Hello all!
Long time lurker here but never bothered to create an account. The vendor banner ad competition finally got me to join (I'll be posting my entry soon).
Started smoking at 15. I told myself I'd quit smoking after college. Graduated college and then I told myself that my work was stressful and I'd quit when I had my first child. When my daughter turned five and I still hadn't quit I realized I had a very serious problem I needed to address before it killed me.
2-3 years ago I was moonlighting at a gas station and the number of people who would come in to buy cig-a-likes (and rave about them and how it was the only way they were able to quit) really made an impression on me.
When it was finally time to quit I knew that ecigs were the way I was going to do it so, unfortunately, I went to a local vape shop and they ripped me off pretty bad which I'm still pretty sour about. But, I got a half decent set up and it was enough to get me off the cigs (and dip). Over the next year I became more and more involved in the community (mostly on reddit).
I've had a number of small businesses over the years and as I became more passionate about ecigs, not only as a source of pleasure but also as an effective smoking cessation aid that could save literally millions of lives, I started looking for a way to get involved in the industry. I considered an ejuice company because I'm pretty decent at DIY but in a moment of honesty with myself I had to admit that I'd never be at the same level as some of the more talented ejuice makers out there. My hat is off to them. There are some truly brilliant, artisan ejuice makers out there doing amazing things that I think we in the DIY community are sometimes too quick to minimize simply because we can make something "almost as good." It's that difference between the "almost" and "spectacular" ejuice that makes their ejuice worth paying premium prices for and what separates the hobbyists from the professionals. Not that there aren't some very talented DIYers out there. There certainly are. But I digress...
Eventually I found my niche in the ecig industry based on my experience as a new vaper. The hundreds of products are overwhelming. There is so much to learn (practically a new vocabulary). And there are many unscrupulous vendors out there preying on people's ignorance, trying to unload outdated or inferior products at ridiculously high mark up.
So, I have created a website that caters to newbies -- everything is simplified and explained. I only carry a limited inventory of the "best of the best" products (iStick 30w, Aspire Nautilus Mini, Aspire Atlantis, Kangertech Subtank Mini, etc.). By having a limited inventory I am able to place larger orders for the products I do carry and then I pass those savings onto the buyer. Not only are we not ripping newbies off, we are giving them an unbeatable deal on those products (many non-newbies make purchases because of the pricing). I feel very good about that and I think it's the introduction to ecigs new vapers deserve rather than the "rip off rite of passage" many of us experience.
The idea is to help people get started on the best possible equipment so that they have the best possible vaping experience and so the best possible chance of quitting smoking. By giving them great equipment from the beginning they'll save money by not having to upgrade later and they are getting a fantastic deal to begin with.
Anyway, now I'm rambling. Despite me talking about my business for three paragraphs, I'm not here to push my stuff. Just here to help and learn from others like everyone else.
Glad to be a part of the community!
Long time lurker here but never bothered to create an account. The vendor banner ad competition finally got me to join (I'll be posting my entry soon).
Started smoking at 15. I told myself I'd quit smoking after college. Graduated college and then I told myself that my work was stressful and I'd quit when I had my first child. When my daughter turned five and I still hadn't quit I realized I had a very serious problem I needed to address before it killed me.
2-3 years ago I was moonlighting at a gas station and the number of people who would come in to buy cig-a-likes (and rave about them and how it was the only way they were able to quit) really made an impression on me.
When it was finally time to quit I knew that ecigs were the way I was going to do it so, unfortunately, I went to a local vape shop and they ripped me off pretty bad which I'm still pretty sour about. But, I got a half decent set up and it was enough to get me off the cigs (and dip). Over the next year I became more and more involved in the community (mostly on reddit).
I've had a number of small businesses over the years and as I became more passionate about ecigs, not only as a source of pleasure but also as an effective smoking cessation aid that could save literally millions of lives, I started looking for a way to get involved in the industry. I considered an ejuice company because I'm pretty decent at DIY but in a moment of honesty with myself I had to admit that I'd never be at the same level as some of the more talented ejuice makers out there. My hat is off to them. There are some truly brilliant, artisan ejuice makers out there doing amazing things that I think we in the DIY community are sometimes too quick to minimize simply because we can make something "almost as good." It's that difference between the "almost" and "spectacular" ejuice that makes their ejuice worth paying premium prices for and what separates the hobbyists from the professionals. Not that there aren't some very talented DIYers out there. There certainly are. But I digress...
Eventually I found my niche in the ecig industry based on my experience as a new vaper. The hundreds of products are overwhelming. There is so much to learn (practically a new vocabulary). And there are many unscrupulous vendors out there preying on people's ignorance, trying to unload outdated or inferior products at ridiculously high mark up.
So, I have created a website that caters to newbies -- everything is simplified and explained. I only carry a limited inventory of the "best of the best" products (iStick 30w, Aspire Nautilus Mini, Aspire Atlantis, Kangertech Subtank Mini, etc.). By having a limited inventory I am able to place larger orders for the products I do carry and then I pass those savings onto the buyer. Not only are we not ripping newbies off, we are giving them an unbeatable deal on those products (many non-newbies make purchases because of the pricing). I feel very good about that and I think it's the introduction to ecigs new vapers deserve rather than the "rip off rite of passage" many of us experience.
The idea is to help people get started on the best possible equipment so that they have the best possible vaping experience and so the best possible chance of quitting smoking. By giving them great equipment from the beginning they'll save money by not having to upgrade later and they are getting a fantastic deal to begin with.
Anyway, now I'm rambling. Despite me talking about my business for three paragraphs, I'm not here to push my stuff. Just here to help and learn from others like everyone else.
Glad to be a part of the community!
