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They actually said that because you use more material, it actually might be a disadvantage for swimmers.
That's the thing we just wanted people to have the option. You know what I'm saying.
We weren't saying that yo, like everyone's gonna goun buy a soca and use out the Olympics, right, That wasn't what we were saying. But what we what we were saying is actually wanted people, if you were a competitive swimmer, we wanted you to have the option.
My graduates from my school being forts bad drop drop drop drop.
All right, guys, welcome back e y l u K.
Yeah.
Division. This has been a great, great run in the United Kingdom, London, Europe when we went to France. So a first foremost shots to everybody in London, after everybody that came to our event. Sorry for anybody that get any event, but we are coming back. We're gonna do something way, way bigger.
That's a fact.
Accommodated everybody a much more suitable situation. But this episode is going to be a dope one. First of all, shot to my god Jack Jones, who we actually talked to a few days ago and who I've connected with years ago and super good dude, good job. Yeah, so he referred me to one of his good friends talks I met, who I said, correctly, actually is a very
very interesting story. So he's an entrepreneur from London, from Nigeria originally, but I grew up in London and it's a it's a very interesting niche business where they do swim caps, so it's called soul cap. So how it really got a lot of a tension on like a global scale is that I believe it was banned from the Olympics. Right, So we'll talk about this whole thing.
But it's a very interesting concept and idea where it's not just for women though, right, No, but that's like where it became a narrative on it, right, exactly like black Well, you can speak about it better.
Yeah, Now I think it's dope like because we've obviously highlighted a lot of black brands and when I heard your story, it reminded me of the East Side golf story where there was a sport that black spot kind of excluded from, right, and swimming is one of those sports as well. I think Robbers reported that out of the seventy three thousand registered swimmers, competitive swimmers, like six hundred and fifty are black crazy, So it's like, this is not something that we're doing and a lot of
the reasons, especially with all women, is they're here. Yeah definitely, So like you guys come into a space and it's like, okay, let's make this an inclusive thing. So I think it's going to be an interesting topic. It's gonna be a great episode for sure.
It's a swim cap that's made for you know, yeah, everybody, but like for black women's hair, afros leaves, and that's not something that like a regular swim cap can't really accommodate that situation of vib So it's one of these things where it is a very niche product, but it's widely used. It's like something that you don't really think about too much, but if you go swimming, you know
you wear swim caps, especially on a competitive level. Absolutely women, especially black women who don't want to get their hair wet. So black owned business out of London. Very interesting conversation. I'm sure we're gonna have so first and formal thinking of joining us. Appreciate it.
Thank you for having me, guys, appreciate that for sure.
So all right, let's get this going. How do you because you actually come from actuary background, right, yeah, yeah, exactly are you still doing that now?
I'm still doing it. I'm still not Turvey. I still want my life of London, Alloyd's London.
Yeah.
So Lawyers of London one of probably the biggest insurance company as far as insurance, not how we looking at it in America, like they ensure like artwork. They ensure pretty much everything, like a lot of like even football players in America. In college they got like Lawyers of London, like disability policies, like anything that you can really think of. Lawyers of London insurance one of the largest insurance companies in the world.
So I think I won't William hearn that after he has spring, is uh his full that Duke had an insurance policy?
Yeah, yeah, but you're in the actuary.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So I'm a qualified actual fellow.
I know what the actuary is, but can you explain to the people who might not know the.
Actual essentially, you know, the day job.
What it is is that I use like mass and statistics to try and calculate risk. Essentially, so if I can work out how much if I can price a risk, or I can work out how much I think, you know, a particular policy might cost us, and then I can work out essentially how much we need to charge so and like make profit essentially pay all the bills, expenses
and that kind of stuff. And then also the other side of it is how much money you need to hold in reserves as an insurance company in case things go wrong.
So yeah, high level.
Yeah, it's the math side of it. And that's something that a lot of times people don't understand how insurance is priced. But when you look at the actual, like let's take life insurance, they'll look at how many people die in a particular year, how long people live, how many people get a policy, and it's all one big math equation, and then they can say, okay, fo a hundred thousand dollars policy for a preferred rate, it's going to cost one hundred and fifty dollars exactly, not just
a random number that's thrown out there. It's actually done through actual yeah, actuarial Yeah, actual areal math equations. So you you must be a very very smart guy, young math when it come to the math work where you passed alge I never I never passed.
That you could if you wanted to, all right, so that's your day, jaut.
Yeah, But when you decide to become an entrepreneur.
So to be honest with you, like me and my business partner Michael, like even from young we've always been kind of on the business thing, always trying to like, you know, make a little hustles and stuff like that. And I think, you know, I was working in the city and I just felt like, you know, I was I think about twenty six twenty seven at the time, and we were like, we need to get this side
hustle popping, like we need to do something. We spoke about it, you know, around the time, we're sort of dabbling in a bit of crypto all that kind of stuff, and we were like, let's make let's make a more sort of conscious efforts to effort to start a business. But nothing really popped to us, nothing really kind of you know, came to us that we thought, Okay, cool, we could do this.
And this is incredible.
It's not overly competitive, but there's a big enough market and all that kind of stuff.
And then sort of, you know.
We we both grew up not knowing how to swim, essentially, and I don't know if the same goes for you guys, whether you can swim.
Yeah, let's talk about that a little bit because so you're from Nigeria originally, Yeah, Legos, right, yeah, shout out to Legos. So I'm not sure how it is on the continent in Africa, but in America it's a very weird dynamic where a lot of majority of black people don't know how to swim, and it's become like a whole stigma of black people don't swim. Like you'll see like these memes where it's like a white pool party and like everybody's in the water. A black pool party,
nobody's in the water. Everybody got geen shorts on, like they're not even thinking about going in the pool. So it's interesting that you start a swim company because a lot of black people can't swim. Yeah, you can't swim.
You couldn't swim as adults who became that was it So for us, that's how it kind of it kind of went. It was a bit magical in ways the way it happened. So, like me and Michael grew up not learning how to swim. Right, my mom can't swim. Michael's mom can't swim. I grew up with tow older sisters. They can swim, but they didn't really because of the hair issues and all that kind of stuff. So you know, we we were like twenty six, twenty seven, we were like, you know, we should learn how to swim.
You know, it's limiting just in case.
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Even even you know, not even the necessarily just the drum prevention side. But at them times we're thinking, you know, you're go on holiday, people are all like you know, jumping into and yeah off the boat with that, and we couldn't do it, you know, and we were like, now we shuld we should actual learn how to swim. So obviously looked into it, got some adult swimming lessons.
So you decided to take class together.
Yeah yeah, yeah, so we took.
We took Yeah, I said that you be up, we can't swim, but yeah.
I mean there's the venus, there's there's lots out there. Yeah, you know, we didn't we just didn't really look for it. But again, like you say, it was the it was it was the feeling that swimming wasn't for black people. Really, you know, black people don't really swim like you like, you know, when I was you know, I.
Was taught in school.
Essentially, we did school lessons but I wasn't that good, and the teachers didn't be pay any attention. And if you couldn't, they kind of just sort of said, okay, cool, like forget the guys and pay a bit more attention to the people who were good.
So I did lessons, just never really took onto it.
And I think because my family didn't encourage it, I didn't do it, whereas maybe another.
Family might have encouraged it more, you know.
So anyway, we did these adult lessons as a woman in a swimming class, and she didn't have like a particularly big afro. She had just like a small kind of like you know, afro classic you know, hairstyle, and her swimming cap was just coming off all the time. Literally her hair was soaked, like you know, and we had weekly lessons and she would say, it's obviously a fath effort. Got girls gotta wash her hair chlorine. It's damaging because she wanted to learn to swim, you know,
she was willing to make that sacrifice. And then I think that was when it sort of clicked to us, like, hol on a minute, how come you don't get swimming caps that are come in different sizes for different different hair types. You know, when you often buy a swimming cap, you'll see it has one size fits packaging, which isn't the case. So we looked into it and we were like, no, there's nothing really out there that's like, there's definitely nothing
out there credible, and this could be an opportunity. Because we were both on trying to hostitle and trying to find, you know, little side things, we were like, why not go.
Yeah, I've been through that, man.
Like my daughter was in swimming and it was always the one size fits all, and by the time she'd swam twice, either the cap would rip because I would we would try to make sure that he wouldn't get wet, or it would be the opposite. We put the cap on, her hair still got wet. Yeah, just because it didn't fit. Yeah, it didn't matter if I braided her hair or if
she had her hair natural. But like you said, one of those reasons why we don't get in the pool or black women's for sure, is that the damage that it does.
So let's talk about I want to I'm gonna ask you all the business questions, but for people that might not be fully educated, what is the issue with black women going swimming. Is it the chlorine that messes up their hair?
What?
What is the what's the whole problem with that?
I mean, I think definitely that's a barrier, like that's something that you know, discourages black women, I.
Believe, because they get their hair done.
I think they get their hair done and then if I need, if I want to go swim, my hair's gonna get wet and then it's going to ruin my hair.
You know when you say what is that? What does that mean? Like it ruins it if it's straight right, Well, I think as an afro's not gonna get wrong.
But the chlorine.
Has damaging effects on on the hair. So there's that there's that issue as well. And I think also to be honest with you us as black people, you know, you go swimming and you come out and your skin's will dry and do you know what I mean and all them kind of things. So I feel like, you know, there's a few different layers to it, but we definitely saw that the swimming caps was at least one of these barriers to entry for people.
And you know, I think.
When we when we first started the business, you know, we kind of just took a punt. We spoke to our moms, sisters, friends, and we were like, you know, would you if you had a swimming camp that fit your hair, would you potentially go swimming? And they were like, yeah, you know, actually that is definitely one of the top reasons. It's not the only reason, but one of the top reasons why why we wouldn't go. And we took a punt And to be honest with you, like our first
order we always referred to it. We ordered one hundred and fifty black excel caps and fifty burgundy right, and I'll get into sort of the colors and stuff in a bit, but they just started selling, and it was the reviews and it was the feedback we were getting from the customers that really reaffirmed the fact that actually, like this is we've got something here into something.
So when you ordered that these are the prototypes, obviously.
You're just looking at it like, all right, well that one size for all is not going to work.
We'll get an excel or were you looking at actual text? Were like, all right, those were made out of silicon. Silicon we need to make so what was that process?
Like, oh, yeah, exactly, So you know, if I take a step back.
The initial process was, you know, we were looking at the different sizes that were out there. We were trying to research, okay, cool, if we were to make to launch a bigger cap, what kind of size would be a good size, you know, And we had to play around a lot, like did some testing with our sisters and stuff, looking at the materials.
You know, okay, you get.
Latex swimming caps, like it was deep get latex swimming caps. You can get neoprem swimming caps, and you know, okay, keeping your hair driver is one of the key things.
So neopream was out of the picture.
But Latex we found from the research we're showing people can get like allergic reactions to it, like people you know, could have issues. So silicon just outstandingly seemed like the best material to go for nontoxic you know.
People don't have allergic reactions to it and stuff.
So so we went for silicone and yeah, and that was that was kind of like the early process had a few prototypes, a bunch of different samples, and we just tested and we thought, okay, that one size that we that we initially started with before that hopefully will work for kind of like the.
Early, the early phase.
And what's the industry is made in silicon.
Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, its dominant.
You didn't have to reinvent the whale.
No, no, exactly, they're using that acid. We're going to use that, but we're going to make our own interpretation and.
We're going to change the size exactly exactly.
That was it.
And you know, it's funny like when we first started, we didn't really have money, Me and Michael. We started with two thousand pounds, two thousand pounds to start a business, a thousand pounds each at the time. Obviously it's a lot of money, but we were kind of like, we'll take the risk. We'll take it here. If it doesn't work out, then, you know, kind of so beat it.
And yeah, we managed to order these hundred and fifty black caps and these fifty burgundy and yeah, literally the reviews and the ratings we were getting from women.
Who were like, I wish I had this when I was growing up.
If I had this, I would have, you know, swum buying one for my kids, like so on and so forth. And then that was like, okay, cool, Now we need to keep pushing, we need to keep going, keep reinventing, Yeah, reinvesting, reinventing, and then from there obviously now we've got like a different broader range, so we've got like Excel double, Excel, medium and large, and we've also sell regular side swimming caps as well.
Because you're doing a nine to five, right, Michael's also doing So.
Michael's actually studying and he was working whilst also studying, so he's finishing university at.
The time, but he was also working at a bank. Yeah.
So you sold over one hundred thousand swim caps today. Yeah. Right, so you start with two thousand pounds and that gets you AMUS one hundred and fifty.
One hundred and fifty black and fifty Burger.
So two hundred caps to start. Yeah. So all right, what is the actors? The process you got you had those made from scratch. Yes, it reached out to a manufacturer and said, look, we want swim caps but bigger.
Yeah.
Is there any difference other than it's just being bigger?
No?
Not not it really, to be honest with you, the opening, so the size of the opening and also it's like women talking about bigger.
The proportions were different from depending on.
What normal size cap. Yeah.
So like, for example, like the opening, you can make the opening smaller or bigger. You can get the kind of size of the volume of the cap as well, bigger. So those were kind of like the two main parameters we had to play with.
So it's like a mushroom.
Yeah yeah, yeah kind of.
So all right, so you get that, you get the inventory in what's the next step? How do you decide the price? How do you sell the first two hundred?
So for us, really what we what we did we kind of our initial strategy really would actually started out as like an FBA Amazon FBA type approach.
Can you tell them if they don't know what that is?
Yeah, So basically what we do we get the caps, you know, we find a manufacturer that will have with we brand it. You know, so obviously sol Cap was a brand. Were just you know, the company trademarks all that kind of stuff. Michael designed the packaging, and you know,
we're liaising with our factory in China. They basically make the products, they put it all together like and then we can get them to send it to us, and we can send it into Amazon for filming centers and then when we get orders, basically Amazon ship those those those those products to the customer.
You know, because that's interesting because we did an episode on Amazon selling probably two years ago.
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So what he was saying is obviously yours is you know, labeled, But he was saying, there's a lot of products that you can sell on Amazon which you can white label, And he was like, nail clippers, nail filers, no white really ever cares who actually makes those? Right, you just go. And I'm thinking swim caps is kind of similar, like you have a niche thing where it's made for si pers, but Amazon would be a good place to sell that
because you're literally just going online typing in swim cap. Yeah, you're not necessarily just trying to buy like a specific brand, so you're not It does not really a lot of competition in the space.
I would say.
I think for us as well, we knew that early on, like trying to acquire customers for kind of ret our website would probably be too expensive, you know, trying to go hard with the Google ads the market and yeah, and the Facebook ads and the marketing and that kind of stuff, and we felt like, okay, cool, if if we if we can go through Amazon people who were looking for a large swimming cap or a swimming cap for dreadlocks, or a swimming cap for you know, braids
or long hair and those kind of keywords that hopefully they would come across our products and they would make that purchase.
So what was the all right, so you when you put it on Amazon, but you put keywords in there or in the description, how did you separate your product from the other podcast?
Yeah?
That was it really, I mean the product description. Like I said early on, you know we when we sort of first first started, we didn't even have pictures of you know, models using them. So when we first first started, we've got the caps, we sent them in, we have the packaging.
Cool, and we were like, okay, we need product pitches.
You know, we ain't really got big budget to get you know, some some some big you know, photo shoots going. So we sent them off to a product photographer. Came back, Okay, what weren't great? Okay, do you know what we think we need to invest the money and and and put some trying and try and get some models together and stuff.
So it was our very first photo shoot. It was you know, it was an interesting experience.
But we got some models who we thought, Okay, this is someone with big hair, you know, voluminous. We no one on Amazon was using black models at that time in that category, no one. So we were like, cool, like we want to actually get some black models, get some women who like you have long hair.
We had.
We had men as well in that very first photo shoot who had like dreads and stuff. And we just any any money we were getting in from sales, even a little bit we were getting in, we were reinvesting back, do you get me. So we were so we're making sure, like the photoshoot cool, like let's try and get a proper photographer. Let's try and get a proper like little studio unit. We had like a little container in Box Park.
It was literally a container unit. Got a few models and stuff, and we've got some shots and you know, a lot of I was like the person who kind of tried to you know, creative direct it. It wasn't great, but we got we've got a few shots in there. And to be honest with you, when we actually then had model pictures.
That was when their cells really started coming consistent.
So the name soul Cap, I mean it speaks to a specific demographic. Right when I hear that, I'm thinking, so I feel like there's black culture. Yeah, so who came up with the name? And then you said the colors three times already, But I'm trying to figure out my head, like all right, black burgery, Yeah, why would we.
Choose those two?
Okay, so the name I have to take credit for that one. Michael will tell you, well, I take credit for the name that came up with it. I mean to be honest again, I just yeah, we were just trying to brain someone with your names, and we kind of just felt like so Cap just had the feet. Like you say, it's a feeling. It's like it just feels right. It bodies what we're trying to do essentially, So we went with so Cap and then the colors.
So what it was for us when we first started again before cool if if someone's gonna wear a swimming I think people a lot of people don't find swimming caps cool. Definitely not at a time like swimming caps won't cool, you know what I mean? And people wear them because they're necessity and so on and so forth. And we were like, okay, and we're going to launch a swimming cap. We wanted to feel premium. We wanted to feel nice. We wanted to kind of look stylish.
We don't want to like put some brash, you know, crazy branding, you know, like with mad clip art, you know, logos on it and stuff, you know. I mean, we wanted to do it like look clean, look nice. So you know, we had we worked with we worked to get the logo, we had the little branding. Okay, cool, we just put the logo on it nice black because
to be honest with you, that's just safe. And I think I feel like people would buy black in terms of the color of the swimming cap and some of the research that we had done showing that black was actually like a good color to go with, and then we knew we wanted to launch it additional colors and other variations, but we thought burgundy was.
Just like it just felt premium. That was really a feeling.
Now there's nothing really I could say on it, but it just felt premium, and people loved it. We dropped it and people loved it, and those were the two first colors we launched, and then after that we also dropped a navy, and then we dropped like a kind of racing green. So it's like a deep blue and a deep green. And again it's more just like a premium feeling.
You know.
I feel like if you go to a pool and you've got a bright, I don't know, pink hat, and your hat is enormous, it just made draw attention to you, and you may feel like, actually, I don't want it to just feel too brashingto in your face. So that's why we launch them colors. But then go and speak speaking further on that. Actually, as time has gone on, you know, on our community has grown and more people
know about a brand. We get people who swim outdoors and they're like, oh, we love your products, we love your brand, but your colors are too dark for outdoor swimming. We need you know, if you're swimming on the out and outside, you need bright colors essentially. So then when you waunch an outdoor range where we've got the bright the pinks, the yellows, like the bright reds and that kind of stuff.
So yeah, so all right, when does this scale? So you start at two hundred. But eventually you get big enough to actually, you know, have a situation with the Olympus we'll talk about. But what happens in between it what is the driving force to take you to success?
So really it was mad.
Like I said, I was obviously just nine to five, come home at like six or seven pm, and I'm just on FaceTime to Michael to like ten or eleven o'clock every night. So I'm sign in my living room on FaceTime. He signed his bedroom or living room on FaceTime. And what we found was okay, cool. We were getting some sales through and early on we didn't really have
high expectations, but we just wanted to just keep pushing. So, you know, for example, trying to advertise, so putting a little bit of budget behind ads on say Amazon, for example, and then call your product and start getting a better ranking. Amazon starts learning that people who are looking for large trimming caps are often buying your product, so then they push your product up the listing, up the up the
ranking on the search term. And then I think the issue that we found was that we didn't have enough money to like the business, wasn't making enough money to meet the demand, and that was like one of the early challenges that we faced that Okay, cool, we got these one hundred and fifty and fifty caps and they're selling out and if we need to place a new order, we need to place it now otherwise we're gonna we're
gonna sell out. So luckily, because I was still in the nine to five and Michael had his bank job, we were like, cool, let's put some more money in. Lets you keep putting money in it, keep putting money in it to keep propping up the business, to make sure we can stay stopped.
So that was kind of how it started growing.
And then essentially we started just in the UK, but then we were like, actually, let's lunch this in the US as well. So there was when we were coming launched in the US where again like obviously the market is huge. It's like on average people say it's about five times the size of the UK markets on Amazon, So we launched on Amazon in the US as well, and then that was.
When things there's a separate Amazon.
Yeah.
So okay, so the Amazon you started with just Amazon UK, yeah, yeah, and then you went to Amazon US and same strategy, same strategy, so you never but how do you sell now on your website is to do Amazon.
Pro website predominantly. Yeah, so war site.
But when did you transition have enough traction to just start being a gene brand? That was it?
Really so I think, you know, I mean, you can still buy our products through Amazon now as well, but we wanted to get to a kind of critical mass of the business. We wanted to make sure, like you know, the business was self sufficient. So now the business can pay for its own orders. If we're running low or if we need to like launch a new products and stuff that new product strain, the business can can manage that. And then we had a website early on as well.
But again, like I said, weren't getting the traffic that Amazon was getting. Do you know what I mean? We weren't getting the traffic. Google wasn't ranking us high. You know, if you searched long hair swimming can, Amazon products were coming up.
They were like the first link.
So that's I think one of the key things with in my opinion, with e com brands is like.
Either you've got enough budget to.
Try and market hard and you know, heavy social media all that kind of stuff. You know, early on it was just us doing social media. So we looked at Amazon really because Amazon had the traffic. That's what helped push the business. And there are ways that means, even with Amazon, to put your brand across So like you know, making sure you're listing obviously the pictures, but then like telling the brand story within you within your listing.
You know, people were like, cool, I can this is sole cap? You know, we get it.
So then next time when people see us, say on Instagram, they were like, yeah, cool, I remember that brand.
I see that telling a brand story like in a bio, like a bio.
Yeah, exactly, so you can kind of like put I know sometimes you might see on Amazon you scroll down and we see the description and there's a bit more about the brand and stuff like that, founders and stuff.
So yeah, so once you get to your own website, now you're not having to pay a fee to Amazon because they're getting a percentage of every time every sale.
Yeah, so it makes sense now you're gonna make more profit to put it on your websites.
Actually learn in the early stages, how did we come up with pricing? Because that's key, right, because there's a lot of competitors that sell these caps. Yeah, you Actually, I'm assuming have to use more material because this.
Caps were a little bit larger. Yeah, so how did you have determined pricing?
So for us, really it was kind of just we we we wanted to do something like we wanted to have like a margin which was reasonable obviously to help the product product you know, grow and all that kind of stuff, but then at the same time something that was reasonable for the customer. You know, we didn't want to if we were the only credible choice for the products, we didn't want people to have to pay through the nose for it essentially, so we kind of did a
bit of research. We looked around at what some of the other long long hair swimming caps were selling for, and we kind of just pitched it around there. To be honest, like you say, we wanted to be competitive, but also we need We knew that we needed the margins to come through and then you know, making sure that you can basically got.
A sustainable business model.
Really, so that was it. How much is your gaps so you need our caps for like I don't know if I say pounds or dollars in London we can say both. Actually, yeah, if you know, get numbers for both get them for like twelve to like eighteen pounds, you know, sixteen dollars, twenty eighteen dollars.
Yeah, run now. Yeah, So what.
About like sales throughout the year? Other high seasons, slow seasons. Obviously the summer the other kids are going to the swimming pool, but in the colder months, those are specifically tied for people who are competitive. Like we said earlier, most people that we're trying to target aren't in.
Competitive swimming exactly. So what do you guys do in those parts of the year.
Yeah, I think for us, you know, it's a funny one because actually December and January is usually quite busy because I feel like New Year, you me like, okay.
I'm trying something.
Yeah.
Yeah, you learned to swim, which is great and we love it and obviously we just always try to encourage it.
There's also a big movement.
Outdoor and wild swimming now in the UK, and I think also in the US. So I feel like the crazy seasonality, obviously, someone's always going to be the big big time, but I feel like it has leveled out a little bit where people are actually getting more interested in sort of outdoor wild swimming and swimming in the winter months and also the new year. So yeah, I don't know. I think we just I don't really know
how we manage it, to be honest. But you know, obviously for us as well as as a swim brand, like we've been kind of making that move to just expand our product.
Range as well, you know, expand our product offering and stuff.
So it's called Guard's point.
So have you done any marketing hate marketing at all.
Or in terms of like like.
Influencer Not really, not really, So actually I told you what we did. Do you know, again, early relatively early in our journey, we've probably been a couple of years in and we knew were getting traction, and we came across a young lady called Alis Steering and she was,
you know, like a junior swimming champion. She won like a junior swimming championship in the UK, and she was basically the only personal color who swam for Great Britain and at that to that point, there was you know, no woman of colorhood Fronto Olympics representing Team G. So we came across her story and you know, it was nuts because we were kind of just pushing off in we decided like marketing a bit more using social media, you know, trying to push our website a bit, and
we came across her and we reached out and we were like, actually, you know what, we want to try and support you on your journey because what she was doing was you know, so aligned very well as verisnonmous what we were doing. So we kind of struck up a bit of a sponsorship type partnership type of arrangement where we could support her training and stuff for the Olympics, and then you know, she could.
Also like rock our products and like you know, talk about it and stuff.
Soah, because in my brain, like there's like a lot of especially in the States. I won't aer is out here, but one of our friends has like a festival called curl Fest. Yeah yeah you heard of it.
Yeah yeah, I've heard of it.
Yeah, And it's like a whole movement of like natural hair. So I'm thinking maybe partnerships with something like that would because that would be you know, yeah, hand in hand. Yeah, it's about here already exactly. It's a natural fit to be like, okay, now if you want to go swimming, this is a product that you should be using.
Yeah, we have, Actually we did.
We did do Like there was a big festival, a handcare festival here called Curly Treats as well. I mean, you know we went to that and you know, along the way we've done loads of things, reached out to people.
You know, the influencer thing. We looked at it early on Boo Earners.
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So yeah, but it's been it's just been organic, to be honest, And I feel like a lot of it has just spoke for itself because it's just the product, which I think was just needed. And given that we just came through and we put something incredible down, it was always gonna it was always going to work.
So what happened with the Olympic situation.
Yeah.
So with that, I mean again that was like for us, it was we okay, let me let me run it back. Actually, so we did a shoot. We invited some customers to photo shoot photo shoe. Yeah, we're gonna do a little photo shoot and we invited some of our customers to come through and like we wanted to do like a parent child kind of shoot and stuff.
And there was a woman who who actually met us.
We came across us all at Curly Tretes Festival and she had a daughter who's eight years old called Anaya. And Anya was swimming for her local county in London, like London Borough of New Them something like. And she was like she bought the product for a daughter. And when we saw her this photosoo, she was like, I love my soul cap, I just love it. Like the swimming had I had before just didn't work for me, Like my swimming lessons were disruptive, you know, the cat
was always coming off. She had to get out of the pool to get someone to help her get her cat back on. All this so when we spoke to her that photo shoot, we were like, if she if she wants to keep swimming and keep training and get competitive and gets to a certain level. Eventually they'll come a point where she has to use a competition approoved swimming cap, right, and we were like okay cool, and we knew about like Feena, you had these like Feena approves.
You know, Feina is basically like the world government body for swimming essentially, right, so.
They're like the Olympic like world body. They decided, you.
Know, if you want to use if you want to use like competitive like swimwear, goggles, that kind of stuff, your product, it has to be Feena approved.
Bringing them up when Michael Phelp started breaking records, what what technologies is he wearing fast?
Everybody's just moving faster?
Yeah, exactly, that's it. So we were like okay cool.
So same way with the swim suits, they had to get approved by the you know, commite. Swimming caps also have to be approved by the comedy So we were like, okay, cool. This young girl wants to keep using our product. But then she gets to a certain level where they say, okay, sorry, that that's products not proved, you can't use it. Then then she would have to choose between that sport that she loves and like you know, hair or that is worked for her. So we were actually, she shouldn't have
to make that choice. Let's just apply it and let's get our caps approved.
So me and.
Michael like were we really like methodical characters. So we went online. We looked at the FEENA website, we looked at all the criteria for swimming caps to be approved, and we looked at him that that's fine, like caps meet all the criteria, and so we were like, cool, let's just apply for the caps to be approved, like business as usual. We didn't really think anything of it. We didn't think it was gonna get We just was going to go through, pay the fee, call approved, keep
it moving. And then obviously the initial response we had was that, you know, the swimming caps, we're not going to be considered or we're not approved for use for the for the Olympics.
So we were like, okay, that's kind.
Of weird, like what what's the reason, you know? And I think the reason said, yeah, like it doesn't the cap doesn't meet the natural form of the head.
That was the quote literally the quote for being did not match the natural form of there.
Yeah, so and then and you know what's not actually, do know what's mad when? Because because we saw all the criteria, so that was one of the criter you know, one of the criterias about the fitness, like the material, all this kind of stuff.
And when I saw the the that the.
Cap has to meet the natural form of ahead, my interpretation was that you know, you get like decorative swimming caps for like children, like sharp things and stuff.
That was my interpretation.
So I was thinking, oh, that's cool, Like we don't have sharp things, we haven't got anything crazy, like, you know, it's just like a swimming cap.
Yeah, when we saw the natural form on.
The head criteria, we thought that it meant okay, if your swimming cap has like sharp thins anything like that, that it wasn't going to be approved.
Obviously our caps don't have that.
So then we went back to them and we said, you know, I think my feeling initially was just that they've probably only ever get applications from the big brands, the Nikes added ass Head Arena, like all the big guys, and they've heard like some some bran called soul Cap coming through trying to apply, so they probably just thought like just snub it or whatever. That was my initial feeling and then so I went back and we said,
you know, how can we appeal the decision? How can we kind of just appeal that process, maybe having a conversation, explain to you what we're doing. And they basically come back and they said, okay, cool, you can't appeal because the application hasn't gone in front of the panel approval panel, we're not actually going to even put that application forward because you know, basically, like to me, it felt like they were just like, we don't want it, like so,
so we couldn't appeal and it wouldn't approve it. So our hands were tired. We couldn't do anything do Yeah, I mean, like what do you do that in that situation? You can't appeal it. They're saying you can't, you can't run So okay cool. So then that was when basically, you know, obviously, then eventually like the story got out and yeah, everyone had an uproar and we were overwhelmed, like we didn't even anticipate.
So how did you get out out of the story?
You know?
So we had we had spoken to like a few kind of like journalists and stuff, and we were kind of just saying, you know, people would like Women's Health had reached out to us from before what to do an interview with us, Like we were, you know, featured on like the Independent, Like we've been featured and we're
getting a bit of press press attraction. And then and then when this thing happened, like our brand manager like had a few contacts and she was just talkard to his person and they were like, na, like we need to we need to get this story out, like it's it's nuts. So and really just for ourkay call, like you know, just run it. And it went nuts.
Man.
We didn't anticipate the level of like people were just on onto it, you know, and everyone was riding for us. And that's what we really appreciate the fact that people actually like wrote out for us and people said no, like they say right, because we didn't think it was right, you know. And sometimes I think when you're in when you're in that situation, you can't tell whether maybe you're just like in too deep to see you know, to
see it. But I think with the reaction that kind of story got, it felt like yeah.
No, it was completely it was completely justifying.
So after this is like July through the Tokyo Games, Yeah, they apologize, They apologize, Yeah, but did they lift the band?
No?
No, so essentially because we still hadn't gone through that prove of process. We want a proved for use essentially. So I know the media kind of run the word band and all that kind of stuff, but really, you know, the real facts, Amar was that they weren't allowed to be used because they hadn't been they weren't approved.
Yeah, so they have to be approved for use to go through.
But obviously, like you know, it's like the reporters like, that's what sells exactly. So we never actually set our caps were band, and we just said, you know, they weren't approved or they wouldn't be approved, and they won't they wouldn't be considered. But then yeah, so so then everyone went no, it's obviously. I was on the phone with Brent no VICKI, who is like, you know, the chief CEO of FEINA. You know, I was on a phone call with the you know, CEO of British Swimming.
You know, we're the Black Swiming Association. Jumped on this call and we're all on it and they were like, yo, Brent. Brent said, you know, to be honest with you I'm sorry. Like he'd actually have come in after, so he was he was actually new, so he'd come in after this decision was made and he saw the blown up about soul Cap and he was like, what's so cap?
You know, who's so cap? What's going on?
And he said he looked at the file and it wasn't clear to him why the application wasn't put forward. He was like, to be honest with you, it wasn't clear to me why he didn't get put forward. And you know, I can only apologize for for what happened. And you know, to be fair, it was quite supportive if he was like, you know, we can work together, we can help you guys, Like, let's look at the situation and see if we can get approved.
And currently we are actually going through the process.
So it's about that. As that was my next question, like where does it stand right now with them?
So as it stands now, I mean we'll wait. I mean we've been waiting for it a little while, but I keep pushing them. Hopefully I think we should get a response and hopefully in the next next couple of months, more.
Years to the next or two more years to the next summer Olympic.
Yeah, we've got time, but then we've got the Commonwealth Games, been working on World Games and all that.
Yeah exactly, Yeah, yeah, I mean I read the I mean based on it right, all the the capsule silicon.
They actually said that because you use more material, it actually might be a disadvantage for swimmers.
That's the thing.
We just wanted people to have the option, you know what I'm saying. We weren't saying that yo, like everyone's gonna go and buy a Solca and use that the Olympics, right, That wasn't what we were saying. But what we what we were saying is actually we wanted people, if you're a competitive swimmer, we wanted you to have the option, you know it, rather than you say, okay, cool, well that's it. I either just quit swimming or I have to like just completely like forgoing my hair or anything
like that. So we kind of wanted people as they were progressing through them competitive ranks, as they were getting to them levels, to have the option.
And it makes sense right, Like I've been like, if you watch swimming, you watch the Olympics, yeah, you start to notice that like most swimmers and that they're wearing two caps. Yeah, so I'm thinking, like, if they're wearing two caps, obviously there's a size issue, and obviously there's an issue with not keeping whatever your hair dry.
Yeah, yeah, so there's there's I mean, that's the thing. There's so many there's so many things, and it runs deep, like it does run deep when you sort of start going into it and stuff. You know, I think probably I imagine the culture maybe if you're to speak to most super competitive swimmers, the culture probably is you like, you sacrifice whatever.
You cut your hair.
You cut your hair. You know, that's that's what's expected. You have to cut your hair. If you want to get to this level, you have to cut your hair. But I feel like, still there may be points along the way.
You know.
Alice Stairing has said herself to me that she's always so regularly she would say, ah, like I feel like I've got to sacrifice my hair. I want to keep doing it, blah blah blah. And you can imagine for like a young you know, a young person, especially when you just don't really see that many black people swimming, you know, potential future Olympic grades out there who just don't think the sports for them.
So how how big can like, what's the largest size that you have?
A larger size is a double XCEL.
So if you've got dreadlocks, if you've got dreadlocks down to your back like full on, Like yeah, yeah, yes, big band and they stretchy and yeah they're big.
So what's the scaling model, Like, what's what's the plans to actually take this to the point where it's moving millions or unions a year? Like what do you what's your what's your plan?
Your vision?
Yeah, So for us to be honest with you, what what we think is, we see ourselves as a swimming brand for everyone. You know, throughout our journey, we've always kind of wanted to support the community, you know, give money back, run like initiatives to get people, you know, at grassroots level into swimming, working with you know, we're cool guys like tank Proof in the US, who they offer through swimming lessons for children in the disadvantage to areas.
You know, we've worked with Swim them Crow in London. So so we always we always want to give back and we want to keep that community feel make sure that we're always giving back to the community. But we want to be the best swim brand in the world, to be honest with you, and so you know, obviously like now I've got our own comm you know, soul cap dot com website. You know, we're expanded our product range. So we've got swimming goggles are landing very soon.
We've got much.
As you can see, towels we've got we've got a head we've got the head towers, we've got body towers. Swimming goggles are landing. We've got training aids as well, so like pool boys and kickboards.
You know, we've got suits. Suits.
Yeah, well that's the swim where is the is the is the thing that's actually we're working on as well, which we think is going to be our big ticket and for us as well, the swim where we just wanted to be like inclusive.
We want it to work, you know, work for everyone.
We're gonna you know, we're going like plus size on the women, plus size and the men. We're gonna have the small staff, we're gonna have kids stuff, and we're just really looking to expand and scale. But again, to be honest, it's awfully funded by ourselves. You know, we haven't got to that. We've not we've not sat there into that. Cool, Let's let's bring in some external capital. Let's bring in some equity to help scale things. So that's why it has to be managed at the same time, you.
Know, after after the ordeal with Fena, how is the business right?
Do we do? We see it?
Obviously an increase in sales. Yeah, but what you guys prepare for that at the time, we.
Weren't at all.
We weren't at all, to be honest with you, if we knew how big that story would have got, we would have made sure we were way more prepared, and we weren't. We were like, you know, we were selling out, Like as fast as we could get this stuff in, it was going out. And you know, to be fair, even for us, we realized our back our back office operations weren't good enough because we couldn't meet that demand.
You know, people some people had bought caps and they had to wait like, you know, a few weeks before they were getting their orders and stuff.
And for us out, you know, that's not good enough.
So we were telling people, you're like, you know, if you have any issues, reach us.
You know, people's stuff was getting lost in the post. It was all mad.
You know.
So now obviously we're making sure that back end processes are proper.
We've got good partners making sure that we can stay stops, you know, keep everything in place to just essentially promote that growth.
Yeah, I had the supply chain like you get manufacturer like China. Yeah, as a supply chain issue affected.
You, Yeah, it has. We had.
We've had a few moments, to be fair, and apparently that the price of raw silicon was going going through that was like obviously a big one. But you know, when we have things like that, we make sure we don't want to try and we don't want to pass that cost onto the customer if we don't have to, So we just absorbed them kind of things, you know. But that's why I think now if we diversify a product range, then hopefully, you know, we're not going to
be so reliant just just the swimming caps. And to be honest, we see now ready man, people are going on the website and there buying like the hair towel. The hair towel is crazy for anyone who looks out anyone who's into haircare anything like that. If you want get get a sole cap hair towel, trust.
Me, what's a headtel. It's a microfiber hair towel.
But it's like different different, different level, yeah, trust me, different level. Any any any like women who are into that haircare type stuff, if they swim and they do have their hair hair care watch, they use our hair towel.
Trust me, it's crazy.
I mean that's like I said that, that's great if you're swimming or even if you're nuts women.
Yeah, because most of.
Times when women get their hair done, or prior to getting their hair done, they washed their hair.
Yeah yeah, and before they blowed right, yeah, they have the hairtail.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
It's like I got something you go to be like the Sakah Yeah.
Man, I think for us, we just want to be We just want to be like a swimming brand for everyone.
We want to be to go to where for example, you.
Know, people who have previously felt excluded from the sport can say, actually, our soul Cap is a brand that represent us.
They rep us. You know what I'm saying.
So let me ask you this. How has COVID the COVID effect? Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, Covid couldn't cutting your product?
Yeah, couldn't you get product?
Pools were closed pools were closed. Also.
Yeah, it was hard, man, it was what you're gonna do, you know, so just you just right, yeah, yeah, we went into when that happened, we went into defense mode. So we were like, for example, if we had plans to launch new products, you know, to start opinion, you know, for example, on new website, all this.
Kind of stuff, all that stuff just was on the back burner.
You know, ad spend for example, So if you're spending on ads and stuff like that, to scale it back, because because we knew that cash was cash was was going to be king at that point.
So what's what's your biggest market UK?
Or I think it's about it's probably about fifty percent US, maybe like forty percent UK and then about ten percent rest of the world.
Yeah, so and we get orders from everywhere. It's nuts. We get ordered from like orders from all over the world and it's where you know.
So, I mean it's swimming like this. This is a this is a big business.
So you guys are kind of like the little fish coming into this business at the time. Are there any sharks out there that saying, you know what, we want to acquire you that.
Has that happened to you guys.
Yeah, we have had we have had some kind of people approach us in terms of like these are more like aggregated type companies, so you can get these companies that buy up brands that do well on Amazon and stuff like that. So a few of them hit us up and they've been trying to hit us for acquisition.
We've had I don't know, if you guys have heard dragons, then it's like it's right, no, no, no, no, no, it's it's like a there there's a TV show called like sharp Tank, it's like a UK equivalent that, And they've been onto us. Man, they've been hitting us lowly saying I'll come through, like you know, want wanted us to go forward for the application process.
But yeah, I can see it. I can see that.
But yeah, I don't know.
Man.
For us, we just feel like, okay, let's keep doing our thing. Let's keep pushing.
You know.
We've we've had emails people just emailing us saying you guys looking for you know, investment and stuff like that. People asking out where can we buy your stock? Obviously we're not listed on any stock market, but.
So yeah, your air tie investment, right.
No, no, no, not not not anti definitely not. I think we just need to make sure the time is right we can get Yeah. I mean with me and Michael, we want to get the push the value of the business as much as we can before we then start looking for that outside capital. And I think we're close
to that point now. You know, like things like product range is like relatively low hanging through, Like we know how to launch sick products, so I mean we know how to put together like great products and market them and put them out nicely. So we're thinking, cool, let's do what we're good at. And then when we get to that level where okay, cool, we can start getting other people in, getting other people's expertise and stuff.
Crowdcube is another one who's reached out to us.
A Crowdcube one of them kind of websites where you can part up like a campaign and then people can subscribe and buy some shares in your company and staff. Crowd crowdfunding, yeah, like basically crowdfunding. Yeah, I think it's the company that hit us. Maybe it's Crowdcube, but yeah, like crowdfunding, and that's something that as well, we thought because it's a kind of community based brand that that
could be also a potentially good option as well. But yeah, so I think there's definitely exciting things to come.
Yeah.
Yeah, so you obviously it's you and Michael.
Yeah, who else is part of the team to make sure that the execution is at a sign because even when you were talking about the deliveries, you said that's not good enough. Yeah, and so obviously it can't just be YouTube, So like, who else? And yeah, when did you decide that we need to get these specific people to help us scale?
Yeah?
So, I mean it was just me and Michael for quite a while, to be honest. My fiance, my now fiance, she's like working in that fashion and stuff.
So she's helped us massively with.
Like on the photo shoot side, you know, making sure actually, like the product looks really good that what you did it doesn't saying I did the first one and it was it was it was bad. It was really bad woman, Yeah, exactly, So so she's helped. Then we were like, cool, let's get a brand manager in. So we found a brand manager who who was sick like she she got.
The brand really well and she helped us push it.
And then outside of that, it's just loads of freelancers to be honest, So wherever, like you know, we've got people who we can lean on for like copywriting, We've got people we can clean on who are specialists in like PPC advertising and you know Google Ads and kind of staff. You know, we lean out to designers when we need design work done in on package that kind of stuff.
So that's it's really lean. It's it's a lean team pretty much.
We've got me Michael brand manager and like we've we there's like a government scheme now as well where you can get people in who are like you know, young people who want experience and stuff. So we've leaned on a guy like who we want to keep on now. He's a content creator and he does video and he's really good.
For like social media.
Yeah, just like some social staff.
We've not really mentioned into TikTok, but Jax was telling me about he said, it's TikTok doing these days.
Tiktoks the wave. Yeah, TikTok's the way you definitely got to get on TikTok.
Yeah.
Yeah, So what's the goal? Like, when do you do this full time? Have you thought about that? Like you have a number that you need to hit what he was like, all right, I need this has to be doing this month, this much in revenue for me to leave the actuary world.
You know what, I haven't got a number.
To be honest, like, I think for me, the reason why I didn't make that leap, and I could have done, but the reason why I decided not to is because I just felt like it puts more pressure on the business unnecessarily.
I think as long as I'm able to, you.
Know, fulfill my kind of duties in my nine to five and also assist on the on the business, I will because I feel like, okay, cool, if I if we could hire, you know, another person who's great at whatever it means, we could like accelerate the launch of our goggles or our website, then we should be doing those things rather than me coming in and say cool, like I got mortgage to pay and I've got a kid down and do you see what I'm saying. So that was kind of the approach that I've taken to it,
to be honest, that Michael's full time. So Michael's been full time. So Michael's full time in the business. We've got on office now as well, so we've got people in there all the time and then I'm just coming through.
Like, you know, it's good. It's good to know for people to hear, because a lot of time people think that you can't do both or you have to like and like you said, you know, it puts a lot of pressure not only on the business but on you personally too. But you know, if you you know, just relying on just the business to make money for you, for you to survive and live, then you might do things that you might not want to do. Yeah, but if you got that cushion of having you know, there's
a job also, it takes less pressure off exactly. So you know, it's one of these things. A lot of time people are scared to become entrepreneurs. But tell people all the time, you can definitely do both. You don't necessarily have to just jump out the window and quit your job. You can manage both.
Yeah.
For example, I'm a problem example of that, And I started looking at it like the school my school district was my investor.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, until I can own my own company.
Yes.
And so when you start thinking like that, it's like, yeah, you get paid every two weeks, but every two weeks is an investment.
It's an investment. It's just a mindset thing.
And I feel like for me personally as well, my feeling is that you know, if obviously Michael was full time and we make sure that okay, all the pucks I get in my nine to five so you know, salary, pension, health cover, all that kind of stuff, we make sure Michael is getting that from the business as well, do you get me? And I think that's that's the beauty of it. And if things were to go left, and if you know, things were to you know, I don't know,
not work out. They won't touch woods. But but you know, then at least even between us, I could say, yeah, okay, cool, there's this as we were a job here and I can help support until he's you know, at a point, do you get me where where he's back on his feet whatever, But that's not gonna happen. Like, trust me, he's a beast and I'm sadly he couldn't be here today, but he's a beast.
So what's the percentage of the product that yourself on Amazon versus website?
I'd probably say now, like we recently launched a new website recently, and we were on Squarespace before using Squarespace platform, which like it's not built for commerce like that. So we've moved over to Shopify now, Yeah, we Shopify and like it's it's it's you know, it's taking it to the next level.
And so i'd.
Probably say it's probably around maybe like thirty percent Amazon and the rest on the website. So which obviously, you know, I'm happy if it means a customer can get products quicker from Amazon, do it. That's fine, so long as the customer is happy, the customer can get the product. You know, Amazon is really good in that. From that regard, if we wanted to launch in a new market, say for example, Amazon, you know they've set up Amazon Australia now and for.
Us to get either you get this kind of weird spot when you're in e commerce.
So it's like you either get like a fulfillment center like a warehouse or something in the country or like in the region which you want to be in, but you have to be kind of be doing enough, getting
enough traction there or ready to do that. So if we wanted to sell to someone onto Australia, they can buy direct from our website now and they might just have to wait because it will come from London probably, or if we're set up on Amazon Australia, we can just send our product into the into the warehouse is there and people we've got like next day access to our products through that.
So that was gonna ask you, so your products where your products kept? Now you're in your warehouse?
Yeah, yes, so we've.
Got third party warehouse. Are you at your own?
So?
Yeah, So in London we've got in our office, we've got office a studio like photography studio as well, and storage in that unit, so we hold a lot of stuff there.
Then we also hold stock in Amazon UK, Europe.
And US and that's like Amazon Center.
Yeah, so we'll Amazon Film centers. But we also got third party, a third party logitics company.
As well, so you do like three different types of stuff.
Yeah.
So what we'll do typically is like we'll say, you know with Amazon now as well that they can be a bit funny with like inventry limits like how much you can store there in their warehouses and stuff, So we might send our product to our third party partner in the USA and then cool, if we think we're running down on a bit we'll get them to ship a few boxes over to Amazon and then Amazon will fulfill the orders to the customer.
You said earlier that you have community givebacks, yeah, and partnerships.
When I'm swimming community centers.
Yeah, it's part of that, the giveaway of the caps, because I could see especially schools where it's predominantly black, with women and men cut of color, having that as the official cap of the team or the school. Now you have contracts with school districts, yeah, universities and eventually, like I could see countries yeah, right where you're the official brand of the country.
Definitely. That's that's the hope and that's the plan to be honest.
Already, like there are swimming clubs just like small clubs or like you know, affiliates where we would just give them the caps for free and just say yeah, like you know, do your thing, like you know, give them to people who need them and stuff, you know, obviously like financial donations as well, where we can donate to some of these kind of non profit organizations to help
push what they're doing. And it just builds a community, builds it, you know, builds the brand, and I feel like we feel it's our duty to not just sit there and say, run an inclusive a brand and we're for everyone, but then we're not actually putting our money in our mouth is and actually like back in that and supporting it.
So yeah, interesting. Yeah, I just like one last question about this fulfillment Oh so can you just explain that to me again? So you have a fulfillment center in America? Yeah, but then and actually singing the they're just actually when the order gives made, it gives to the fulfillment center, and then the for filming center centers to Amazon.
So yes, so basically sorry, what I meant was, Okay, if we've got like a logistic company in America, so if we get an order for our website, say for example, then they could fulfill that order director directly.
Yeah.
But then obviously if we were like, okay, cool, we need to get product to Amazons, we're running low.
They have they have enough, they have enough product where they can send it to Amazing.
Yeah exactly, So we'll have this out where they might be able to just send the box over the gap.
And stuff you just buy you just buying bulk. Yeah, by like you know, three thousand caps.
I mean yeah, I think last year we'd ordered like fifty two thousand.
Two thousand cares, keep some in UK in your spot that you can send out yourself in the UKA, some in America for the American customers, and then you send Amazon whenever they need it.
Yeah exactly.
You just check the numbers to see you you run and low.
It's essentially but that's I mean, that's one of the hardest parts as well of managing the b the logistics
does that Michael predominantly, he is the guy. But to be honest with you, man, that's you know, I've been speaking to other e comm guys you know that I've met just through like communities and stuff, and everyone seems to be having the same issue where it's like cool, getting the stock in and getting it back out is such a challenge for everyone when you've got we've got eight different colors now across you know, five different sizes, and now we've got a bunch of other products and
it's a bit of a juggling.
Acts managering everything. You running low here, yeah, yeah, it doesn't selling, yeah, yeah.
Exactly, not putting that line pink out anymore.
That stuff that things given with us like for our merchants, like, all right, the T shirts always do good, a hoodie might do good, but one color might not do good. The crew neck might not. You're gonna know because you don't want to just have a bunch of random stuff that's not selling exactly. Then you gotta do flash shills to try to get rid of it. Yeah, you do Black Friday sales.
We haven't yet. We haven't.
I think next year is going to be I'll probably be altory. This year even will be our first proper Black Friday. I think, yeah, we've never done one. We never really do like I've done like flashlsthing like that. But I think it's it's probably something that we will look at.
You have a high ticket cost.
I don't high cost iron well. I think when we hit the swim where that will probably be. That will probably like bathing suits, yeah, you know, looking at kind of like yeah, things like wet suits and stuff you can't really get people struggle with get wet suits for biggest sizes and stuff.
You know.
The much is like we want to do it for night so like this is like organic cotton.
Want to do nice stuff. So the price points they're not crazy.
Like for what we have to pay for them, but you know, it's probably a higher price point for you know, in general, but for what it is, it's not crazy compared.
Yeah, man, it's dope.
Man.
Yeah, I appreciate you taking the time and come sit with us.
I appreciate you.
Guys. Everybody go support how can they purchase? Talking about the social media, the website or that stuff.
Yeah, exactly.
So the social media is sole Cap Official. The website is soul cap dot com and you know, yeah, you can go through there those that's where you can get the products. So check out our stuff, check out our socials. Yeah, appreciate that.
Support the black entrepreneurs.
You might have solved the problem in my household.
How is the pub with black entrepreneurship community in the UK and London.
It's great, It's great.
I think, Like to be honest with you, I'm like I said, I've recently just had a kid, So I'm not like thank you. Yeah, I'm not like out and active and that kind of stuff. So and like with the nine to five and the business, I'm not busy. But for me, like I always just want to connect with people. I always if I see people who have got businesses, we are doing stuff, I'll always be like, yeah, let me support Share buy their products.
You know what I'm saying.
I always want to support you know other not even just black man, any entrepreneurs where people are trying to do stuff, people are trying to do good things as well, Like definitely always want to support that.
So yeah, Troy House, keep it on.
Yeah, man.
Shout out to everybody across the world, all our earners everywhere.
Man, we are indebted to you. Y'all have spread the word. Y'all told a friend to tell a friend. That's why we're able to do things like this, come to the UK, go to Legosgeria, egy of Jamaica. It's because of all the support that you have been given us. So shout out to y'all and shout out to SOCAP. I will definitely be getting a few. Keep rocking with a shout out to everybody. That's personal. I merged so we spoke about it here. So yeah, man, lovers love.
Yeah, shout to my god Jacks again trying to tape London for for facilitating us in the hospitality.
And shout out to the art being Shout them out.
Yahres Art and Parry Uh Thank you guys for rocking with us. We'll see you next week.
Peace pease.
My graduates from my school being forced back drop bag drop my drop backdrop drop.
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