Our second series is “Interview with the Entrepreneur”, in which we talk with small business owners about what it is like to run (and/or start!) a business during a pandemic.
Jon and Lisa Suneesa are owners of ONE NYC Shop, which specializes in well-fitting and highly comfortable reusable face masks, and canvas tote bags. Lisa is the interviewee.
When did you start ONE NYC Shop?
We started ONE NYC shop at the end of April, during the peak of the pandemic. Our first sales were in person in May and our website was launched by the end of June.
What made you decide to start this business?
There are two reasons we started this business. First, loss of income. Second, we saw a need for a much less frustrating mask - one that you could wear longer than five minutes without issue.
What do you do in addition to this?
I work in sales and customer service for The UPS Store and my husband is a filmmaker and photographer.
Were you nervous about starting a business during a pandemic?
We were worried at first to invest that initial capital into the production of our masks. We honestly weren’t in a good financial place at all. But we believed in our product and believed in us.
Do you have a storefront, or is ONE NYC Shop entirely online, or...?
For now, our sales are divided between ‘POP-UPS’ (locations that we do mostly in our own neighborhood [Jackson Heights] or sometimes Williamsburg) AND online sales.
How do you market your business/spread the word about it?
The biggest and most effective marketing has been old fashioned word-of-mouth. Our first big group of customers all became repeat customers several times over and really are the ones that helped bring so many of their co-workers, friends, neighbors, etc. Compiled to that [we had] new customers that all then also became repeat customers. It’s been amazing. We’re pretty certain that at this point our repeat customer rate is now 99.9-100%, which is just incredible.
What was the biggest surprise about owning your own business?
The biggest surprise has been just how powerful good word-of-mouth can be. It’s understood that this kind of recommendation is always important - but for us, it’s been huge. It’s hard to imagine our growth to this point, without it. We’ve grown so much within our own neighborhood. Stroll through Jackson Heights and you will likely spot one or more people wearing one of our Signature masks.
What has been the biggest challenge so far?
The biggest challenge has been Facebook and Instagram ads and finding the sweet spot for how to spend marketing dollars on online ads to drive sales through our website, especially to other neighborhoods and states that don’t already know us.
What is the best part of running your business?
The best part of running our business is equal parts witnessing our growth and the positive feedback from our customers. The messages, sometimes even text messages, from so many describing just how important it’s been finding a reusable mask that actually permits them to go about their day in comfort, it’s been so amazing. This totally motivates us to continue and expand our brand with as much care and attention to detail in our new products, as we’ve put into everything else so far.
Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would do differently if you were starting today?
Knowing what we know now, we would’ve started making our kids line of ONE NYC masks sooner. They can’t seem to stay in stock long enough!
What advice do you have for others running (or starting) a business now, with the pandemic going on and all that goes with it?
For anyone looking to start their own business, I say do it! You have to be willing to give it your all… and then some. Be passionate about whatever it is you will sell. Be open, be honest, with yourself and with customers. Take risks sometimes, and trust that you will make it work! Organize yourself and your thoughts and prioritize. Also, be prepared to work non-stop, especially in the beginning!
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The Business & Career Center has an array of resources and services for small business owners.
The B&CC partners with SCORE NYC to provide personalized business assistance from SBA-certified mentors. In response to the COVID-19 closures, SCORE is offering video and email consultations. Go to their website and select Video Mentoring, complete the form and select the option to "Schedule an appointment," then choose "Video Mentoring" in the dropdown menu for locations.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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