Welcome, Antoine d’Haussy! First things first, please introduce yourself and your business!
Antoine d’Haussy: Side by Side is a Hong Kong-based company that focuses on designing organizing solutions for your everyday carry such as cable organizer pouch, mask pouch, toiletry bag, dry bag.
Instead of losing your cables, batteries, masks, and things, we think it’s a lot nicer to organize them the tidy way – and so we make that happen.
Please tell us more about Side by Side. Where are you based? How do you operate? How about your team?
Antoine d’Haussy: We are Hong Kong-based company, started in 2017 with our first product launch on Kickstarter. At this time, I am working as a one-man band, and I am leveraging the support of a freelance marketing person to get things done the smart way.
We also work with some local freelance photographers, filmmakers, and a virtual assistant to be flexible and reactive at the same time. As a nomad entrepreneur, I make the most of coworking spaces – to be honest, that’s the most efficient way to use resources smartly these days.
Let’s talk big picture. What problem does Side by Side solve out there?
Antoine d’Haussy: Meet Side by Side – a modern brand offering organizing solutions for your everyday carry. Inspired by today’s digital nomad, we make products that are smart and functional to help streamline any journey, from the daily commute to long-haul travels.
People carry a lot of tiny things, so we’re here to help them stay organized with their tech and everyday carry product. Then they can focus on their daily tasks and priorities!
What solution do you bring, then?
Antoine d’Haussy: Beyond bags and pouches, we create peace of mind for people. Messy people running after things and time, but organized ones go straight to the point and get things done.
Look, when you get organized, y stop forgetting your power bank, or your smartphone charger during your trip or meeting, and therefore you focus on what matters. Organization means you can also optimize space in your luggage thanks to a laundry compress bag. And of course, in Covid times, organization can also keep you safe if you use a mask Pouch Organizer Kit.
Market-wise, what makes Side by Side different from the competition?
Antoine d’Haussy: We work hard to make our products technologically fit. We work on adapting the pockets and pouches to the equipment they’ll contain, but on top of that we invest in technological materials that make them light and strong.
For instance, our tech pouch organizer Power-Packer has a unique stretch panel that makes it perfect to hold all kinds of shapes and sizes. It fits any laptop charger and holds a 6 ft (6′) power extension cable with ease!
Can you illustrate this with an example of how Side by Side made an Impact on a client?
Antoine d’Haussy: We keep receiving feedback from happy clients saying that the pouches make their lives easier – that’s the kind of impact we’re proud to make.
As part of a mission to conserve and protect the planet that we all travel on, Side by Side donates 1% of every sale to 1% For The Planet, a global network of non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting the environment. This organization was created by the Founder of Patagonia Yvon Chouinard, and it seems important to support it.
What stage of development have you reached? What can you tell us about the next steps? Anything exciting?
Antoine d’Haussy: We are celebrating this month our 4th anniversary, time flies!
With 10 SKUs in our product line, we put our 2021 focus on developing our distribution networking across Asia (Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines) and across Europe with online marketplaces such as Amazon.
We are also currently working on a light version of our signature product, our tech pouch organizer Power Packer.
Let’s talk about entrepreneurship. Looking back, what was the most obvious challenge you had to overcome when you started that business?
Antoine d’Haussy: Getting the attention of media when you are a new brand on the market is not easy, but when you get sales, then surprisingly the media are more comfortable to talk about your project. So I would say it’s important to create a big database of fans a few months in advance to generate good momentum on the D-Day!
And the least obvious?
Antoine d’Haussy: The covid pandemic slew down our sales by 70%, so our forecast was impacted by a serious overstock as far as our best-seller was concerned – and we had no way to anticipate.
To smooth the situation we had to handle our buffer inventory in a smart way to keep our cash flow in the green! We did a flash sale and special discounts with our community to clear up those extra units as much as we could, and then we managed to move on. Definitely not something you’d expect…
What does it take to be a business owner or an entrepreneur these days?
Antoine d’Haussy: With the current pandemic lasting over a year now, being a business owner or an entrepreneur means that you need to adapt your product to the market. In our case, a regular partnership with duty-free airport and travel accessories retailers literally stopped overnight because of Covid.
So, while working from home in the past few months, we took the opportunity to adapt and design a mask pouch kit organizer which is helping us to partially compensate for our missed sales from the regular travel gear channel.
Being an entrepreneur is about being adaptable and innovative, as a person and as a brand. Deal with it and keep going…
Would you share tips as to how you manage to deal with the hurdles of being an entrepreneur? Any routines or hacks worth sharing?
Antoine d’Haussy: During my picky negotiation with vendors and clients, I always try to give people a few options in my replies in order to give some room for discussion. it sounds silly maybe, but it is quite helpful to unfreeze tricky negotiations.
Do you happen to listen to any podcasts you’d like to share?
Antoine d’Haussy: I like the one from Gary Vee – a serial entrepreneur described as a leading global mind on what’s next in culture, relevance and the internet.
Wrapping up – how can people reach you? Anything else you’d like to tell us?
Antoine d’Haussy: Always happy to network if you pass by Hong Kong, just poke me on Instagram for a coffee.
Shameless plug: your cables deserve a better life. Treat them (and yourself) with our tech pouch organizer Power Packer and enjoy 10% off discount by using coupon code IMPACTIFIED10 at the checkout. FREE worldwide shipping!
Would you like to get in touch with Antoine d’Haussy and their team? Follow their links and make the entrepreneurial adventure go on!
