If you’re a sneakerhead, EBkicks isn’t just a luxury — it’s a requirement.

Made of all-natural and biodegradable materials, EBkicks — helmed by the husband-and-wife team of Kenny and Elin Berbick — is safe for all shoe materials.

The Las Vegas-based duo has achieved exponential success as a family-centered lifestyle brand. As life and business partners, Elin and Kenny Berbick, pride themselves on being the original sneakerheads. The duo’s passion for sneakers inspired them to put their hard-earned money to develop low-cost top-tier biodegradable sneaker cleaning products. EB and Kenny have even become influencers in their own right with over 180,000 followers on Instagram and over 365,000 followers on TikTok, amassing nearly 5 million likes on the latter platform.

What’s more, the solution can keep your expensive shoes lasting a lot longer — and looking a lot better in the process. The product was also recently featured in GQ, when popular sneaker influencers Miguel and Grace Showlorio used the product in a recent TikTok video to show how it could clean any sneaker, in any condition.

AfroTech recently had a chance to chat with the EBkicks founders to get some insight into the secrets to their success.

Here’s what we found out.

Editorial note: Portions of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity.

On How Their Business Got Started — And What EBkicks Means To Them

“We’re very big sneaker collectors, and we know how important it is to keep our shoes clean,” said Elin Berbick. “So, about six years ago, we created our own brand of cleaners that we felt we could get behind, and we could trust with our sneakers. But for us, it’s not just about having a shoe cleaner company. It’s about having a family business. And even on social media, we talk about our lives — as husband-and-wife, as a family, as entrepreneurs, as small business owners — which is what I feel people can really relate to.”

On How They Knew They Hit The "Sweet Spot" With Their Proprietary Formula

“We were in the shoe cleaner industry for nearly 20 years, between myself and my husband combined,” said Elin Berbick. “So, we had an idea of what we wanted to do when we were finally ready to do it. We knew we wanted a cleaner that was all-natural and biodegradable.”

“Our secret ingredient is coconut oil,” said Kenny Berbick. “And while, obviously, we can’t get into the exact formulations — because it’s proprietary — we know that it works well as both a cleanser and a conditioner. And that’s how we knew we’d hit the ‘sweet spot’ with our formula.”

On How They Overcome the Unique Challenges In Being Small Business Owners — While Also Being Husband and Wife

“For me, the big things I practice are patience, trust, and balance,” said Kenny Berbick. “We work together. We give each other roles. And we work with each other — we cover each base, we write everything down to be accountable to one another, and we focus on what’s important.”

“And another part is that we find time for ourselves and each other,” said Elin Berbick. “Self-care is super-important.”