Start Up Rank: 22
Revenue: $1,500,000
Founder(s): Sharon Thurin
Industry: Wholesale trade
Head Office: Victoria
Employees: 0
Website: www.slimsecrets.com.au
After working as a weight loss coach, Sharon Thurin noticed a gap in the market for a range of healthy snack foods. The business has since taken off, recording $1.5 million in revenue, but Thurin says starting up a new enterprise was harder than she expected.
"Having no previous experience in a start up business and no knowledge of the food industry so every step of the way was a new experience and a learning curve. The most challenging part was the amount of regulations in regards to the food industry and getting all the details on the packaging right."
Thurin ssays she noticed a niche for a healthy snack food that was targeted towards more casual gym-goers.
"There was nothing that had the combination of the right profile, packaging and the right taste. Everything was quite serious, and geared towards body building. We wanted something different."
The company has even exported into the US, and Thurin is now looking into international markets. But Slim Secrets has run into some problems, including a competitor allegedly threatening potential business partners not to do business with Thurin.
"In the early days, we definitely had some issues with people trying to give us a hard time. It did initially cause us some issues, they tried to put a hold on a distributor in Hong Kong, and said we couldn't do business with them, but we've each gone slightly different directions now."
Now, Thurin says her biggest challenge is preparing the company to move internationally, and making sure it moves beyond the "easy trap of keeping us a small brand".
"My goal for the future is to grow Slim Secrets into a globally recognised brand in the health food industry."
TIP TO ENTREPRENEURS:
"Never give up on starting your own business just because you don't have any experience...there is nothing better than to achieve something starting from scratch."
 |
 |
