Author: Natalie Long Instagram: @globalsamaritan
There is no clear recipe for starting a business, but it normally starts with an idea. Having a strong personal brand can set you apart from your competitors. Marketing has become a requirement for getting noticed. Then transparent labelling, a loyal audience and making a lasting impact are all essential in developing a business. We interviewed Elizabeth from SAEPIO to get the inside scoop of what it’s like to start a palm oil free brand. Elizabeth is driven to provide haircare, bodycare and skincare products that are ABSOLUTELY 100% palm oil free. At SAEPIO they believe that everybody should have a choice to buy palm oil free. All their products are not tested on animals and are 100% Australian made and owned.
Having previously interned at WWF working to assist large companies become more sustainable Elizabeth realised that consumers have the power to make change. Saepio Bodycare was started because she could not find any palm oil free shampoo or conditioner products on the market. Their was a gap in the market in the range of personal care products and a growing demand for palm oil free products.
When we asked Elizabeth why she got certified with Orangutan Alliance she told us “I wanted my customers to feel confident in knowing that what they were buying is truly palm oil free.”
Elizabeth admits it was a very challenging process. Taking nearly 5 years to develop the SAEPIO products, by going back to the drawing board and recreating the product formulations from palm oil free ingredients. “I would say, if you are a brand looking to go palm oil free but are having a hard time getting there, don’t give up. There will always be a solution to the problem, sometimes it just takes a little extra time. It will absolutely be worth it!”
At the moment Elizabeth is working on building SAEPIO through social media and online. She is looking to stock her brand with online health stores.
5 tips from Elizabeth for someone starting their own product based business:
- Be patient. Everything will take longer than you think but it will eventually happen.
- Don’t give up! Sounds cliché but it is true. Just because something doesn’t work out or you come across road blocks you don’t know how to get around doesn’t mean that it wont ever happen.
- Invest in yourself and know what your strengths and weakness are. If you have no experience in running a business take courses, read business blogs/websites, talk to people so that you know what you need to do to make your business successful. Some things may come naturally to you but other things you may find challenging. It’s ok to outsource those tasks if it means you can then focus on your strengths and grow your business.
- Be organized. Make sure you establish a record keeping system early.
- Accept that there will be ups and downs. You will be completely invested in your business. There will be a lot of great moments but there will also be a few heartbreaking ones. Knowing and remembering this during the hard times will help you to keep going.
Find out more about SAEPIO here: (https://saepiobodycare.com.au/)
