David Roger

Co-Founder of Felix Gray

(Forbes 30 Under 30)

14 June 2019 6 Min Read

David Roger on Manufacturing: From Tradition to Innovation

Meet David Roger, the co-founder, and CEO of Felix Gray, a digital wellness brand that sells eyewear that tackles the adverse effects of screens on our eyes. His successful business that offers a unique solution for people in need put David on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 US & Canada 2019: Manufacturing & Industry list.

David graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations. Before launching Felix Gray, he worked as an Operations and FP&A Analyst for The Downtown Project and then as a Venture for America Fellow.

Join me in learning about how David got the inspiration to create his company and how he copes with failure and maintains a healthy working environment in his company. He also shared a few valuable insights on smart vs. hard work, along with time-management tips for young entrepreneurs. So, let’s get right to it!

The Logician

Hi David, and welcome to this interview! Before we start, I would like to thank you for taking the time to be a part of this mission! It means a lot. Now, do you mind introducing yourself? Who is David Roger? What was the reason for choosing your current career?

David Roger

I’m the Co-Founder & CEO of Felix Gray.

We are a digital wellness brand that empowers people to live happier, more productive lives in today’s screen filled world.

Specifically, we sell eyewear that’s tackling the negative effects of staring at screens all day (think: headaches, eye strain, sleep disturbance, etc.).

Our proprietary lenses are the perfect balance of filtering Blue Light and eliminating glare while remaining clear. But we want you to feel as good as your eyes will, so we use premium Italian acetate and German metals to craft timeless, beautiful frames.

The Logician

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on being among Forbes 30 under 30! Have you ever thought you would get this far? What is the single thing you believe most contributed to being where you are today?

David Roger

It’s cool to think about how far we’ve come, but there’s a lot more to do!

Would definitely have to say how much impact we’ve had on our customers.

We get thank you notes every day from people who no longer deal with the screen symptoms that used to plague them.

Some are particularly powerful, like individuals who are particularly sensitive to light and their computers would give them debilitating migraines until they found Felix Gray.

It’s awesome to get that feedback.

The Logician

Can you tell us more about Felix Gray? How was the business idea born? What makes your company important?

David Roger

I was working for the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hseih, on Downtown Project. I was tasked of figuring out if our multi-million projects would make or lose money.

That meant spending a lot of time in front of Excel and my eyes starting killing me. Everyone I knew was staring at screens all day and half of them were complaining about the same symptoms I had.

I wondered what was causing this and why there wasn’t a solution. After talking to ophthalmologists and optometrists, I learned Blue Light and glare were two of the main culprits. There were a couple of options on the market, but all the lenses were yellow or orange and the frame designs were terrible.

After about 6 months of nothing changing in the market, we decided to do it ourselves. We developed a proprietary lens that was the perfect way of filtering Blue Light and eliminating glare while remaining clear.

And we traveled the world to source amazing materials to build beautiful, timelessly designed frames. Ultimately, you should feel as good as yours do!

The Logician

How difficult is it for you to manage your time, considering the fact you are a young Co-Founder and CEO? What would you say are the best and worst parts of being successful at a young age?

David Roger

I never was very organized, but I’ve had to learn to be. I use a lot of lists to keep myself on track.

I also do a rundown every morning and night to make sure I actually accomplished big picture goals that day. It’s so easy to get caught up in the minutia and not move anywhere despite doing lots of busywork.

Not sure if there’s a worst part. I consider myself very lucky.

The Logician

Do you think education is absolutely necessary for success? What is your opinion on smart vs. hard work?

David Roger

Ultimately, you’re always learning. Sometimes that’s in school, sometimes that’s outside of it. I had no idea about the optical world until I started Felix Gray.

I didn’t go to school for it, but I immersed myself in the collective knowledge and dedicated myself to learning about everything I could because it became fascinating to me.

The Logician

Have you ever failed? How do you cope with failure? What is the best advice you can give regarding failure and recovering from it?

David Roger

I fail all the time. Best way to cope with failure is to look back on why you failed and try and improve so you don’t make that mistake again. It’s also important to recognize when you just caught a bad break.

I’d say a great example is the first person I had to let go. That sucked. I never wanted to do that again and became dedicated to learning how to hire and interview better.

The Logician

How would you describe a healthy working environment? When working in a team, what are the five utmost important things that everyone should have in mind?

David Roger

Work/Life balance is vital or you’ll begin to resent your job. Feeling that you’re working towards an amazing common goal is crucial too.

We believe strongly in productive discourse. It’s the idea that if someone has opinion A and someone has opinion B, generally opinion C (some middle ground) is the best.

To foster that, it’s important to feel comfortable disagreeing with people regardless of title as well as that people need to be open-minded to criticism. We’re working towards the same thing in the end.

The Logician

What matters to you in life? Who is your biggest supporter? What is your definition of happiness?

David Roger

Making work mean something, but making sure it doesn’t fully consume you either.

Happiness is finding meaning in what you do, finding flow states that help your mental state, and building incredibly strong, meaningful relationships.

The Logician

Where do you see yourself and your company 10 years from now? Do you have any future plans?

David Roger

We talk a lot about health and wellness. As a brand, we want to facilitate the conversation around digital wellness.

We want people to live happier, more productive lives. For us, if we’re building that community and leading that conversation, then we’re successful.

The Logician

What is something you wish you knew before you became a CEO? What is the best advice you can give?

David Roger

Think about what you want your business to do at different life stages and make sure you have the business functions (people, tools, etc.) to do so.

The Logician

Thank you, David, for sharing your story. Your company’s mission to help people improve their quality of life is fantastic. Moreover, your advice on failure and how to learn from it really struck me. It was also great hearing how your team maintains a work/life balance to generate a healthy work environment; many can learn from you. I hope to see Felix Gray expanding the way you wish for it in the future; I wish you good fortune!

The Logician

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David Roger on Manufacturing: From Tradition to Innovation

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