Entrepreneur letting followers make major decisions about new beard brand
Entrepreneur Vinny Sehravat describes his own beard as having evolved quite a bit over time.
“I got into growing beards a few years ago and fell in love with the look so much I never looked back,” said Sehravat.
“Before quarantine became our norm, it was maintained and reasonably trimmed. Now, it’s filled up even more and slightly bigger. I guess now I have a reason to keep it the way it is.”
Vinny Sehravat, owner of UPWRD Creative and creator of Build A Beard Brand.
Another reason for Toronto-based Sehravat to keep his beard game up is because he’s creating a new line of beard oil scents with the help of a unique Instagram crowdsourcing campaign: Build A Beard Brand.
It’s a social — and social media — experiment he launched over the holidays.
“Simply put, I am building a beard brand from scratch and posting my journey daily,” explained Sehravat.
“Followers are voting for all my next steps – naming the brand, voting for their favourite scent, learning about my supplier, voting for packaging and label designs, etc.”
Sehravat started by reaching to men with beards on Instagram to complete a survey in exchange for free beard oil.
The response has been “extremely interactive, supportive and genuinely invested in the success of (the) beard brand.”
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“We have completed three separate votes to date and have many more on the way,” shared Sehravat.
“Next up, our community will vote for the design of our labels and packaging, then they will vote on our logo. Each time we run a vote or a contest, we receive almost double the submissions we received on the previous survey.”
“I would not be able to continue doing this if it weren’t for all the words of encouragement and advice I get daily from my follower community across North America. We have received support from numerous Beard Influencers, and Influential people with beards.”
According to Sehravat, the as-yet-unnamed beard brand currently offers 100 per cent natural beard oil, made with high-quality organic ingredients. All of the products will be locally sourced and made in Canada.
“I plan to build the online store using local designers and content writers. Realizing that small businesses are heavily impacted during these times, I want to do my part to support local talent within the community,” said Sehravat.
Sehravat, owner of creative agency UPWRD Creative, is also using the Build A Beard Brand Campaign to inspire entrepreneurship
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“The idea is to inspire entrepreneurs to start their own journeys while watching me build my brand,” shared Sehravat.
“Our followers do not necessarily need to be a beard product consumer – the account is for future entrepreneurs who want to learn how to build a brand or start up an e-commerce store and also for those who simply want to participate in a really cool experiment. The experience is very interactive between myself and the community.
“My mind is brewing with ideas constantly. I’m sure there are tons of people just like me out there. We all come up with great ideas, but oftentimes it can be difficult to execute them. Hopefully, this can be a calling for people in our community to get started now. The hours you are saving not driving to work every day due to the lockdown can be spent building a profitable side hustle.”
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