Tell us about People Haircare.
People is premium, salon-performing haircare for everyone. Formulated by industry-leading experts, it’s high-performing, Australian-made, ethically-designed hair care. Having a good hair day is about more than how hair looks – but how you feel, so we make haircare that’s as fun and luxurious as it is effective. Clean and uncomplicated, it’s haircare for the people, by the people.
What inspired you to start People Haircare?
I wasn’t inspired by what was on offer on the supermarket shelf and saw an opportunity to bring affordable, salon-performing products to supermarket shelves. As someone with reasonably high maintenance hair, products that perform are super important. People was created to not only look good but help people feel confident and more themselves, without having to spend hours and lots of money on their hair.
I found it frustrating that you couldn’t buy premium haircare at the supermarket and having worked with award-winning haircare brands through our branding agency Anatomy Studios™ over the years, we thought to ourselves if we don’t do it, someone else will.
Creating a product that serviced everyone was a main driving force behind our brand and was what led us to the name People. We know that hair is as unique as the person, so we wanted the brand to feel fun, uncomplicated and straight to the point. The packaging is as considered as the formulas, with every element designed with the intention to stand out on the shelves. It looks as good on the supermarket shelf as it does in your bathroom.
The ‘P’ in the logo design was designed with a gender-neutral symbol, with all packaging combining bold, shapes, curves and cues that subtly appeal to all individuals.
Tell us about your career and background.
I wasn’t a huge academic in school but I always really enjoyed subjects like business management and psychology. After finishing school I was accepted into Advertising at RMIT where I lasted all of 6 months.
I found I craved and learnt more from real world experience rather than sitting in a lecture, so I spent about 3 years working full time before giving uni another crack – this time studying a bachelor of business. Again, I got about half way through before being offered a full time role at Richmond Football Club and I haven’t looked back.
My current role as Managing Director at Anatomy Studios™ means I’m responsible for the direction and growth of the business.
We’re a branding agency that specialises in creating and building consumer brands in the FMCG and QSR sector. We partner with brands to create products that solve problems or fill gaps in the market. It’s our twelfth year running, and are famous for building brands such as Roll’d Vietnamese, Schnitz, Soul Origin and Kings Domain Barbers.
Describe a typical work day for you?
I know it’s a cliche but no day is ‘typical’. I’m someone who loves a plan but very quickly I had to get comfortable with things not always going the way I thought they would.
A big part of my role is supporting the team. We have an end of day huddle everyday where everyone comes to the meeting with anything holding them back from executing the following day. We also have dedicated time for one on one approvals for content that needs to go live or submitted to our partners. In my role at Anatomy I work across a number of different brands which is great because I get to better understand a range of industries and trends.
With People specifically it can vary from product testing, working with the team to optimise current campaigns, reviewing upcoming content, planning campaigns, liaising with Coles, media interviews etc.
I’m also currently based in Sydney so travelling between there and Melbourne is a big part of my life at the moment.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
Get comfortable with things going wrong and be prepared to work hard. This also means acknowledging that you can’t do it all – my business partner Matt and I are both people who give our all to everything we do, and we both can easily become obsessive about things we are passionate about. So, ensuring we found that balance between creating and launching our own brand, along with our existing clients, personal lives etc. was a huge challenge.
What’s next for you, and People Haircare?
While we’ve just hit the shelves with our first range, we know there’s still so much more we can offer, which is why we’ve already begun formulating the next phase of products. Blondes… we’ve got you in mind!
For more on People Haircare, please visit their website.
