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Peter Kyle Takis has his own company, a Twitter account with more than 22,000 followers and he only recently graduated high school.

Peter Kyle Takis started streetwear brand Local Advancers two years ago with just a few hundred dollars. Now his company ships clothing across North America every day.

Not bad for a local entrepreneur -- and especially not bad for a kid who can't even vote or drink yet.

The young Winnipegger is also involved with Winnipeg's nightlife and entertainment industry. Local Advancers has presented many big time entertainment acts in Winnipeg such as: J Cole, Mac Miller and D-Pryde.

His latest venture is bringing rap artist Kid Ink to Winnipeg.

I sat down with Takis this week at Starbucks to ask him a few questions about how he leveraged social media to make Local Advancers the brand and clothing label it is today.

When Takis started LA a couple years ago, he had a very small budget. And that budget was dedicated to creating the product, not to an advertising campaign. He decided social media was the way to get his brand out there. And it didn't cost him anything. "Social media is taking over," he said.

Local Advancers' Twitter account, with over 22,000 followers, is run by Takis. He explained to me he used to be completely professional and very censored on the Twitter account, but then he decided, why be censored on Twitter when you're a clothing brand? "You gotta be real" Takis said.

When he was censored, he wasn't getting as many retweets, or new followers. So, Takis revaluated his social media strategy and moved in a different direction.

"I want to be real, completely me, and if the haters are gonna hate, that's fine with me." Takis has 22,000 followers on Twitter and he also follows 22,000 people.

"I follow everyone back to show them that I'm here for them. If they want to see what I'm up too, I feel like I should repay the favour." That strategy has been working for Takis. He really believes in being a great customer service agent for his fans. He believes responding and showing love to his fans is crucial.

I was also curious about Takis' involvement in local hip hop. He said when his company took off, he started feeling like "Mainstream Advancers," so he decided to do a clothing line called Support Local Hip Hop. Many local artists have been seen wearing his gear in music videos. If you're one of Takis's 6,800 Instagram followers, you'll see he's up late most nights, either in the studio or making a quick caffeine run. He says he's hardly ever home before 4 a.m. Takis also explained Local Advancers isn't just a brand, it's a movement.

"LA is the first streetwear brand to push a positive message. I try to inspire people through the medium of apparel. The movement is when young adults check out the brand and expect a normal clothing label, but are surprised," Takis said.

After Takis' success and media attention, he witnessed other high schoolers trying to create a clothing brand like his. Takis' lifestyle is something other kids his age envy. Takis told me it's really cool seeing other clothing brands start up. However, it's one of the hardest markets to get into -- it's incredibly hard making it in the streetwear business.

"I feel bad for others trying to get into the business. Save your money."

Where does he see his brand in five years? "I'm still going to be in it. Even if there is a lack of progression, I'm still going to be hustling. I'm in love with this business. If the brand isn't taking off the way we think it's going to, this will still be my side project for the next 30 years."

Now Takis has graduated, he can completely focus on the brand and try to attract the attention of big-name retailers. He's also taking his realty license as a backup plan.

"Taking my realty license will give my parents a sense of security, and reassurance."

You may see Takis rolling around the city in his murdered Infinity G35, or in the media in one way or another. You can follow Takis on Twitter, @LocalAdvancers, or on Instagram, @PeterTakis.

Whatever he ends up doing, I'm sure this innovative young Winnipegger has a bright future ahead of him.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 5, 2012 A15