How did Eugene Tutunikov grow SwissWatchExpo from a local storefront to a $90M+ e-commerce business?

In this episode, Bill talks with the CEO of SwissWatchExpo, a retailer of certified authentic luxury Swiss watches, about how he scaled his family business. Eugene shares insights on the importance of timing, customer experience, and focusing on sustainable growth. The conversation dives into lessons learned from pivoting careers, working with family, and navigating market disruptions.

Eugene Tutunikov (pronounced “Too-Too-Nikoff”) is a former Wall Street pro who traded spreadsheets for Swiss watches. 

Topics explored in this episode: 

- The pivotal role of timing in scaling a luxury e-commerce business.

- Offering a personalized, video-based shopping experience.

- Building trust through in-house authentication and servicing of watches.

- Why compounding growth is more sustainable than hyper-growth.

- The impact of super-fake watches on the luxury market and how SwissWatchExpo counters it.

- Why focusing on one business model can lead to stronger, long-term success.

Chapters in this episode: 

(01:23) Eugene's Journey from Wall Street to Watches

(09:55) The Immigrant Experience and the American Dream

(15:19) Lucky Breaks 

(23:06) Standing Out in a Competitive Market

(29:05) Trends in Luxury Watches

(34:49) Advice for Scaling Up

Thanks to Eugene Tutunikov for being on the show! 

Connect with Eugene on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenetutunikov/ 

Learn more about the Swiss Watch Expo: http://Swisswatchexpo.com 

Bill Gallagher, Scaling Coach and host of the Scaling Up Business podcast, is an international business coach who works with C-Suite leaders to achieve breakthrough growth. 

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Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/BillGall

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Visit https://ScalingUp.com to learn more about Verne Harnish, our team of Scaling Up Coaches, and the Scaling Up Performance Platform, which includes coaching, learning, software, and summit. We share how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail. We help leadership teams with the biggest decisions around people, strategy, execution, and cash so that they can scale up successfully and beat the odds of business growth. 

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This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.successwithstories.com