1 December 2021
The Rise of the Eagle Twins
Many people would like to start up a business over the internet yet many struggle to find the right product to market. The Gradinar twins, Andrei and Igor, didn’t have to worry – they already knew the name of their “product” from the outset – themselves! An interest in sports and fitness led the brothers, originally from Moldova, to develop an online presence which has proven a great success.
As well as
containing some fantastic fitness advice, their videos and pictures show a
great sense of humour that shows a lighter side to their personalities – not to
mention a savvy understanding of the kind of content that goes down well on the
internet. As well as YouTube, they have
online presences on TikTok and Instagram.
Their
slickly designed Russian language website is called the Eagle Twins – which is
a great name for a pair of young men who are set to fly high! As well as appealing to the Russian fitness
market, the twins are just launching their English language version on YouTube.
The twins
started at Lewisham College when they were 16, successfully completing the L2
Business course. Now 17, they have progressed on to the Level 3 Diploma in
Business. We took a little time out to ask Andrei and Igor some questions about
how they developed their online business.
It’s an interesting story about how something that started just for fun
became a serious business.
When we
first decided to start making content online, of course we hoped that someday
we would get paid, but honestly, we didn’t really believe it would happen. We
were doing it just for fun.
What was
your vision when you started? Is it different today?
We were
just having fun when we started making content online, now we have a clear
vision of becoming TOP fitness bloggers in the world. We’ve a Russian language
channel on YouTube with 120k subscriber and recently we started filming in ENG
(channel: “Igor Graf”)
Where
did you start? Facebook? YouTube? Instagram?
We started
filming on YouTube, then Instagram and TikTok.
How fast
did things start to happen? Did it take a long time?
It took
around 3-4 months to gain 1000 subscribers on YouTube. In the next 3 months we got
10k and from there, step by step we’ve gained 120k subscribers, but for us we
hope that is only the beginning.
Is there
anything you know now that you wish you had known when you started?
Nothing
comes easy, you have to work hard to see any results. A crazy idea is the most
important thing when it comes to getting views on any platform.
Do you
ever feel like giving up? What do you do to get past that?
Sometimes.
When we feel like that, we just try to remember why we started and what we will
get if we don’t give up and work even harder.
What
advice would you give anyone who wants to start an online business?
Always keep
in mind things that stands you apart from others. Your rewards in life will
always be in the exact proportion as your service.
Why are
you studying business at Lewisham College? What do you plan to do next?
I am studying
Business L3 year 1, because I want to know more about business and it also
improves my English, because I’m from Moldova.
Lewisham
College is, of course, very happy to place host to Andrei and Igor’s
study. The Head of Faculty for Business,
Digital Skills and Performing Arts, Adu Antwi is proud of their achievements.
“It’s wonderful to see two of our young students doing so well as online
entrepreneurs,” he said. “I hope that Andrei and Igor will use their Level 3
Business course to develop their business even further. I’m sure that we have a lot to learn from
them as well!”
You can
find out more about Andrei and Igor and their fitness journey on the social
media channels below.
Pictures by permission.
