The city of Philadelphia births hustlers, and Cory Matthews is a young native who exemplifies the narrative.
The student-entrepreneur hails from North Philadelphia, where he is currently a student at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. Matthews’ journey as a businessman hit full force in high school when he founded his own sneaker cleaning business, The Sole Surgeon 215, according to Temple News.
Sneakerhead Turned Businessman
Matthews’ love for sneakers ultimately led to him creating his business while being a high school senior in October 2020. He took advantage of his knowledge of sneaker culture and turned it into a profitable game plan.
“I was interested in collecting sneakers and how to keep them looking fresh, so I started studying sneaker cleaning tutorials and researching different materials on sneakers,” he told Temple News.
Supporting Black-Owned Businesses
After building The Sole Surgeon 215’s website and expanding its audience, the business has been booming on a broader scale. According to Matthews, part of what helps keep his company running is using affordable and all-natural cleaning solution materials from a Black-owned company in Dallas, ShoeCPR.
The Bright Future Ahead
Today, Matthews’ focus is balancing between being a student and a business owner. Still, he has a vivid vision for the near future of opening a sneaker cleaning store in Philadelphia’s Center City.
“I want to design my own cleaning materials such as solutions, brushes and sprays. I currently have over 3,000 followers on Instagram and I am aiming to eventually have hundreds of thousands,” he said. “The best way I can obtain a good reputation is by not only doing good work on the sneakers, but offering the best customer service to my clients as well.”
The young entrepreneur also hopes to serve overall as an inspiration for his neighborhood and help give back to his community.
