How SwipeSkins Build A Business By Turning Your Credit and Debit Cards Into Metal Card

Many people around the world want to establish their own business and thrive in that space. However, very few individuals will even try to build their businesses. Statistics showed that at least 1 out of 10 individuals in the United States engages in entrepreneurial activities. Beginning a business is always a daunting task. It is one of the reasons that hinder most people from dipping their toes on entrepreneurial activities.

Serial entrepreneurs possess several attributes that separate them from most individuals. They have the energy, commitment, and time to turn that lingering business idea in their minds into a business opportunity. The founders of SwipeSkins are among these individuals.

Most people would see credit cards as an ordinary item issued by financial institutions for cashless transactions. The founders of SwipeSkins looked at credit cards not only as a payment tool but a business opportunity.

Andre Santos, one of the founders of SwipeSkins, shared that he and his business partner established SwipeSkins in 2019 after realizing that turning plastic credit cards into metal cards could be a viable business. It turned out they were right. They successfully transformed the ordinary credit card into a status symbol. Like any other serial entrepreneur, Andre and his business partner both run different businesses before they forged a partnership that would become SwipeSkins.

Refining An Idea

Andre said that they initially called it 12 skins because he and his co-founder have different businesses before the business venture. He added that when they started, it was not a metal card company. They thought of a vinyl sticker that people put on their pocket cards.

“It was a very cool idea. There is a niche for that business idea, and it was relatively successful. But we noticed that it might be a good business idea, but it was not a long-term business,” Andre recalled. He shared that the people they were attracting in the vinyl sticker business will not propel them to what they envisioned for the company.

Sometimes the initial business idea would not click the way entrepreneurs want it. In most cases, many entrepreneurs will turn their back on entrepreneurial activities after the failure of their first venture because of the so-called one-and-done mentality. But for the founders of SwipeSkins, the initial business did not work out well, so they refined their idea instead of not trying again.

“We had this crazy idea of a gold, solid board card. We thought that people would be excited to hold an 18-karat gold or 24-karat gold card. Imagine the wow factor of having a gold card. We played with that idea for a bit. Would it be a viable business? How many people would buy that kind of card? We realized it is an expensive product, and it would only cater to a small target market,” Andre shared.

Andre said that from the gold card, they came up with various ideas. They thought of several variations like black metal, stainless steel titanium, among others, and SwipeSkins’ metal card was born.

“Essentially, the idea of a metal credit card originated from the idea of holding a gold card. Our idea of metal cards took off from that idea and got innovative. From that, we started to start creating the whole procedure, how it would work functionality, and the other stuff,” Andre said.

Advantages Of A Metal Credit Card

Andre said that the whole COVID-19 situation made people realize the significance of turning credit cards into metal cards. “Nowadays, sanitizing our everyday items has become a necessity. Your plastic credit cards hold a lot of dirt and considering we are in a pandemic. That is a major concern. There is a big difference between sanitizing a pocket and a metal card. What comes off a metal card when you clean it? And what comes off from a plastic card,” Andre said.

Andre explained that in terms of cleanliness, metal cards are far better than plastic cards. “You clean a metal card with rubbing alcohol and kill about 99.99% of the germs on your card. That is something you cannot easily do with plastic credit cards. When you talk about cleanliness, metal is king,” he said. Andre also added that it is the reason why many consumers in Asia love their metal cards.

“How many times have you replaced your debit card? We all have experienced it getting bent and broken even if it is just in your wallet. Sometimes you sit on it, and it gets broken. There are instances that the embedded chip ends up getting scratched up, and you need to get a replacement before the expiry date,” Andre said.

With metal cards, Andre asserted that people would not encounter those issues. “Your card number will not fade on metal cards. It is a common issue with plastic credit cards but not with metal cards. It will keep you away from experiencing the inconvenience of going to the bank to request another card because the numbers have faded, and you do not memorize it,” he said.

Another advantage of metal cards is networking. “Having a customized designed metal card is a conversation starter. Just seeing your metal card could already spark a conversation. You pull the card out, and you do not know who the individual in front of you is. That individual will more likely ask you what you do,” he added.

Andre shared a story of one of their clients. The client is a realtor. He went out for dinner, and the server saw his metal card. “The server was in awe after seeing the card. She asked the realtor what you do and how you have this kind of card,” he said. He gained a new client for the realtor because the server was for a house and closed a deal with the server a week later.

“The aesthetic of the metal card made people view our client as a high individual. People start thinking that he must be good at what he does. The metal card is like a status symbol that never fails to capture other people’s attention,” Andre said.

Andre invites every cardholder to start shopping with style by converting their credit cards into metal cards. Why not take the shift today and transform your dull, plastic credit cards into stylish metal cards. Interested individuals can start customizing their credit cards by visiting https://www.swipeskins.com/ today!