Anthony Spallone is adept at turning big dreams into reality. “It’s best to dream bigger than you can imagine, but start small,” he says.
In other words, the serial entrepreneur is more than willing to indulge speculative ideas and embrace risk, but never complacency.
“You can think the impossible is possible, and it is—you envision that outcome—but you start that day,” says the Arctic Grey founder. “You don’t just sit down on the couch.”
That’s the underlying logic behind the “Broke as F#ck” program. For five years, Spallone watched a string of great concepts and budding innovators pass him by, but now he has the clout to bring the best proposals to life.
“It’s a little bit unorthodox, but it gives people the funding to finance great ideas.” Spallone elaborates, “It’s a partner program. We dissect their goals, learn about the person, really understand their idea, do our due diligence, and, if we’re convinced that they’re a good fit, we’ll throw our expertise behind the project.”
That’s exactly how his latest endeavor, Hope Shades, came into existence. Peter Grisham sat down with Arctic Grey, a design and development firm, to articulate his vision of stylish, eco-friendly sunglasses that raise money for (and overtly promote) good causes. Then Spallone and his team set about making Peter’s project not only a reality, but a success.
The philanthropic shades have already found an audience.
“Believe it or not, South Africa really started to blow up,” says the WeWork member. “Nelson Mandela’s struggle was called the Hope campaign, so our shades really resonate with the people there.”
Reflecting on his career, it’s easy to see the “Broke as F#ck” program as the culmination of Spallone’s lifelong ambition to aid and assist innovation.
Entrepreneurial spirit has been with him since his earliest days in New York.
“When I was a kid growing up, I was the guy running around managing bands,” Spallone reminisces. “I’m talking from 10 years old, I’d get them into shows, help them with their T-shirt design, and organize everything. I was the guy behind the curtain. I loved it.”
But he never sought superstardom.
“I wanted to be the celebrity’s celebrity,” he says. “To be in a restaurant and have nobody know who I am, but if Rihanna walked in, she’d recognize me.”
It wouldn’t happen overnight. Spallone accumulated experience across a range of industries, but it was time spent with his mentor, Vincent Grosso, that proved to be transformative.
“He was the president on NBC, vice president of ABC—a big player—and he showed me that anything was possible,” recalls Spallone. “I’d come up with an idea, run it by him, and he’d explain that there was a way to make it happen.”
Grosso demonstrated that aspirations could be made manifest by tackling them proactively, step by step, creating a road map and seeing it through. “That’s how I built my first recording studio,” Spallone says. “I saw that you really could think something and bring it to life.”
Having moved from Chicago to Ibiza in 2015, it’s easy to glance at Spallone’s Instagram and imagine the man with the Midas touch living a life of luxury. But Spallone refuses to succumb to sun-soaked inertia.
“When you live on vacation, it’s easy to want to go out to restaurants for every meal and live the high life,” says Spallone. “But as long as you have discipline six days a week, you know you’ll be alright.”