In this episode, Hall welcomes Andrew Bilinsky, Co-founder & CEO of Lensabl. 

Five years ago Lensabl pioneered the concept of “lens replacement”. Before that, when someone with prescription glasses needed to replace their lenses, they typically had to visit a store and spend hundreds of dollars to buy new frames with their new lenses. 

Lensabl gave them a new option: keep your frames and they will just replace your lenses. To date, they have helped over 100,000 customers streamline their vision care and save over $5 million dollars. Lensabl sells replacement vision plans, lenses, frames, contacts, and a vision test, all online. 

Previously, Andy was the co-founder of ivory + mason Eyewear, a direct-to-consumer online glasses brand. He had also founded ChirpAds, a mobile advertising platform, and held business development roles at eCommerce companies HauteLook and BeachMint. Andy, a native of Los Angeles, received his BBA from the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan, where he double majored in Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies.

Andy discusses how he sees the eye care industry evolving and the growth rate of the sector. He advises investors and shares some of the challenges he has faced.

You can visit Lensabl at www.lensabl.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/lensabl/, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/lensabl?lang=en. 

Andy can be contacted via email at andy@lensabl.com, via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbilinsky, and via Twitter at www.twitter.com/andybilinsky?lang=en. 

Music courtesy of Bensound.

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Advisors can be helpful to your startup.

Here are some key points to consider to determine if you need one:

• If you haven’t run a startup before you’ll most likely need an advisor.
• If you plan to raise funding, you’ll find advisors add gravitas to the team as well as potential contacts.
• If you have holes in your team, then advisors can help you close them.
• If you are in a domain you have not worked in before, then an advisor can be helpful.
• If the business technology has changed dramatically, then an advisor can be useful to guide in the implementation of the latest tech.
• If you find yourself asking anyone and everyone questions about your business decisions, then an advisor may be the answer.
• If you have a team that always agrees with you, then you may benefit from an advisor who will be more honest with you.
• If you need help for your own growth, then look for a mentor. 

Mentors are different from advisors. They typically help the individual grow, while advisors help grow the business.

When you know what you need the advisor to do, then it’s time to look for one.

It’s important to compensate the advisor and make clear the expectations in a written advisor agreement. 

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.
___________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org 

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/ 
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/ 
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/ 
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/ 
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/ 

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group  

Music courtesy of Bensound.