Awakened Convos: Emir Horton, CEO Eartha Watches Chats Motivation

Lior Israel talks with Emir Horton, the CEO of Eartha Watches. She will be speaking to him about what motivated and inspired him to create these watches.

Lior: Can you please tell us about yourself, and what it is that you do?

Emir: Yes, sure. My name is Emir Horton (spelled with an E), I get Amir all the time. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, but I have been living in Los Angeles, for the past 3 years now. I am pursuing my career, working in the entertainment industry as an actor and television producer, I am also the CEO and Founder of the Eartha Watch Company, which is a new luxury watch brand for both men and women, and it was founded last year in the middle of the pandemic, on September 1, 2020. We are here and we are still making things happen and changing and impacting lives.

Lior: Absolutely, I love it! What inspired you to become an entrepreneur, and what sparked your interests in watches?

Emir: So, before I realized that I had the entrepreneurial spirit it was kind of just this thing that was always in me from the time that I was a kid. I was in middle school burning CD’s and selling them at school back when this platform called ‘Live Wire’ was a thing. My step-dad worked at pharmacy…do you remember ‘Live Wire’ (Lior confirms that she is familiar with it), so I would burn CD’s off of ‘Live Wire’ and sell them at school for $10. My friends and my classmates would send me a list of songs that they wanted, and I would go home, put them on the CD, I was selling them at my step-dad’s pharmacy store.

I was always hustling and being in Philly, it teaches you that hustle mentality. So, when I got here, pursuing the entertainment career I found myself sitting on the curb with nowhere to go, because I literally just up and left Philly to move here after I graduated college. So thinking about those hard moments of being homeless and going from house to house…sleeping on friends couches, and still trying to establish myself in the entertainment industry I realized that I could not rely on the entertainment industry to keep money in my pocket, I needed to think of something else while I am out here.

What I realized in that moment too was that I was not fully maximizing my time while I was out here. I was all over the place, I was in that survival mode mentality which I realized was holding me back from a lot of things. So, I said let me maximize my time in this moment. I started thinking about all the things that I was interested in, all of my skills and talents…watches came to mind. I have been into watches since I was a teenager, and I had this dream growing up that when I become a household name in the entertainment industry that I would design watches for Rolex or AP (Audemars Piguet which is significantly more expensive than Rolex) and I would have the Emir Collection, and I said you know what instead of doing that and making them richer, and using them, let me go ahead and design my own “Rolex” and that is what I did, and that idea came to me in March of 2019.

I was just learning a lot about business and what it really means to be an entrepreneur, I was learning about watches in the industry, and just finding ways on how I can make myself stand out in the brand. That is kind of how we got here.

Lior: That is beautiful, I love that. So, can you tell me what made you feel like you needed to make such an immediate decision in terms of you moving?

Emir: The struggle (he says as he laughs), it was a struggle. I struggled in college, I attended Delaware State University. My mom did the best that she could while raising my sister and myself, but we did not always have a silver spoon in our mouth. There were times when the lights were cut off, or times where we had to boil water on a hot plate because the gas was off, and I just got tired of that, I was tired of living in poverty, I was tired of being broke and living in the struggle, and I said that something has got to give here.

I was in this city that was full of opportunities, Los Angeles…I know that I came here for a purpose, and I needed to continue to do something that would allow me to stay here, because people move here, and will be gone a month later because it is so expensive to live here. There are 60,000 + people who are homeless out here, and it is a land filled with opportunity…a city filled with opportunity. So, I said enough is enough, I am tired of living in the struggle, I am not going back home so we need to figure something out. That was kind of how I flipped the mentality and thought that I need to do something because I was not going back home to my mom’s house.

Lior: Absolutely. I hear that, and before we get into the watches, I wanted to ask because you talk about living in Los Angeles where there is so much opportunity. How did you get to this place, or how did you make yourself stand out from everybody else so that you did not become one of these statistics that go to Los Angeles, and then end up having to leave as you mentioned a month later?

Emir: One thing that helps me to stand out, one thing is my faith. If it were not for my faith, I would not be in this city, I tell that to everyone. Because it is not me, it is God 100% because some of these things that I am doing, I will be like how did I even get here? The second thing is just being authentic and understanding that what is for me is for me, no one is going to take that away, and continuing to navigate and move through that, fully tapping into my purpose. If I am in my purpose, then I am not going to drift, I am not going to be worrying, I am not going to be concerned about having money in my pocket, and I am not going to be worrying about what someone else is doing.

Lior: I got you…I like that. So, tell me and I do hope that I am saying it correctly about the Eartha watches (Emir confirms that Lior has pronounced it correctly), OK, perfect. What inspired you to come up with this name?

Emir: So, the name Eartha is actually my grandmother’s name, she is still alive and well. She received her Eartha watch over the holidays, and it was a dope feeling to watch her put it on her wrist, she was like, “oh I got a new watch, and it has my name on it,” she showed it to the camera, and I just thought that this is dope, this is what I wanted. So, Eartha was the one and only name that came to my head, and I think that it sounds cool for somebody to say, what kind of watch is that you have on, oh it’s an Eartha watch.

So, I called my grandmother up and I said, “Hey I want to name this company, I want to build some watches, I want to build my own company; I want to call it Eartha.” Of course, she was surprised and humble about it, and I said. “I want you to be the face of the company,” and she was like no, this is your thing, you go ahead and do what you have to do…what God called you to do with the company, and you know, that it one of the best things that I love about my grandma, she wants everybody to shine in their own light, and she really just wants you to be the best version of yourself, and that is what I want this company to stand for. So, that is how the name came about and what it stands for.

Lior: Very dope! So, I know that you have a B.A. in mass communication, what would you say played more of a role in your current success, your learned skills, or your determination?

Emir: It is definitely my determination. I went to school at Delaware State University, and Delaware State is a university in a small section of Delaware (Dover, Delaware). Delaware is climbing up the ranks now, there are a lot of successful people that are coming out of Delaware, but at Delaware State University, the majority of the courses that I was taking were primarily focused on journalism and news. I knew that I wanted to be on camera, I knew that I wanted to be behind the camera, but not necessarily as a journalist, or a news anchor, or a news reporter.

So, I took advantage of it, I had an interest in it, but I knew that for the long term at the time, that was not something that I wanted to take off with, so I had this vision that I was going to be successful as an actor at 14-years-old trying to figure it out, and somehow, I landed myself at Delaware State University, learned about this thing called internships was about, and I said to myself, you know what I need to get to L.A., I need to get an internship somehow in Los Angeles, that is where I need to be.

I was trying to network in Delaware, and I ended up meeting my supervisor at the store, Big Lots…that I love to death. She was driving me home one day after our shift and she was like, you know you are going to school, but what it is that you really want to do? I told her that I wanted to work in Hollywood, I want to go to Los Angeles. She was like well I have a friend who I went to high school with, he is a producer at the NFL Network maybe I can connect you with him. I said yeah sure let’s do it. I kept following up with her, and she kept forgetting, so I said you know what, the summer is coming up, I need an internship because the only way that I can go to L.A., is if it is during the summer because of the courses, so I asked what this man’s name was, I looked him up on LinkedIn, he was willing to get me in the door, but I was a few days late.

So, he asked me to keep in contact with him and the following year we would try to get you in, sure enough, that is what I did. I contacted him that February of 2017, I got the interview in March, they gave me the offer the next day, and that was how I ended up here. That opportunity was full of exposure, it was my first time in Los Angeles, I spent an entire summer here…seeing the studio lots, going to Hollywood parties, and you know that whole fast lane glitz and glamour, and I knew that it was where I needed to be.

So, if it was not for my determination, I would not be here at all because as far as the education, I did not have a mentor in my life, showing me the ropes of how to navigate Hollywood. My professors did the best that they could in college, but they did not fully understand what was in me and where I was trying to go, so it was like I needed to just figure this thing out in order to get out here. It was definitely my determination more than my education.

Lior: Absolutely, understood. So, because your degree is in communication, I have to ask because I know that this is something that a lot of people tend to struggle with when they start their businesses, how were you able to persuade those who are a part of your team to see your vision?

Emir: Well for one, I fully believe in collaborative effort. I am always open to new ideas, and those who work with me, whether it is temporary basis or not, I want to hear what they are thinking, let’s help grow this thing together. I do not look at it as just my company, yes, I am the face of it, but this company has so much to offer, it is impacting lives, it is paying people who work with me on a temporary basis, and I just try to continue to have them pour into me while I also pour into the company and into them as well.

I am always open to having people on my team if they are the right fit, if they can actually see the vision, and just always wanting to come together so that we can make things come to fruition.

Lior: What do you feel is required of someone who has little to nothing, but they want to accomplish having their own successful business?

Emir: I would say use what you have, it might be little to nothing, but it is enough to get started. Do not sleep, and I made a post about this a while back about utilizing what is in your inventory, not just in business but literally your inventory, the wisdom, the resources that you do have that you are sleeping on…utilize that and leverage it, because if you leverage one thing, it is going to lead to that next thing, and continue to build and so forth.

So, reflect, and be self-aware of all that you have in your hand, and just maximize it to your fullest capacity.

Lior: Absolutely! So, what would you say was your greatest challenge to begin with when you first started Eartha Watches, and what would you would say is your greatest challenge now?

Emir: The biggest challenge of course was the lack of funding; it is not cheap. It cost me a couple of thousand dollars to launch this business, and that is not just with the product itself, that is like forming an LLC., for an attorney, because I messed up on my legal stuff because I did not have the background knowledge. I got as much education as I could on the legal stuff, but investing into that attorney, that cost a pretty penny to make sure that you are covered and legal and legitimate.

So, that was the biggest challenge it was a lot of money that I had to save, a lot of nights with no food, I drank water for dinner…so the money definitely. Right now the biggest challenge of course, is that we are in a pandemic, people are not really purchasing too much. I sell watches and because we are in quarantine, people are not really going out like they used to that requires them to get dressed up.

So, still thinking of creative ways to make sure that we remain relevant, and that the relevancy that we do have be consistent, and just continue to connect with our community, and to be in a community where we can serve our customers.

Lior: Absolutely. What would say that you feel most comfortable with, do you feel more comfortable on the scene or behind the scene?

Emir: Ahh, that is a good question, because I love both. I honestly love both. I would not be where I was if it were not for my acting career, and I say that because it was the acting that led me to Los Angeles, it was Los Angeles that led me to launching a watch company. It was also acting that made me want to have more power as far as producing my own content and I want to have a production company, and really birth that entrepreneurial spirit.

As far as producing, it is kind of hard because I really enjoy doing both. I would say that my passion is not in acting, it is not in television, it is really in creating, and building. That is what I love to do. So, to be able to see a vision that starts from a small idea, and to see that manifested into something on screen whether I am on the camera or not, is a very fulfilling feeling to me. I really love both, it goes hand in hand, I cannot choose just one.

Lior: I can understand that; it makes sense. One of our viewers has asked, how much quality time do you give yourself for self-care, interests, activities, and time for family and friends?

Emir: I just recently set this standard that I began in February, one thing I do not want to do is to punch out after 3:00 a.m. in the morning, because I will literally work all day, and it is just out of control. So, I realized that I need to create a new rhythm and get this together. I am becoming more intentional with my self-care, reflecting, meditating. When I wake up in the morning, I am trying not to pick up my phone, or to go straight to my emails, and social media, and instead I turn on my worship music playlist, meditate, prayer for at least an hour, and then go on and start my day. I always feel grounded when I am around huge bodies of water, so I gravitate towards the beach, and will just sit there by the ocean to get myself together, and it really is a balance because this past Black Friday was our very first and I did not know how stressed out I was until somebody was telling me, bro you are stressed out (he laughs).

I am not trying to go back into that space because I was not eating or sleeping, I was having headaches…it was crazy. So, being more self-aware of my body, and paying attention to it helps me to really understand that you need to chill out, and take some time for yourself, check in on your family members, they are 3,000 miles away, I make sure that I facetime my nephews, my nieces, my grandmother, I check in with her and my mom, as well as my close friends. Because that is all important, and I value that more than anything. My family and close friends have been there with me from day one, I could care less about a company, Hollywood, or anything, so I definitely make time for that too.

Lior: I like that, and that is brilliant. What would you say is the greatest lessons that you have learned on your journey?

Emir: The greatest lesson that I have learned is really that God is here, God is real, and it took some time for me to understand that when I moved here. I knew who Jesus was, I heard about him, but you have to see who he is for yourself, and I really began to see him move when I moved to Los Angeles because I did not have anybody here really, I have a small network at the NFL, professionals, but they were not that tight to the point that if I called them because I needed to sleep on their couch, could I do that…I did not have that. I literally moved here with a little bit over $1000, something that was supposed to last me for a month, and now I am going on 3 years of living here, and I know that it was nobody but God, and the lesson that I had to learn was to put my focus and my trust in him, because that was all that I had out here.

I have a small circle of friends now, and my network has grown so much, but I know that none of that would have happened if it was not for God just being my advocate, being in my ear telling me what to say, what not to say, who to connect with, who to stay away from, and all of those things. My faith has grown so much over the course of these 3 years in a way that I could have never really imagined.

So, making sure that I have that trust, and that my faith is grounded, being intentional about it was the biggest lesson that I have learned so far.

Lior: Yes, I love it. On the contrary, what would you say has been your greatest triumph to this day?

Emir: Well, right now because of this pandemic, Hollywood is closed so I am trying to think of creative ways to keep money in my pocket, to keep paying rent on time so as not to get evicted. In L.A., we are getting off of lockdown now, I am still having meetings with these projects that I am potentially selling, and they are doing really well, I am pretty sure that we are going to get some good stuff going with these projects for this year.

I think that we all have the same struggle now as far as not knowing what tomorrow may bring. We are all in this together, and I find comfort in that as well, it’s like I am not the only one out here struggling, it is what it is…we are going to have to figure it out regardless, that is what we are built and designed to do, especially as entrepreneurs and creators, we have to figure things out and we are used to our backs being against the wall, that is where I perform my best…under pressure.

I am continuously learning, understanding that yesterday is not going to be today, so I cannot show up the same way that I did yesterday because today is a different day, and I have to continue to fight forward.

Lior: Yes, absolutely I definitely agree, that is a beautiful mindset to have. What would you tell aspiring entrepreneurs who are trying to create their own business, especially during this pandemic, what advice would you give them?

Emir: I would say to be authentic, we kind of touched on that earlier, find out what works for you, and have something to offer, be unique…bring your full self, and also understand that everything is not going to take off right away. Do not compare your first month with someone else’s 7th year because they have been in the game a lot longer, they have the experience and knowledge, so in understanding that trust your process.

Once you lay down a foundation, once you get started everything that is needed to sustain it is going to make its way to you, organically, that is just how this thing works. But it is never going to happen if you do not take the first step to get started. Again, use what you have right now to get started, take that first step, and make it happen.

Lior: I know that you have many ventures that you are into, do you have any upcoming projects that we should know about?

Emir: I do but I cannot really share honestly.

Lior: I figured that it was going to be like that but I thought that I would ask anyway.

Emir: If you follow me on Instagram, you will see it, there is something that is very exciting in my pipeline right, but I am unable to share it right now.

Lior: I completely understand. So, where can we find you?

Emir: My personal page is @mrhorton_ I am also on Facebook, and I am going to try to be on Facebook more. I usually just post and get off, I have not been really looking at the comments, so I want to do better with Facebook. Our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for Earth Watches is @earthawatch I also have a YouTube channel for our promotional content, some of the things that we are doing in our community, we are feeding the homeless out here. We took a single father who came out of homelessness who was living in a shelter, who could not afford to get his daughter anything for Christmas, so we took him to Target spent up to $1000 for his daughter to ensure that she had a dope Christmas. That is the type of content that we will be posting on our YouTube channel.

When you support Earth Watches, you are not just buying a watch we are really trying to connect time to the mission, which is our slogan, through leadership, and being of service to our community, that is how you can find us and check up on what we are doing.

Lior: That is awesome! Thank you so much for being able to do this interview with us, it has been such a pleasure and an honor to be able to talk with you.

Emir: Thank you so much! I enjoyed this; this was cool. I appreciate everyone at Purposely Awakened for having me on the platform. I am looking forward to seeing all of the other creatives and entrepreneurs that continue to shine their light on the platform as well. Thank you, it has been an honor.

Lior: Absolutely, and we wish you the best of luck on all of your future ventures.

Emir: Thank you.

Lior: Have a wonderful night.