Even though we are of course a serious company. That was a conscious choice with years of preparation.”
Frank did not want to ‘become like Al Bundy, with only shoes’. “My dream was to start a webshop for the most exclusive sneakers. So I went to the Chamber of Commerce for insights about the collectors’ market, learned how to build a webshop, and did a master’s in Business Administration. For many evenings I worked hard on taxes, marketing and strategy.”
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"A bit painful"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"While Frank is talking, the doorbell rings. A couple comes to try on a pair of exclusive sneakers. “His girlfriend had chosen them as a surprise,” Frank explains later. “They fitted perfectly and he was really happy with them. That is the best part of my work. Making others happy. Sometimes it hurts a bit when a unique pair is sold, but a happy customer makes everything good. And now my network is so big that I know: if I really want it, I will find that pair again someday. Even those holy grails for every collector.”
With his own office building, his own team, tens of thousands of happy customers and always more than 2,000 pairs of sneakers online, Frank has little to complain about. “You know what it is? Starting a business makes no sense if you do not feel something for it. Then it is a hopeless mission. But if it is your passion, you only need to start. The rest will follow.”
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Watch the video (Dutch only)"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Frank managed to turn his hobby into a successful business through hard work. It all started with that first pair of Nike Air Max. Starting now with something that benefits you later: it can be this simple. The same is true for investing. ING makes it easy to start with it through ING Easy Invest. Next to saving, you increase your chances to grow your money without much time or effort. You only need to start, just like Frank!
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*For informational purposes, we will use the name Easy Invest. The actual product name, which will also appear in the onboarding flow and on your bank statements, is Eenvoudig Beleggen. This translation is intended for the customer’s convenience only. In the event of any inconsistency between the English translation and the original Dutch version, the original Dutch version shall prevail.
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