Page 66 - enLIGHTenment - November 2017

under the radar

LL: WHen STarTInG your oWn ImPorT FIrm, I LL: WHaT are Some oF THe bIGGeST LeSSonS

WouLD ImaGIne THere mIGHT be cHaLLenGeS you’ve LearneD In brInGInG GLobaL DeSIGnS

In GaInInG THe conFIDence oF overSeaS To THe amerIcan markeT?
comPanIeS. DID you Have To Take on a LarGe DW: I have learned to o er products that are com-

amounT oF rISk In GeTTInG your buSIneSS pletely ready to sell in the USA — even if it means you
GoInG?
have to leave out some good designs because they

DW: It is hard to establish a relationship with any can’t be used in this market. One bad apple spoils the

company, foreign or domestic. There are many alter- rest.
natives for entering a market like the USA. I believe I have also learned to work around di erent time

my track record of developing a solid lighting distribu- zones and working schedules, including long summer
tion business for Studio Italia Design de nitely helped and winter holidays.

in gaining the con dence of new manufacturers.
LL: Do you Have a cenTraL DISTrIbuTIon
However, I’m sure that my knowledge of the market
and my understanding of the needs and challenges cenTer?

of foreign manufacturers were critical in gaining their DW: We have a warehouse/showroom in Miami, and
trust and ge ing them to sign up with Uplight Group. I we ship all orders from there. There are many avail-

was also fortunate to nd some great companies that able freight options. Having our o ce in Miami has also

were ready to take their business to the next level in been good marketing when talking to new brands and
the USA. It is not easy to sign up good lighting brands; clients. Miami is famous worldwide for being a cool and

I don’t take it for granted.
trendy city.
I’m taking a signi cant risk as I’m stocking the prod-

Examples of the uct here in Miami. That means we have to bet on the LL: WHo IS your PrImary cuSTomer?

Belle D’i The success of certain designs before we even know if DW: The driver of our business is the lighting speci er,
Great and Belle they will sell well. Having inventory is an important which encompasses architects, interior designers, plus
D’i The Chic
pendant series value-added that a good distributor brings to the lighting designers. They are responsible for selecting
equation. We are also investing heavily in marketing, the lighting for most projects in the USA. We are in con-
from Hind Rabii
of Belgium.
sales, and promotion.
stant contact with all types of speci ers through our

sales representatives in all major territories who pres-
ent our products and provide speci cation assistance

to the design community. We reach speci ers via social
media, blogs, and direct mailings as well as by partici-

pating in trade shows such as ICFF New York and ICFF

Miami. Additionally, we work closely with lighting retail-
ers because most retailers work with lighting speci ers

as well as with homeowners and other end users.

LL: HoW Do you PLan To GroW over THe nexT
FIve yearS?

DW: Our plan is to become a one-stop-shop for unique

lighting designs. We don’t intend to have more than a
handful of lighting brands. We want to create solid

and long-term relationships with our partners and we

intend to grow together with them.
We expect our partners to continue innovating and

creating new designs made with the American market
in mind. We will continue to provide feedback to our

partners in regard to the trends and needs for this

market. We also expect to grow as we build be er
relationships with speci ers and gain their trust by de-

livering great products and great service and by making
it easy to specify and source our products.


64 enLIGHTenment magazine | november 2017
WWW.enlightenmentmag.com