Sammy Leo is the Founder of Breeze Balm, an Australian made, tropical island scented lip balm that sold 13,747 units in one day.
Tell us about Breeze Balm.
Breeze Balm is a secret family formula specifically made for dry and flakey skin that my grandad created 70 years ago. Our lip balm has minimal ingredients, is paraben free and is only tested on family. Enriched with lanolin and beeswax, this dynamic duo will save your lips, hydrate and lock in moisture for long lasting supple, soft skin. My mum was born in Fiji, so we spent a lot of time there growing up. This is where we got the brands feel and tropical scent inspiration from.
What inspired you to start Breeze Balm?
My grandad passed the formula to my dad and whilst working in our family pharmacy from a young age I got to experience first hand just how loved and needed this lip ointment was. Cruise ships filled with travellers from around the would arrive in our town Dunedin, New Zealand for a days shopping, they would come in and buy 10-20 at one time to last them. It shocked me. I knew it was good, but I didn’t realise just how much of an impact it had on people until I heard their stories. The customers would often share the results of using the balm, from their cracked heels, elbows, hands and lips.
When my parents decided to sell the pharmacy, my main question was – “But Dad, can you still make me some lip balm?” Dad would get numerous phone calls from locals, friends and family asking for a batch to be made up. It was at that point I realized I needed to share this with the world because I truly felt that if everyone experienced Breeze Balm they would not look any further. It actually works and feels incredible.
Tell us about your career and background.
Oh my gosh, I have worked in so many different areas learning different skills from a dance teacher, retail assistant, barista, house keeper, front office hotel manager, stone bench top quoter, data entry, administration, health and fitness sales, all of these roles have taught me different skills that I feel have helped in some way to get me to where I am today.
Describe a typical day for you (if there is such a thing).
5am – Wake up and have a hot lemon water.
6am – Workout – either pilates or gym.
8am – Feed my puppy and have breakfast.
8.30am – Arrive at office and say hello to all staff members.
8.35 – COFFEE.
8.40am – Clear emails and check and respond to my social media pages.
9.30am – Interact with my Lip Gossip Breeze Balm Facebook forum. (This is where our customers can chat with me directly. We also chat about the hottest beauty hacks, products etc.)
10.30am – Quick staff meeting to see how we are tracking for our monthly goals, to see where we are at on current projects and answer any questions to get everyone on track for the day.
12pm – Lunch while I check my socials again and post a few images or stories.
12.30pm – 5pm is usually made up with meetings with my other team members who do not work in-house, product development, manufacturing meetings (we make our balms in-house at our HQ), goal setting, accounting meetings, analysing reports and ticking off my to do list.
5.30pm – HOME.
6.30pm – Dinner.
7.30pm – Check emails and do any last minute things I might have missed or finish up my meeting with my team members overseas.
10pm – Bed and night time routine.
Has COVID-19 affected your business? How are you navigating that?
Yes, some positive and some negative. I really feel for everyone at this moment in time, staff and business owners. It has been really interesting to navigate and to be honest it’s been a challenge I have enjoyed. I have truly been taken out of my comfort zone which has allowed me to grow in ways I didn’t think possible. We made some exciting changes to our balms recently in light of wanting to make a bigger difference to our world. All of our new lip balm tubes are now made from sugar cane and recycled plastic on a solar powered plant in Australia. We are so proud of this movement.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
If you truly believe in something – GO FOR IT.
Make smart, considered choices, start small and get ready for late nights, stress and challenges. It will be hard, but it’s worth it.
What’s next for you, and Breeze Balm?:
We are working on some new things here at Breeze Balm HQ. Including extending our range and cannot wait to show you what’s next! Stay tuned!
For more on Breeze Balm, please click here.
