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Elite Eleven activewear | Founders Benn Martiniello and Lisandro Paz started selling shirts in their bedrooms

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With $30,000 of childhood savings and a whole lot of hard work, two Australian mates went from selling shirts in their bedrooms to running a business set to make $40 million this year.

Benn Martiniello and Lisandro Paz started working together fresh out of high school in 2014 and initially went into sport gear wholesale, but it wasn’t their passion.

“We would make soccer kits and performance stuff for actual clubs, just because we were so into sport,” Paz tells 9Honey, his business partner by his side.

“But some soccer clubs were handled by the parents. The last thing they want to do is talk to two 19-year-olds that are trying to sell them some jackets.”

READ MORE: Princess Diana’s brother breaks silence after missing his daughter’s wedding

Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) in 2014 when they decided to go into business together. (Instagram)

READ MORE: Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer calls man’s $450k story ‘utter BS’

The venture wasn’t unsuccessful, but Martiniello and Paz both knew their true passions lay elsewhere and soon they launched Elite Eleven, selling men’s shirts and tracksuits online.

The goal was to design and sell the kind of workout gear they loved to wear, but getting it off the ground cost about $30,000 of their combined childhood savings.

That cash went into ordering stock and Martiniello and Paz continued working their day jobs as Samsung customer service representatives while they built the brand.

“That’s why we care so much about customer service and customer experience [at Elite Eleven], cause we got absolutely destroyed by customers at Samsung,” Martiniello adds.

Though they were pouring money into the business, sales were slow at the start and the best mates shipped most orders from their bedrooms at home.

Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) around 2016, when they were still in Elite Eleven's early days.
Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) around 2016, when they were still in Elite Eleven’s early days. (Instagram)

Fortunately, the brand gained traction and sales spiked in 2018 when Martiniello and Paz launched Elite Eleven’s first collection of women’s activewear. 

“That was by popular demand from a lot of women in our lives that kept saying, ‘you’re doing really well but you got to release some women’s stuff’,” Paz says.

READ MORE: Single mum Imogen’s plea to keep second job secret

But the blokes were hesitant at first. What did two 20-something men know about women’s gym gear? Fortunately, they had plenty of female friends and relatives to run ideas by.

Those women helped them test the first few batches of stock that came through, but the boys were so passionate that they had to test the gear for themselves too. 

Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) in one of their first storage units for Elite Eleven.
Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) in one of their first storage units for Elite Eleven. (Supplied)

That included skin-tight women’s leggings, which Martiniello and Paz would squeeze into to make sure the fabric didn’t go sheer while exercising, though it was an odd sight to behold.

“These tests were always in private. There was no public gym that had two guys wearing leggings together,” Martiniello laughs.

Paz chimes in: “At that time we had a very small storage facility, about 120 square metres, and we would be there very late at night to squat test them. 

“We’ve got some funny videos of us doing that, but they’re for private eyes only.”

When the first women’s collection was a success they made it a central part of the brand and by the end of 2018, Paz had dropped out of university to focus on Elite Eleven.

“The only real pressure we had was, our parents telling us, you better finish something yourself. You better not drop out of uni for nothing,” he confesses.

READ MORE: Former child star’s parents break silence following ‘episode’

Meanwhile, Martiniello dragged his three-year degree out over six years, but their families worried that the best mates had poured so much time and money into the business.

At that stage they were working 60-hour weeks and had only just started paying themselves, but the pay they took home was tiny compared to what they’d invested in Elite Eleven.

Lisandro Paz carries a box of Elite Eleven stock.
Lisandro Paz carries a box of Elite Eleven stock. (Supplied)

“We were well and truly a seven-figure business before we started actually taking about a hundred bucks a week out,” Paz admits. 

Fortunately, Elite Eleven was going from strength to strength and as the brand’s success grew, so too did Martiniello and Paz’s responsibilities as business owners.

Having already upgraded from packing orders in their bedrooms to a storage unit, to then three storage units in the same facility, they made the move to a proper warehouse in 2018.

Elite Eleven was on a real winning streak in 2020, when suddenly the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses around the globe struggled to stay afloat.

WATCH: Aussie businesses demand help during COVID-19 shutdowns

At first, Martiniello and Paz were terrified; how would the brand survive something like this? How would they pay the bills and keep the lights on in their warehouses? Was this the end?

By some twist of fate, Elite Eleven became one of the few Australian businesses that truly thrived during the pandemic, as everyone raced to stock up on activewear online.

READ MORE: An ode to the $8 stain beating pen that goes with me everywhere

E-commerce exploded during lockdown and not only did Elite Eleven survive the pandemic “unscathed”, it grew “exponentially” while brands around the country fell apart.

Suddenly they were getting up to 10,000 orders in a single day and it was a steep learning curve as the boys scrambled to figure out how to keep up with such massive demand.

The Elite Eleven founders pose in front of the brand's warehouse.
The Elite Eleven founders pose in front of the brand’s warehouse. (Supplied)

“A lot of people during COVID-19 were looking to wear active wear and lounge wear… we got very lucky that we managed to get through unscathed,” Paz says.

Things really exploded when celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Rita Ora were spotted in Elite Eleven, causing specific styles to sell out and leaving the owners feeling “humbled”.

Influencers were also spruiking their gym gear by the end of the 2010s and though the blokes sometimes gifted them outfits, the celebrities found Elite Eleven all on their own.

“The Rita Oras and Miley Cyrus’ are one-offs,” Paz says. “We don’t understand how they happened. It’s just very surreal. It really still doesn’t feel real.”

Miley Cyrus poses in 2022 wearing a pair of black Elite Eleven shorts.
Miley Cyrus poses in 2022 wearing a pair of black Elite Eleven shorts. (Instagram)

Even when things did go wrong – like about $30,000 worth of stock turning up with such faulty sizing that they couldn’t sell any of it – the best mates found ways to work through it.

READ MORE: One thing you should ‘never’ do in a relationship

The reality is that starting and running a business comes with a multitude of risks, and Martiniello and Paz had to make a lot of mistakes to get where they are today.

“There’s obviously more risks involved now because we have the responsibility of handling 50-plus staff that we are obliged to do right by them. Everything is getting bigger,” Paz adds.

Now, Elite Eleven is projected to make $40 million in revenue this year alone and the boys, who take home six-figure salaries, are about to move into a 5,500 square metre warehouse.

Last week they launched the brand’s seventh anniversary sale and multiple styles sold out within the first day – a true testament to their success.

At just 27, Martiniello and Paz have already seen their business go from selling shirts in their bedrooms to leading a multi-million dollar brand loved by celebrities.

“It’s very humbling. Again, when we started I never thought a celebrity would ever wear stuff that we created. I did a little fist bump to myself saying, ‘you’ve done well here’,” Paz says.

Now they’re looking to the next seven years and have no plans to slow down.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here

The six things you need to review when trying to save money


With $30,000 of childhood savings and a whole lot of hard work, two Australian mates went from selling shirts in their bedrooms to running a business set to make $40 million this year.

Benn Martiniello and Lisandro Paz started working together fresh out of high school in 2014 and initially went into sport gear wholesale, but it wasn’t their passion.

“We would make soccer kits and performance stuff for actual clubs, just because we were so into sport,” Paz tells 9Honey, his business partner by his side.

“But some soccer clubs were handled by the parents. The last thing they want to do is talk to two 19-year-olds that are trying to sell them some jackets.”

READ MORE: Princess Diana’s brother breaks silence after missing his daughter’s wedding

Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) in 2014 when they decided to go into business together.
Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) in 2014 when they decided to go into business together. (Instagram)

READ MORE: Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer calls man’s $450k story ‘utter BS’

The venture wasn’t unsuccessful, but Martiniello and Paz both knew their true passions lay elsewhere and soon they launched Elite Eleven, selling men’s shirts and tracksuits online.

The goal was to design and sell the kind of workout gear they loved to wear, but getting it off the ground cost about $30,000 of their combined childhood savings.

That cash went into ordering stock and Martiniello and Paz continued working their day jobs as Samsung customer service representatives while they built the brand.

“That’s why we care so much about customer service and customer experience [at Elite Eleven], cause we got absolutely destroyed by customers at Samsung,” Martiniello adds.

Though they were pouring money into the business, sales were slow at the start and the best mates shipped most orders from their bedrooms at home.

Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) around 2016, when they were still in Elite Eleven's early days.
Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) around 2016, when they were still in Elite Eleven’s early days. (Instagram)

Fortunately, the brand gained traction and sales spiked in 2018 when Martiniello and Paz launched Elite Eleven’s first collection of women’s activewear. 

“That was by popular demand from a lot of women in our lives that kept saying, ‘you’re doing really well but you got to release some women’s stuff’,” Paz says.

READ MORE: Single mum Imogen’s plea to keep second job secret

But the blokes were hesitant at first. What did two 20-something men know about women’s gym gear? Fortunately, they had plenty of female friends and relatives to run ideas by.

Those women helped them test the first few batches of stock that came through, but the boys were so passionate that they had to test the gear for themselves too. 

Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) in one of their first storage units for Elite Eleven.
Lisandro Paz (left) and Benn Martiniello (right) in one of their first storage units for Elite Eleven. (Supplied)

That included skin-tight women’s leggings, which Martiniello and Paz would squeeze into to make sure the fabric didn’t go sheer while exercising, though it was an odd sight to behold.

“These tests were always in private. There was no public gym that had two guys wearing leggings together,” Martiniello laughs.

Paz chimes in: “At that time we had a very small storage facility, about 120 square metres, and we would be there very late at night to squat test them. 

“We’ve got some funny videos of us doing that, but they’re for private eyes only.”

When the first women’s collection was a success they made it a central part of the brand and by the end of 2018, Paz had dropped out of university to focus on Elite Eleven.

“The only real pressure we had was, our parents telling us, you better finish something yourself. You better not drop out of uni for nothing,” he confesses.

READ MORE: Former child star’s parents break silence following ‘episode’

Meanwhile, Martiniello dragged his three-year degree out over six years, but their families worried that the best mates had poured so much time and money into the business.

At that stage they were working 60-hour weeks and had only just started paying themselves, but the pay they took home was tiny compared to what they’d invested in Elite Eleven.

Lisandro Paz carries a box of Elite Eleven stock.
Lisandro Paz carries a box of Elite Eleven stock. (Supplied)

“We were well and truly a seven-figure business before we started actually taking about a hundred bucks a week out,” Paz admits. 

Fortunately, Elite Eleven was going from strength to strength and as the brand’s success grew, so too did Martiniello and Paz’s responsibilities as business owners.

Having already upgraded from packing orders in their bedrooms to a storage unit, to then three storage units in the same facility, they made the move to a proper warehouse in 2018.

Elite Eleven was on a real winning streak in 2020, when suddenly the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses around the globe struggled to stay afloat.

WATCH: Aussie businesses demand help during COVID-19 shutdowns

At first, Martiniello and Paz were terrified; how would the brand survive something like this? How would they pay the bills and keep the lights on in their warehouses? Was this the end?

By some twist of fate, Elite Eleven became one of the few Australian businesses that truly thrived during the pandemic, as everyone raced to stock up on activewear online.

READ MORE: An ode to the $8 stain beating pen that goes with me everywhere

E-commerce exploded during lockdown and not only did Elite Eleven survive the pandemic “unscathed”, it grew “exponentially” while brands around the country fell apart.

Suddenly they were getting up to 10,000 orders in a single day and it was a steep learning curve as the boys scrambled to figure out how to keep up with such massive demand.

The Elite Eleven founders pose in front of the brand's warehouse.
The Elite Eleven founders pose in front of the brand’s warehouse. (Supplied)

“A lot of people during COVID-19 were looking to wear active wear and lounge wear… we got very lucky that we managed to get through unscathed,” Paz says.

Things really exploded when celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Rita Ora were spotted in Elite Eleven, causing specific styles to sell out and leaving the owners feeling “humbled”.

Influencers were also spruiking their gym gear by the end of the 2010s and though the blokes sometimes gifted them outfits, the celebrities found Elite Eleven all on their own.

“The Rita Oras and Miley Cyrus’ are one-offs,” Paz says. “We don’t understand how they happened. It’s just very surreal. It really still doesn’t feel real.”

Miley Cyrus poses in 2022 wearing a pair of black Elite Eleven shorts.
Miley Cyrus poses in 2022 wearing a pair of black Elite Eleven shorts. (Instagram)

Even when things did go wrong – like about $30,000 worth of stock turning up with such faulty sizing that they couldn’t sell any of it – the best mates found ways to work through it.

READ MORE: One thing you should ‘never’ do in a relationship

The reality is that starting and running a business comes with a multitude of risks, and Martiniello and Paz had to make a lot of mistakes to get where they are today.

“There’s obviously more risks involved now because we have the responsibility of handling 50-plus staff that we are obliged to do right by them. Everything is getting bigger,” Paz adds.

Now, Elite Eleven is projected to make $40 million in revenue this year alone and the boys, who take home six-figure salaries, are about to move into a 5,500 square metre warehouse.

Last week they launched the brand’s seventh anniversary sale and multiple styles sold out within the first day – a true testament to their success.

At just 27, Martiniello and Paz have already seen their business go from selling shirts in their bedrooms to leading a multi-million dollar brand loved by celebrities.

“It’s very humbling. Again, when we started I never thought a celebrity would ever wear stuff that we created. I did a little fist bump to myself saying, ‘you’ve done well here’,” Paz says.

Now they’re looking to the next seven years and have no plans to slow down.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here

The six things you need to review when trying to save money

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