[00:00:00] Speaker A: I think a lot of entrepreneurs get caught up in I made something and everybody should like it and everybody should want it, and it's just not the case. You kind of have to find your lane, find your audience, and talk and speak directly to them. And that takes time as well to learn.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: Welcome to the B2B Breakthrough Podcast.
[00:00:18] Speaker C: We're here to bring you all the best knowledge, insights and strategies from e commerce experts, successful business owners, and the.
[00:00:24] Speaker B:
[email protected] that you'll need to grow your.
[00:00:27] Speaker C: Business and achieve your next big breakthrough.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: I'm your host, Sierra Christo.
[00:00:34] Speaker C: Today I'm joined by Dionne Ellison, the.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Creative force behind Woolly Wear Sunglasses. Dion's story is pretty incredible. She turned an unlikely source of inspiration, insect eyes, into bold fashion forward eyewear. Along the way, she's navigated supply chain challenges, built her brand from scratch, and kept her focus both on style and eye health. So we're going to get into her journey, her strategies, and where she's taking Woolly Wear next. Dion, welcome. I'm so happy to have you on B2B breakthrough.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: Thank you so much. It's great to be here.
[00:01:01] Speaker B: We've heard a little bit about your story at Co Create and we created some content with you earlier this summer. For folks who are not so familiar with the vouliwear story, can you lay a little bit of a foundation on what the brand is and what inspired it?
[00:01:14] Speaker A: So back I guess about 2015, I had come across this macro photography of insect eyes. This photographer did all of these different shots of insects and when you magnify their eyes, their compound eyes, which are just millions of other small eyes, make all of these different colors and patterns. And the first insect that I saw was a blue damselfly. And I thought it was beautiful. And the first thing that came to mind to me was sunglasses for some reason. And so I was curious at that point. I didn't have any background in retail and let alone eyewear, but I wanted to see what it would take to actually start my own brand. I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Both my parents were entrepreneurs. We used to own an ice cream parlor as a kid. So I saw that real working business owner, relationship to customer. And so I kind of did my research. For me, it was really important that if I was going to do this, it was going to be authentic. I knew then I saw that I could kind of take the easy route by just sourcing existing sunglasses and throwing my logo on there. But I didn't want to do that. I actually wanted to create. That is a really big part of, of what I love about this particular business because I get to create. And so from there, you know, you find lens manufacturers, you have to find frame manufacturers. I know quality was something that was very important to me. And so I ended up finding a manufacturer in Italy that was really a mentor for me and very helpful. So through networking, it took some time because what we were doing at the time was very unique. This lens first approach that we take wasn't being done back in 2015 16. They were doing full mirror coatings, but they weren't doing anything with any kind of design. It was just kind of a, I like to call it a humbug because I kind of stumbled on it. I didn't, it wasn't intentional, but it just kind of grew and budded and budded into this brand that we're looking to continue to scale.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: That's awesome. And so are you full time with woolly wear now?
[00:03:10] Speaker A: I'm not full time yet. I'm getting closer. I would advise any entrepreneur if you can still do both, to do both, because the ups and downs, you know, the sales, all of the expenses that are required that you're not thinking about necessarily, bank fees, you know, domains, taxes, all of those things have to be funded. So if your income, if you don't take off and go from 0 to 100 when you launch, those things have to be funded. And so having the security of still having, you know, my, my day job has been great. So, you know, when, when I'm ready, I, I, I plan to step away, but not right now. And a lot of people, you know, they, they say, oh, well, you're not fully into it. Well, that's just not true.
It's not, it's not true. It's just not true. And you know, as women, we tend to multitask very well.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: Yes, we do.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: So hats off to me. I'm a great multitasker. So, yeah, I love that. I do both very well.
[00:04:09] Speaker B: That's great. Listen, I love, I love that acknowledgement of your strengths and that, that willingness to, to juggle both, to find a way to make it work for you because it's sustainable, the model that you're working from feels sustainable. And for a product and a brand that is so impactful and important to you, if I have that steady flow of income and, and the correct.
[00:04:30] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:04:30] Speaker B: Yeah. So I think that's great.
[00:04:31] Speaker A: Yep. I agree.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: So I want to go back to the, the style and the design of the lens itself. You Said, this is a lens first approach that not a lot of doing. How does the texture and the inspiration from this insect eye format offer something different to the sunglasses itself? What does that technology do for your eyes?
[00:04:52] Speaker A: It does a couple things. And one of the, and one of the things that I'm really passionate about with the brand is not just the fashion aesthetic, but also the eye health properties. And we think about our hair and we think about our skin with the sun and damage, we. But I think that we don't think about our eyes as much as we really need to. We should be wearing sunglasses on a regular basis. You grab your keys, you grab your phone, you grab your shades. And as me, I'm a living testimony. I just got finished with cataract surgery and the first thing that the eye doctor said to me was, are you wearing UV 400 protected sunglasses? And I was like, well, I happen to have a brand. And he said, well, good. He was like, because cataracts can come with age, but it also can come with, with sun damage, the UV damage. So the aesthetic of the lenses is for fashion purposes, but the lens themselves are fully polarized and they're UV 400 protective. So you're getting the protection from the sun. And most people are not aware that having polarized sunglasses and UV 400, they're two different properties to the lenses. So I'm trying to educate people that just because you've have a polarized pair of sunglasses doesn't mean you're getting the protection. Polarized lenses reduce glare, enhance depth perception, clarity. That's what it does. That's it. And that's huge.
But that's totally. But it's limited. UV 400 actually has the protection to guard against the UV rays from the sun. So part of our thing is it's not just a fashion aesthetic. It's also a health benefit. So you can look good. You don't have to sacrifice fashion, you know, for your health. You can do both. You can look good and still feel good as well. And so for me, the lenses make a statement.
So this is, this is black and blue. And you'll see these are inspired by the blue damselfly, whose eyes have a black and blue pattern on them. And so I think that it gives a statement when you're wearing them. You know, we carry handbags, we buy shoes. All of those, all of those accessories make a statement. So why not your sunglasses? And it's not about looking to the side to see, oh, whose logo is on the side now. It's about you're looking straight at me because that's the first thing you see when a person is wearing sunglasses. So it makes perfect sense that the design or the enhancement or the aesthetic is on the lens. And so that's what we did.
[00:07:16] Speaker B: That is so cool. I love the effect. They just. They have so much expression to them.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think for some people, you know, they're like, oh, that may be a little too bold or too loud for me, but. Well, what I tried to do was make sure that the lenses didn't come off gimmicky or they still look classy, they still look stylish. And so for those folks that may not be quite as bold, we went with a typical aviator frame. Right. So most people who love sunglasses have at least one pair of aviators in their arsenal. We close the bridge. That's kind of our unique aesthetic that we put the twist on the aviator. This one is deuces, and so this one is inspired by the horsefly. And horseflies, believe it or not, have the most beautiful patterns and colors to their eyes. So, yeah, we're trying to do. It's not about the frame for us. It's about the lens.
So that's what sets us apart, quite honestly.
[00:08:12] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And so, you know, when you're looking at creating these, was this always something you were passionate about, or was this something that just kind of circumstances that you had this cataract experience?
[00:08:24] Speaker A: Fashion I've always been passionate about. My mother was a seamstress. She could sew without a pattern. My oldest sister is a designer. She does evening wear. My youngest sister is also a seamstress. We used to have fashion shows when I was younger, so I used to model. I have to be honest, I wasn't a sunglass wearer all the time as a young person, especially, you know, when you go to the beach, maybe when you're driving.
But now, as you get older, eye health is important. You know, everything is important. Right, of course.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: But that eye health piece really came in. Once you started to experience. You had this cataract experience.
[00:08:58] Speaker A: Absolutely. Absolutely. Wow.
[00:09:01] Speaker B: Have you studied up on eye health and more about cataracts and UV 400? What's something that drives you in that category again?
[00:09:10] Speaker A: The misconception that polarized lenses are. Are protecting your eyes, and they're not. That was the kind of the missing piece in the gap that most people don't know and that I really want to educate people on. And so when people try on our lenses and one, it's a comfort thing. Our glasses are comfortable. Because I hear a lot of. As you start to do surveys throughout this journey, you do surveys, you say, why don't people spend good money on sunglasses? Or why don't they wear them at all? And a lot of it is because they're uncomfortable. I lose them, I break them, you know, you name it, they get stolen. Right. And so as you start to hear all of those things, any good product fixes a problem. And so that's what we've tried to do. We've tried to fix a problem. And so if we can educate and allow people to still look good and educate at the same time and look at eyewear as a health preventive accessory, not just the fashion accessory, we're killing two birds with one stone.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: That's amazing. It is something that I am so cognizant of because I do care a lot about my eye health. And so it's. I didn't know that polarized and UV 400 were two different concepts. And so this has been very educational for me so far in this conversation, and I appreciate that. Yeah, so what. What was that turning point for you as you were starting to conceptualize these lenses and work with your manufacturers? When did you start to realize that you were onto something? And like this one, I think that.
[00:10:39] Speaker A: That'S a constant thing. I think that you're constantly getting reassurance that you're on the right track. Early on, we were really fortunate to get. I was working with a stylist I had met, and he was like, oh, I have a friend that's getting ready to style the rapper Future for a cover of a magazine. And he was like, why don't we give him your, you know, would you mind giving your glasses? And I'm like, absolutely. And I think we had. I think I had launched maybe this is like, maybe four to six months into our launching.
And they use them because, you know, the stylists pick a variety of things for the celebrities or people to choose from, and then they pick what they like or what they want to actually wear. And he picked black and blue, and so I was ecstatic at that point. So Future is on the COVID of Oyster magazine in our glasses. He's also on the inside with our glasses on. So there's two shots I have of him, and that was kind of. I would say that was definitely a turning point where I was like, okay, okay, we're onto something. This is an aesthetic. People get it because everybody doesn't get it. Quite honestly, you know, everybody doesn't get it. And it's not for everyone, and I'm okay with that. I think a lot of entrepreneurs get caught up in I made something and everybody should like it and everybody should want it, and it's just not the case. You kind of have to find your lane, find your audience and talk and speak directly to them. And that takes time as well to learn.
[00:12:02] Speaker B: Yeah, well. And it's so validating when you see someone get it. Like you mentioned with Future. I think that's. It shows you that, you know, there is an audience, there is an appetite for this, and the people that get it, get it. And that just automatically forges a community, which is really cool, for sure.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: And, you know, fashion to me is. It's relative. Right. You know, it's up, down, it's cyclical. It comes around, it gets. So, to me, there's really no right or wrong. I mean, we've seen those big monster boots. I mean, we've seen some fashion that's kind of like, who would wear that? Right?
[00:12:32] Speaker B: So there's some choices out there.
[00:12:35] Speaker A: So I always look at it. Why not Vooly? Right. If they're wearing that, they can definitely wear what I have. So.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: Absolutely. And so who. Have you. Have you noticed any. Any through lines with the audience that really is receptive to this? Is there a specific trait or unifying characteristic among your audience?
[00:12:53] Speaker A: The first and foremost, I would say it's a fashion enthusiast.
They're open. They're not necessarily afraid to think outside the box. They're not afraid to be the only one. As a matter of fact, they probably desire to be the only one in the room wearing what they're wearing. So they want to make an entrance. So I think that we have. It's a fashion enthusiast and an art lover, quite honestly.
[00:13:16] Speaker B: And has that response from your customers informed or motivated you moving forward to continue your expansion? How does that give and take work between you and your customer?
[00:13:27] Speaker A: I would definitely say that one of the things we're looking to do, hopefully we'll get started next year. I'd like to start next year, is I'd like to be able to offer individuals. Let's just say you have. You're an artist, or. I had an opportunity to get our glasses on Raven Simone. And once I got to meet with her and talking to her, she said, oh, hey, I have an art background. Who knew? But she's like, I have an art background. I really love the aesthetics, you know, of your lenses. And so we talked about possibly her doing her own collection. So Voliwear has The opportunity. We have an opportunity for individuals, not just celebrities, but to create their own, own collection by designing their own lenses. So for us, it's about the lens. So let's just say you like ladybugs or let's just say you love daisies or whatever it is. We can do that aesthetic and it would be Woolly Wear presents Sierra's collection of, you know, whatever it is that you love. So I think that's how I try to listen to our customers, speak to our customers by evolving and including them in the process. I think when people feel involved in a brand, then you begin to establish, or you do establish the brand loyalty that you need, that leads to longevity.
[00:14:43] Speaker B: Well, you've created a canvas, a brand new canvas.
[00:14:46] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:14:46] Speaker B: That it's huge, especially for an artist to think that there is this new medium that I can play in.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: That's such a cool concept of being able to put your stamp on something new and find those collaborative moments with like minded fashion forward folks in your industry.
[00:15:02] Speaker A: Correct. And collaborations are the way to go. I would tell any entrepreneur, whatever it is you're starting, I think sometimes we think we want because it's our idea and because it's our business, we want to just trudge ahead. That's the slow route. It's the slow route. You know, people make the world go round. Right. And so collectively working with other brands, other partners, or just individuals that get it, where there's synergy, it makes perfect sense. Because why would you not want to expand your audience? Right. If I'm working with you or I'm working with a fashion stylist, he has a whole new audience that can be opened up and introduced to fully wear and vice versa. So it just makes sense. It just makes sense.
[00:15:44] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, that, that unique POV from different folks working with you and, and I'm. And I actually, I'd like to know a little bit more about how that relationship has evolved with your manufacturer. Has that, has that helped to refine or inform how that design came to be?
[00:16:00] Speaker A: Yeah, I would say so. I've been working with Castellani out of Italy now since we launched in 2017.
We actually started in 2015.
My lens manufacturer changed. So I'll say that was kind of challenging. I had to scramble to find a new lens manufacturer and a new lens manufacturer that could do what I needed them to do because everybody wasn't doing it. So I had to be quick on my feet. But it ended up working out. And so the other thing I would say in this entrepreneurial journey is pivoting or change is not always a bad thing. A lot of times it can set you up and put you in a much better position.
So I would say that it definitely did the lens manufacturer that I'm working with now. One, from a cost standpoint, it's better even from the ability to do the mirror coatings. Their coatings are much more vibrant, you know what I mean?
I'm much more pleased with the end product with this new manufacturer. So it was a blessing in disguise at the end of the day. So you know the bumps in the road, they're going to come, but you got to kind of take them in, strike, get your shock absorbers in, be ready because the bump is coming but you can take it and you know, and keep driving.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: That's great advice.
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[00:18:18] Speaker B: How are you competing and contending with with some of these, the Ray Bans of the world, the coach, the, you know, the designers and luxury brands that are kind of cornering the market.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: They are cornering the market, but it's okay. You know, you know what? I've changed my perspective quite honestly. Sierra, I'm not trying to outdo those staples. I'm trying to out different those staples.
[00:18:40] Speaker B: I love that. I love that.
[00:18:43] Speaker A: So you know, they're going to be and they're going to do what they do and that's a machine that I'm not going to say that I can't compete with. But I'm, I'm in my lane and I'm okay with being in My lane. Because there's always going to be individuals that want something different, something off the mainstream. And if you focus on who your customer is and who you're speaking to, all of that doesn't even matter.
[00:19:07] Speaker B: Well, those big guys, so to speak, are not having those conversations. And that's the thing, quite honestly.
[00:19:16] Speaker A: You walk into a sunglass hut, you know what you're getting. Yeah, right. I don't care if you walk in California, in New York, in Florida, wherever you go, you know exactly what you're getting.
[00:19:25] Speaker B: Totally.
[00:19:25] Speaker A: So I'm okay with out differing and not outdoing.
[00:19:29] Speaker B: I think that's so cool. And so how are you, how are you reaching them then? So as you're differentiating, that's always a challenge.
[00:19:37] Speaker A: But what I will say works is partnering with. Again, back to the partnering. Partnering with the right influencers. Like, I have a brand, you know, influencers. And that's a journey too, because likes don't always convert. As a matter of fact, likes almost never convert. And so, and so it, you know, it's finding that right individual that actually gets your product, that gets your brand. And so they're not just doing a post or doing a reel, wearing your glasses saying, buy me or buy this product. What they're doing is they're going to get coffee or they're driving and they happen to have the glasses on. And do you know what I'm saying? Because they've incorporated it into their lifestyle. So for me, those are the ideal partners and ways to reach my customer. Additionally, it's important for us to establish B2B and to be in boutiques that carry independent brands. The climate has changed quite a bit since COVID because a lot of retailers aren't necessarily doing a lot of purchasing of inventory and holding onto it because they had to get rid of it that year that they weren't selling. So they like to do consignment. But even with that, if you find the right retailer that is already selling unique products, then they already have an audience. Right. That is another way that I'm trying to reach. Also expanding outside of the US I have a. I'm working with a brand consultant that's in Dubai. And so that's a. Where it's always sunny, where it's always hot, so why not, right?
It's always, you know, everything there is designer, but they also have, there's always a lane again for something unique and different.
So you just have to be, you have to really be creative. You have to really think outside the box. I know I keep saying that, but it really is a think outside to be open to exploring all types of avenues. I think another thing that works for us is being on particular marketplaces, different marketplaces that carry eyewear or other accessories that are unique and different. They have an audience. Right. So it's not you. You don't have to bear the burden necessarily. If you're partnering and you're. And you're making the right connections and your visibility is on. In other. The. All these other channels, then you can reach your audience through them.
[00:21:52] Speaker B: How are you identifying the right partner? You know, what is? What is? I know we talked a little bit about someone being fashion forward and fitting this, this archetype, but, you know, what makes someone feel like this influencer or this, this creator has an audience that is going to be receptive to this.
[00:22:08] Speaker A: I don't know if this is a right or wrong way to do it, but the way I like to do it is, do I like the person? Do I even like who I'm talking to? Right. I'm a big relationship person. So if you're coming off and you're arrogant and you think that, you know, you can do whatever or your shit don't stink or whatever, that's probably not going to gel well with me. I don't care how many followers you have. Do you know what I'm saying? So for me, the first thing I do is try to choose partners that I actually like and want to work with, and they like me. Our goals may not be identical, but they're definitely in the same track. And we're, you know what I'm saying? So we're working towards the same goal. So I really try to just kind of take each individual as they are. See who you like, see who you don't like, because, you know, you don't like everybody, and that's okay. And everybody you, and that's okay.
Yep.
[00:22:57] Speaker B: I am not for everyone. And that's fine. Absolutely.
[00:22:59] Speaker A: It is perfectly fine. I agree 100%.
[00:23:03] Speaker B: I think it also helps to build in this, this really protected level of authenticity as well.
[00:23:10] Speaker A: I agree. Sure.
[00:23:11] Speaker B: And I think people gravitate towards that. To know that this is someone who's a good ambassador that represents the same similar values that you do, and to know that, you know, this kind of goes back to what we were saying earlier about maintaining a day job while you're building this. It kind of gives you that selectivity to be able to say, I don't need your audience.
I'm going to build my brand at My speed.
[00:23:34] Speaker A: That's so on point because again, you're going to find that. And we're speaking about influencers right now, but even boutiques. But influencers specifically, their motivation for doing what they're doing can be very different.
So it's really important to be able to identify them. One, to get to know your brand.
[00:23:52] Speaker B: Can you talk to me a little bit about the name?
[00:23:54] Speaker A: I wanted to be able to create something that was going to have meaning, be authentic, all of that. So as I was choosing names for my sunglasses, I wanted something that meant something that would be relatable. And my intention wasn't to tell the story when I started, but now all of the pieces become chapters in the story of this brand. And so vuli means shade in Swahili. And we had come up. I remember talking with my son, I had come up with like three or dif. Three or four different names. And Vooly was one that kept resonating. And so even as we're launching, we're scaling into more lifestyle. We have a crossbody bag that we'll be launching probably in time for the holidays this year, and that's a bebe bag. B, E, B, E. And biba means carry in Swahili. So everything has to. Everything needs to make sense. Everything has to tell the story. It keeps the brand one interesting, and I feel a personal connection to it as well.
[00:24:51] Speaker B: Oh, that's beautiful. I think that's such a rich history behind it that helps to push forward that authenticity on even another level.
[00:24:59] Speaker A: Absolutely, absolutely. It's really easy to get lost in trying to keep up with trends or what's popular right now. So you kind of change gears and you kind of veer away from what your brand ethos really is. And so those types of additions to what we're doing and as we scale are really important and keeps us centered in. Around why I'm doing this in the first place. I wanted something new, I wanted something different, I wanted something creative, I authentic that actually had meaning and purpose.
[00:25:30] Speaker B: It's a great North Star to keep everything.
[00:25:32] Speaker A: There you go. Great North Star. I love that.
[00:25:35] Speaker B: Yeah. So, you know, you mentioned expanding into. Into other accessories, into lifestyle products. How are you managing. Scaling as a side hustle, so to speak, you know, as you're managing all of these spinning plates.
[00:25:49] Speaker A: How, how it's. Let me. I. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a lot, because it is. It's a lot. It's a lot to manage. My son helps me, which is really great. He's a. He has a business administration and marketing background, grad degree, so that's very helpful. And he's 27, so he keeps me young.
He keeps me, you know, keeps my pulse on what's going on and what's popular. He actually is the inspiration for expanding into lifestyle with this crossbody bag for men. There's no secret sauce to it. I just think that it's a natural progression. Take your information that you're learning from your clients. Like I had mentioned before about when people talk about why they may not spend, you know, a certain amount of money on sunglasses or why they don't wear them because they lose them, they forget them, they get stolen, they break them. This particular bag that we are getting ready to do for men actually has a compartment for your sunglasses and your phone, because most people, even though most sunglasses come with a case, they don't want to carry the case. Right. And so what happens when the sun goes down? The glasses go on your head, they go on your shirt, or they go on the table, and then somebody takes them or you leave them in the car. And so again, you're not wearing them. And the purpose is to be wearing them and carrying them with you every day. And so this particular bag is about not just fashion, but also about function. And because.
Right. They go hand in hand to me. And so I feel like I. Again, best products solve a problem. Function is important now, you know, we have so many options and so many choices, but function, functionality is important to. Especially if you're making an investment into a particular product at a certain price point. You know, you want function, the aesthetics are great, but if it doesn't really work for you, like, how many times have you purchased a handbag or a clutch and you can't fit everything you need in it, but it's really cute. And so you end up carrying the bag that's not so cute because you can fit everything in it. Right.
Closet full of matters. I know how many times I've done it myself.
This bag is cute, but I can't fit my cell phone in it or I can't get my lipstick and my cell phone and my keys in it. So that matters. And even if you don't think it matters, consciously it does, and you don't.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: Want to find that out too late.
[00:28:06] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:28:07] Speaker B: You want to be told up front. Yeah.
I can't tell you how many times I strategically pack a bag and then I reach for my keys and go, oh, God. Oh, my God.
[00:28:17] Speaker A: Correct. Or you end up holding Your phone the whole time, you're like, okay, it has what I. But I gotta hold my phone because it won't fit. I know.
[00:28:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:28:23] Speaker A: No.
[00:28:23] Speaker B: Happens to us all. So I think it's so cool that you're thinking about it and that your son is a part of this. It's a whole family endeavor.
[00:28:30] Speaker A: Absolutely. Generational wealth is key, right? Yep.
[00:28:34] Speaker B: We're building it every day. I love that.
[00:28:35] Speaker A: Every day. Yep.
[00:28:37] Speaker B: And so you've also built this brand with a unisex mindset.
[00:28:41] Speaker A: It seems our eyewear is unisex, and some of that was just because starting off in this industry, I didn't have the funding to be able to do separate and different sizes and you know what I mean? So I started off with something that was unisex, and I think that now gender neutral fashion is something that is more popular than it ever was. Even when we launched back in 2017.
[00:29:06] Speaker B: I was just thinking that you were ahead of the trends. You really built something that's, you know, I see all the time you see men wearing a string of pearls and women wearing, you know, oversized long T shirts, and you do. And so there's just this nice flexibility with this that it feels really grounded in. In the moment as well.
[00:29:25] Speaker A: Yes, I agree. And even the crossbody bag, it is a new. It is a gender neutral bag. We're going. We want to market, and I wanted to speak to men specifically because men don't have as many accessories as we do as women do typically. And so I feel like that's a market definitely that is in need, and I want to. I want to take care of that. And like I said, my son was. He really birthed. He was like, mom, I was like, why are you carrying that piece of luggage? And he was like, because I have so many things to carry. My phone, my bed.
And I was like, wow, we should do something about that. And we thought about it and we were like, well, let's come up. I was like, and let's incorporate the sunglasses because we don't want to lose what our brand actually really is and why we started.
And here we are. So it's a juggling act. But, you know, again, I told you I was a good multitasker.
[00:30:10] Speaker B: That you are. I'm so impressed. And it's so cool that your son's a part of it. So how. When did he come on board? When did you bring him into the fold?
[00:30:18] Speaker A: He's always been on board a little bit, I would say, just because he was always a sounding. A good sounding Board for me, I have a really good family structure and my sisters are good sounding boards. My best friend, all of those are really good sounding boards. But because he's the male in the group, right, they have a different, you know, Venus Mars thing. And so you can show them one thing and they come up with a totally different response to it. He's fashionable, you know, like me, but he's also very practical in the sense that he wants functionality. He needs the ease of being able to do so whether he has on a suit or whether he has sweat gear on or whatever it is, the bag crosses over from daytime to evening to, you know, whatever you may be doing. And so he took an interest in it and again, back to the generational. Well, that's what one of, part of the reason why I'm doing this, you know, is so that when I'm, you know, at a point where I don't want to do it or can't do it or whatever that may be, he can take it and turn and expand Voliwear into, you know, whatever his heart desires. So that's really what it's about.
[00:31:21] Speaker B: It's really forward thinking. That's incredible. So what does, in the short term, you know, what does the future hold for woolly wear where, you know, besides the crossbody bag, are there other things that you're cooking up and other ideas on expansion?
[00:31:35] Speaker A: I'm not going to give away all my secrets, but here, one of the things, we're probably going to introduce a new frame next year, some new lens designs because the inspiration from the insects are endless.
And so we're going to offer in some other frames. Again, a frame is not our focal point. But again, variety people like variety people also like all our frames right now are metal, are Monel steel. And so we're going to incorporate some acetate plastic frames into the mix. And so I think it's just about, you know, rolling out, continuing to do what we do, continuing to expand. Not necessarily. It's not. Again, for me, it's not quantity, it's quality. Continue to partner. We've done. We were just participating in Philly Fashion Week and we partnered with a designer. So woolly wear was on the Runway for that.
And from what that does is we've gotten two or three other brands that have been like, oh, we'd love to do a photo shoot together. So that collaboration, because it's an accessory, it goes with clothes, clothes with whatever. So you can honestly, we can partner with anybody from a car dealership to, you know, you Name it. So it just, I think more of the same, more doing more of that, more of the collaboration I think is just a great avenue and a great lane for what we're doing.
[00:32:56] Speaker B: That's incredible. I love the openness into other categories where you can find there, there's, I mean it's. Because it's just a part of every, everyone's everyday life. It does have so much compatibility with driving with, you know, so many, you know, it makes sense everything, right.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: We did a, we did a, just did an article with a Golf Digest. So yeah, you know, the polarization enhances the depth perception. So whether you're out, you're active, you know, as long as you have eyes, you need to protect them and you know, you might as well look good doing it.
[00:33:29] Speaker B: So you've, you mentioned all of these, these great pieces of advice for entrepreneurs moving forward. Where have you gotten all of this inspiration and what resources do you lean on as you build this brand and juggle all of these activities in your life? You must have some great inspiration that helps feel fuel this.
[00:33:49] Speaker A: I do. I have some really great people around me that is very key and I try to gravitate and I, you know, there's certain people that I listen to and that I follow and I take bits and pieces. It's not ever just one thing. I'm not like just locked into this one thing or this one person. I take what speaks to me and I, and then I kind of regurgitate it and apply it as necessary. Entrepreneista is a women's organization that how I discovered at Co Create. And so that's a really great foundational base of great women that are doing the same thing I'm doing. We're all doing something different, but collectively we're all moving in the same direction. You know, we're all in it to make money. Like that's a given. But what good are you doing? Like for instance, I wanted to be able to give back. And so we partner with the UN Foundation's initiative called United to Beat Malaria and they send bed nets and other life saving supplies to families in sub Saharan Africa. So I feel like give back is really important. And there you'd be surprised how many other people feel that it's important. And so this is just a very easy way. A portion of our sales goes to them.
[00:35:00] Speaker B: I'm so in awe of you. I, I love your attitude, I love your inspiration.
[00:35:05] Speaker A: You line yourself up with the people that are doing great things that speak to you, that speak your speak your language and moving in the same wavelength that you're moving in.
[00:35:14] Speaker B: What is one lesson you learned the hard way that you want to give someone a shortcut to?
[00:35:19] Speaker A: Oh, lesson I learned the hard way. I would say don't talk too much. Don't tell everything you're doing up front because we just talked about it. There's good people and there's people not so good. And your stuff will get taken and people will misconstrue. So I would say learn to hold dear and close what you need to until the time is right. I think sometimes we get really excited and want to just, you know, blab it all. I would say that that's definitely one. One. And take a lot of notes. I've gotten to be a better note taker. Take a lot of notes that you can refer back to, I would say. I mean, there's a ton. There's a ton of them, Sierra, honestly, I'm sure a ton of things, but yeah, that's definitely one that's sound advice.
[00:36:04] Speaker B: For everybody, not just entrepreneurs. Let's hold a little more back.
We've all got a lot to offer.
[00:36:11] Speaker A: Everything you think doesn't need to be said.
[00:36:14] Speaker B: You know what? I'm going to take that note to heart because I could use that lesson.
[00:36:17] Speaker A: Myself every day, actually.
[00:36:20] Speaker B: Every day.
That's incredible. Well, this has been an amazing conversation. Thank you so much for all of the wisdom you've dropped on us. Where can folks find you online to learn more, to follow your story, to buy your sunglasses?
[00:36:33] Speaker A: We
[email protected] that's V U L I W-E-A-R.com on Instagram @voolywearofficial and TikTok and Facebook @voolywear. V U L I W E A R. Incredible.
[00:36:48] Speaker B: All right, go ahead, follow voolywear, follow their story and stay tuned on what's coming up next because I'm. I'm really excited about.
[00:36:56] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:36:57] Speaker B: All things bully.
[00:36:59] Speaker C: B2B breakthrough is produced by Ali.
To find out how Alibaba.com is empowering its customers with the tools, services, and resources they need to grow their business, visit Alibaba.com and then make sure to search for B2B Breakthrough on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you find your podcasts. Make sure to follow us so you don't miss future episodes. On behalf of the team
[email protected], thanks for listening.
