E41 Pop Up Report: Disrupting Eyewear with BonLook

Sophie Boulanger, co-founder of BonLook, dives into how the company shook up Canada's eyewear scene. Sophie talks about her entrepreneurial path, inspired by her family and shaped by her experiences at L’Oreal Canada and Luxottica. They delve into BonLook’s inception and strategic decisions, including cutting out middlemen, expanding store presence, and picking prime locations, along with insights on hiring for retail. Finally, Sophie discusses why she sold BonLook, her future aspirations, and her intention to remain active in tech and entrepreneurship.

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BonLook website https://www.bonlook.ca/

BonLook Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bonlook/

Sophie Boulanger https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-boulanger-19b2b71/

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Show Notes:

02:44 From corporate to eyewear entrepreneur

04:57 Disrupting the eyewear industry

10:51 Challenges and innovations in online retail

13:09 The strategic shift to brick-and-mortar stores

21:19 Building a successful retail team

25:43 The financial anatomy of a retail store

29:05 Optimizing sales per square footage

30:22 Navigating challenges of underperforming stores

32:06 The importance of real estate and lease negotiations

35:10 Reflecting on a successful exit strategy

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Links Discussed

L'Oreal https://www.loreal.com/

Luxottica https://www.essilorluxottica.com/

Oakley https://www.oakley.com/

Ray Ban https://www.ray-ban.com/

Vogue Eyewear https://www.vogue-eyewear.com/

LensCrafters https://www.lenscrafters.ca/

SunglassesHut https://www.sunglasshut.com/

Warby Parker https://warbyparker.com/

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Past guests on the Pop Up Report include Lanny Smith (Actively Black), Drew Green (Indochino), Ryan Babenzien (Jolie Skin Co). 

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The Pop Up Report interviews DTC and CPG founders to uncover how they fostered and scaled their communities to create profitable businesses. Gain a deeper understanding of the tools, tactics and retention strategies that build true customer loyalty.

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