We were lucky to catch up with Ryan Simkhai recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ryan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

Like many startup businesses my business started as a one man show working out of my home and various coffee shops throughout the city. As we continued to grow so did my tasks and I needed to bring on a team to take on of various roles throughout my business. Through various employment websites and some referrals I’ve been fortunate to find such talented and committed employees to join me. Being a former athlete I really do believe in the importance in “team” and just like in sports every employee plays a role and also helps fellow teammates along the way. I believe building a culture where employees feel confident and supported throughout the day. A big part of our hiring process is making sure that candidate shares those characteristics to make their hire and transition into our company as successful as possible.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started Ryan Simkhai Eyeshop in 2019 as a boutique eyewear brand. Our eyewear includes readers, sun readers and sunglasses with blue light protection, and each comes in an array of trendsetting styles and color combinations. We allow everyone to make their own personal statement with unique textures and materials such as metals, vegan leathers and vinyls. We started off as an e-commerce store but after a few years of success we’ve tapped into the wholesale market and now we’re sold nationwide at boutique and chain stores alike. We’ve also found success on various TV segments like The View, ABC’s Good Morning America and among “Oprah’s Favorite Things.”

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

We’re fortunate to live in a world where social media plays a big role in our everyday lives. We’ve had the privilege to partner with so many amazing influencers to represent our brand which allowed many everyday people come across our brand and help it to continue to grow.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Like many young entrepreneurs I didn’t strike gold with my first idea. I worked in the hospitality industry for over 10 years with dreams of owning a restaurants throughout Southern California. In 2019 those dreams came to an end with a few failed attempts, It was obviously disappointing but I believe the universe works in mysterious ways and for me this was just the beginning of something that would end up being special. My time in hospitality may have not ended the way I pictured it but in reality if it wasn’t for all the lessons I learned in the industry I can’t say for sure I would be in the position I am in today. I am forever grateful for those years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ryansimkhaieyeshop.com
• Instagram: ryansimkhaieyeshop
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryansimkhaieyeshop/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-simkhai-02937123a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryansimkhaieyeshop3659

Image Credits

Ryan Simkhai Eyeshop