Agreed. I think most shops are outdated. They are like blockbusters in a Netflix age. Most of the don’t even have real-time online inventories. There are a few good shops out there, and those are the ones we want to work with.
All the frames are still made to order so customers expect to wait for 2-3mo. They are smart enough to go on our website to buy a frame directly from us, but they prefer to support the shop.
This is the type of community engagement we are aiming for!
This is what I learned from the start-up tech world: behind every decision we make, we have a vision, a manufacturing plan, a budget, a clear deadline, and most importantly, we are not afraid to kill the project.
Throwing back to the stock vs custom model debate, we list both options on the site and let the consumer decide. No one picks custom. The same can be said for partnering with local shops. Nothing stops the customer from ordering directly through us. They choose to support the shop.
Sure we are losing some profit. But I spend 30-40% of my time doing marketing projects (which I hate). If we reach a critical mass within the community like Rodriguez did, we will have much more security and I won’t need to market anymore!