Why is Diddy Flying Commercial: Enyce Acquisition Strategy

Sean "Diddy" Combs

Let's agree to speak freely as an urban collective. Why are a group of us so concerned with Diddy's mode of travel? For about two months, I've had an issue simmering on my urban expressionistic mind. Namely, why is it so newsworthy when we see that Diddy was spotted flying commercial? Worse, why did it require follow up, investigative reporting to confirm that Diddy does not solely own a private plane, rather he belongs to a private plane sharing program called Net Jets.

Urban America responded in chorus, "What? Diddy ain't flyin' the G4, no mo?" throughout blogs, barber and beauty shops in a city near you. The reality is we should be very proud of Mr. Combs and examine the business sensibility of his choice to board commercial with the rest of us.

The fact is that while Diddy is a tastemaker, "bottle popper" and self proclaims that "no one on the corner has swagger like Puff." Sean Combs is a shrewd business man with a reputation for having a super human work ethic and keen business sense.

Why is Diddy flying commercial? He made a CEO decision to reduce unnecessary costs, a move that is in line with Fortune 100 company leadership to reduce expenses. Most laudable is Diddy's decision to reduce a business expense that impacted his travel experience significantly. Many CEO's that are leading "lifestyle" businesses fail to sacrifice things that impact the way they roll. As things unfold more clearly with recent business announcements for Mr. Combs, we begin to see what he's doing with those cost savings.


On Tuesday, October 21st Combs announced the acquisition of Enyce clothing from Liz Claiborne for an undisclosed sum adding the 12 year old urban clothing company to his current portfolio of fashion based brands. He didn't purchase Enyce from Master P or his cousin pookie. Rather, Diddy purchased an urban based brand that complements the lifestyle culture of the Sean John brands. Liz Claiborne has been selling brands recently as they return to their core focus on branding.

Diddy Announces Deal & Dons New Name "Black Buffet"
(isn't that a restaurant too?)

Diddy saw an opportunity and got the deal done. Why is Diddy Flying Commercial? In vernacular, Diddy's been stacking that cake, gettin' it in to make moves.

Well done Mr. Combs.