How Casetify turned custom phone cases into $300 million a year in sales |
Wesley Ng was scrolling on Instagram when he got the multimillion-dollar idea to turn photos into custom phone cases. This concept was the genesis of Casetify, a Hong-Kong based tech accessory brand.
What started as an app in 2011 turned into a global name that topped $300 million in revenue last year – and Ng says social media influencers helped make it possible.
“We figured out if we get these people to buy our products, [and] if they liked it, they will likely share it to their followers,” Ng says. ”[That] Instagram influencer strategy ... we’ve been practicing it since Day 1, literally. And it’s been very important to us.”
Timing helped strengthen this approach, Ng says. Casetify’s influencer strategy is now common among companies trying to grow without much of a marketing budget, and being a first adopter meant less competition.
Now Casetify is branching out from being Instagram-exclusive to exploring new social platforms and online marketplaces. Ng has 25 brick-and-mortar stores located across Asia and Australia, and his first U.S. location opened in California last year. |
Get Ahead: How to snag a job with a 4-day workweek
Working a four-day week may seem like a dream, but it can be stressful, experts say. “It’s not for everyone, putting it frankly, to be able to work with that intensity every single day,” says Retta Kekic, chief marketing officer at Qwick, an on-demand hiring platform.
However, if you’re seeking a role at a four-day week company, these three skills can help you get hired: - Initiative: Focus on and lead efforts that are “going to move the company forward,” Kekic says.
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Autonomy: Be “self-directed, plot out your own projects, think about how to do that, and then figure out when they need collaboration,” says Lindsay Liu, founder of software startup Super.
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Adaptability: Successful employees will be able to maneuver through issues like “trial and error of learning how to cut down on meetings, or figuring out a rotating schedule if the company needs to work with customers five days a week,” says Phil McParlane, founder of the job board 4DayWeek.io.
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On the Job: Turning vending machines into a $300,000 business |
This millennial saved up $10,000 to start his vending machine business in 2018. Last year, he brought in over $300,000 in revenue. |
Work It Out: My employee blocked me on Instagram |
Senior work editor Hanna Howard answers all your pressing career questions.
Q: Help! My employee blocked me on Instagram. Should I be offended?
A: Here’s something I feel pretty strongly about: With very few exceptions, bosses should not follow their employees on personal social media.
If you’re wondering which platforms are fair game, first stick to those used specifically for professional reasons, like LinkedIn and maybe Twitter. For other platforms, like Snap and TikTok, it’s probably best to leave your employees unfollowed unless they bring it up.
No matter how friendly you are with your boss or how cool they are, there’s still the fear that you could be judged poorly based on something you posted. Blocking may seem like a harsh way to go about making sure your boss’ eyes don’t fall on your posts, but short of making your whole account private, it’s the best most of us can do. Want your work question featured in a future column? Send an email to askmakeit@cnbc.com. |
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