Meet Jeff Cerrito | President, Hotflips, LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeff Cerrito and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeff, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was recovery from spinal surgery and helping my brother sell comics at a couple of NY shows. I thought there was a need at the conventions that wasn’t being addressed. I saw all these people walking around with art, comic books and autographs and they had nothing to protect their stuff while constantly bumping into people. I convinced my brother Charles to give me a little piece of his table at the next convention he did so i can sell Comic and Art supplies. Next thing we knew we bought the company we were buying supplies from and have now become the destination at conventions around the country (and a few overseas) to find to protect your collectibles.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My company started off as primarily a sports card and sports card supply company. We pivoted to the comic market because there was a need. I am excited and proud that people associate comic supplies with Hotflips. It was definitely not easy. There are always obstacles you encounter and there is still many hurdles to overcome. The key is always managing the risk/reward factor. That is the number one question i ask myself before making any decision. If what we do doesn’t work out, what is it going to take to recover. I learned many lessons during the 17 years I’ve been doing this full time and the key is don’t make the same mistake twice. I would want everyone to know while the journey has had ups and downs, we grinded and paid our dues to get where we are. This is only the start, there is much more to come and I’m excited about the future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being from NYC i would first take them for a great meal, then to a Yankee game, lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My brother Charles would agree when i say that our parents are the biggest motivation in our success. They taught us how to balance life and the ups and downs of owning a business. They always seemed to have the right things to say and were involved in every aspect to our success.

Website: www.hotflips.com

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