Eco Hair Ties is a sustainable and closed circle small business owned by Jessie and her husband, Adam. They took their love for the environment to the next level by creating the most convenient yet environment-lovin’ solution to an everyday issue.
Tell us about Eco Hair Ties.
Eco Hair Ties is first and foremost a business model that we have always wanted to see in the world and this ideology predates us ever wanting to become entrepreneurs. For us, the business model is about impact and transparency- when we look to invest in something we want to know the people behind the brand, why they are making it, how it’s made and the impact that it has on our planet especially when we are no longer in possession of that object. Essentially, we’ve built a business around those guiding principles that is inspired by Circular Economy and have created a product that is plastic-free, sustainable and hasn’t been offered before in the hair tie space. Our Eco Hair Ties are made using upcycled products with a carefully thought out creation process so that they are soft on our hair and our planet.
What inspired you to start Eco Hair Ties?
Eco Hair Ties was born on a summer day in the carpark of an iconic surf spot ‘Point Impossible’. I was wanting to go out for a surf but had lost my hair tie- does that happen to everyone or just me? Adam saw the dilemma and had an idea- he made me a hair tie from a discarded bicycle inner tube that we had in the back of our van. From that day I only wanted those hair ties when I was in the water and the news caught on as I shared them with friends and neighbours that there was a hair tie that didn’t fall out when you surfed or damage your hair when you take it out- everything started pointing to us taking this seriously so we’ve invested our time and resources into the product and the circular economy business that we have now. I’m happy to say that in terms of product we’ve come a long way since that initial day in the carpark and have improved on the original prototype- we also supply the hair ties in a reusable tin so you’re less likely to lose them!
Tell us about your career and background.
Adams background is possibly the most relevant from a manufacturing perspective as he is a bicycle mechanic that has been working for the past two decades in iconic bike stores around Melbourne, I’ve worked in the Arts both as a performer and writer, more recently on the admin and organisational side of things and together we have always been passionate about sustainability. I’m learning new things from Adam, his sales strategy is authentic, unique and effective and we both love working on the creative- but it’s our commitment to making products that are gentle on our planet and the sustainable practices that we have been cultivating together over the years that have helped to inform and shape this business to where it is now.
Describe a typical work day for you.
This is about to change as we are going to trial working remotely on the road- the remote working has really been inspired by what old surf labels would do travelling up the east coast every year to sell their clothing and wax. But also because going door to door has so far been the most effective sales strategy for us- but at the moment, my mornings are the most precious to me as it’s the time that I love to be active, have a nourishing breakfast and some quiet moments before the workday begins. Post my morning rituals it’s a fairly simple routine of writing down my top four priorities for the day and ticking them off the list- at the moment those priorities are creating content, contacting stockists and packing orders. But with the new business model of being out on the road selling, I’ll keep my morning rituals but will be doing more customer service and selling and will outsource the distribution.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
If anything, I really wish we’d started sooner! We were sitting on the fence for months, when we could have been using that energy for building our business because what we learnt is that everytime we work on our business it grows just a little bit more and the sooner you can do that without distractions the better. On a more practical level, find a good accountant and understand your numbers, have a vision board with long-term goals and don’t be afraid to ask for help. People love helping people!
What’s next for you, and Eco Hair Ties?
We’ll be on the road more with travelling out to our stockists, and we’ve just sourced some incredible textiles that deal with other types of waste- looking into textile waste has been such an eye opener! So we will be incorporating those into new hair tie products. Stay tuned!
