Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Sherman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
CI Wear was born from personal experience and a deep desire to help my son do the things he enjoys while still being able to hear.
Our journey began with our son, who has bilateral cochlear implants. We loved watching him swim. It was his favorite thing in the world. But instead of enjoying the water, he spent more time adjusting his waterproof processors, worrying they might fall off or get damaged.
As parents, that broke our hearts. We just wanted him to be a kid, to play freely, to feel safe, to belong.
So we started searching for solutions. We tried everything we could find, but nothing truly worked. That frustration became fuel. We began researching, designing, testing, failing, and refining again and again until finally CI Wear was born.
Today CI Wear stands as the only patented shirt designed to secure and protect cochlear implant processors and other hearing devices, both in and out of the water. Whether you are swimming, running, biking, or simply living life, our goal is simple: to make wearing a cochlear implant easier and more comfortable, without the fear of losing them.
What began as a way to help our son has now grown into something much bigger. We are proud to share what has given him freedom and confidence, and we hope it brings that same sense of peace of mind to others.
Because sometimes innovation does not start in a lab or a boardroom. It starts at home, with love, frustration, and a simple question: How can we make life better?
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Creating a specialty shirt for my son was easy.
It filled a real need, a niche market that wasn’t being addressed. That part came naturally.
But what no one tells you is that building a business is the easy challenge compared to raising a child who is both deaf and on the spectrum. That is where the real work begins.
Every day became a balancing act between entrepreneurship and advocacy, between building something that could change lives and fighting a system that too often says no to the very children who need it most. Getting the right services, the right support, the right understanding takes time, energy, and persistence that few can imagine.
And even with all the love and support from family, there are still only twenty-four hours in a day. You cannot split yourself in half. So some days, the business had to wait, because he could not.
But through that struggle came clarity. Growth is not always about numbers or sales. Sometimes, growth is about resilience. It is about finding purpose in the chaos and realizing that every obstacle can shape something far greater than what you first imagined.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
While Ci Wear continues to thrive, empowering people with cochlear implants to dive, surf, and live without fear of losing or damaging their hearing devices—I now serve as the Marketing Director for a company that gives new life to used printer cartridges transforming then into renewed affordable product and keeping plastic out of our landfills.
Throughout my career, I’ve lived at the intersection of business development and human connection, forging partnerships that unite purpose with profit, and bringing together the right people to reach the right markets in smarter, more meaningful ways.
For fifteen years, I ran my own marketing firm, delivering measurable results for clients while also serving in another, deeply personal role: advocate for my son. That journey reshaped not only our lives but also the system around us, leading to policy changes in our school district and the adoption of new technologies that opened doors for countless other children with disabilities.
What truly sets me apart isn’t a title or a résumé line, it’s a mindset. I believe that “no” is never the end of the road. It’s simply a challenge, a signal to look deeper, think differently, and find another way forward. Because there is always another way. Always another solution. Always another path to make a difference.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
As an entrepreneur, you have to truly believe in what you are doing. You have to set goals that are ambitious, but also achievable.
There are no shortcuts when you are starting out. None. You will meet a lot of consultants and see a lot of business services promising to assist you. And yes, they can help, but you have to educate yourself first. Learn enough so that you are not simply handing over your time and money to someone else.
Often, with just a little research, you will discover that you can accomplish more on your own than you thought. Or at the very least, you will know exactly what you need when it is time to bring someone else on board. What you don’t want is to be completely reliant on someone or something that controls how you run your business.
Because here is the truth: throwing money at things is the fastest way to go out of business. Real growth comes from understanding, from strategy, and from doing the hard work yourself before you invest in anyone else.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ciwear.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ci_wear
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ciwear
- Twitter: https://x.com/CI_Wear
