Holder introduction — KO
＊＊中文訪談內容請參考另一篇文章＊＊
KO has 5 years of experience in the beauty industry, managing operations, marketing, and PR while running his own brand. He offers services like acne treatment, deep cleansing, and ear spa massage, and is a member of Taiwan Ear Cleaning Association. KO’s girlfriend’s skin condition inspired him to enter the beauty industry and start his own venture. Currently, his business is in development with a focus on e-commerce and co-branding with other brands. His “KOKI” store is located near Zhongshan Junior High School MRT station, offering handmade acne and pimple treatments and ear SPA care treatments priced around NT$2,000. The store does not require customers to purchase courses or become members. KO also maintains an online store offering basic skincare products for sale and better service for his customers.
KO was introduced to blockchain and cryptocurrency by a friend. At the time, the price of Bitcoin was around $10,000, but he didn’t understand much about it. He only knew that it could make money, so he applied for a wallet, but sold it when the price went up as he was not familiar with the industry. As for NFTs, the first one he bought was E-DAMER. He saw The Remade share this information on Instagram and only went to learn about it when he saw the Bucks’ championship shoes. He liked the design and business model, so he bought two. Later, he learned about CLONEX in the community. He liked their transparency and community sharing, as well as their graphic design and the application value of their IP, so he decided to get involved.
KO thinks that REVO is comfortable, versatile, and stylish. He believes that maintaining community engagement is not easy, but moving the brand in the right direction and fostering communication among holders is one of the greatest benefits. Diversifying the business model can attract people from more fields and make the project more elite. In addition to E-DAMER, KO also holds other NFTs. He pays attention to the project itself and hopes to learn more about blockchain-related knowledge. If given the opportunity to design the next shoe, KO hopes to have a pair of sneakers that are jointly selected and participated in by the community, and looks forward to collaborating with other brands.
Tommy：I think it’s important to encourage everyone to pay attention to the holders’ columns, understand their backgrounds, and find like-minded people. This is a unique sharing and promotion model that can bring people closer. E-DAMER uses the community’s network and influence to support holders’ brands or products. This concept is emphasized in every monthly report, hoping to inspire more people to use their communities to promote their brands or industries.
For more detailed interviews, please refer to the following
Can you please introduce your profession, interests, and if there is anything you would like to promote?
Hello everyone, my name is KO and I have been working in the beauty industry for five years. Although I attended an all-boys school, my work environment now is predominantly female. I am responsible for operations, marketing, public relations, and also run my own beauty brand.
Our brand mainly provides services for acne, pimple extraction, and ear SPA massage. I am also a member of the Taiwan Ear Picking Association, providing ear SPA massage services. Initially, I only provided this service, but later started building my own brand and found my own production line to create products.
What inspired you to start making skincare products?
Initially, it was because of my girlfriend. We spent a year in Australia and her skin deteriorated. After we returned to Taiwan, she sought treatment to improve her skin condition and later became a beautician. After some time, I started to think why she shouldn’t start her own business? That’s how I began to consider doing something like this myself.
What led you to start exploring blockchain and NFTs?
My first exposure was to Bitcoin, when the price was around $10,000. However, I didn’t know much about the field. A friend told me about it, and I knew nothing about blockchain or cryptocurrency, except that you could make money. So I applied for a wallet, but since I knew nothing about the industry, I sold it as soon as it rose a little. I had no faith in it and didn’t understand the industry behind it, so I stumbled into it by accident.
As for NFTs, the first one I bought was E-DAMER. I saw The Remade share it on IG and saw the championship shoes of the Milwaukee Bucks, so I went to find out more. Later, I saw someone sharing how to buy it, so I went to the secondary market to buy it. I liked the design because I had studied design before and liked things that were aesthetically pleasing. I also liked its business model, so I bought it. I now hold two of them, and I bought them on the first day when they went up to around 1.5 or 1.6 ETH.
I saw that you bought CloneX later on, what was the reason for the purchase?
I mainly learned about CloneX from the community, because their transparency and community sharing were quite good. I really liked their expressed business model and philosophy, and I also liked their graphic design, so I decided to get involved. In addition, their IP has a lot of application value, so I think it’s a good choice.
Have you thought about integrating blockchain into your own business?
Well, actually I have thought about these issues. And later I found out that Dabasa was actually my senior, he’s really good in this field and has a lot of IP planning, such as building that platform and so on. I think I can learn a lot from him by consulting him more. In addition, through the monthly reports, at the beginning, you may not know much about this area, but after reading the monthly reports or some information, you will gradually understand more.
Tommy：
Do you have any plans to expand your business or focus on improving your products? Or are you planning to go international? Can you share your plans for the future? I know that setting goals is important in entrepreneurship, and I do the same myself. When I founded The Remade, I set a goal of breaking even within a year, although that may have been unrealistic. However, in the end, I did achieve my goal of breaking even within a year. As I was about to achieve that goal, I began setting goals for the next three years, such as breaking into the American market, and then expanding into the mainland Chinese market in three years, and setting a five-year goal. Doing so actually helps you grow faster.
What stage do you think you are currently at?
I am still in the development stage within the Taiwan region, as I am still just a studio. I only started venturing into the e-commerce industry last year.
Right now, I am slowly collaborating with other industries, such as converting offline businesses into online ones, and integrating with other independent brands, such as tea shops or nursing homes. I think it’s a great thing to collaborate in the beauty industry because it allows two different types of fans to interact. Many big beauty brands also collaborate, and I am also observing related developments.
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I noticed that the owner of a brand called CloneX is also doing beauty and eyelash products, and he is also tracking my brand, and I am also following him. He will display CloneX on his own website and conduct some related marketing activities. This aspect has actually been going on all the time. For the integration of blockchain, I hope to use the role of the CloneX brand to attract people from different ethnic groups, such as becoming a KOL.
Can you promote where your “KOKI” store is located, what services are available, and approximately how much they cost?
Our store, KOKI, is located near Zhongshan Junior High School MRT station in Zhongshan District, Taipei City. It is situated in a lane beside Dunhuang Bookstore and is very convenient to find. We offer two types of treatments: the first one is a fully manual treatment for acne and blackheads, which is a skin care treatment; the second is an ear spa treatment that can help people relax. The price is around 2,000 NTD, and there are no course packages or other restrictions. Customers can easily make reservations.
If someone asks for a first-time experience discount, we are happy to provide it. Additionally, if customers want to purchase a batch of treatments, we will consider offering some discounts. We also have our own community where we keep in touch with our old customers and provide better services for them.
Unlike other studios, we do not require customers to become members or purchase courses. Our products are practical, and our prices are reasonable. Additionally, we have an online official website that offers sales services for physical products. Currently, we have three types of products: facial cleanser, lotion, and toner, all of which are basic and practical skincare products.
What are your thoughts on the REVO sneakers?
I find them very comfortable to wear, versatile, and stylish.
Do you collect sneakers?
Actually, I didn’t know much about the sneaker world before, but since I started paying attention to this community, I realized that it’s also a market. So recently, I bought the RTFKT x Takashi Murakami floral collaboration sneakers.
Tommy：
The Nike x Takashi Murakami collaboration shoes are the first artist collaboration sneakers with an NFT, and also the first collaboration between the two brands. They are very valuable, and the shoes have an NFC that can connect to a website through a smartphone to verify their authenticity, which is a unique feature. To me, these sneakers are extremely valuable, especially the Takashi Murakami version. I have always wanted to own something with rare DNA, and these shoes are a true physical-digital art collectible that can also be worn. I already bought two pairs.
What shoes did you exchange for in the first redemption? Did your girlfriend exchange as well?
For the first season, I exchanged for the denim shoes and also kept a pair of the collaboration sneakers. I didn’t exchange for my girlfriend, but I showed her the available options and let her choose. She wants to wait for a shoe that she really likes before redeeming.
Tommy：
Actually, I asked you this question because I also want to attract more women to join our community, so when I found out that you are doing this, I was thrilled. I think this is a way that we can mutually drive each other, as currently, there are no skincare or beauty brands related to blockchain, and more than 80% of our community are men. I originally thought that brands like M.A.C might do this, but in reality, they have not.
I believe that members of the Taiwan Web3 community have a lot of purchasing power, and if your brand can enter this market, it is also a great opportunity. This is actually very similar to sneaker trading because sneakers are also mainly bought and sold, and if you buy a limited edition sneaker, you can sell it at a higher price. Similarly, if you have a specific NFT, you can also trade it like buying and selling sneakers. In the past, we did this with sneaker buying, such as knowing that a certain sneaker was popular with women and limited, we deliberately bought all the women’s sizes, and then slowly sold them. This kind of business logic is also applicable in the NFT community
Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding our current community and operations?
Maintaining the vitality of the community is really not easy. Everyone is still looking for the right model. After all, this brand has only been established for less than a year, so it is not realistic to have too high expectations. But I think we are always moving in the right direction, and this month’s monthly report is great. After reading it, I understand some of the information inside and know what will happen next.
Also, getting to know people from different fields among the holders is also a great gain. This is something that won’t happen in real life, only in NFT. So I think this is one of the biggest gains. Everyone should also think about this. NFT is not just about buying and selling, but what we can get from the community and what we can give.
Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the commercial model will become more diversified in the future, which I think is good. Because this can continue to attract not only shoe enthusiasts, but also people from other fields. It becomes more elite, and all talents can come in, not just limited to the shoe field. I think doing so can make our project better.
If you had the opportunity to design the next pair of shoes, how would you like to design them?
I think it would be great to periodically share updates on the design process on our community platform, allowing everyone to participate in the decision-making. I am also very excited about potential collaborations in the future.
What other NFTs do you hold besides E-DAMER?
I hold CloneX and GENTLE PANTHER as well, but I haven’t been buying much lately. I usually focus on the project itself. Of course, the community also continues to release blockchain-related news, which I also pay attention to. Some more professional knowledge, such as the last monthly report, I also read because I have relatively little knowledge in this area, but I hope to learn more.
Tommy：
I think it’s important to encourage everyone to check out the column of our holders, learn about their numbers and backgrounds, and find people with similar interests. I hope everyone can visit because it’s a unique way for everyone to share and promote. Through this method, it brings people closer together, especially for those who may be shy, this way of communication can help bring people closer.
Dabao and Chad frequently browse information, and I hope they can share what they see with the community. With the overwhelming amount of information out there, it would be helpful if someone could summarize their thoughts and ideas to make it easier for others to understand, making it more appealing to everyone.
I believe that everyone in the community supports E-DAMER’s family of products and brands, as one of E-DAMER’s goals is to use the network and influence of the community to support the brand or product of the holder, helping to promote it more widely. Every time in the monthly report, I emphasize this concept, hoping to inspire more people to use the community to promote their own brands or industries. This way, the community will start paying attention to brands that utilize the community to promote themselves and gradually gain recognition. With encouragement and guidance, everyone will start actively participating in community activities and sharing their thoughts.
