Entrepreneur Spotlight: Randy Wells

Written By Cecilia Seiter

ESO Entrepreneur Spotlight is a series dedicated to highlighting the achievements of our incredible entrepreneurs. From accessory design to insurance firms, restaurants to creative production studios, our entrepreneurs have launched businesses that embody true grit, perseverance, and community engagement. Keep reading to discover how ESO is helping entrepreneurs build where they are—and how those entrepreneurs are driving economic prosperity in their own backyards. 

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It started with a button-down shirt. 

Randy Wells, the founder and artistic director of clothing brand Rockridge, had paid his dues working in fashion and marketing for 20-odd years. With brands like Dockers, Men’s Wearhouse and Marc Ecko on his résumé, he was ready to apply his knowledge to his own menswear line—one geared specifically towards Bay Area entrepreneurs. All he wanted to start with, he said, was designing a classic button-down shirt.

“I didn’t really think it would be that hard, and at the time, this was at the peak of a ton of brands popping up making menswear button-down shirts or t-shirts,” Randy told us during an interview for ESO’s podcast, Build Where You Are. He quickly realized that there was more to it than meets the eye. 

“It actually turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be to make,” he told us. “I was searching for factories, and I wanted to do it locally so I could be part of the process. Lesson one: when you reach out to a factory and ask them if they can do something, 90% of the time, they will always say yes, even if they can’t.”

Lessons from an entrepreneur

Randy eventually did find a factory that could meet his needs. But this first lesson in entrepreneurship most certainly wasn’t his last. As he continued navigating the challenges of launching his own brand, Randy used his decades of experience in fashion to guide him through this unfamiliar territory. Today, Rockridge is a thriving menswear line that’s developed a cult following of Grammy award winners, entrepreneurs, and other luminaries from the worlds of academia, film, music and creativity.

Key to his brand’s growth, he learned, was tapping into the community in his neighborhood of Rockridge, his brand’s namesake. He also added that, as a self-proclaimed introvert, it can be hard to step outside of his comfort zone—but it’s what’s helped drive business expansion in the most impactful ways. 

Thanks to his fashion marketing expertise, Randy also knew he’d need to stand out from the rest of the crowd to build a successful business. 

“The fashion space, especially in menswear, is hyper-competitive. Differentiation is key,” he said. He explained that while it would have been easy to buy blank t-shirts or sweaters and screen print on them, it would have been harder to sell those to customers searching for the next new thing. “Whether it’s the price point, quality of the fabric, or quality of the cut—anything that differentiates your product increases the chance of purchase.”

Randy also soon discovered that he couldn’t rely on the quality of his products alone to generate revenue. Creating a healthy business required diversifying revenue streams, including online sales, physical retail presence, and wholesale accounts. It also required some extra help from ESO’s Capital in the Community Fund (CICF).

“The CICF fund from ESO Ventures has been instrumental in expanding my business. The funds have allowed me to open a retail shop for the holidays, hire staff and reach new customers growing our business. It’s amazing to have a partner like ESO Ventures that believes in the business and brand we’re building,” Randy said.

Rockridge: For entrepreneurs, from entrepreneurs 

When Randy thinks about entrepreneurship, he doesn’t think about the latest tech startup funneling in money from Silicon Valley investors. He considers it an impactful practice that occurs in the physical world—it’s “the creative, it's the artist, it's the coffee shop owner who's not only building great businesses, but rebuilding communities.”

As for the vision for his own entrepreneurship? “Building a brand that represents a strong point of view around entrepreneurship and fashion from the Bay Area is crucial,” he told us during our interview. “If we do that, we are part of this conversation without competing directly with LA or New York. We can capture a market that’s ignored, and there are many men and people interested in fashion who are buying brands based outside San Francisco. We can offer that here and build from Oakland.”
He added: “Our goal is to build brand awareness and grow the business from as far north as Sacramento to as far south as San Jose, so that everyone knows who and what Rockridge is.” 

You can check out Rockridge’s clothing line here. And yes, they have a beautiful collection of button-downs.