Me & my sister turned out childhood hobby into a multi-million pound business & we started with just £115
A PAIR of sisters have shared how they turned their childhood hobby into a multi-million pound business.
Caroline and Isabel started making bath bombs when they were aged just 10 and 11, as they weren’t satisfied by the bath bombs available in the shops.
Their mum gave them a £115 loan to get started, and they roped in the rest of their family to help them out with the business, which they called Da Bomb
The duo, who are now in their early twenties explained that bath bombs are made with just a few simple ingredients, citric acid and baking soda.
“If you combine that with water, then it will create a fizzing reaction”, Caroline told Channel 4.
The sisters’ business really began to take off when they began promoting their bath bombs on Instagram, where they have 39,000 followers.
They were then approached by Target, who said that they wanted to start selling Da Bomb products in all 1800 of their stores.
As the business continued to see success, the duo moved production out of their parents’ basement, and into a warehouse in Minnesota.
In peak season they now make over one million bath bombs a month and have 200 staff members helping them out.
However, being two very young women running a business, they have faced some prejudice.
“People will sometimes ask us to speak to the head and we’ll say ‘you’re speaking to her’, Caroline said.
Their business is now worth millions and when they were just 17 and 18 years old the sister made Forbes’ list of 30 under 30.
Da Bomb sells 75 different types of bath bombs, which they sell for £5.71 each.
To make their bath bombs stand out, they put adorable little surprises in the centre, for example tiny dog toys.
“We just thought this was a fun element”, Caroline said.
They plan to expand their range by making more masculine scented bath bombs, and have roped in their little brother Harry to help them.
How to start your own business
Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
“Our family is our main inspiration for ideas”, Caroline said.
“At one point we were making 2,000 bath bombs a month out of the basement.
“Look where we are now, running this awesome business with my family which is amazing.
“I’m excited about what happens next.”
In the future, the sisters plan to step out of their comfort zone and push boundaries, to continue the success of their business.
“We just want to continue to make smart decisions and have fun and hopefully make some people’s lives a little bit happier with a couple of bath bombs.”
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