51视频

Donna and Andrea sell makeup glasses. If you don鈥檛 know what that is, jump on the episode to learn how they prototyped their product from scratch and how they now market something people are not familiar with.

Transcript

Jesse: Hey, Richard. 滨迟鈥檚 a podcast day.

Richard: 滨迟鈥檚 that day. I love it. Sunny Friday, another one. San Diego.

Jesse: Yeah. Friday in the studio. And today it鈥檚 awesome because I love the podcast, but my favorite part about it is when we get to talk to real 51视频 store owners. So we have some store owners on today, and even better, they actually invented a product, they created a prototype that met one of their own needs. And you know, basically inventor through building a brand and building a business. So it should be awesome.

Richard: Yeah, I鈥檇 like to say it鈥檚 the American Dream but this isn鈥檛 even happening in America.

Jesse: We鈥檙e going to our international users. We鈥檙e going across the pond to the U.K. So you get to hear a different accent today. Let鈥檚 bring in our guests. This is Donna and Andrea from Flipzeesglasses.com. How鈥檚 it going?

Donna and Andrea: Hi! Good evening!

Jesse: Good evening for you and good morning over here in San Diego. So it鈥檚 Friday. You鈥檙e done. Now, do you have day jobs or is this a full-time business?

Donna and Andrea: Flipzeesglasses is a bit of a side hustle for us. We both have full-time day jobs.

Jesse: All right. Perfect. You鈥檙e not alone. By the way, it鈥檚 very common. All right. Let me get the spelling of Flipzeesglasses in there. 滨迟鈥檚 F-L-I-P-Z-E-E-S-G-L-A-S-S-E-S DOT COM. For people that are listening so don鈥檛 type that while you鈥檙e driving, everybody. But Donna and Andrea let鈥檚 hear about鈥� First of all, you guys are in business together. Were you friends before you started the business?

Andrea: Yes. Yes. We were friends. We met about 15 years ago. Both Donna and I I live in the same area in London called Brixton. However, we didn鈥檛 know each other, but we had a mutual friend who lived in Vietnam. I actually happened to work in Vietnam, and I got to meet him. I know him, and then Donna and her husband came to visit our mutual friend and we met and we have been friends ever since. We happen to live within five minutes of each other now.

Jesse: That鈥檚 perfect. So you met across the globe basically, and you happen to live five minutes away.

Andrea: I guess.

Donna: I have to get to Vietnam to meet Andrea.

Jesse: That鈥檚 perfect. And how did this product begin? Was there a need for it?

Donna: Yes, definitely.

Andrea: I鈥檒l let Donna answer that one. It was her initial idea.

Donna: We both are ladies of a certain age. And when you get to that certain age you have to wear reading glasses which is fine. You know it happens. But if you like to wear makeup as well, when you鈥檙e trying to put your makeup on you can鈥檛 see without your reading glasses. And then when you put your reading glasses on you can鈥檛 put your makeup on because the glasses are in the way. So it is a problem because obviously, we don鈥檛 want to give up wearing makeup.

Jesse: And you want to be able to see yourself applying the makeup, that鈥檚 what you need (laughing.)

Donna: You need to be able to see. It does help (laughing.)

Jesse: Vision is important. Yes, I agree. By the way, I鈥檓 wearing my 40s as well as we speak here. I鈥檝e had LASIK and I鈥檓 wearing glasses. I don鈥檛 wear makeup but I do understand鈥�

Donna: There鈥檚 still time for that (laughing.)

Jesse: True, I guess.

Andrea: So that鈥檚 how it came about really. The initial idea was we need to come up with something that actually works. And I鈥檝e developed products for a high-street retailer in U.K. so I suggested: “Let鈥檚 just come up with the concept. How would that actually work?” And then we can get it. I can get it materialized. I can get it done with one of my suppliers because I鈥檓 sure that wouldn鈥檛 be a problem.

Jesse: Sure.

Andrea: Donna is a very technical type. She鈥檚 an electrician by trade. So she鈥檚 very skilled and likes to do things with the hands and very creative. She鈥檚 great, she鈥檚 amazing. One day we actually sat down around the kitchen table with the first material that we had at hand, which happens to be electrical wiring.

Jesse: 滨迟鈥檚 very flexible, right?

Donna: Not very comfortable though (laughing.)

Jesse: Well, true. Yeah. That may be not the most stylish glasses there but鈥�

Andrea: It was blue. We actually happened to have pictures of our first prototype that was created by handmade wire glasses on our website. That鈥檚 our story. And it鈥檚 not a pretty thing to look at but it鈥檚 just so funny.

Jesse: Well, that鈥檚 awesome, I mean I think that鈥檚 where a lot of products actually do start from. The first prototype is usually pretty ugly. The first website鈥檚 pretty ugly. So that鈥檚 pretty normal. That鈥檚 awesome. Do you still have the original prototype?

Donna: Yeah, somewhere in a box (laughing.)

Jesse: You better save that. That could be a collector鈥檚 item some day.

Andrea: Might end up in a museum.

Jesse: Yeah, exactly. Just make sure you took that away. So you had the prototype. You got it started and it was that鈥� Maybe describe for people listening. What exactly are Flipzeesglasses? Because when I first saw the website, I thought it was like where you flip them up like sunglasses, but that鈥檚 not really the case. Can you describe it for people listening?

Donna: Ok. So basically, the glasses have only got one lense, one magnifying lens which relates to your reading glasses strength. And the lens match from one side of the glass to the other so you can. You have the lens on one eye, you look through the lens to see, to do the makeup on your other eye. And then you can flip the lens over sort of like 180 degrees to the first eye, look through that to see to the other eye. But there鈥檚 a reason our glasses are different from similar range products. They just don鈥檛 work because we tried them. You can then turn the whole set of glasses upside down, so you can get access to basically like your eyebrows to do your eyebrows and your mascara. But you can also do either eyeliner or concealer. And so this is what makes our glasses completely different from anything else that鈥檚 out there.

Jesse: Ok. Got it. Yeah. And when I looked at the picture, I saw the idea where you could take them off and completely flip them upside down, but you can also move the lens if you wanted to leave them on. You could kind of flip it over to the other eye as well.

Donna: Exactly. Exactly. So the frame is slim so it doesn鈥檛 get in the way. And we find that this gives you just much more options to be able to apply your makeup using the magnifying lens.

Jesse: Wow. That鈥檚 awesome.

Richard: So how long have you been doing this now?

Andrea: We had our first birthday day in November, a year of having the product.

Donna: Yeah, having the product. But I think the development took鈥�

Andrea: The development took longer because we actually didn鈥檛 take it very seriously. We talked about for long and often played around with it. Drank some wine and laughed about it, had some silly videos. And we just decided: actually, it does make sense. This makes sense. Let鈥檚 just do it. Let鈥檚 try it.

Jesse: I think that鈥檚 going鈥� Go ahead.

Andrea: Go. You go ahead.

Jesse: I said that鈥檚 the perfect way to create a product. I think for a while it needs to exist in your head and wine needs to be drunk in order to really deeply think about it.

Richard: And when it keeps coming up, right, when it keeps coming back and you just can鈥檛 let the idea go. That鈥檚 part of it. I mean, in some ways, not in some ways, in a lot of ways, it was harder for you to get the product than it was probably to do the majority of the 51视频 store. All right, I鈥檓 not to put it on the spot but that took some time I鈥檓 sure. I mean you did you get it patented and go through that whole process too or?

Donna: Yeah, I mean we鈥� this is probably what took the time. We took quite a bit of advice about should we patent it. We looked to that and it was quite expensive and lengthy process and we didn鈥檛 know where it was going. So we decided to take a middle ground and we鈥檝e registered the design and we鈥檝e registered trademark, the name FlipZees. And we felt that was the best we could do. You know, that has to be a balance really.

Jesse: Then move on to build and sell after that.

Donna: Exactly. When we get famous and start selling millions, we can worry about it then. But you know none of this would have been possible without Andrea and her amazing contacts because I think Andrea must know every single person who has played a part in this and has so-called favors. I don鈥檛 know how she does it. She鈥檚 amazing.

Andrea: Thanks, Donna.

Donna: We never would鈥檝e got here, unless it would be for her.

Andrea: I think she鈥檚 over-exaggerating a little bit.

Jesse: Well, nobody says you can鈥檛 use your previous experience to build a business here. If you have contacts, use them if you have. There鈥檚 no such thing as an unfair advantage, right. So you made a prototype and then how do you get these made? Do you send prototypes? Do you have to do CAD drawings or how do you go about taking something from an electrical wire into actually making, getting it made somewhere? How is that process?

Andrea: Well, once we had actual design and the mechanism, how we could work and was able to explain it to someone. I contacted someone I know that produces glasses and sunglasses in the United Kingdom for the whole of High Street and Eye contact. One of my contacts was very keen, he said it鈥檚 a great idea. There鈥檚 not much happening in that glass as well. So he was quite keen to explore that himself. And he had it done for us in China. We had several samples done. We had technical issues that to start with. We鈥檙e trying to overcome this, factoring was quite keen to work with us as because they thought something different and that鈥檚 how it came about.

Jesse: Ok. So you knew somebody local that had already experienced making glasses and getting them made in China. How many prototypes did you have to get sent back and forth? I know that can be kind of pain.

Andrea: Maybe four by four. Yes. OK. Not too many. It wasn鈥檛 too many actually.

Jesse: Oh that鈥檚 good. And what was the minimum order that they required for the first run?

Andrea: Twelve hundred units.

Jesse: Twelve hundred units, OK.

Andrea: One hundred. 滨迟鈥檚 not actually that many considering we have two colors and each color and full strength, reading glass strength. So it鈥檚 not that my eight excuses in organ total.

Jesse: Ok. Got it. So each set of glasses has its own strength. Those are not interchangeable. So you have to order. OK. Got it. So now you hope you guessed right and that all those different magnifications are all evenly distributed among your customers.

Andrea: Think it鈥檚 a guessing game at this stage without having a history of what sells and what wouldn鈥檛. We didn鈥檛 know.

Donna: What鈥檚 been quite interesting actually that we thought that we can make applications a bit more popular actually. Being the stronger magnification that has been more popular indicating perhaps that our target audience is actually older than us because we don鈥檛 need quite need the number threes yet. Yeah. So.

Richard: So this might be a stupid question but do you tend to need to increase the magnification? Should you maybe make these be interchangeable in the next iteration of this? I don鈥檛 know the numbers but let鈥檚 just say 1 through 5 because I don鈥檛 have glasses yet. If 1 is the weakest and 5 is the strongest, if every two years they need a new lens, may be at some point you want them to be able to sell the lenses separately.

Andrea: Yes, we have considered that but we are not quite variant of the stage. What we are advising customers when they come to us and say: “Oh I鈥檝e got one eye a lot stronger than the other”. It is possible to go to your optician to get the prescription and get it changed in the frame because a frame is flexible enough to have it for for a professional to inside the new lens in as long as it is thick. However, I鈥檓 not sure how that would work with the rotation of the glasses because it鈥檚 360 degrees so that might not work. So you鈥檒l have to contact your optician for that sort of thing. Well, we tend to tell our customers when they come into question now is that if they got very different prescription to each eye, they can buy two pairs and use one for one eye and the one for the other. 滨迟鈥檚 not ideal obviously but you know that鈥檚 the only way around it. At the moment.

Jesse: That鈥檚 the answer I like. You buy two.

Donna: Just buy more pairs. This is our first, you know, first production run. And there are things that we will change when we do our next production run. And we need to look at the cost of producing a pair of glasses with an interchangeable lens against the cost of the standard glasses and is it going to prohibit, they鈥檙e not particularly high-value product. So you know, after two years by maybe you do it, you just buy another pair.

Richard: That makes sense. Where I was going with that was once you look at it and especially after you have a conversation, and just someone heard this podcast and then went to your site and saw the video and saw how it works. It seems as if from a marketing perspective education is a big piece of this because you alluded to just a little bit ago a friend that worked and said there鈥檚 not much going on in the sunglass market. I mean for the most part it鈥檚 “Do they look good on me”, right? That鈥檚 usually what people are saying. And yet they鈥檙e so good-looking already. They really are good-looking glasses just sitting there as I鈥檓 looking on the website that it took me a moment to even get what was really going on because I almost expected to see when Jesse first told me about it, I wasn鈥檛 expecting it to look like a nice pair of glasses for some reason. And they actually look like nice glasses. So is education a big part of what you鈥檝e seen as been the thing that would get people to move or buy these more than anything?

Donna: Yeah, I think so and that鈥檚 the really challenging part because you鈥檙e trying to sell a product which you have to also inform people about. They might not even know that they are the one that they need, that there is a solution to that problem. So I think that鈥檚 the challenge that we face. Plus the fact that you鈥檙e never going to wear these walking down the street, therefore, it鈥檚 wearing in your bathroom or in the toilet to touch up your makeup. So there is a bit of a hidden product I suppose.

Richard: That鈥檚 part of what I liked about it though. You know, when I first said it they took me by surprise as I wasn鈥檛 expecting in my mind as I will “Why would they still make them look like a nice pair of glasses?” And then the way that I answered myself was “Well, you want to see what your makeup looks like with a nice pair of glasses on”, right. So you鈥檙e not going to make some big orange ones or something like that.

Andrea: Exactly. Andrea was quite insistent on that and I think she was right. I think to make the product even though it鈥檚 not really going to be seen why not make it nice and pretty and you want to use it. So she鈥檚 quite right.

Jesse: This is for stylish ladies that are doing their makeup. You know you get to you have to. Yeah, exactly.

Andrea: Basically, I don鈥檛 think I鈥檇 like to be seen in those glasses. Yes, it does help me. Not on a daily basis so I鈥檓 not complaining.

Richard: So you鈥檙e at your birthday, in November you got your product. When did the store actually go live?

Donna: 滨迟鈥檚 about two days before Christmas. It was really badly time-based.

Andrea: Neither of us have any experience. Instead of doing that sort of thing. I developed the product. We all got it and we thought “OK, we get the product to the UK”. And then we can do things we haven鈥檛 had any marketing strategy. We haven鈥檛 any marketing plan and no calendar. When do we, how do we launch? We just said “Oh, let鈥檚 just start with the Facebook page. OK”. So we do it today and we thought “OK well there鈥檚 a video. There鈥檚 a Facebook page, it鈥檚 a video, you will go viral” (laughing.)

Jesse: Yes. I will just post a video and it鈥檒l go viral. I love that. 滨迟鈥檚 never鈥�

Richard: 滨迟鈥檚 almost like those lottery tickets.

Andrea: I mean the amount of times I look at the Facebook and all I see is this amazing video that has got millions of viewers, this is us! That didn鈥檛 happen quite like that. I mean it isn鈥檛 happening a lot about time. Yeah. I think we made a progress since then.

Jesse: I think you鈥檝e made a lot of progress. Actually, I think the site looks great. We see a lot of videos on here and I think the video I would see that had been very important for you. I noticed鈥� So how many videos have you made?

Andrea: Well, the first video we made, we made it for our website as a demonstration video just to show customers how the product works. It was about 50 seconds long. It was the one with the model video. And then we realize it looks great, however, people didn鈥檛 know what it was. So basically, we realized “Oh, we don鈥檛 have a problem that shows the problem and then the solution, now it鈥檚 just the solution”. So we made another video with an actual professional model to show a problem and the solution. And a shorter version, because then we found out that for social media like Facebook or Instagram it can鈥檛 be longer than 15 seconds before people鈥檚 attention span disappears. So that鈥檚 been a learning curve as well to organize a full professional photo shoot. 滨迟鈥檚 been quite a challenge. I鈥檓 no budget manager.

Jesse: And 15 seconds is always鈥� I make videos too and I鈥檓 like: “Man, I want to do this, I do that, I want and then I鈥檓 finished with this”. You鈥檙e like “Oh yeah but that鈥檚 like 45 seconds, you have to do 15 seconds.”

Andrea: I really did not think it was possible to do what we wanted to portray and demonstrate is going to be possible to do in 15 seconds. You know, I think we鈥檝e done it. I always would be somewhat “But it has to be a little bit longer. Can we just do 20 seconds?” I think not. Media rules.

Richard: You can, you just can鈥檛 use that platform in that way. But you could still make it. This is what we mentioned earlier when we said we really love talking to 51视频 customers because when you read a business book or listen to someone that鈥檚 in a business lecture class or going through some, you know, writing a business plan course or something. It seems like it鈥檚 really linear. It seems like “Do this, then you do that.” But when you actually listen to people that are really going through it, it has a lot of twists and turns. And first it鈥檚 a testament to you, ladies, congratulations for just keeping going and actually getting this up and your year anniversary going into Christmas season now you should definitely expect more sales this year than last year. I鈥檓 sure.

Donna: Yeah, we鈥檝e been a bit more organized around the promotion and not the thing like, we鈥檙e actually doing some. So let鈥檚 start.

Jesse: What鈥檚 been working for you with the marketing?

Donna: Well, it鈥檚 interesting. We sent a letter with the product to print magazines to see if they would be interested in featuring us. And one came back. It was a magazine called “News Magazine” which is probably for ladies older than us. They just did it like a little help section like “Mrs. J can鈥檛 put on her makeup but how can she be helped?” and then they featured FlipZees and then offered a discount code. We have had a lot of sales straight there. And it cost us nothing just a pair of glasses and we鈥檙e still getting repeat sales. So I think the older customer keeps the magazine, shows it to their friend or it sits in the doctor鈥檚 surgery so actually, the print media has been probably, I would say, our best so far, which is interesting because it鈥檚 not where we thought we would be.

Andrea: We thought our demographic was about 40 to 60 and actually, in reality, it鈥檚 about 70 to 80.

Donna: We鈥檝e even got customers who are saying “Well, I haven鈥檛 got the internet so how am I going to order your product?”

Andrea: People ask “Can I send you a check?” And I鈥檓 like “What鈥檚 a check”?

Jesse: That鈥檚 good. But these ladies really want it. So they鈥檙e willing to like we call it to crawl over broken glass to get them, to get the product.

Donna: Yes. Well, what we suggest normally is: “Does your son or your daughter have Internet? — Oh yes. Well, why don鈥檛 you get them to order it and pay for it? —That鈥檚 a good idea.”

Jesse: Yeah, I have it be, that鈥檚 a present from their son or daughter.

Richard: Well, it goes back to your point earlier about how the video didn鈥檛. It only had the solution it didn鈥檛 have the problem too. And so part of what why you might be seen as a success in print media is your customers looking at the print. Right. And they probably have reading glasses on at the time they鈥檙e even reading that magazine. You never know. And so it really strikes a chord with them you鈥檙e hitting them not necessarily in the middle of the problem because they鈥檙e not putting makeup on while they鈥檙e reading the magazine. But it just shows sometimes where you want to put the marketing where your customer is. It doesn鈥檛 mean that鈥檚 what they鈥檙e doing at the time but yeah that鈥檚 right.

Jesse: Yeah, I get it. If you think OK. My customer is going to be between 40 and 60 and then you find out they鈥檙e quite a bit older and you have to adjust. Right.

Andrea: What we find is that every time it鈥檚 one of those products that you might see, it鈥檚 just like: “Oh my god, I need this.” But until we see it, you don鈥檛 know you didn鈥檛 even realize that you need that.

Jesse: Oh for sure, for sure. I mean it鈥檚 a new category. And actually, we were talking before the podcast about what I said: “Richard, what do you think people search for to find this product?” Do you know like what are they searching for on Google to find your product?

Donna: Well, when I was looking, I put something like “glasses to help me put my makeup on”. And that was all makeup glasses, maybe a magnifying glass. That鈥檚 the sort of thing that you would search for, I guess.

Jesse: Got it. Yeah. Makeup glass was my guess so. All right. I鈥檓 getting into the mind of your customer now.

Donna: Watch out for that mascara eye.

Jesse: Makeup glasses for applying my mascara correctly. You know I never want to have that. So what do you do on the Google side, do you have鈥� Do you do ads on for Google? Or do you have search rankings that you show up for? How do you how do you track customers on that side?

Donna: Well, you know we鈥檙e still learning a bit. We did some Google ads but I think one of the issues we鈥檝e got is our product is quite expensive in relation to other similarish products that don鈥檛 work basically. So when we were coming up in a shocking thing we just felt like we were super expensive and we didn鈥檛 really get much because in a Google ad, you can鈥檛 explain why you鈥檙e super expensive. Now, why should people pay twice as much for your product rather than one they鈥檙e going to throw in the bin. So we sort of stopped doing that because I just felt it wasn鈥檛 helping us. Yeah. So we need to be somewhere where we can more explain about the difference which is why we鈥檝e been looking at Amazon. You know just like Facebook ads and stuff.

Richard: Ok, well this brings me back to that video we talked about in the beginning and we鈥檝e mentioned a couple of times now about educating the customer. Part of one of the reasons why I think Google wouldn鈥檛 be successful yet is they don鈥檛 even know they have the problem to what you said earlier. They don鈥檛 even know what to put in to look for it. So it鈥檚 not like they鈥檙e picking some brand name that they already know yet. Right. Eventually, they will.

Jesse: Eventually FlipZees will be鈥� Everybody will be searching for FlipZees after this podcast comes out.

Donna: Fingers crossed鈥�

Richard: Yeah. But if you, for instance, when you mentioned in the video only needed to be 15 seconds. That鈥檚 true only at this point in time with the algorithm with Instagram. Right. The minute Instagram decides to change that you might be able to go 30 seconds or if you did it on Facebook you could make it longer. So again finding where that customer is and then explaining it in some ways even though it doesn鈥檛 seem like print works I see why print also works because it would be interesting you should probably get a copy of that magazine. Did you get it and see what the app was like that would be interesting because the fact that it was in print and they still described it in a way that got sales to take place on something that is hard to educate that鈥檚 worth looking at as potential copy for video with slight tweaks.

Donna: Yeah, that鈥檚 a good idea.

Andrea: Yeah. Everything like that. Any print or anything. Any mention that we have. That just gives us the contents from all social media so that鈥檚 always a good thing for us.

Jesse: Yeah, I could see that. I could see, maybe there鈥檚 probably a perfect influencer you know like an actress that鈥檚 a 50-year-old actress putting on her makeup that needs glasses like that would, of course, be talking a lot of money to get somebody get the cheap ways just like you did before sending out the glasses for free. But you know there鈥檚 a lot of crossing your fingers there and you don鈥檛 really know if you know you don鈥檛 know if anything is going to come back from that.

Andrea: Speaking of which, if you guys know anyone you like.

Jesse: Like it. Yeah.

Donna: Well we鈥檙e using that contact.

Jesse: Yeah, we鈥檙e not that far from L.A. but I don鈥檛.

Richard: I mean actually there鈥檚 a couple I can think of. I鈥檒l reach out. I know a couple. I鈥檓 blanking on the exact name of the website right now but they do makeup specifically and it鈥檚 makeup. And a couple for aging women of which they鈥檙e basically wanting them to. So the models have gray hair. They鈥檙e not trying to hide their hair, they want to keep their natural but they want to also do makeup as well. I don鈥檛 know. There might be some synergy or something that could happen between you. I鈥檒l reach out and see what they鈥檙e up to.

Andrea: Amazing, thank you.

Jesse: We鈥檒l work the contacts here.

Andrea: And my folks say it鈥檚 the networking and asking direct questions.

Jesse: Yeah. Yeah. And I see testimonials on the site. I think testimonials would be really important. And they鈥檙e also going to be very important when you make the jump to Amazon. I see the price point. The price point on the Web site here is 拢19.50 so $39.25 dollars I think. Yeah. That鈥檚 it. I get it. That鈥檚 a tough one to advertise on Google because in order to afford the advertising, that鈥檚 usually about the kind of cutoff point below. But yeah, on Amazon, this seems like people type in “makeup glasses” if you dominate that area. And then, of course, you do need to get a lot of reviews. That鈥檚 always the problem with Amazon is reviews.

Richard: 滨&苍产蝉辫;尘别补苍鈥�

Donna: 滨&苍产蝉辫;尘别补苍鈥� I didn鈥檛 realize that it鈥檚 a bit like Google, you have to pay within Amazon to be ranked on the pages. 滨迟鈥檚 like “What?!”

Jesse: There鈥檚 a reason it鈥檚 worth billions and billions of dollars. You have to pay to advertise, you have to pay the store and then you have to pay the ship when they ship.

Andrea: We really thought, we just have his great idea we鈥檒l make it, we will have it done, and it鈥檚 just gonna sell itself. And it鈥檚 not the case. We just need a bottomless money pit at the moment because you know it is just getting really fast and it鈥檚 completely self-funded and it鈥檚 just two of us. We both don鈥檛 want to put ourselves in debts over this. We just think we can manage it all, but it would be great to be if we won the lottery.
锘�
Jesse: Well, I think you鈥檙e on the way, I think this is your own lottery here but it鈥檚 never easy though.

Donna: And I think that鈥檚 the thing when you doing your own business, it鈥檚 tough, there are ups and downs and it鈥檚 a long journey really. But I think it鈥檚 really nice when you could do with someone else. If I would do it by myself I would feel really lonely.

Andrea: Absolutely. I think both Donna and I have different strengths and we鈥檝e been complementing each other really well. She already runs her own 锘縠lectrical
business and I鈥檓 the creative. So everything doesn鈥檛 have to do with the money and Amazon accounts and that鈥檚 a 鈥� “Off that goes over my head”. And all the pretty things, like video and organizing shoots. Speaking of social media鈥� I think both of us can turn to our roles.

Jesse: Yeah, that鈥檚 the way you should do it. Building a business can be lonely at times so it鈥檚 good that you have a friend that also compliments your skills so I think you鈥檙e on the way. Amazon is the next thing you have to cross probably but a good thing about that is I saw like shipping to the rest of the world if you had them in the US, at Amazon warehouses if somebody in the US buys it you can ship it out there and then you don鈥檛 have to pay to ship from your place so that would be great. Use all sorts of good videos out there, all these pretty videos and social media, you鈥檙e on the way.

Richard: I think this is Richard again, I think it鈥檚 brilliant, and I don鈥檛 even need them. What I did when you guys were talking about it, I鈥檇 just looked up made up something that is “make up for elderly women” in Youtube and the five that popped up for me one has almost a million views, one has 2.1 million views, one has a million views, the other one has 2.2 million views. I don鈥檛 know if, but you could make a small video that pops up specifically in front of those videos. Now they鈥檙e going to a video to watch such a video about how to put make up an elderly woman. They鈥檙e not getting confused on that video everyone knows what鈥檚 going to happen in the video right and you could do one of those pre-roll ads where it actually pops up ahead of the video and that you can鈥檛 skip for 2 seconds. Here鈥檚 the thing if you do it right and you have the brand right in the background and you start with the problem to your point of the video earlier. I鈥檓 just going to keep nail and that because it鈥檚 a huge point. 滨迟鈥檚 a problem they have for such a small amount of time and it鈥檚 only frustrated at that time any time and then they鈥檙e not thinking about that problem for the rest of the day anymore. But when they aren鈥檛 thinking about that problem, this is a huge potential when it鈥檚 like you pop up in front of a video that has 1.2 million viewers and you鈥檙e saying: “Hey, you鈥檝e ever seen, you鈥檝e ever tried鈥� and you just go right into the problem trying to put makeup on and it鈥檚 an older elderly person. If they hit ‘skip ad’ when they finally can skip the ad you don鈥檛 even pay for it. If you did your branding in there right you could slowly start educating people all in front of all these videos. And even if they skip it, you get to stay under budget. So you鈥檙e not spending money. If they don鈥檛 skip it and they keep watching it is probably a pretty darn good prime candidate there for you.

Andrea: We do know that these kind of things鈥�

Donna: I feel there鈥檚 another piece of work coming my way.

Jesse: We鈥檙e going to add it to your to-do list.

锘緼苍诲谤别补: This is another one. 滨迟鈥檚 funny for us, we thought ‘Ok, we鈥檝e got videos, we have to upload them to our Youtube channel’. We did it, all our videos are on Youtube, and then we realize: ‘How come, nobody鈥檚 watching them’. On our Youtube channel we have like six views, it鈥檚 probably me and Donna and our mothers. I talk to a lot of people about things, especially about glasses because there鈥檚 not much in my life going at the moment. And everybody says that ‘How you have your SEO done for YouTube?’ And I鈥檓 like: ‘No’. You know, these are specific things you have to do for people to come up with search in searching engines.This is completely new to us! How did you know you have to do things like that? No wonder no one is watching us.

Jesse: There鈥檚 always something to learn I would say. I鈥檓 not looking at your YouTube channel right now but I see Richard has it up here, but you鈥檒l definitely want to use the word ‘makeup glasses’. Definitely, ‘makeup glasses’ should be sprinkled throughout the listing. I actually like Richard鈥檚 idea about the ad, and I had it in the past. You get five seconds, they can鈥檛 skip it and you can kind of show the problem with your glasses in five seconds. If they keep watching another thirty seconds, even forty-five seconds, you get to tell your whole story and the costs per view on that if somebody to watch the video is usually like five cents, ten cents, pennies to ten cents.

Donna: Because I think we鈥檇 been thinking how do we reach these influencers. Well, it鈥檚 just in a way that when someone who we could afford to pay someone to use our products in the video but I never saw before getting jumped in before the video.

Richard: They鈥檙e influencers, they have the influence. There鈥檚 someone who鈥檚 going to watch that. Influence is influence. You just jump right in front of them.

Jesse: You pay five cents, you don鈥檛 have to pay like five thousand dollars to that influencer.

Donna: Brilliant! Thank you. I鈥檓 right into it.

Jesse: I think we also鈥� When the podcast comes out, we will find some way to help promote you on to our 51视频 community as well for everybody listening. I think this is a gift for my mom, I think my mom鈥檚 going to get it, this would be a Christmas present for her.

Donna: 滨迟鈥檚 a good Christmas present. We鈥檙e just looking at, someone says ‘What if I don鈥檛 know my mom鈥檚 prescriptions’. We鈥檙e just looking for being in touch with you, to help those people, about creating gift certificates. So people can buy come gift certificates and then the person can order the correct prescription. We think it could be a good solution.

Jesse: Good idea. Actually, I wouldn鈥檛 know what to get for my mom either so I think she鈥檚 going to get a certificate now. And they will take care of it online by the way. Awesome! So, anything that we should have asked you and forgot to ask you?
锘�
Andrea: I don鈥檛 think so. Since we started, the words getting out there, we are showing glasses. People started to talk about us. This week, we鈥檝e been featured in a Ann-Louise magazine which is an online magazine. Today we have been feature
in an optical magazine here in the UK, which is the magazine for opticians and as a trade magazine. Hopefully, we will have the inquiries from opticians rolling in. Things are picking up, we have now over 200 units. So, we鈥檙e getting up there. We鈥檒l go viral before we know that.

Jesse: Awesome, you鈥檙e on the path, you get in a couple of magazines. You boost some of those ads on Facebook and Instagram and you鈥檙e on your way.

Andrea: I must say being featured is just such a boost that we鈥檙e actually doing something right. People want to talk about us. 滨迟鈥檚 encouraging for us to keep going and not get discouraged at small sales.

Donna: Hearing another perspective, when you know I never ever would have thought about YouTube. So a million thanks for that. We鈥檒l just be going to be looking into that.

Jesse: Awesome, and it is it鈥檚 coming up on the holiday seasons so this is usually the season for everybody when sales sometimes go crazy for a couple weeks there.

Richard: Speaking of鈥�. Sorry for interrupting, I just know it鈥檚 getting close to the end. While we were talking they don鈥檛 have quite as many views but I looked under stuff for a holiday makeup in different things too for the same and they鈥檙e actually still quite a few. So you never know, you might even be able to get some people that are just looking at how to do makeup for the holidays, get fancied up, right. They鈥檙e going to dinner, they are going somewhere and take advantage of that video right there.

Jesse: Well done. And how can our customers find out more about you? Where we can they go?

Donna: To our website.

Jesse: Give us that website one more time.

Donna: 滨迟鈥檚 Flipzees-with Z-glasses.com. We also have Facebook and Instagram and YouTube.

Jesse: Especially on YouTube now. All right.

Andrea: We are there and we鈥檇 like to offer a ten percent discount for all our 51视频 customers. Just visit us and quote ECWID on the site when checking out and you get ten percent discount.

Jesse: So the coupon code is ECWID for everybody listening and that鈥檚 great. So Flipzeesglasses.com

Richard: And it says Flipzees at all the other social platforms as well.

Donna: 滨迟鈥檚 Flipzeesglasses, yeah.

Richard: Flipzeesglasses on all other platforms, ok. Perfect, we just want you to take advantage of every opportunity you can.

Jesse: Guys, I love the story you鈥檙e on the way, don鈥檛 get discouraged. Keep after it and make it happen. Thanks for being on a show.

Andrea and Donna: Thank you, bye!