Before we launched Straightface we did a whole lot of research. One of the things that kept coming up was the price of razors. People would use blunt blades because it cost so much to buy a new pack.
I like to shave to present the best version of myself to the world. It is a very personal form of marketing and self-promotion.
We want Kiwi's to have a great shave so we priced our razors as competitively as possible. Recently this idea of pricing came up again when a reporter got in touch and asked about the Pink Tax. You can read about it here
The Pink Tax is an expression describing the added cost women pay for the same product.
Razors are just pieces of metal. There is no difference between male blades and female blades, but companies make different housings and often will have male marketed razors in blacks, blues, greens, and metal colours while female marketed razors in pinks and pastels and then charge a whole lot more for them.
Self-Promotion
It is a strange experience to want to promote your business but also nervous about promoting your business.
The reporter posted the piece over a month ago and I didn't share it. I was happy that we were included but it also felt weird to tell anyone about it.
Growing up in New Zealand, we have the tall poppy syndrome and we aren't really encouraged to self-promote but I also come from the basketball world and lived in the US for a few years where all they do is talk themselves up.
It is complicated feeling to have a foot in both worlds and not feeling like either side is home. There is a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Full disclosure I haven't got round to reading it yet but it does have a framework in it that I like.
When we start, our taste is better than our talent. I know how I want to market the business, but I can never make the thing that feels like what I want it to be so the result feel unsatisfactory.
But that is the process of improvement, I guess, gotta keep trying.
Moment of Gratitude
This week a good friend and his father came up for the NZ World Rally Championship (WRC). They are car nutters. They love them. A few years ago, my buddy made me walk in mud across farms to catch fleeting glimpses of rally cars flying by.
It was cool to see but for me, once was enough.
I got to see them at the Auckland Domain on Thursday when the WRC made its return to NZ after 11 years.
It was cool to see the cars go crazy on the tarmac, but even better to spend some time with friends from out of town.
Shave well, Be Awesome, keep working so that your talent matches your tastes.
Luke
