A college dropout runs a multi-million dollar sneaker cook group, AMNotify, with thousands of members across the world. Here's how he launched one of the first exclusive sneaker forums from a hospital bed in 2017.

<p><img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5fda33856524f100197925d0-1338/uY8lBc5x.jpeg" border="0" alt="AMNotofy Aaron Maresky" data-mce-source="Aaron Maresky"></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>Aaron Maresky dropped out of college after just three weeks.</p><p>The issue, he explained, wasn't an aversion to education. The 19-year-old from Toronto, Canada, has always loved to learn. But when he started college in September of 2019, Maresky's head was somewhere else. Even during his short stint in university, the teen spent a large portion of his time running <a href="https://amnotify.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AMNotify</a>, the global sneaker community that he founded, which currently has thousands of paying members across the globe.</p><p>Maresky described his routine during those three weeks of college, which involved waking up and 8 a.m., doing classes and schoolwork until midnight, and then working on his company until 5 a.m.</p><p><strong>Read more:</strong><em> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/17-year-old-entrepreneur-made-500000-selling-sneakers-in-pandemic-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A 17-year-old entrepreneur made close to $500,000 in sales reselling sneakers during quarantine. Take a look inside his pandemic-proof business model.</a></em></p><p>"It was not a sustainable lifestyle," the teen told Business Insider in an interview, explaining his decision to drop out of college and focus on his business full-time.</p><p>With thousands of collective members and seven branches across the globe, AMNotify is one of the biggest sneaker communities around. The company functions like a sneaker "cook group," in that it is an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sneaker-cook-groups-nike-plugs-news-drops-releases-2020-3'r=sneakers-lp" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="80" data-uri="44711c30c8f1a89eb7afa79d1d5cfb4c">exclusive, membership-based forum meant to supply information</a> for anyone looking to break into sneaker resale. AMNotify also provides opportunities for members to participate in large "group buys" of certain sneakers and offers access to bots, or software tools that expedite the online checkout process.</p><p>While Maresky requested that exact sales totals not be revealed for privacy concerns, the business has done millions in sales since January of 2018, according to screenshots of Maresky's Stripe account viewed by Business Insider.</p><p>Maresky describes himself as AMNotify's janitor on his Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ThxAMN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bio</a>. But according to the founder, his job is more similar to that of a "firefighter."</p><p>"There's so much going on at all times," Maresky said. "I'm on calls every day, 15 hours a day, working and just coming up with different strategies for everyone to provide the best product and work as best as possible."</p><h2>Getting started</h2><p>When Aaron Maresky decided to start a forum for sneakerheads to share information about reselling in 2017, he was aiming to help people get their start in sneaker reselling. The Canadian teen had some experience selling sneakers and figured he would spread his knowledge with other like-minded entrepreneurs.</p><p>He was also looking for a good way to kill some time.&nbsp;Maresky was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disorder, at age seven. As a result, he spent much of his childhood undergoing surgeries and hospital visits for treatment. In 2010, he started a charity, <a href="http://www.shalomlife.com/files/culture/18065/eleven-year-old-taking-a-bite-out-of-childrens-suffering/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron's Apple</a>, that raises funds to help chronically ill children afford treatment.</p><p>In 2017, the idea of forming cook groups was still nascent. In the last couple of years, more of these <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-makes-6-figures-sneaker-resale-group-nike-plugs-bot-2020-5'r=sneakers-lp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive forums</a> have sprung up as sneaker resale balloons into a multi-billion dollar industry.&nbsp;</p><p>Maresky recalled the day he first opened membership for AMNotify. He was in the hospital at the time.</p><p>"I was jumping up and down on the hospital bed. I was so happy, obviously," Maresky said. "We pulled like 30 memberships and I remember my dad said, "You know, you can't go more than 30 otherwise there won't be enough shoes for everyone.' But here we are today."</p><p>Maresky said there have been times where AMNotify has scooped more than 80% of pairs in a drop. Maresky claims AMNotify members were responsible for nabbing 450 of the 500 <a href="https://twitter.com/AMNotify/status/1072576091234205697" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Post Malone Crocs</a> that released in <a href="https://stockx.com/crocs-dimitri-clog-post-malone-barbed-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December of 2018</a> and over <a href="https://twitter.com/AMNotify/status/1304138049488662529" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,000</a> pairs from the shock-dropped <a href="https://stockx.com/nike-air-force-1-low-cactus-plant-flea-market-white'country=US&amp;currencyCode=USD&amp;size=12&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=OD-Segment-Sneakers-AdultSizes-(US)&amp;utm_campaignid=1032998786&amp;content=244607812448&amp;keyword=&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiArIH_BRB2EiwALfbH1LYN2nGBKLYh4sDBCQQyf3LghqYZBTIh7vaIWihtOU6zCsM009HBjRoCEHgQAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cactus Plant Flea Market</a> release in September.</p><p>While most of these groups live on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/discords-website-for-videogaming-and-sneaker-reselling-cook-group-hub-2020-9'r=sneakers-lp" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="80" data-uri="37696621157259ccdaad9e60847a7452">Discord</a>, a messaging platform that has become a hotbed for sneakerhead activity, AMNotify started its life on Slack, the platform of choice for corporate and work communication. Membership initially cost around $75 a month.</p><p>"It was really just me saying everything I knew," said Maresky, whose initials were the basis for the "AM" in AMNotify.</p><h2>AMNotify takes off</h2><p><img src="https://static4.businessinsider.com/image/5fe0d1eed366e60018099556-999/mU09C5L6.jpg" border="0" alt="Aaron Mareksy" data-mce-source="Aaron Mareksy"></p><p>As interest in the group grew, Maresky hired people to help him run it. The group made the switch to Discord in 2018 and is currently in the process of building a personalized app.</p><p>Today, there are seven AMNotify branches across the US, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, Korea, and Australia. Each has its own Discord server, <a href="https://twitter.com/AMNotify" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> account, and roster of dedicated staff. Maresky oversees all of the branches and works with an accounting firm to handle payroll for his employees.&nbsp;</p><p>Today, membership to AMNotify costs $60 a month and includes <a href="https://amnotify.com/#features" target="_blank" rel="noopener">everything</a> from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-sneaker-bot-for-yeezy-supply-nike-proxy-2020-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bots</a>, early release and restock information, and a full-time support team. Membership to the group is extremely limited and, in some cases, could require an application for consideration.</p><p>Like many people who forge their way in the sneaker industry, Maresky's path was non-traditional. And while the teen essentially functions as a CEO at the helm of a company bringing in millions of dollars in sales, some people still see him as no more than a college drop-out.</p><p>"People don't recognize what I do as legitimate," Maresky explained.&nbsp;</p><p>To be sure, the teen hasn't entirely written off the idea of returning to college at some point in the future. But right now, he's enjoying having the extra time to focus on his company.</p><p>"I've got too much going on," Maresky said. "And I don't want to squander the opportunity."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-splashforce-bot-for-yeezy-supply-nike-sneakers-2020-9#:~:text=For%20Iwan%20Jeffery%2C%20software%20development,sneaker%20bots%20in%20the%20market." >How a self-taught developer with no formal training made $700,000 in sales this year from his sneaker bot, Splashforce, that nabs hyped pairs in just milliseconds</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amnotify-founder-teen-started-his-company-from-a-hospital-bed-2020-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-most-expensive-liquid-thoroughbred-horse-semen-2020-3">Why thoroughbred horse semen is the world's most expensive liquid</a></p>
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