About the Guest:
Meet our latest guest Philly Nicks. Philly Nicks founded YHF, in 2015 in LA to make sunglasses and has successfully grown the business since.
Just in the last year alone, 2017, YHF has grown 100% in revenue. His sunnies are available at major retailers like PacSun, ASOS, Lulus, LF Stores, Toby, Dolls Kill, and so much more.
In this podcast, Philly shares what has driven his successes both in attitude and in sales savvy and how he was inspired to name his brand “You Have Failed.”
Key Takeaways:
Finding your niche is important for success.
“I come from the t-shirt background from the men streetwear and I really found a niche. I only saw expensive glasses or cheap sunglasses. And I saw that there was an opening in, you know, somewhere in the middle and to still speak to the crowd that I know, to still speak to the guys I know, and the ladies as well.”
Doing research and being prepared pays off.
“I would tell them [new brands] to do a lot of research, put themselves out there. Definitely when I first started I went to every single trade show even before, you know, I couldn’t get in, I would sneak, find some ways to sneak in just to be part of the culture. I remember calling Shiekh Shoes when I had my first brand and I will call them every single day because I wanted to be in their retailer.
"And then finally, I had the opportunity to get in the door.”
It takes work to keep up with retailers, but wholesale orders can boost revenue.
“So, what brings in a lot of the sales for YHF are, I wanna say with our retailers it’s definitely been, you know, it takes work to upkeep and to keep, you know, the retailers happy, and to keep producing new goods.
"You constantly definitely have to be putting out new things and new lookbooks, new campaigns. And then for our consumer side, we’re definitely focusing on that with Facebook ads and Instagram ads.”
Telling a brand story: Sell your lifestyle and your products.
“I don’t want YHF to only be sunglasses. I want it to be a lifestyle and what we sell is sunglasses. So, I want people to get to know what we are as a culture and we really represent for Los Angeles in the West Coast and, you know, we wanna show the West Coast vibe."
Subscription boxes are a big trend in the industry.
“I feel like the industry’s definitely headed two ways. It’s definitely headed straight to consumer on your website and, you know, helping Facebook ads and Instagram ads to the marketing, and subscriptions.
"Subscription boxes have been so successful pretty much. We are working on subscription boxes also for YHF … And that’s what I’ve seen a lot, we’re like, FabFitFun with Rachel Zoe. With all this subscription boxes. They’re able to offer at a lower cost and get you the most product for your bang for your buck.”
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