Full disclosure: I tried NO PONG a couple of months ago, hopeful, but not expecting much. I’ve used most ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ deodorants out there, and they all promise a lot but deliver very little (not to mention they often cost an exorbitant amount). So I picked up NO PONG and thought, ‘isn’t this cute’ and ‘what a great name’ and ‘yeah, lovely smell’ and then I used it and…it…worked. For a whole day. I didn’t smell. Not once.
I was baffled.
Normally, within hours of using natural deodorants, I stink. Truly stink.
But not with NO PONG.
I was unconvinced that it could actually do what it said, so I used it again the next day.
And it worked. Effectively. Magically.
So I used it again the day after that, and the day after that, and here I am, still using it, still smelling fresh, still wonderfully perplexed that after all these years of searching there truly does exist a natural, cheap deodorant, with no nasties, that stops the pong.
I chatted with Melanie and Chris, the Founders of NO PONG, about their startup online business and their business journey so far…
Tell us about NO PONG?
No Pong is an extremely effective, all natural deodorant that keeps you smelling fresh for 12+ hours. It’s completely free of aluminium, parabens, BPA, and phthalates.
What inspired you to start NO PONG?
Our customers, actually. We launched No Pong as a test product, and the public response was so resounding we couldn’t believe it! The feedback we started getting right from day one, and that continues now is truly humbling, and our amazing customers are the driving force behind this business. Without them we wouldn’t be growing the way we are, or be able to reinvest in constantly improving the No Pong experience.
Tell us about your career and background.
We are a husband and wife team, and healthcare and marketing professionals by trade. Melanie is a Registered Midwife and International Lactation Consultant, and Chris formerly worked in Advertising Agencies with businesses from startup stage to large public companies. Melanie is really passionate about midwifery and womens health and continues to work to help educate midwives in developing countries in Africa and South East Asia.
We are both science people, and passionate about living healthy, active lifestyles and we really know what it’s like to sweat! No Pong is a really natural way for us to combine our skills in a area where we feel that we’re doing some good.
Describe a typical work day for you.
We get a lot of online orders every day, so the first thing for us is to get those out the door. Luckily we have an amazing mail team to help us with this. Every day is a little bit different for us, and we spend a lot of time chatting with customers, taking on feedback and planning ways to implement improvements, whether little things on the website or giving our wholesale stockists more resources to help build their businesses.
An online business never really sleeps, so we make sure we allocate time out to exercise, and do some of the fun things we love – surfing, running, yoga, mountain biking and paragliding. We make sure we’re constantly putting No Pong through its paces!
What makes NO PONG so different to other brands on the market?
We know sweat, and we know science of “pong”. Unlike other brands on the market, we’re focused on doing one thing, really well. We also believe that great, natural products should be affordable for all. We also believe we’re the first ever deodorant brand to offer a convenient subscription service.
How did you come up with the name NO PONG?
We’re pretty straight shooters. No Pong does exactly what it says on the tin!
What advice do you have for those wanting to start an online business?
Test your idea first. We’ve seen so many seemingly great ideas fail, because they are solving problems that only exist in the founders’ minds!
What’s next for you, and NO PONG?
We are constantly evolving, and right now it’s all hands on deck to scale up our production massively to meet demand. We’re starting to get lots of enquiries from overseas as well, so this little Aussie startup is really putting itself on the map!
Find out more and shop NO PONG here: www.nopong.com.au
