Rae and David Liu, co-founders brother-siostra behind the brand of luxury leather accessories Leather“I had an entrepreneurship error” from an early age – but they didn’t immediately jump to business ownership.
Picture loan: Courtesy of Stockingology. David and Rae Liu.
Early skilled experience of siblings from Dallas in Texas took them to New York and elsewhere: Rae began his profession in the fashion industry, while David developed knowledge in the field of promoting, marketing and sales.
In 2001, their father, David Liu himself, the entrepreneur himself, officially registered the integrated vertical company E -commerce DC International. With complementary skilled skills under belts, siblings decided to establish a direct brand to the consumer under the DC International umbrella: Stocking.
“We have our production in China and it is really unique because it is ours, completely ownership and produces [our brands]”Says David.” It makes us to the end. This is the leather. [Entrepreneurship] It runs in our blood and led us to the place where we are today. “
Rae’s work in the space of accessories caused her the initial vision of the brand. She deeply understood leather products and the way the industry works, but the cost of top of the range goods remained a barrier to many consumers, including it.
“I found myself at the age of 20, working for hours in the fashion industry and realizing that I could never afford the bags I worked on,” Rae recalls. “Price and quality were very important to me. I thought there [had to be] better way. “
Image loan: Courtesy of Stockingology
Rae wanted the skin to offer high -quality skin, timeless skin patterns at a reasonable price, on to consumers, and asked David if he could use his promoting experience to assist. Of course, David agreed. The duo launched the company in 2008.
Since then, leather has increased into the 8-line of the brand, even among the volatility of the supply chain and economic uncertainty.
Entrepreneur He sat down with Rae and David to learn more about their successful growth strategies – and what is going to occur next to the brand.
1
The arrow was self -financed from the first day; Without external investments, the founders can at all times make decisions in the company’s best interest.
“We’re talking about it [like] We are building a house where we want to live, not a house that we intend to overturn, and then try to sell for the most money, “explains Rae.” It means that we make strategic decisions and invest very much in things that you wouldn’t have done if you were looking for a way out.
According to the founders, intelligent growth is “slow and everlasting” – and translates into “absolute freedom”.
“We are proud of maintaining a profitable business,” adds David, “one that can survive and fall over the years. We were able to make profit every year and allows us to really think about business decisions that will be good for our length.”
2. Connect to quality and what distinguishes the product
From the very starting, the founders prioritized high -quality craftsmanship and monograms personalization in Leatherology products.
The brand first used blind pressing, in which the initials are pressed into the material, and then introduced the foil into its projects, expanding with different colours and font options.
“We’ve been dealing by hand for years,” says Rae. “Many people in space perform digitally personalized. [and to] This craft idea. So we’re still doing it. We have craftsmen who paint every letter, and for the first time we will expand this assortment with a larger number of fonts and the size of letters. “
The founders say that the vertical integration model makes care of detail and level of personalization. Skhintology is also to launch the option of non -standard artistic endeavors, enabling people to send their very own projects – for example, a handwritten note – to products.
Image loan: Courtesy of Stockingology
3. Do not underestimate the value of various marketing
The skin was not based on social media as a consequence of development at the starting; Instead, the founders laid the foundation of the brand, and then diversified their marketing channels.
The brand has a “solid” company B2B, cooperating with each firms from the Fortune 500 and small business list to place their logo on products that they supply to customers and employees.
“Many of our consumers who have been with us for years, to hear about the skin for the first time, was really [when] Receiving it as a gift, says David. “It really did [growth from] Oral words, which is the most significant and the least expensive form of selling you will discover. So we are leaning to giving presents. We double this when we go this holiday season, creating more gift, chosen moments. “
David reminds even once when he met with a client in Google and mentioned the brand of her family: the woman pulled her own skin bag, said that she received her as a gift and gave it to everyone – a perfect example of this “snowball effect”.
Now, as the brand develops, Rae and David are excited to proceed the international expansion of Leatherology and double its involvement in innovation and adaptation.
“I really want to have personalization space,” says Rae. “I want to become known as the desire that we are doing better than others in a more accessible way. We live in a very consumer society and of course I would like people to buy better and consume better and not buy cheap things, but buy something that will last longer than us.”
Image loan: Courtesy of Stockingology
What’s more, the founders claim that acting as a family business gives them a clear advantage, especially since their long -term goals and interests have at all times adapted.
“It’s funny, our father says:” You can argue for nothing, but never fight for money, “says David,”[and] We just never argue. We need to build this company and we have the same drive and motivation. As Rae said, we would like to build this house. Ultimately, having this long -term equalization is difficult to repeat with someone who is not your personal sister. “
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