We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexandra Winkler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alexandra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In our business, there are two co-founders: Andrea and myself, Alexandra. As you can imagine, in any business and friendship, we have very different personalities. Andrea is the dreamer, always brimming with crazy ideas, while I’m the one who must ground her ideas and has a more analytical mind. I think that’s why our partnership works so well! One random day in the office, Andrea burst in with one of her new proposals: she had stumbled upon a digital marketing growth guru, and according to her, we absolutely had to work with him. He had a six-month waiting list, and in her eyes, this was our golden opportunity. As usual, I was a bit skeptical. I had questions about what this guru could really do, how much we would be investing, and how this venture would truly benefit our business. Despite my reservations, we decided to take the leap and sign up with him. He advised us to prepare a substantial inventory, as we were going to invest heavily in the digital aspect of our business, and everything was about to scale up significantly.
We had confidence in our product, and we decided to place our trust in this new marketing growth guru. Looking back, we’re ecstatic that we did! This all unfolded during the months of April and May, with May being one of our best-selling months, thanks to Mother’s Day. During this time, we found ourselves hustling from one event to another, showcasing our products. On the digital front, we poured in more money than ever before, launching our most aggressive marketing campaign to date.
Our sales skyrocketed during these months, thanks to our new digital marketing strategy. We’re delighted that we took the risk of investing heavily in marketing and inventory, even though it made us a bit nervous. In fact, we ran out of some colors due to the unexpectedly high demand! It turns out, taking the leap and making this substantial investment was absolutely the right decision for our business.

Alexandra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are two best friends from Venezuela who always dreamed of starting a business together. We wanted to translate our personalities and our bond into a project that represented who we are and went on to design a product that fit our needs. Obsessed with finding the perfect pouch and the most durable bag, we decided to create our own bags and make them available to all the other ladies that, like us, were looking for products like these. We designed a line of accessories that are meant for the practical woman: they are stylish, modern, and versatile, all in one. We focused on neoprene since it is machine washable, lightweight, durable and can come in a wide range of colors. For over four years, we have had the blessing of being able to work together as best friends, coming up with new prints and color combinations, discovering new ideas for our line and creating products that fit in perfectly with every type of woman we have come across! We have seen our small project grow into what it is today, and seeing the reception from women all over Latin America and the US is what keeps us going. Our brand carries neoprene bags, totes and accessories that adapt to different trends and lifestyles, and that strive to attain the highest standards of quality and design. With PopUps, you don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort, and we cater to all tastes. Our neoprene totes can take you from the beach to work to a day out with the kids, comfortably. All our products come in a variety of different prints and colors, so there’s definitely one for everyone out there!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Funny story! We’ve known each other since we were around 10-12 years old, but we were never close friends at the time. Although we didn’t attend the same school in Venezuela, I knew who Andrea was, and she knew me. We were quite different back then—I was a bit “wild,” you could say, while Andrea was always the one who followed the rules.

However, our paths crossed when she started dating a good friend of mine, and I began dating a good friend of that same friend. Before we knew it, we became inseparable as a group of friends. We did everything together, and in a very short time, Andrea went from being someone I merely knew about into someone I could call my sister. I realized that if I ever decided to start a business, it would be with her. Given our shared history and the fact that we had known each other since childhood, we knew that our friendship would always come first.

Of course, like in any other business partnership, we’ve had our disagreements, but at the end of the day, there’s no one else I’d rather be doing this with.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Our clients are our top priority, and they are the reason we have achieved our current success. We are grateful for our dedicated Instagram followers and loyal showroom clients. Email marketing plays a pivotal role in maintaining a strong connection with our clientele. Through email, we share valuable tips on using our bags, showcase real-life customer photos for style inspiration, and keep everyone informed about our latest styles.

On Instagram, we have built a devoted following in both Venezuela and the USA, and we make an effort to communicate with them in both English and Spanish. We regularly post organic images of our team using the bags, highlight special features, and promptly respond to all DMs. Our clients’ feedback on our Instagram posts has even led us to restock certain items.

Our customer service is hands-on and efficient. When you contact us via phone or email, you’ll receive a direct response from our team, without any unnecessary delays or red tape. We take pride in being accessible and responsive to your needs, thanks to the dedication of our team members.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://popupsbrand.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popupsbrand/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@popupsbrandbags