About the founder
My Journey
My adventure started at Chaffee College and a transfer into Azusa Pacific University, where I jumped into Psychology. To be completely honest, I wasn’t exactly passionate about it. It was more like picking the least boring option on Netflix rather than finding a show you're actually excited about.
While I was still figuring out where the best coffee spots on campus were, I stumbled upon these signs everywhere about a $15K Business Competition. It was like the universe pushing me to fate. So, a newly formed friend of mine—who was pretty much in the same "what am I doing with my life" boat—and I decided, "Why not?" I had some background in manufacturing car parts and a teenage dream of becoming a music producer. Suddenly, making headphones seemed like the most brilliant idea ever and a way to make us RICH! 🤑
Our Purpose
We went to work sourcing our manufacture, late night emails with design options and driver components to modify. Eventually ended up with our perfect sounding wooden headphone that we called “The Classics.” Pretty snazzy, right? But, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Trying to get our headphones manufactured in China without today's go-to sites like Alibaba was like trying to text with a flip phone. Luckily, I had some experience with sourcing and manufacturing car parts with my dad side hustle.
We entered the business competition without business knowledge but passion that surpassed the competition. Our first go-around, we snagged third place. Not top of the pack, but it fueled our fire. By the next year, we had our game face on, nailed the competition, and bagged the $15K.
Our marketing strategy was pretty grassroots. We had hipster photoshoots with friends and posted them all over our socials. We also teamed up with up-and-comers from Hollywood rappers, actors, you name it. Somehow, we managed to get our headphones into record shops across the country, including the legendary Amoeba Music in Hollywood.
Our Story
The ascetic of the company looked promising but not without its challenges.There was the whole digital marketing puzzle. We could hype up anything in person, but online was a whole different beast. So, my partner and I went into full study mode, binging marketing books and YouTube tutorials like they were the latest Netflix series. Somehow, we ended up starting a marketing consulting side hustle.
Eventually, life took us on different paths, and I was left steering the company solo. The headphones were a hit, but cash flow was a nightmare. Making adjustments I switched gears to selling vinyl records. With my knowledge of digital marketing and e-commerce, the company was started killing it. Then, just as we were riding high, the pandemic hit. Surprisingly, it was good news for us—at first. We made a killing, pulling more revenue into the company. But then, supply chain issues hit us like a ton of bricks, and just like that, game over.
Through all the ups and downs, it was an absolute rollercoaster and I wouldn’t change one thing about my journey thus far. From dreaming up “The Classics” to diving headfirst into the wild world of digital marketing, it was a master class in entrepreneurship, e-commerce and digital marketing.
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