What motivates you to drink more water or organise your desk to peak productivity? Chic accessories, of course. Enter Beysis, an Australian-founded, personalised accessories retailer that is more than meets the eye. The local label makes using eco-friendly products a way of life, and does so in its signature sleek and sophisticated fashion. Whether it’s a water bottle, tech accessory or beauty must-have, the brand has made reusable products as stylish as can be, all with personalisation at the forefront to create a one-of-a-kind unique experience. As part of HER BLACK BOOK’s Festival of Her, a shopping event to support female-founded businesses, Beysis co-founder Ariana Hendry shares some insight into the brand’s business journey so far.
"Beysis isn’t just a personalised accessories retailer. We are on a mission to make using eco-friendly products a way of life for everyone. Up to now, living sustainably has often come at the expense of good design. We are flipping that notion on its head by creating reusable products with a strong design aesthetic that don’t cost an arm and a leg. We put the power of personalisation in the hands of our customer, so they can create something truly unique that they love taking with them everywhere."
“In the social age, we often fall into the trap of putting a gloss on every aspect of our lives. But the reality is that building a business can be bloody hard. In the early days of Beysis, my business partners and I often went weeks without paying a salary to ourselves and worked 14 hours a day because we couldn’t afford to put on additional staff. As a single parent with a 4-year-old, it meant a lot of late nights in front of the laptop after the nightly bath and bed routine. The adage you can have your cake and eat it too is misleading in my mind. When you go into business for yourself, I think you need to do it on the assumption that there will be compromises along the way and it’s important to be comfortable with that before diving in.”
“My go-to business podcast would have to be How I Built This with Guy Raz. Hearing stories of successful business founders is incredibly inspiring and Guy Raz has nailed the art of interviewing. When I am needing motivation or facing a challenge in the business, I will listen to an episode. When you think about some of the world’s biggest brands, it’s easy to assume that they had a fast track to success. But almost every interview is punctuated stories of knock-backs and failures. It acts as a gentle reminder that the journey of building a business is an unpredictable and bumpy one and that just makes the successes sweeter. I also love reading, but books about business aren’t my usual first choice. Last year a friend highly recommended Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bet-David. It’s not so much a book about business as about providing a framework for how to think critically and strategically in life generally. It’s an easy read with personal anecdotes woven throughout. If you are just starting out on your business journey or at a cross-roads, it’s a great tool to help direct your mind to the big picture issues.”
“For anyone looking to update their tech, we have just released new AirPods and iPhone cases in a velvet touch finish which you can mix and match in eight stunning shades. It took us almost two years to get the design right, but we are really proud of the finished product. For those who can’t suppress their travel bug any longer, our personalised travel cases are perfect for air travel as they are TSA approved. The clear case is hard wearing and allows you to see everything you stuffed when you were madly packing late the night before. You can also personalise it at no extra charge, so the case won’t go missing through Airport security. My personal favourite from our collection at the moment is our personalised refillable atomiser. Who the hell needs an atomiser I hear you say? It’s one of those items you would never think to buy for yourself, but it’s honestly a little game changer. Forget about lugging a bottle of perfume or sanitiser in your handbag all day — you just fit the atomiser onto your bottle and pump a few times and you’ll have enough scent to last you the whole week.”
“Living in a fast-paced world, it's easy to put your blinkers on and not stop to occasionally ask yourself if you are happy in your career. I know when I started working life as a lawyer, there was a small voice inside which longed to do something different but I kept suppressing it. Women are intuitive by nature, but I think we often give greater weight to other external factors in making a decision rather than just going with our gut. My advice would be if you have a business idea, take the time to research it well and reach your own conclusion around its viability. If it feels right, go for it and don’t let anyone deter you. If I had listened to the first banks, manufacturers and work colleagues I spoke to about my idea, my first business would never have got off the ground.”
“Ever since I was young, I have had a relentless curiosity which must have been really annoying for my parents at times. I have a serious thirst for learning and I am a voracious reader. When I started my first business at 26, I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but I had a genuine eagerness to learn. You don’t have to be an expert in every aspect of your business, but I am a firm believer that you should learn enough to be able to engage meaningfully with the people you entrust to manage those aspects for you.”
