Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Eckstein.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Patrick. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Myself (Patrick Eckstein), and my co-founder (Matthew DeCelles) started William Painter as a sort-of-joke honestly… We were big fans of the newly emerging crowdfunding space, so we submitted our rough-drawn-out project to Kickstarter to be a part of the trend. Our first product, The Hook, was a pair of aerospace-grade titanium, polarized sunglasses, with a bottle opener integrated into the frame.
We literally started out by cutting a hook shape into two steel arms, spray-painting them black, and attaching them to some standard sunglasses purchased at 7-Eleven… it worked like a charm. We did a crowdfunding campaign on a $0 budget, got funded in three days with our first $5,000, and then had to learn how to actually build a product and a business after we realized we actually got funded. We flew on standby flights to China,slept on airport floors, and couch-surfed all over to build our first pair.
Quickly, we learned that it wasn’t that much harder to make a much better product and actually compete with companies like Rayban and Oakley (who are owned by a much larger monopoly -Luxottica) if you need more insight on them let me know). To date, we have raised around $1.5 million through several crowdfunding campaigns; we sell seven SKUs with an eighth in development. We launch every product via crowdfunding (for both budget and customer feedback reasons).
We guarantee everything we make for life. No matter what. Our company values come from Matthew and I personally… Trust and Integrity. We believe that if you treat customers like family they will, in turn, do the same for you (which seems to be working). We also rely on Amazon since it is a highly trafficked channel where a product must be quality. This has allowed us to get some prime spots on their website and several thousand 5-star reviews of our frames.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We have bootstrapped William Painter almost the entire time (by using Kickstarter and others) we still fly standby, sleep on airport floors and couches; and get as far into our manufacturing process as we can.
We have taken 14-hour train rides into the middle of China to see where our employees live, stayed with them and their families, and eaten about every food under the sun. The road might not be smooth, but it is really fun and fulfilling to work with people you love and care about, while making a product that you love, and delivering it to those who you care about it.
We entered one of the most crowded markets in the world, selling a “luxury” priced item, on the internet, where you cannot touch or feel the frames. So you could say that was (and will always be) a struggle. But with things like next day shipping and returns, we are able to break down some of those barriers to entry and make the customer feel at ease with their purchase.
Lastly, saying “no” to large opportunities (because they did not fit the long-term vision for the brand) has been very difficult as well. It can be hard to turn things down in the short term if you don’t realize the long-term losses and effects that might come from saying “yes” to the immediate opportunity.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We make the worlds best sunglasses and everyday carry accessories. They are made from the best materials on earth, and we source/design/market everything in-house. Our products are all guaranteed for life. If you break them, we will send you a new pair, no questions asked. And, If you lose them, we will give you a big discount on a new pair.
We are striving to make the best products in the world, back them up with a lifetime guarantee, and treat our customers like family. We really look up to brands like Patagonia because of their business ethos and customer service.
We do not believe there is any sunglasses (or other) company like ours out there (that we have seen) backing up their product with a REAL lifetime guarantee.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is and always will be part of our story. From finding the best factories for all of our products, to our sourcing family overseas who takes care of our quality assurance.
Although, we believe that it’s not just luck but what you do with that opportunity that makes the difference. Some get lucky and then miss the opportunity to ride that wave into better scenarios (we have certainly done this).However, focusing on the strengths of the business and taking “luck” and turning it into something tangible seems to be a learned skill. We are still working on that one 🙂
Contact Info:
- Address: 4603 Mission Blvd. Suite 217 San Diego, CA 92109
- Website: www.WilliamPainter.com
- Phone: (213) 375-5310
- Email: info@WilliamPainter.com
- Instagram: @WilliamPainter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WilliamPainterOfficial/
- Twitter: @WilliamPainter
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/9518747011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=William%20Painter&ref_=w_bl_sl_ap_sh_web_9518747011
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