"You have to keep trying and keep failing before you really find success" -Vitrop CEO

Introduce us to your business, how you got the idea, and how you sourced any materials.

We are Vitrop, a team of two Taiwanese designer who believes and is determined to change the world through design. Our goal is to build a brand combining the culture, design and mass production technique of Taiwan. We'd like to inspire people and make them think from different angles, motivate them to live a better life and always have eco-friendly in mind.

Observe like Sherlock Holmes, inspiration always leaves clues in everyday life. As a designer living in the 21st century, we have this expectation of ourselves that our design makes the world a better place both to the society and the environment. Design is way more than a business, it’s a world-changing tool, and it’s also our dream to make the world better.

How did you go about manufacturing your product, as that is a major obstacle for many entrepreneurs?

Design and manufacturing are two different things that are related, we have to discuss with the manufacturing experts about the feasibility of manufacturing after our designing. We are always in a dilemma between design and molding, trying to find the best balance, it’s the most valuable and interesting part of industrial design.

It’s also very difficult for entrepreneurs to reach out to manufacture resources, we’re really lucky to start form Taiwan, there’re a lot of great factories who are professional and are willing to cooperate with entrepreneurs.

How do you handle the logistics and inventory management of a crowd funding campaign, not knowing how much product you will end up needing?

We’re not really handling our inventory management. According to our experience, we have to make sure our manufacturer’s MOQ, and where to ship our product… As to the logistics, we cooperate with logistics company that we trust to make sure our bakers get their rewards.

Tell us about the backend of your business and if there is any online tools or apps you use to stay organized?

Before teaming up as Vitrop, we worked separately in furniture industry and bicycle industry. We’ve always have a vision for design, it’s not only for making money but for making the world a better place. So we both quit our job to continue with the green design we’ve involved with in collage. There are so many helps from friends and factories who were willing to assist us with prototypes and suggestions.

We had worked separated for a year, meeting through Skype every day, and brainstorming through Mural(It’s a great tool for developing new ideas!) Google tools are the major tools we use, they allow us to edit documents, discuss and organize data online at the same time.

How have you been able to get the word out about your product? Any direct or online marketing tips?

It’s actually our first time trying to get our product into the market. We’re still learning, so we don’t really have any useful tips. There’s one rule we stick to during product advertising — don’t be shy, just do it!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

We’ve received a lot of useful advices, there are two we think that helped us most. The first one came from our advisor during our graduation project, he actually didn’t gave us any advice, and wanted us to make mistakes! He taught us that you have to keep trying and keep failing before you really find success. And the second advice came from our parents — no matter we succeeded or failed the Indiegogo campaign, the real success is when we finish the project thoroughly. This gave us strength when we’re doubting ourselves, and motivates us to push forward.

What tips do you have for crowd funders and entrepreneurs, from making a crowd funding video to making a website and selling product?

Extensive research is the foundation of a fine work, we do our research massively and try to study all the cases, clarify what we really want and what concept we want to speak out to the world, stick to them and show the spirit in the product, film and website.

Lastly, what should consumers know about your product that is different from what is already on the market?

The most valuable thing in our product is the care of the environment and show people how easy it is to reuse things. We’re changing the world every time we consume, Vitrop’s mission is to spread the idea of reusing what you already have through Relid. What makes Relid different from all the lids for glass jars is it’s not just for mason jars but for almost every jar you can find!

Thanks for reading!

Vitrop Design team