Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Suzanne Sendel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Suzanne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I spent most of my professional career catering to architects, designers, hotels and property owners. I had a sales agency that provided interior furnishing to various installations, across North America. On a vacation, my sunglasses broke and as I was having them repaired, I discovered a very cool pair of hand painted eyewear, that I simply couldn’t resist purchasing.
A year later, I wrote the manufacturer and then scheduled a Skype meeting, (10 years ago, there was no Zoom!)
Within the first 10 minutes of our conversation, I suggested that I pay my way and fly to Israel to meet the design team, if they would cover the expense of my visit. The president agreed and within two weeks, I was back on a plane, headed to Israel.
Within two months, I quit my job, went to the bank, took a deep breath, and invested into becoming an optical distributor, and self financing my new business.
A huge risk taken at 52 years young, with almost 10 years under my belt, I have no regret!
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.
In becoming an optical distributor, and knowing very little about the industry, I decided to go out on the road. I was also disappointed as when I had first considered taking on a collection to distribute, I had visited several top key optical shops in my city, with all promising to support my endeavours. When my collection arrived, each and every promise turned into a “We’ll have to wait and see..” I sweat, panicked but didn’t quit, instead, I got into my car and drove across the country, visiting various independent optical boutiques and optical practices, and slowly but surely, began to create a customer base for my new collection. As we began to develop our reputation both on social media and within our field, we received several offers to carry and develop other design collections. In being someone who has always had design in their DNA, I was very open to see what designers most inspired me, and to date, we have seven independent global collections, to which we sell across Canada and the USA.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
In traveling across North America, and wanted to share my wares, I wore many different frames on my various travels. I also had the tendency of misplacing, losing or damaging my frames, as I was always toting around many variations. It was significant that I shared my optical “swag” with my potential customers and so, I had to find a solution to my problem. One night, three years ago, I awoke from a dream. I dreamt up an optical pouch, sketched it out and returned to sleep. A year later, my www.theoriginalftg.com (FTG-Frames2go!) was born and our first shipment of samples arrived from abroad. We launched on March 1, 2020, and had such a spectacular response that we doubled our order. Two weeks later, the nation shut down due to the pandemic and our Frames2go! weren’t going far!
We had to pivot, approach corporate accounts and offer custom branding as a marketing tool. We also had to change our marketing strategy, so that we weren’t only a travel tote, but a daily solution to those who wanted to keep their glasses with them at all times, “safe, sound, and always around!” This provided to be a very smart pivot, as we began our global reach, and shipped our glasses cases across the globe.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
There’s nothing better than being there! We have a sales force including agents who cover various provinces on our behalf. We also participate in various trade shows, both on line and in real time. We have grown our clientele by our social media platforms, our quirky “fabulous frames Friday” videos, and by supporting our customers, by bringing them and their practices into our videos. Social media has played a key role in our business, especially in lieu of our FTG. This within itself, gave us a great platform to further connect with potential customers, across North America, and the world. We’ve shipped to various countries and have not had one complaint or return. We’ve simplified the lives of many who simply adore their eyewear collection, and elevated our customers at the same time. It’s been a win/win for all!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theoriginalftg.com
- Instagram: suzanne sendel agency
- Facebook: suzanne sendel agency
- Linkedin: suzanne sendel