Listen up NY… The time to Swagify your company is now!
When it comes to eCommerce, nobody does it better than Akil “AK” Kurji, a successful entrepreneur and investor, who is the mastermind behind the upcoming Swagify platform which is an on-demand order fulfillment and warehousing service that will allow companies of all kinds to print customized items on-demand such as clothing, accessories and at-home living items for a fraction of the costs you see online elsewhere. But before he launches, AK has been helping out in his community and here in New York by donating tens of thousands in face masks and providing over a hundred new jobs to people who have been facing tough times since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
From ECommerce, to Swagify, to planning his upcoming New York visit with his family, The Levity Ball spoke to AK about it all!
When did the idea of creating Swagify happen?
I have been working on this idea for years now. Because I come from the promotional product industry I understand the frustration distributors go through when trying to fulfill and source products. It isn’t the easiest task having to manually search for vendors, call to check stock, and then follow up to make sure orders are being fulfilled on time. With Swagify – we enable distributors as well as individuals to sell products online, and choose their vendors through our technology. The technology in Swagify allows users to check stock, choose the lowest price, and track their consumers orders up until delivery. It’s a revolutionary system that hasn’t been tapped into, and Swagify will be the world’s first application that allows these services.
You’ve been through a lot in your life so far. Why are the “down spots” so important in order to get to those “high spots”?
Staying motivated. Keeping your mind in a positive atmosphere is the key to overcoming difficult times. I believe every one of us has 4 major biological influences orchestrating happiness from within ourselves: (Endorphins – the body’s natural pain killer, Serotonin – Molecules of hope, Dopamine – Calm & focused mind, and Oxytocin – The feeling of safety and belonging). In order to boost these I encourage people to do the following on a daily basis: Be appreciative for what you have, meditate, hold hands or hug your loved ones, exercise, eat clean, and generate uplifting thoughts).
What has been the biggest lesson you have learned so far with all the businesses you have been a part of?
DO NOT GIVE UP. Ever. No matter how bad it gets, how hard it seems, how hopeless you might feel – if you just push through – YOU WILL SUCCEED. The worst case is that you’ll learn a valuable lesson, not fail. But see your project / business all the way through. Don’t stop or ever give up halfway through.
With COVID-19, people love the ease of doing business online. How has your company and products benefited from this?
Our production facility that is linked to Swagify experienced massive growth during the pandemic because we were able to cut, sew, and stitch face masks when they became mandatory. The apparel side of business drastically grew as well, but the principal reason for our success during the pandemic was face masks.
How have you been helping out during COVID-19 with your own community?
We’ve been able to donate over 50,000 face masks and counting to our community and communities around the nation. We’ve also had the opportunity to provide over 130 new jobs to people during these times.
What would your advice be to New Yorkers during this time who may need to pivot their own businesses?
I would highly suggest learning eCommerce. There are many courses and YouTube videos that can guide you in the right direction. It takes a little effort, but the long term benefit financially, personally, and mentally is colossal. There is no better time to invest your time into eCommerce education. The future is within the internet, and there’s no way to avoid this if you want to be financially free one day.
Why should companies sign up with Swagify for their own product lines?
Swagify is the only platform of its kind to allow users to choose their vendors after an order is placed. For example, with our competitors – when a user receives an order from a consumer and their vendor is out of inventory, then they’re stuck in a situation where they have to wait for inventory to arrive. This is a customer service nightmare. However, with Swagify – users can choose a secondary or tertiary vendor in case prices go up, items are out of stock, or the location of the product isn’t close enough to their customers.
After all the pandemic calms down, where are your favorite places you want to come and enjoy here in NYC?
I want to take my son to Ground Zero and educate him on the importance this piece of land is to our nation. I’d also love to take my family to the Statue of Liberty to embrace its beauty.
And final question: What do you want SWAGIFY overall to be remembered for when people look back at your company you have created?
Swagify is going to be launching within the next 2 weeks, and we already have 3,000+ people ready to begin using the software upon ‘Go Live.’ For 2021, we’re forecasting a massive shift in the industry of fulfillment as Swagify is going to offer one of a kind features that users won’t be able to find anywhere else.
