

INSANE Rags to Riches Story: From Homeless 2 Years Ago to Doing $60 Million/year | Alex Vela E394
11 snips Sep 4, 2025
Alejandro Vela, Founder of El Barbas Hats, went from sleeping in his car to building a $60 million business in just two years. He shares insights on how past failures laid the groundwork for his success. Discover the unique advantages of hats as a scalable fashion product and how TikTok played a crucial role in marketing. Alejandro's thrilling live stream launch generated $1.3 million in minutes, showcasing the power of limited editions and collaborations. His journey proves that driven mindset and creativity can transform adversity into extraordinary success.
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Homeless Hustle Before The Breakthrough
- Alejandro lived in a car and sold food on the streets while building momentum for his businesses.
- He used gym showers, a $1,500 Nissan Sentra, and daily hustle until he earned enough to rent a place.
Swap Meet Launch Turned Viral Weekend
- Alejandro started by selling embroidered blank hats at swap meets and paired them with food to boost sales.
- A single weekend grew from a few hundred dollars to thousands after he added branding and printed boxes and stickers.
Hats Scale Because One Size Fits All
- Hats scale easier than apparel because one size fits all and reduces SKU complexity.
- Alejandro chose hats intentionally to avoid inventory fragmentation from multiple sizes.