Be Unbashedly Yourself With Eyewear That Enhances Who You Aare and What You Do

Stephan Lease is an avid runner and the CEO and co-founder of goodr. He, alongside his two friends from high school, Ben Abell, a lawyer, and biology major turned actress Keri Blunt founded the company in 2011. Lease alway looked in the mirror every morning and felt his running gear wasn’t on par which inspired him to start goodr.

Be Unbashedly Yourself With Eyewear That Enhances Who You Aare and What You Do

He also noticed most runners weren’t wearing the most expensive sunglasses while running, but rather “cheap sunnies from gas stations.” Lease saw a creative opportunity for stylish, functional, affordable sunglasses in the running space, and this was where the inspiration from goodr came from.

Lease, Abell, and Blunt then established goodr’s brand mission, which is, “Badass sunglasses that speak to the four F’s: Fun, Fashionable, Functional, and ‘Ffordable. We exist to give you permission to be unabashedly yourself… unless you’re an asshole.”

For the first two years, the trio kept the brand afloat while working full-time jobs. Before founding goodr, Lease had mastered the art of trial and error, and the sixth time indeed was the charm, making Lease, Abell, and Blunt pioneers in the industry by creating fun products that are efficient and stylish. 

The brand quickly grew from three friends in an apartment to 20 partners in their Inglewood HQ and then to 60+ employees who formed a lifelong partnership and friendship through goodr.

During its journey to success, goodr expanded to over 1,500 stores in over 30 countries, added five verticals, Run, Beast, Bike, Golf, and Game. They also have a blue blockers collection, under the Game collection, which blocks out blue light, perfect for consumers who are in front of screens all day personally or professionally.

goodr has also collaborated with major brands like Warner Bros, PBR, and Dunkin’ Donuts and won several awards such as Runner’s World Gear of the Year twice, PGA Buyer’s Choice, Men’s Health Best Buy, and Inc. Magazine’s Best Places to Work.

They additionally have a Culture goodr podcast which takes listeners behind the shades of goodr. The podcast delves into the hard work the team places on their culture. Each week they bring listeners a topic or guest that will show them how the goodr team got to where they are today and where they made mistakes, so others won’t have to.

The podcast is hosted by Lease, and Chief Relationship Officer, Shaun Tinney. With the podcast, the goodr team hopes to positively inspire businesses to mix things up with their company culture.

Despite all of the significant successes the trio saw at goodr, it all boiled down to their goal with the business. CEO, Lease looked in the mirror and said, “We sell fun, not eyewear. For $25, we can put a smile on your face. And that is a compelling thing.”

goodr is a brand that prides itself on its lighthearted, fun nature. The brand’s mascot is a pink flamingo named Carl, and their branding, packaging, and prices are all reflective of their mission. goodr additionally focuses on being environmentally friendly and providing an exceptional customer experience, with products that are 100% carbon neutral, have 30 day free returns, and come with a one-year warranty.

Amidst the racial injustices occurring throughout the U.S. and globally, goodr took a stand to make a difference. As a brand built on $25 pairs of sunglasses, they donated $25,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund to support the work they do to fight for racial justice in the hope that this will help all individuals be able to be “unabashedly themselves.”

As an ongoing commitment, goodr is looking towards Black leaders in the space and creating a plan to learn about and practice anti-racism. The brand will continue to focus on representation and inclusivity in its hiring, content, and other areas.

goodr will further continue accepting all people regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, culture, socioeconomic status, and essentially anything that makes people uniquely human.

Asides from their support of the Black Lives Matter Movement, goodr has extended a helping hand continuously by supporting several give-back initiatives.

goodr stands as an example that inspiration can stem from our daily passions and with a mission centered around authenticity. Allowing and encouraging people to be uniquely themselves through products that enhance their personalities and passions for the better is the reason for goodr’s success since its launch.