Blue See, 150 Hour Experience

Blue See Glasses, Co-Founder: A Journey of Innovation and Learning

Turning Crisis Into Opportunity

The pandemic fundamentally altered how we live, work, and study—everything moved online. One evening, I found myself complaining to a friend about the headaches and burning eyes caused by long hours in front of a screen. His response to “buy anti-blue light glasses” sparked an idea. After doing some market research, I ordered 120 pairs to start. This leap of faith became the foundation of Blue See Glasses, an e-commerce business that thrived by addressing a growing need.

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Starting as a small Instagram store during my junior year of high school, the business scaled quickly. By the end of my freshman year at Duke, we had shipped over 2,800 pairs (60K USD revenue) to 15+ cities in Colombia, offering 25+ models and collaborating with 10+ influencers boasting followings of 500k+ and out instagram account reached 12.5k followers. The numbers reflected more than just sales—they told a story of seizing opportunity amidst adversity.

Link to instagram account

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Roles and Responsibilities: Building a Business From the Ground Up

As co-founders, my partner and I embraced distinct yet complementary roles. He spearheaded marketing campaigns, handled supplier negotiations in China, and managed import logistics. I took charge of the financial stuff, managing cash flow, creating product-specific P&Ls, and overseeing inventory and logistics. Although we worked across these responsibilities, our clear division of tasks allowed us to operate efficiently. It was a hands-on crash course in running a business, teaching me not just technical skills but also adaptability in balancing overlapping tasks.

Innovation Amid Distance

One of the most significant challenges emerged when my co-founder and I moved to the U.S. for college while our operations remained in Colombia. This shift demanded innovation to keep the business running smoothly from thousands of miles away. To address this, we implemented two key solutions:

Launching a Website: Previously, sales were managed through Instagram DMs, requiring hours of manual interactions. Developing an e-commerce website streamlined this process, freeing up time and reducing friction for customers.

Partnering With a Dark Store: To resolve logistical challenges, we formed an alliance with a dark store. They managed our inventory and fulfillment operations for a percentage of sales, allowing us to focus solely on growth and marketing. These strategies not only sustained the business but also expanded its scalability, proving the importance of leveraging partnerships and technology.

Link to website

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Failure to Adapt: Lessons From the Product Life Cycle

Our greatest failure was underestimating the importance of timing and product lifecycle management. Blue light glasses thrived during the pandemic’s growth phase, as remote work and online classes created high demand. However, as Colombia gradually returned to pre-pandemic norms, the market entered the maturity stage and began declining. I failed to anticipate this trajectory and diversify our product portfolio. We could have introduced sunglasses or reading glasses to sustain sales. This misstep was a hard yet crucial lesson: understanding market trends and proactively evolving with them is vital for business in the long run.

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Giving Back: A Social Impact Initiative

During the pandemic, we recognized the immense challenges faced by families in Colombia. To make a meaningful impact, we partnered with a local foundation dedicated to delivering groceries to families in need. For every three sales, we donated groceries to one family, dedicating 20% of our profits to this cause. This initiative wasn’t just an add-on; it became a core part of our mission, aligning our business success with community well-being. By combining commerce with compassion, we created a business model that made a tangible difference in people’s lives, turning customers into contributors for social good.

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Key Takeaways: Beyond Sales and Numbers

Adaptability Is Key: From pivoting operations when we moved to the US to adjusting to market shifts, adaptability became my greatest asset. This experience taught me that businesses must constantly evolve in response to external changes.

Efficiency Through Systems: Moving from Instagram DMs to a fully-fledged website and outsourcing logistics to a third-party partner reinforced the power of systemization in scaling operations.

Think Long-Term: The product lifecycle failure underscored the need for critical thinking and long-term strategy. Diversifying the portfolio could have extended the business’s lifespan and profitability.

Entrepreneurship Is a Team Sport: Collaborating with my co-founder and leveraging the strengths of external partners highlighted the value of teamwork and trust in entrepreneurship.

Social Responsibility Pays Dividends: Our partnership with the foundation not only made a difference for families in need but also strengthened our brand’s identity, creating a deeper connection with our customers.

Blue See Glasses was more than a pandemic-born e-commerce business; it was a laboratory of learning. It shaped my entrepreneurial mindset, teaching me to identify opportunities, embrace innovation, and learn from failure. These lessons continue to guide me in navigating complex challenges with resilience and foresight.

More pictures and memories...

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