We had the good fortune of connecting with Tara Waganouni and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Tara, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have always had a passion in the fashion industry. From a very young age, I had fun decorating my dolls and designing my own clothes. I loved the art of being able to inspire myself through my environment, nature and the seasons. It was a continuous admiration until the time to go to college. From where I finally chose to study I.T. Nevertheless I never stopped making art, my first passion.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Starting a business is always difficult when the support is not there. When I went from employee to entrepreneur, I invested all my savings and injected everything we could into the business. You should know that nothing gives fruit overnight. So, especially to develop your own brand, it takes a lot of patience and sacrifice. In order to penetrate any market, I had to wake up in the morning, knock on doors and never give up. I faced a lot of rejections, non-paying customers, logistics problems and the search for good suppliers.
The main thing is to always believe in your dream and follow your intuition.
Thereafter, it is the creative side that blossoms in me and that loves what I do that makes it possible to distinguish itself little by little. Our brand has been able to grow, because we have been able to fill one. Lack in the field of eyewear. We knew how to combine art and an essential accessory to the view. Affordable, high quality and of impeccable style, our products are now sold all over the world. The brand’s success encompasses the contemporary style of our designs that reflect our local North American inspirations. This is why each model of glasses is named through a North American city.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Miami is a heaven on earth. Any friend that would come to visit, very simple, first destination is the lobster shack in South beach. You get to enjoy a beautiful lobster rolls and cold drinks. Plus the beach is just nearby, park eat and swim. Kiki on the river is where the night life starts. Amazing food, best vibes ever and number one soiré between friends.
The little havana,, cannot be excluded as it offers the best coffees ever. You get to see the torrefaction of the coffee, smell that delicious odour and finally enjoy it.
For the rest of the time, no need to go further, a beach towel and enjoy the sea !
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In our organization, we want to continue to work as much as possible with the people who have encouraged us from the start. I would personally like to thank Our collaborators and customers in Canada and in the USA who believed in our products and for trusting us over all these years. My business partners Jeff Larbi and Joseph Khalil for supporting me. In addition, our beautiful sales force and staff that are working hard every day. And ultimately Gayle Estabrooks who always believed in me and Inspired me when I first started my professional career.
Website: www.karl-optical.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toplook_eyewear/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-waganouni-05228878
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TopLookEyewear/