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.

How did you first decide to create an online presence? Did you plan it as a business from the start?

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.

YouTube

Instagram 

Tiktok 

Official Website

Pictures by permission.