Amity Created is a self-care brand that is going places. Founded by Creative Director Daniella Elias, the brand was started with a 20k self-investment, and its aim is to help women who are ‘time poor’, to take some time out of their busy schedules to indulge in a bit of self-care. Whether this is for a quiet, 10-minute cup of tea, Daniella wants women to value time for themselves.
In terms of numbers, Amity Created is hitting some big targets. From that modest 20k investment comes doubling revenue year on year, and today they’ve achieved a 32% return customer rate, which is huge! Daniella’s got big plans for the next 6 months, so we want to find out more.
Who are you and what brand did you start?
Hi! My name is Daniella Elias, the Founder and Creative Director of Amity Created. Amity Created is a self-care brand where we encourage women to feel comfortable and worthy enough to take time out for themselves, through something as simple as 5-10 minutes for a quiet cup of tea. We specialise in fine china teacups, designed by me, right here in Sydney, Australia, with a wonderful self-care collection varying from tea, journals and books, to go alongside it.
Our primary customers are women who value time for themselves, but don’t often get to have it.
There have been many milestones over the years, but more favourably would be last year’s charity high tea, where we raised over 5k for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.
How did you come up with the idea, brand name and logo for Amity Created?
How did you come up with the idea, brand name and logo for Amity Created?
I was a teacher for 5 years in an incredibly fast paced and highly stressful environment. The pressure and deadlines found within the day to day chaos felt overwhelming, and I found that the only time I was able to tune out temporarily was in my quiet tea moments. It always felt so therapeutic.
At the time I wondered why taking time out over tea wasn’t encouraged more. It is such a simple, non-threatening form of self-care and it creates so much clarity in the mind. So I spent 12 months researching and developing a brand that would not only encourage people to take that time out, but would also make them feel special in the process!
Along the way I found that women were able to identify that they needed a little ‘me-time’, but felt time poor, or guilty in taking the time out for themselves. From there, it became part of the brand’s mission to spread the message of the importance of self-care and specifically showcase how to create a comfortable and worthy attitude towards it.
Describe the process of launching your brand Amity Created?
It took a year and a half of research and development prior to launching Amity. The journey was not an easy one, from finding the right artists to partner with, locating fair manufacturers who could develop the design further, back and forth for months until I was able to approve the samples, and then actually understanding how to market and sell to my audience.
The process provided its fair share of hurdles as my manufacturers are offshore, I had quite a few communication barriers, which lead to mistakes in design and application. However, each mistake, no matter what the cost, held a lesson which allowed for a specific process and system to be developed, so that it could be avoided the next time.
There are so many costs to take into consideration when starting up a business. Lots of them can be hidden, so it is important to be aware and keep track. I self-funded the business with 20K and worked hard, yet strategically, to allow it to grow.
Since launch, what has worked best to attract and retain customers?
In terms of attracting customers, social media has been crucial for my business. Targeted Facebook and Instagram ads, working with ambassadors and retargeting adverts has proved most effective.
Ongoing strategies also include my self-care freebies and advice that makes its way into the inboxes of my community weekly, which creates space for conversation and relationship strengthening.
Amity Created has a 32% return customer rate and feedback shows that it is due to the experience created from the purchase stage, the unboxing and through to the continued relationship post-purchase.
How is the business doing today and what does the future look like?
Statistically, we are doubling revenue yearly. The plan is to continue this steady growth through the strengthening of relationships and strategic collaborations.
A big focus is on the continued increase of subscribers as they become our most loyal and reliable customers.
For the next 6 months, there will be a roll out of new products and a new mug line which our audience has been patiently waiting for. Long term, there will be an increase in the self-care related workshops to further benefit our community.
What’s been the biggest learning experience since starting your own brand?
There is a lesson in absolutely everything you do, the good and the bad. For me, my biggest learning experience has to be in regards to working with manufacturers that are off shore. It is incredibly important for communication to be clear, fair and frequent
What marketing tools do you use to run Amity Created?
- Google analytics
- PLANN
- Shopify
*Find full list of tools/platforms at the bottom of the page.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts or other educational resources?
Winging it - Emma Isaacs
Get your sh*it together - Sarah Knight
Who have been the most influential people for you during this business journey?
I have surrounded myself with a large tribe of women in business who are all kicking their own goals and I have found the support from them to be incredibly influential. It has been a wonderful reminder that everyone is on their own journey and path towards success. There is plenty to go around for all.
Any advice you’d like to share for other aspiring entrepreneurs?
Just start, stop overthinking and get out of your own way.
'Just start, stop overthinking and get out of your own way.'Click To TweetAre you looking to hire for certain positions right now or open to new investors?
Not currently, no.
Where can we go to learn more about your current offers/promotions/programs?
The best place to stay in the know would be via any social platform, just follow @amitycreated.
Or head to www.amitycreated.com to see the latest range of self-care necessities.
