Safestyle: Tradie’s ‘stylish’ idea now turns over $1million a month
A young tradesman who dropped out of high school in 11th grade has spoken of the “lightbulb moment” that led him to start a multimillion-dollar business.
One day, while driving home from work, plumber Tim Lewis caught a glimpse of his reflection in the rearview mirror and noticed the “cheap, disposable goggles” he was supposed to wear every day.
He thought to himself, “I need to find a nicer pair of goggles.”
‘I realized that there was a huge gap in the market for stylish and certified safety glasses. I searched online but found nothing comparable available worldwide,” the now 29-year-old from Perth told FEMAIL.
He studied Australian safety standards, researched manufacturers and started designing with some basic sketches in his father’s living room.
After 18 months of ‘long days, late nights and countless obstacles’ he took off SafeStyle in November 2017.
All the hard work it takes to build a business from the ground up has paid off, as Mr. Lewis claims the brand now makes a whopping $1 million dollars in sales every month.
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Plumber turned entrepreneur Tim Lewis (pictured) launched SafeStyle in November 2017 from the comfort of his bedroom
“I saw a gap in the market and to be honest I just wanted to wear more comfortable, stylish and higher quality safety glasses at work,” said Mr. Lewis
“Honestly, I just wanted to wear more comfortable, stylish, and better quality goggles at work – I was so motivated to see if it was even possible!” said Mr. Lewis.
“Traditional companies spend over 40 hours a week on goggles and I didn’t like wearing the standard wraparound goggles and that was the only option.
“Traditional companies, including myself, threw them in the trash and treated them as disposable items, so it was also bad for the environment. They served a swift purpose.’
He quickly got to work creating basic sketches that led to the creation of 3D samples before final approval.
Mr. Lewis first launched the brand on Instagram and Facebook and launched a simple website.
He then went ahead and ordered 3,000 glasses to sell, which he was nervous about having put his life savings into the brand.
“My first shipment arrived and I started collecting and packing orders from my bedroom. At first I was getting one or two orders a day, but within weeks the number skyrocketed,” he said.
He had to shut down his plumbing business – Tim’s Plumbing & Gas – to spend “every waking hour” scaling up SafeStyle.
The glasses are made from unbreakable recycled polycarbonate and to date the brand has sold more than 500,000 pairs
The products are unisex, tax deductible and suitable for artisans, miners, healthcare heroes and weekend getaways. The goggles themselves range from $29.99 to $69.99
The glasses are made from unbreakable recycled polycarbonate and to date the brand has sold more than 500,000 pairs.
“I learned that if you do everything else right as an entrepreneur to make a great product, market it well, take care of your staff and take care of your customers, the rest will take care of itself,” said Lewis.
He now leads a team of 30 employees and continues to design the glasses himself with the help of his team.
The goggles themselves range from $29.99 to $69.99.
He now leads a team of 30 employees and continues to design the glasses himself with the help of his team
Today, Safestyle eyewear is available in 500 stores and online sales are booming.
The products are unisex, tax deductible and suitable for artisans, miners, healthcare heroes and weekend getaways.
‘I’ve always wanted to create a brand that can give back to the community and I’m very proud of our charitable range. To date, we have donated over $150,000 to charitable causes, working with the likes of The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Lifeline and our newest partner is Lions Outback Vision,” said Mr. Lewis.