We were lucky to catch up with Indie Mcfarlane recently and have shared our conversation below.

Indie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

To me, success is all about consistency and resilience. It’s about showing up every day, even when you’re exhausted. If I have a day where I can’t give my best effort, I make up for it by working on a Saturday or Sunday to reclaim those lost hours.

Resilience is especially crucial when you’re running a self-funded business. I’ve faced countless setbacks with Indy Sunglasses—so many that I’ve lost track! But I’ve learned that the key is to keep pushing forward and take each challenge as a learning opportunity.

One major setback I faced with Indy Sunglasses was in our early years when we launched in Topshop stores across the USA and London. I self-funded everything—the stock, display stands, and travel costs—dedicating a year of my life to this venture. I had no social life, barely enough money to eat, and was completely exhausted. But I knew that once we were set up in each Topshop location, the sales would start rolling in, and all the hard work would pay off. I chose Las Vegas as the final launch location (obviously!). However, just a few days after I got home to New York, Topshop filed for bankruptcy. The stores shut down, and I lost all my money, stock, stands, and a year’s worth of effort. It was a tough time, but I didn’t let it stop me. I picked myself back up and pivoted to an online-only strategy, diving into social media and e-commerce to rebuild the brand.

Another major factor I’ve learnt in achieving success is taking care of yourself first. You can’t show up for your business if you’re not physically and mentally healthy. I now maintain a disciplined balance through therapy, regular exercise and prioritizing my well-being. If I’m not at my best, my business won’t be either.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As young as five, I was always wearing sunglasses—they were like my comfort blanket since I was a shy kid. At 17, I moved from Scotland to London to become a fashion photographer but ended up working in customer service for a struggling sunglasses brand. That experience made me realize, “I could do this so much better.” So, I got a bar job and used my pay checks to launch Indy Sunglasses. I was shocked at how expensive designer sunglasses were—often charging up to $900 just for the brand name. My mission became clear: to offer high-quality sunglasses using the same materials at a much fairer price. We also use biodegradable or recycled materials to support sustainability, which I’ve noticed a lot of eyewear brands do not do.

My designs are made to make you feel confident, expensive, and chic. I create everything right here in my NYC apartment, drawing inspiration from classic films and simple, everyday details like the color of the sky or a unique fabric pattern.

I’m proud to have built Indy from the ground up with no investors (yet!), and to be able to live independently in one of the world’s most expensive cities, with my own apartment (complete with a washer and dryer in unit, if you know you know!). We still have a long way to go, but I’m excited for the future for Indy and to reach so many more amazing customers worldwide.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I’ve never had any investor funding before—Indy was entirely self-funded with paychecks from my bar jobs. When COVID hit, I lost those jobs due to closures, so I had no fallback and had to make Indy work. Lately, though, things have been exciting! We’re getting more and more opportunities for retail launches, collaborations, and big projects. I’ve realized that if I want to take Indy to the next level, securing capital or funding might be the smart move. I used to always say “I will never get an investor, I don’t need it”, however, It’s a step I’m willing to explore right now as we continue to grow and secure more partnerships and offer our customers even more amazing designs.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This is a very personal story, but I’m sharing it in the hopes that it might help others going through something similar. In January this year, I lost my brother at the age of 35 to a heart attack. As the main person running my business—handling customer service, social media, and designing—it felt nearly impossible to carry on during such intense grief. I do have two incredible employees who help with advertising and retail, but running a business while grieving is not for the weak.

There were many days when I didn’t want to do anything, but I kept going because I knew it’s what my brother would have wanted. Despite this devastating loss, I managed to launch three eyewear collaborations, get Indy into Anthropologie, and host pop-up events across the city. Starting a business is challenging, but continuing to run it while dealing with sudden grief takes a different kind of strength. It has shown me a level of resilience I didn’t know I had, and I’m genuinely proud of myself for pushing through this year.

My advice to anyone going through a tough time is this: allow yourself to feel the pain, but don’t let it stop you from moving forward. It’s okay to have difficult days, but remember that pushing through can be a way to honor your loved ones and prove to yourself just how strong you really are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.indysunglasses.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indy_sunglasses/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indysunglasses
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indie-mcfarlane-874213123/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@indy_sunglasses?lang=en