Tell us a little bit about your background and family.
I am mum to two gorgeous children – Oscar 8 and Polly 4 and I have a very patient husband Simon who I have been married to for 10 years next month and dated since I was in college. We live on a little farm just out of a tiny little town Millthorpe which has a population of only 600 in country NSW, Australia. After living in Sydney for 14 years I really wanted my children to have a similar childhood to what I had growing up on a larger sheep farm so we made the big decision to make a tree change.
So what’s the story and inspiration behind Incy Interiors.
Finding the perfect big boy bed for my son Oscar inspired the launch of Incy Interiors. For six months I had searched and searched to try to find a perfect brown iron bed, but was frustrated to discover that Australia had such ‘classic’/ and limited collection of bedding for little ones.
I had seen lots of gorgeous beds overseas and either tried to import them or have they made locally. I also explore the option to have an existing bed spray painted, but was concerned about its safety. The launch of Incy Interiors was rather serendipitous.
How did your experience at eBay help with launching the business?
My experience at eBay was instrumental for making Incy a success. I started at eBay Australia back when it was like a start up so I learnt how to do things quickly and on a budget. By the time we left eBay was a lot more structured and everything we did was more measured so that was also really helpful in determining exactly how Incy would be set up.
Was timing a crucial element to launching your debut collection (being first in the market) as well as being innovative in the online selling platform?
Not really, I saw a need in the market so I created products to meet that need. I really didn’t think about being first to market because I knew there was no one out there doing anything like what I was trying to create.
The clean lines of the Incy signature wrought iron bed is a standout star on Insta, did you have a background in design before sketching out those first designs? No! Prior to Incy my entire career had been corporate marketing. I have always had an interest in interiors but I have no formal training at all.
How would you describe your own personal interior style?
What are your favourite pieces in your own home?
I get asked this question a lot, I would describe it as ‘classic but cool’. I love classic designs but like a little twist like the ‘hospital bed’ in a rose gold. I have a number of favourite pieces in our home, obviously all of our Incy furniture is at the top of the list but we also have a 12 seater Coco Republic dining setting which was our first grown up purchase so it holds a special place in my heart.
What surprised you most about that first year in business?
The thing that surprised me was that I needed to be an expert on everything. Things I had no idea about became integral to the business like logistics, warehousing and manufacturing.
How instrumental has Social Media been in the growth of your business? Any “pinch me” moments?
The Incy business was grown on Facebook. We have been around so long now that I can remember days when we would post something on Facebook and it would sell out within hours. With all the changes made to newsfeeds we have to work a lot harder for our posts on both Facebook and Instagram to be seen but it is still a crucial part of our business. In terms of ‘pinch me’ moments there has been loads. Tori Spelling and Alaana Masterson just started following us, does that count?
Congratulations on recently launching in the States, what a milestone! What differences are there about entering this marketplace and what changes (if any) have you made?
Thank you! The majority of the changes we made to launch into the US were subtle changes such as differing colours and finishes to make them more appealing to American tastes. We also need to make small changes to most products to ensure they met American standards. The markets are very similar and thankfully we have some experience under our belts now so we had a better idea of what to look out for.
What is the manufacturing process like and has that evolved throughout the years?
We work really closely with our manufacturers so from the first idea for a new product we run it by them and get an idea of any issues we might face with that design. Once we have a design we think will work we go into sampling. Sometimes we only need to do one sample but other times we will have to resample a number of times to get it perfect. Once we have the sample correct we go into full production.
What has been the biggest lesson in your entrepreneurial journey so far?
That everyone is winging it! I spent the first few years feeling like a fraud and that at any moment someone would realise that I didn’t know what I was doing and this was all a fluke. 6 years in and having spoken to a number of other entrepreneurs I now know everyone feels the same.
You’re a blessed Mama of two, how do you manage that work/life balance?
Like everyone, one day at a time! The biggest thing I did that revolutionised my work/life balance was to divide my day into work time and home time. Some days this works really well and some not so much but have the division means that whilst I am at work I am 100% focused on Incy and when I am home I am 100% focused on my family.
What excites you most about the future?
So much, I can’t wait to see our Incy stores here in Australia continue to grow and flourish. I can’t wait to continue to grow our stockist network both here in Australia and also internationally and the thing that excites me the most is getting an e-mail or comment from a happy customer.
Please finish these statements…
My definition of success is… happiness
I feel most beautiful when… I am hanging out with my children and my daughter will spontaneously say ‘mummy you are so beautiful’
The business moment that has taken my breath away is… knowing that we will have two beds appearing on The Block next week… keep an eye out!
Right now I’m most passionate about… trying to get some calm back into my life. We have had a really full on couple of months, with crazy work hours and I really want to spend some time with my family, get my eating and exercise under control and just generally calm things down.
The best part of what I do is… cliched but I really do get to do what I love everyday
Becoming a mother has taught me… that I cannot control everything and that I need to chill out.
If I had one entire day all to myself I would… start the day with some yoga (I have only just discovered it and I am a huge fan), followed by a couple of hours in the sun laying by a pool/beach reading a book. I would then pop in for a massage and facial whilst finishing the day with a nice bath and glass of wine.
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