Jennifer Zhang started a watch company six months out of college. She was broke and had just quit her full-time job. Within two weeks, she had launched a successful Kickstarter campaign and turned a $1,000 investment into $91,000. Her company, Rotate Watches, which offers novice engineers all-in-one kits to build their own mechanical watches, went on to sell $400,000 in its first year during COVID-19 and it continues to grow today. In today’s episode, Jennifer shares how she discovered that there was a market for DIY mechanical watch kits and takes listeners through the process of building her business, from development to building a prototype, finding supply chains, and launching during a pandemic. We also discuss how Jennifer is introducing STEM to a larger audience, her focus on selling a learning experience, not just a watch, and the pros and cons of being an Asian woman entrepreneur in the male-populated watchmaking industry. Tune in today to learn more!
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