Vapouround magazine Special Issue 01 | Page 72

F E AT U R E Q. You have a great design with Vampire Vapes. How did it come about? We brain-stormed ideas for around a week. Some were good, some were awful and we also bounced ideas off family and friends in a process which eventually led to Vampire Vape being created. The idea was to stand out from the crowd and be different and memorable and our customers. Q. Is there such a thing as a typical working day at Vampire Vape and how do you guys get on with each other? As far as working together is concerned then it helps that we were really good friends before setting up the company in the first place. This is important because working days can be long - at least eight hours and very often 12 hours or more when necessary. We work really well with each other and we don’t let egos get in the way at all. One of the biggest advantages within the partnership is that we can both admit when we are wrong, and then move on. It keeps us moving forward and keeps the business strong. Q: It can’t be just you two any more at Vampire Vape. How many staff do you have and what sort of jobs do they do? We have 30 members of staff and are taking more on as we get bigger. The company has been separated into wholesale, production, warehouse and web order divisions with each area run by its own manager responsible for every aspect of that department. Each and every member of staff is crucial to our company and we would not be where we are today without them. Q: Running Vampire Vape sounds like a very interesting thing to do? What are the particular highlights for you both. We love meeting the stockists of our liquid and discussing the latest trends and products. The exhibitions are a highlight of the year for all, and a chance for the staff to put names to faces that 66 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE USA they have been dealing with all year. Taking the time to meet possible whenever possible is one of our aims for 2016 and we have been making a conscious effort to get out and visit more of our re-sellers and customers. We also love getting to the shows and events with Vapefest UK, Vapejam UK, Poland, Russia, Germany, France and hopefully at least one show in the US A all planned for this year. Q: What are you doing to ensure your company continues to grow and develop and how will the TPD effect your business? We will be developing lots of new flavours and products in 2016 and looking for new stockists and distributors worldwide. As far as the TPD is concerned we are fully compliant with all the new rules which are now in force. We believe that the industry needs regulation but there are many flaws with the TPD which is not representing and protecting the requirements of vapers and could potentially lead to a reduction in the uptake of this alternative to smoking which would clearly be a bad thing.