362. How to start a SUCCESSFUL business in your 20s ft. Brittney Saunders

Brittney Saunders is the founder of Fayt the Label, one of Australia's biggest clothing brands and empires. She launched the business from a shed in her backyard in her 20s and has grown it into a multimillion dollar brand. Before Fayt, she launched a number of other businesses as well, and today she tells her story and gives her best advice. We discuss: Britt’s journey from influencer to business owner Why it took her 4 years to start paying herself The most costly mistake when starting a business Should you hire your friends and family? How to actually make a product that people want? How to try again after failing The power of doing things a little bit scared Plus so much more! Watch on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@thepsychologyofyour20s Follow BrittneyHERE! https://www.instagram.com/brittney_saunders/ Shop Fayt HERE! https://faytthelabel.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorlQhYW9_VBqUmkEQvU3WtkwhkRxkxXFOLGeuA3-iWADffMAWrN *Please note the views of guests are not necessarily shared by our host. We invite open discussion and differing viewpoints, experiences and information. ORDER MY BOOK https://www.psychologyofyour20s.com/copy-of-book Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg https://www.instagram.com/jemmasbeg/?hl=en# Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast https://www.instagram.com/thatpsychologypodcast/?hl=en# For business: [email protected] mailto:[email protected] The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.

• 0:04Speaker 01

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• 0:34Jemma Sbeg?

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• 3:00Jemma Sbeg?

  Hello, everybody. I'm Jemma Sbeg and welcome back to the Psychology of Your 20s, the podcast where we talk through the biggest changes, moments and transitions of our 20s, and what they mean for our psychology.

• 3:20Jemma Sbeg?

  Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the show. Welcome back to the podcast. New listeners, old listeners, wherever you are in the world, it is so great to have you here, back for another episode, as we, of course, break down the psychology of our 20s. Starting a business during this decade, starting a successful business in this decade is a big goal that I know a lot of you guys have. I so often get requests for advice on this, or to bring somebody on who can give us some no bullshit, straight shooting advice on what it takes, how to formulate an idea, how to execute an idea, how to handle money, investment stuff. Today, I am so lucky to have that somebody on the podcast who can talk us through all

• 4:05Jemma Sbeg?

  of these things. Brittany Saunders is the founder and CEO of Fate the Label. It is an iconic Australian clothing brand, iconic, that has exploded in recent years. And she started this business in her 20s. I'm so excited to have her on and to hear her story. Brittany Saunders, welcome to the Psychology of Your 20s.

• 4:23Speaker 03

  Thanks for having me, Gemma. I feel like your, um, your voice is so calming. Do people say that to you?

• 4:28Jemma Sbeg?

  They do, they do. I don't know what it is, though, because I find my voice really irritating.

• 4:32Speaker 03

  But I feel like I need to match the way that you talk so that we can... No, I'm not gonna do that. Because my voice is like naturally very loud and you're being really calm. So I'm like, I think I need to be calm. Hi everybody.

• 4:43Jemma Sbeg?

  Well, I was saying, I love having, to you before this, I was like, I love having another Australian on the podcast.

• 4:48Speaker 03

  I feel like you need to get some more on.

• 4:50Jemma Sbeg?

  I know, I do. I do. I don't know. I, I, I do a lot, but like just this year, I just have, just hasn't happened.

• 4:56Speaker 03

  That's kind of cool though, if you're mixing it up and getting people from all over the world.

• 4:59Jemma Sbeg?

  But I feel like people always say, oh my God, you have, like, you don't have a strong Australian accent. And I'm like, I think I do, but hearing your accent.

• 5:06Speaker 03

  Mine's pretty strong.

• 5:07Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, and I love it. I'm like, oh, maybe I should really, maybe I should get back to my roots.

• 5:12Speaker 03

  Yeah, the fuck I am.

• 5:13Jemma Sbeg?

  And really get into it, you know, like really put us.

• 5:16Speaker 03

  We can talk about that the rest of the episode.

• 5:18Jemma Sbeg?

  And everybody turns it off.

• 5:20Speaker 03

  And the downloads are gone.

• 5:22Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah. Okay. Well, tell me a little bit about your story. I feel like I'm gonna get ahead of myself. What did you want to be when you grew up? Where did you grow up? What's like the history of Brit?

• 5:30Speaker 03

  So I am from Newcastle, which if you're not familiar or anyone listening, it's a little regional city, two hours north of Sydney. Or maybe two and a half, depending on what part of Sydney you're coming from, because Sydney is massive. Um, so I'm a born and bred Newy girl. I lived like around Australia in my late teens and early twenties. And a, a long story short is, um, in high school, I discovered this website called YouTube and I thought that looks fun. Um, so I just started that as a hobby and did it all throughout high school. Uh, I dropped out of school when I was 16 to be a waitress because I hated being at school.

• 6:10Speaker 03

  I had no interest in school. I wasn't, um, bad in school. Like I was actually pretty good and especially like in year 10, like at the subjects that I chose. But I just like had no interest in being there. And I feel like from a young age, like when you're a teenager, um, you're kind of told by all of your teachers and the careers advisor. You know, um, you've got to figure out what it is that you want to do for the rest of your life right now. And it's like, I am 15.

• 6:36Jemma Sbeg?

  I don't even have a lobe to develop. Like, it's not there.

• 6:40Speaker 03

  I just so vividly remember being in like year nine and going into year 10. And I was a year young for my year as well. So I was going into year 10 and you know, you'd have, like, we got introduced to the school careers advisor.

• 6:53Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 6:54Speaker 03

  Did you have one of those?

• 6:55Jemma Sbeg?

  And they used to make you do this quiz. Did you do this quiz like this? It was like ten pages and it was like, what are you gonna be when you grow up?

• 7:01Speaker 03

  Yeah, and it's like, how do I know? And I remember back then thinking, I have no idea what I wanna do. Like, I had no idea. I had no interest in the idea of going to uni. And I remember all my friends in school at the time, like, they knew that they were gonna go to uni and become a a nurse because their mum was a nurse or whatever. Um, or they wanna be a teacher. And I remember going to the careers advisor and, uh, thinking and saying, I don't know what it is that I wanna do. And something really random, at one point, he, um, was trying to sell the idea to me of going into the army reserves.

• 7:37Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh my god, I just got chills because that happened to me as well.

• 7:40Speaker 03

  Did it?

• 7:41Jemma Sbeg?

  I genuinely just got chills. I'm not even joking.

• 7:44Speaker 03

  You got goosebumps.

• 7:44Jemma Sbeg?

  I got goosebumps because that happened to me. They were like, you should really join the army reserves. And I was like, what part of me makes you think that that's a good idea?

• 7:51Speaker 03

  And I'm not this young girl, like, no clue. And I don't know if they were, like, incentivized.

• 7:55Jemma Sbeg?

  Uh, maybe, that's what I was just thinking.

• 7:56Speaker 03

  He had, like, all brochures and pamphlets, and he's handing them all to me, and I was like, oh, okay, maybe this is what I wanna do. So then I went to some, like, career day, uh, like, the army.

• 8:05Jemma Sbeg?

  Like at Adphone or something.

• 8:07Speaker 03

  Yeah, and so, like, I just had no idea. I, um, applied for a couple of, like, hairdressing apprenticeships, because you know how, like, when you get to year ten, everyone's dropping out to go become a beauty therapist or a hairdresser? I was like, yeah, okay, that's what I wanna do.

• 8:19Jemma Sbeg?

  That sounds great.

• 8:20Speaker 03

  Yeah, so I went and did a couple of trials to become a first year, um, apprentice.

• 8:24Jemma Sbeg?

  How many hours did you work when you were doing that? Just so many, right?

• 8:28Speaker 03

  Yeah, I think, like, one trial was a week.

• 8:30Jemma Sbeg?

  Wow.

• 8:32Jemma Sbeg?

  Unpaid?

• 8:33Speaker 03

  Yeah, back then, I think you have to get paid now.

• 8:35Jemma Sbeg?

  I, I don't even know. I honestly wouldn't put it past them.

• 8:38Speaker 03

  Back then, yeah, I remember I got paid nothing and all I did was sweep floors and make cups of tea for a week at this one place. Then they handed me, like, a big pack of shampoo and conditioner at the end. They said, sorry, you didn't get the job. I'm there, like, crying. But looking back now, like, I'm so glad that never worked out.

• 8:52Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 8:53Speaker 03

  Um, so yeah, I dropped out when I was just waitressing in Newcastle. Was working on my YouTube channel. Um, I had over twenty different jobs in my teens and into my early twenties and worked in every industry, because I was just trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do. Doing the YouTube and then throughout those late teen years, I also dabbled in what I didn't know at the time were businesses, but I just thought they were like little hobbies or something, you know? So I did like mobile spray tans and then I set up a little spray tan um business at home because I had this like um lawnmower storage underneath my house.

• 9:32Jemma Sbeg?

  That's very smart.

• 9:33Speaker 03

  It was like on a sloping block and then you knew how there'd be like the wooden door and then like a brick room under the back of the house.

• 9:38Jemma Sbeg?

  This is a very Australian thing.

• 9:40Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 9:40Jemma Sbeg?

  I don't know.

• 9:41Speaker 03

  Why?

• 9:42Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, I used to always walk past these and be like, there are children trapped in there.

• 9:45Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 9:46Jemma Sbeg?

  You know what I mean?

• 9:46Speaker 03

  Well, I was in there doing people's spray tans.

• 9:48Jemma Sbeg?

  Wow.

• 9:48Speaker 03

  So I set up a business there. I would have been seventeen or eighteen at the time. Taught myself how to do makeup and was doing a bit of makeup on YouTube and stuff. So then I was doing freelance makeup. Um tried decorating and selling iPhone cases on Facebook. There were just so many things that I did in those early developmental years that I just thought were like fun. You know, I never really made any money out of them. Um and then my YouTube uh kind of really kicked off.

• 10:14Jemma Sbeg?

  Do you remember the video?

• 10:15Speaker 03

  It wasn't a video. It's because I'd been doing it for years, like from ages of fifteen up until twenty one. Um which is how many years? Six?

• 10:24Jemma Sbeg?

  Like six years, yeah.

• 10:25Speaker 03

  So from yeah, about fifteen years old to twenty one, I went from zero subscribers to eighty thousand. And back then that was kind of like a big deal.

• 10:34Jemma Sbeg?

  Uh that's still a big deal.

• 10:35Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 10:35Jemma Sbeg?

  Back then I remember like the OG YouTube days.

• 10:38Speaker 03

  Yeah, and so to have eighty thousand subscribers was like kind of a big deal and I was twenty one. And uh I was working full time in an admin role in Newcastle. And I was just earning like a little bit of money off the ads. And then this is when Instagram had come out as well. So I had maybe twenty thousand followers on Instagram.

• 10:55Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 10:56Speaker 03

  And I started getting paid like fifty dollars for an Instagram post, a hundred dollars for an Instagram post, you know, just like holding up a protein powder next to my face or whatever.

• 11:04Jemma Sbeg?

  Remember how like how low energy it used to be?

• 11:06Speaker 03

  Yes, I would.

• 11:07Jemma Sbeg?

  Ads back then?

• 11:08Speaker 03

  It was like um one brand that I worked with back then was Protein World. I don't know if you remember that. And they had like this Slender Shake or some shit.

• 11:15Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, classic.

• 11:16Speaker 03

  It was in like the Skinny Me Tea days.

• 11:17Jemma Sbeg?

  I was just thinking that, yeah.

• 11:19Speaker 03

  I'm pretty sure I did like one of those detox tea posts too. And like you would literally get sent the product and I would just hold it next to my face and smile in a selfie and put that on Instagram and I'd get like a hundred and fifty dollars. Ah, and so that was like the start.

• 11:31Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 11:32Speaker 03

  Um. So that was the start of me like earning money through Instagram and obviously making a bit off the YouTube ads. And again, long story short, but at the age of twenty one, I kind of um looked at the money that I was earning through my YouTube and Instagram, which was nothing. Um. And I was living in a share house at the time with like three other people, um paying like a hundred dollars a week rent. Uh sixty dollars on petrol, fifty dollars on groceries back then. I remember working out, okay, this is how much it cost me to live. I'm gonna quit my full time job and try to make this YouTube thing my full time job. What's the worst that's gonna happen?

• 12:08Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 12:09Speaker 03

  If this doesn't work out, I will just go and get another job because I've had over twenty by this point.

• 12:13Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 12:14Speaker 03

  And uh I've been working for myself ever since. So it's been eleven years now.

• 12:20Jemma Sbeg?

  Wow.

• 12:20Speaker 03

  I'm thirty two now and obviously the YouTube then absolutely boomed. Um in in three years, that eighty thousand subscribers I built to a million. And then I was like a full blown influencer in that first like wave of influencers in Australia. Um which was so surreal. Looking back on now, it just doesn't feel real.

• 12:41Jemma Sbeg?

  What was the coolest thing you got to do whilst you were? Because to break the fourth wall, like I was, well, I'm how much younger than you. I'm seven years younger.

• 12:51Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 12:51Jemma Sbeg?

  So I remember being in high school.

• 12:52Speaker 03

  You were a little teenager.

• 12:53Jemma Sbeg?

  I was a teenager and I knew who you were.

• 12:55Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 12:55Jemma Sbeg?

  You were like, this is the, you were like the, one of like the it girls.

• 13:00Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 13:00Jemma Sbeg?

  Like the Aussie it girls.

• 13:02Speaker 03

  The bogan one.

• 13:03Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, wow.

• 13:04Speaker 03

  Because that was in the era of like beauty guru.

• 13:06Jemma Sbeg?

  And I know there's all these others, like um there was that girl.

• 13:09Speaker 03

  Curtis, Chloe Morello.

• 13:12Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, my gosh, sorry.

• 13:12Speaker 03

  Shani Grimmon, Chloe Zep, and then there was me going, how the fuck are you? And then everyone would go, she's the bogan one.

• 13:19Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, my god.

• 13:20Speaker 03

  I just always stayed true to myself, you know?

• 13:22Jemma Sbeg?

  You totally did.

• 13:22Speaker 03

  Um. The most surreal thing back then probably would have just been all the opportunities um of travelling with brands. Like getting taken to um Spain uh with Nas Cosmetics for a global um brand trip when they were launching a new mascara. Just going all the way to Spain for three days, just for them to launch the Red Climax mascara.

• 13:47Jemma Sbeg?

  Which by the way, but that's kind of iconic.

• 13:48Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 13:49Jemma Sbeg?

  I have that mascara.

• 13:50Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 13:50Jemma Sbeg?

  I still have it.

• 13:51Speaker 03

  We went to the launch of that.

• 13:53Jemma Sbeg?

  That, you know what, this is just this whole economy where people think that like influencing and like content creation is like, that's not a real job. It's like, no, no, no. Like the money behind these industries is billions and billions and billions of dollars.

• 14:05Speaker 03

  Yeah, exactly right. And it's changed a lot since back then when I did all of that. Like the industry as a whole is completely different. Um, and I guess back then we were lucky because what we were doing was aspirational. It was like, oh my God, did you see Brittany got to go on the tripping with tart trips, you know, to Haman Islands?

• 14:24Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh my God, I remember those, the tart trips.

• 14:26Speaker 03

  It was like cool because it was new and it was this whole new era of influencing. And then influencers got picked and then everyone was almost like excited, like, oh, this is so cool. Whereas it's been so interesting now to have been around for so long where a brand will do a brand trip now and people go, this is tone deaf. You know?

• 14:44Jemma Sbeg?

  They're like, they're sick of it. They're like, this is too un- did you see this thing the other day? It was like having a life core? Where it's like, I, I saw this post about this the other day where it's like, we don't want unattainable things. Like people are moving back to like the authentic.

• 14:57Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 14:58Jemma Sbeg?

  Like content of like, this is unattainable.

• 15:00Speaker 03

  Yeah, people love to see just everyday life, um, people going to work and then documenting that. But I guess I feel lucky that I was in that kind of first wave of influencers in Australia. Because it was new and it was cool. And everyone was like, oh my God, this is amazing goals.

• 15:15Jemma Sbeg?

  Okay, so this is this like amazing journey you've been on, a fun journey, like, when did you decide to quit influencing?

• 15:23Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 15:24Jemma Sbeg?

  And when did you first get the idea for FATE?

• 15:27Speaker 03

  So the idea of FATE came about probably around the age of twenty three to twenty four. And, um, people will always look at FATE now and go, oh, like, what was your business plan? Like you must have had, you know, all of your ducks in a row to like looking at what FATE is today. But I always say, um, when I started fate, it was much like when I started the spray tans under my house. It was not this big grand plan. Um, I dabbled in lots of other small little businesses. I think the only difference with fate and going into the world of e-comm was I was a little bit older. I was still very young, um, but I also had an audience.

• 16:06Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 16:07Speaker 03

  So I knew obviously, well, I've got all these people following me. I've got these YouTube subscribers of over a million. I've got potential customers here. So that was the biggest difference for me and it was definitely an advantage. Um, but that doesn't mean that, uh, I knew how to run a business.

• 16:23Speaker 00

  Hmm.

• 16:24Speaker 03

  It didn't mean that I knew how to build one from scratch or scale one or sustain it, but I had that audience. Uh, and it was very much a, I'm like a very think of it and do it person. Like I'll like lay in bed at night and then have an idea pop into my head and I'll go, AJ, I've got this idea. And then I'll start doing it tomorrow. It was very much the same when it came to fate. It was just learning everything myself. And I think like I had the experience of working with so many, I worked with so many brands, like in my early twenties. I had ongoing partnerships where brands were paying me every month to do, you know, a post for their products and stories. And so I guess I kind of thought in the back of my mind, why don't I do this? But with my own products instead of just always promoting other products.

• 17:08Speaker 03

  And when I was influencing, I even think back to, you know, when YouTubers would do like a Q and A video.

• 17:16Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 17:17Speaker 03

  And it'd be like, send me in your questions and I'll do a Q and A. And then you'd be like, hi guys, welcome back. Today I'm gonna do a Q and A. And then you would get like thousands of comments asking questions. And I remember one common question that I would always get back then was what would you do if, um, you didn't have this YouTube stuff? Like that would always be a question that would come up in my Q and A's. And I would always say, and I could probably go back and find one of my old videos, they're all archived. Um, but I would always say, I know that I'm not gonna do this forever.

• 17:46Speaker 00

  Hmm.

• 17:47Speaker 03

  I knew that it wasn't sustainable for me to be an influencer forever. I mean, I definitely could. Um, I could still be, you know. And a full blown influencer now, just doing brand deals every day. But like even back then, like when I was in the peak of the YouTube stuff and like the influencer sponsored posts. Like I always knew in the back of my mind, I don't want to do this forever. I felt like I had more that I wanted to achieve or do. I just didn't know what it was. And so when it come to me launching fate, it wasn't this big grand idea. I didn't think I'm going to turn this into a really popular brand. And we're going to have all of these sizes. It was very much, I'm just going to start this thing.

• 18:26Speaker 03

  I um hired um AJ, who's my partner, he his mum's family friend's daughter to just come and work with me because it was just at my house. Yeah. You know, so I was like, yeah, just come and work with me like two to three days a week and just help me pack the orders and do the customer service and go to the P O box to get our returns. And so it was very D I Y and AJ, he was an electrician at the time. So he would just um, he helped me like set everything up and like I was post accounts and website. I just learnt how to build a Shopify website. It was just very D I Y. Yeah. And um, I didn't see past that moment when I started it. Do you think that was helpful? Yeah. Just to be like, we're just going to make this now?

• 19:07Speaker 03

  Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think again, much like how I started my influencer journey really early. I'm also glad that I started fate eight years ago because I didn't have all these expectations that maybe someone starting a business now would have. Because I could imagine it would be really overwhelming for, let's say, someone's wanting to get into Ecom and start a little Shopify store. This episode is not sponsored by Shopify. No, but they they're just really good. Yeah. They just work really well. Shopify for fate. Yeah. Um, you know, if I was starting today and I like, when I started fate, this was before like small business TikTok. Like there's no such thing as that, you know, people, no one was creating um content about their business.

• 19:49Speaker 03

  And I even remember back then when I started fate, thinking, oh, like, I don't know if I'm going to be able to put this like on my social media. Because I don't know if my audience will like this because they want me to do Kmart haul and vlog, you know, going shopping at West. Yeah, Q and A. And so um, I started posting a couple little um. YouTube videos about it. Um, and I would never show um my shed at home because that's where it was set up first, but I would go upstairs into my spare room, but this is my HQ and office. But then I would never show the garage because I was embarrassed of it. Whereas now, like in twenty twenty five or twenty twenty six, you, if you were starting a business in your garage, you'd document the shit out of that.

• 20:34Jemma Sbeg?

  But maybe that's like why it's so hard these days is it's like you have to get over this, this like, it just feels like everything has to be public.

• 20:40Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 20:41Jemma Sbeg?

  All the things have to be perceived. So if it's not looking great, not looking perfect, if it fails, it's like, it's just so visible.

• 20:47Speaker 03

  But back then, because no one else was doing that, I was like, oh, I'm not going to show this. People aren't going to take me seriously. But if I could have my time over, or if I was starting now, and I was still starting in my spare bedroom and all the plastic tubs in my shed.

• 20:59Jemma Sbeg?

  Um.

• 20:59Speaker 03

  I would a hundred percent document that because people love to see that behind the scenes.

• 21:03Jemma Sbeg?

  They do.

• 21:04Speaker 03

  And uh, again, long story short, um, fate just grew over those first few years and we moved out, got our first little warehouse in Newcastle, hired um employee number two, employee number three. Then we had a little team. In two thousand and nineteen, we opened our first store. And that's a whole other story as well. But the only reason that we opened our first store was because we had to move again because we were growing and the building that we got had a little showroom downstairs.

• 21:30Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, cool. And you were like, let's do it.

• 21:31Speaker 03

  Yeah. So that was two thousand and nineteen, just before COVID. Again, I had no idea how to run a store, but I would just get on Google. Again, this is before Chat G P T or anything. So I was just Googling this stuff. And I just remember Googling like, what's a good point of sale system like to have in Australia? You know, um, how to get shopping bags made. Like, I'm just Googling everything.

• 21:52Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 21:52Speaker 03

  Um, again, hired like people I knew, family, friends or whatever. Um, and like, I just worked in the shop myself most of the time when we first opened. And when I opened that store, I had no intentions of ever opening another one.

• 22:05Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 22:06Speaker 03

  It's just been like this natural snowball effect over the eight years of fate that it's gotten us to where we are today. But it all started from me just going, yeah, I'm going to give this thing a go.

• 22:15Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm. And just like the one foot in front of the next kind of mentality.

• 22:18Speaker 03

  And the more that you. Do things that obviously scare the crap out of you. Like, I remember when I thought, okay, we're outgrowing my little double garage at home. I think I need to get a, a commercial lease.

• 22:33Jemma Sbeg?

  So much money.

• 22:34Speaker 03

  Yeah, it was, I was looking around and the one that we got, it was like a hundred square meters, like quite small.

• 22:39Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 22:40Speaker 03

  And I think the rent was like thirty five thousand dollars a year. And I just remember thinking, well, I've got my one employee and I'm having to pay her casual. And then I'm gonna have to pay thirty five grand a year. What if we don't make money or what if people just stop buying from us, you know? But you take that risk, even though it scares the crap out of you. Then you move in, you go, oh, my God, like, this is working. Then you move on to the next step. And it's not until you actually make those decisions and take those risks that you'll soon realise, great things can happen if you just take that step.

• 23:13Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, yeah. We need to take a break here. I'm gonna, I'm gonna get over, get over my head with questions.

• 23:19Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 23:19Jemma Sbeg?

  If I don't take a break now. So we're gonna take a break here and then I want to talk about this feeling.

• 23:24Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 23:25Jemma Sbeg?

  Of like, you know, when the time is right. What were some of the mistakes you made? What are some of the things Google didn't teach you? So stick around, we'll be right back.

• 23:37Speaker 04

  OnDeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDeck's loans up to four hundred thousand dollars make it happen fast. Rated A plus by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five star TrustPilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at ondeck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

• 24:05Jemma Sbeg?

  This episode is sponsored by Gymshark. Gymshark has spent over fourteen years obsessing over gym clothing and the people who wear it. And let me just say, I think we all know they are very, very good at what they do. No, seriously, their stuff is so good. Their everyday seamless collection is light, it's soft, it's stretchy. All of their stuff just looks good on and it's made for people who love to exercise, whatever exercise that is, lifting, cardio, Pilates, running around campus, maybe just doing errands. Discover Gymshark and find your new favourite gym clothing at gymshark.com.

• 24:42Jemma Sbeg?

  These days, there are more people than ever telling you how to manage your health. And we've all gone down an internet rabbit hole exploring the latest health trends. Your social media feed is packed with wellness advice telling you to cold plunge, protein max, detox, track your sleep. But what's actually real? What's exaggerated? What's just wrong? That's exactly what Health vs. Hype from the American Medical Association and iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio is here to find out. Each episode, Emmy nominated science communicator Trace Dominguez, who's racked up billions of views across PBS, Discovery Channel, and YouTube, talks to health influencers, real people, and most importantly, doctors, to

• 25:26Jemma Sbeg?

  separate fact from fiction. Because when it comes to your health, who you listen to matters. Listen to Health vs. Hype on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 25:42Jemma Sbeg?

  No two journeys look alike. That's why SkyMiles is designed to move with you wherever life takes you. Fly, it flies with you on new adventures, family getaways, business trips, and the moments that matter most. Earn, it earns alongside your everyday life. It dines with you on special nights out, it streams alongside your favorite entertainment, rides through your daily routines, and helps turn everyday moments into something more. Redeem, it helps you redeem for what's next. From spontaneous weekend escapes to the trip that you have been dreaming about, to upgrading your next trip to a premium cabin experience, the miles you've earned along the way can help take you further. Access, and it unlocks access to exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences and opportunities

• 26:27Jemma Sbeg?

  that make membership feel rewarding long before takeoff and long after landing. Because SkyMiles is more than a travel program, it is a membership that moves with you. Fly farther, earn every day, redeem your way and access more. Because when your membership is as unique as you are, there's no telling where your next journey will take you.

• 26:49Jemma Sbeg?

  Growth isn't linear. There's no magic timeline or secret template. And no one understands that quite like Southern New Hampshire University. Because SNHU has online degree programs built for whatever path you are on. Tried college before? Transfer up to 90 credits. And if you're new to this, no worries. Every student gets a dedicated academic advisor. And here's the best part, there's no set class times. So school actually fits your life. Ready to get started? Visit SNHU.edu/psych. That's SNHU.edu/psych.

• 27:28Jemma Sbeg?

  Speaking of Google and speaking of like a very DIY intuitive gut kind of approach. What's something that you could never have Googled? That you learnt in like the first two years of building FATE?

• 27:44Speaker 03

  Everything.

• 27:44Jemma Sbeg?

  Everything.

• 27:46Speaker 03

  Business is just making mistakes constantly and learning better for next time. You're never going to be perfect at any of it. Like you're just always, it's like a self-improvement journey owning a business. But some things in particular that Google couldn't have prepared before. One of the main things would be probably the emotional journey of going on a business. Going on a business, starting a business, you know what I mean? And also how much starting a business isn't about you at all. Because when we start a business, it is kind of selfish, right? Because you're like, I want to start this for me. Because I have worked in over 20 jobs and I hated them all and I want to start this for me. But if you actually want to start a business and you want to turn it into something.

• 28:32Speaker 03

  It's eventually going to involve other people. And when you own a business and you have staff, it's no longer about you anymore. And looking at my business now, people would probably see like our fate, social media and my social media, and it probably just looks like the Britney show, cause I'm like the face of the brand and whatever. But in my day to day life, when I'm at work from Monday to Friday in the office, it is not about me at all. It's about everyone else. And I think that's something that Google couldn't have taught me. You learn as you go from, you know, people management, dealing with people's wants, needs, emotions, um, their personal lives and things that they bring into work from the outside. Um, just learning to manage people. I didn't have one day of experience as even a team leader in any of the jobs

• 29:15Speaker 03

  that I had. So I think it's like the people and emotional side of business that Google definitely couldn't have prepared me for.

• 29:22Jemma Sbeg?

  What was like the most costly mistake that you made in like the early days? Do you remember having a moment where you were like, oh my God, we cannot make that mistake again?

• 29:33Speaker 03

  Um, yes, I definitely have an answer for this, but at the time it wasn't an expensive mistake. But if I could do my time over again, I would have done it differently. And that would be hiring the right people at the beginning of my business.

• 29:47Jemma Sbeg?

  Yes.

• 29:48Speaker 03

  When we start a business, especially when it's small and it was just at home for me at the beginning, my, and cause I wasn't taking it seriously because I didn't have this big business plan. It was easy for me back then to go, I'm just gonna hire all my friends, all my friends' friends and all my family friends and.

• 30:06Jemma Sbeg?

  I do, I've done this.

• 30:08Speaker 03

  I feel like every business owner does.

• 30:09Jemma Sbeg?

  You wanna help, it's just a thing of like, who do I trust the most?

• 30:12Speaker 03

  Exactly right. And you, you think, oh, this is gonna be fun.

• 30:16Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 30:17Speaker 03

  You know, cause you, you're not serious about your business. You just want it to be fun. Yeah, I'll work with my best friend and my cousin and this and that and the other.

• 30:23Jemma Sbeg?

  My sister, yeah.

• 30:24Speaker 03

  And at, at the beginning of any business, it's fine for it to be that way. And you know, some businesses are family run or friends together and it works. But for me personally, one of the biggest discoveries for me, probably for the first three years, I always like to say that the first three years of a business is like a trial. And then after three years, that's when it turned into a real business.

• 30:47Jemma Sbeg?

  Okay, yeah.

• 30:48Speaker 03

  Um, but yeah, for the first three years of fate, it was pretty unserious. It was a lot of fun. I was best friends with everyone that I employed. We were all hanging out outside of work and drinking on the weekends and going to each other's house and all that kind of stuff. And then as the business grew, I realised I can't have this like mix of personal friendships and relationships in a business because the the lines just become.

• 31:13Jemma Sbeg?

  Everything becomes a personal.

• 31:15Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 31:16Jemma Sbeg?

  Insult, every piece of feedback, like and you hesitate to say things that you really should.

• 31:21Speaker 03

  Exactly right.

• 31:21Jemma Sbeg?

  That's the thing, because you care about them.

• 31:22Speaker 03

  Avoiding hard conversations was another big one of mine um in those early years. Cause yeah, we're naturally people pleasers. We don't wanna upset anyone. And then if we're besties with someone that's also working for us and they kinda do something wrong or they've slacked off, you don't wanna go, hey, like I just noticed that you're dropping off in your work performance, cause then you're worried they'll go, what are you talking about? Like, you know, cause you're friends.

• 31:44Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 31:45Speaker 03

  And so I would say, looking back, if I could do my journey all over again, I wouldn't redo it, you know, at any point, but I I guess if I was starting today, one of the biggest lessons that I've learnt in my business journey, and it's great advice for any business owner out there, it doesn't matter how far you in you are into your journey, is it's cliche, but people will either make or break your business. And if you're serious about your business, which I wasn't at the start and not many people are, cause you just don't think big picture, I would hire the right people that are serious about my business and not take the easy route of just hiring friends and family. But that, you know, I have no regrets and it worked at the time.

• 32:27Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 32:27Speaker 03

  But on reflection now and looking where we are in twenty twenty five, where I've just got a team full of A players who are so serious about fate and their careers and they want growth and progression and I'm watching them build careers right before my eyes. I'm like, oh, I should have done this from the beginning, but I don't think you can. I think you've got to go through all the motions and again, like learn from your mistakes so that you can do better in the future.

• 32:51Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, I I like what you said. I think what you're really saying is like, if you had the option or if somebody listening to has a fledgling business.

• 32:58Speaker 03

  Mm hmm.

• 32:58Jemma Sbeg?

  And has the option, take the option of hiring somebody you don't, you don't know.

• 33:02Speaker 03

  Exactly, yeah.

• 33:03Jemma Sbeg?

  Somebody who is coming in as as an employee, full stop, nothing else.

• 33:07Speaker 03

  Exactly right. And also hiring people that are better than you.

• 33:11Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 33:12Speaker 03

  That's another one. Um, again, like all business owners, and I don't want anyone to think that what I'm saying is wrong, but for the first. Four years of fate, I was so fine with hiring people that had no experience at all and teaching them everything that I knew, cause I had taught myself how to do every part of the business from packing orders to doing um our email campaigns in Canva and building Shopify and doing products and all this kind of stuff. So for those first four years, I would always just hire someone that was nice and friendly and that I got along with. But another lesson for me, and especially like in the most recent years, is it sure, it might cost more to hire someone who comes with a wealth of experience. And as a business owner, you know, that can

• 33:56Speaker 03

  be scary to have someone who's wanting a higher pay based on their experience. But it's priceless to have someone come in who knows their shit and knows what they can do for the business, rather than bringing someone in and sure, you might not have to pay them as much because they've got no experience. But then how much time are you spending?

• 34:15Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 34:15Speaker 03

  Teaching that person everything and double checking everything. Um. So that's probably another one of mine is yeah, hiring the right people and not being afraid to hire people who are better than you at certain things. So they can come in and own their space rather than you being a helicopter boss trying to make sure, you know, the email looks right before it goes out and the Instagram stories are all good. Just all those little things.

• 34:35Jemma Sbeg?

  They can just do it. Yeah.

• 34:38Jemma Sbeg?

  What does a typical day in your life look like nowadays? And you kind of gave us an insight, but you used to, you know, the history of Brits, like you used to be really prominent on social media and you were mainly influencing and now you're running this business. And like, what does that mean? You know, when people always like, oh, you run a business, what do you do on a day to day?

• 35:01Speaker 03

  Yep. Um, cliche, but no two days are the same. I gave up influencing, I want to say two or three years ago now.

• 35:09Jemma Sbeg?

  Did you make an announcement or were you just like?

• 35:11Speaker 03

  It was very gradual over the years. I went from doing a sponsored post like every second day on Instagram. Um, and I really narrowed it down. And by the end, I think I was only working with two brands that I had ongoing partnerships with. They were Esme Skincare. Do you know Esme? Esme? I don't know the proper way to say it. E S M I.

• 35:30Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 35:31Speaker 03

  You would probably know it if you saw it.

• 35:32Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, yeah. I know. When you said I, I was like, yeah, classic Australian brand.

• 35:35Speaker 03

  Yes. And Canadian Club, because I'd worked with them a heap of times.

• 35:39Jemma Sbeg?

  That's the one I expected you to say.

• 35:40Speaker 03

  Yeah. So at the end, they were the two brands that I was left working with. And I'd given up like all the. Hairstyling tool brands, like I worked with GHD for a really long time, um, all sorts of ones. And I, I ended up only having the two partnerships. And, um, I sat on the idea for maybe a year or two to also give those up because I had like ongoing partnerships with them. Hmm. And I went to my accountant and I said, I think I would just want to give up this altogether. Cause I was like Brittany Lee Saunders as a company and then I had fate. And the great thing about being an influencer was I didn't have to pay myself anything from fate for the first like four years of fate. That was one of my questions. Yeah. I didn't pay myself for anything. I, I worked on fate and had my influencing

• 36:23Speaker 03

  on the side and the influencing was my personal money. And then all the money that the business generated paid my staff and went back into the business. And so, yeah, it would have been two to three, maybe three years ago now. Um, I decided I'm going to give up the brand deals. I'd already given up YouTube by that point. Yeah. Just because I was getting too busy running the business and I just had to prioritize not spending my time making YouTube videos to grow the business. And then, yeah, I bit the bullet and, um, said I'm not doing any more brand deals. And that was, yeah, three years ago now. And I think over those three years, we've done like two that have like come our way that were like too good to pass up. Yeah, and things you cared about. Yeah.

• 37:05Speaker 03

  And like maybe two years ago, um, KFC said, can you please do something for Christmas in July? And they had these funny ugly sweaters. So I was like, yeah, we'll do that one. Cause that's really fun. Yeah. Um, but I've just done a couple over the last, um, three-ish years. But yeah, I fully gave it up, which just then allowed me number one, to start paying myself from fate as an actual employee and getting a pay slip and everything, everything. Yeah, which was really exciting. Um, and then it's just allowed me to fully focus on fate rather than worrying about, oh, I've got to get this post done for so and so brand. Uh, what my day looks like, um, today, I'm a very, uh, hands-on founder and CEO.

• 37:45Speaker 03

  Um, I work heavily with our marketing team for all things marketing at FATE. Um, whether that's big campaigns that we're doing, any of our customer brand trips that we do, which has been awesome to do, like off the back of like influencing. Explain what these are. The customer brand trips are pretty iconic for you guys. Yeah, so we've done two now. Um, we started it on our seventh birthday last year, um, to celebrate our seventh birthday. Every year our birthday comes around and the team will go to me, shit, it's our birthday in two weeks. Like, we haven't organised anything. Yeah. And last year, I think we thought about our birthday like two months before, because you don't think about your business's birthday. You've got too much going on. And it's in September, so it's like coming up to the busy period.

• 38:28Speaker 03

  And I was like, well, why don't we take seven customers on a brand trip? Kind of like how I used to go on all the brand trips back in the day. But instead of taking influencers, let's take customers and like treat them like influencers. And so then that's where the idea of the Lucky Seven came to be. And we did a big old giveaway and seven random customers, um, won a trip with us. And it was like such a hit and we got so much content out of it and they had the best time. And they all made such great friends. We were with them for three days. Where did you go? We brought them to Newcastle. Oh. We were like, let's start it at home. Yeah, Newcastle is also a vibe. Yeah, and we've got like five star hotels now, so we put them in. You have a five star hotel in Newcastle? We've got two, which we never used to have. Um, but Newy's really up and coming.

• 39:10Speaker 03

  But yeah, they all got their own hotel room and we decked out the bed with all the goodies from all the different brands. It was like a full influencer trip. And so that was such a success that we've done it again just this year in September. Um, and we called it the FATE Eight for our eighth birthday. And last year was a Lucky Seven. And again, just a giveaway, eight customers. We took them to Port Stephens this time. I don't know if you know where that is. We got this big, beautiful house, um, and it was more of like a. Retreat vibe.

• 39:37Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 39:38Speaker 03

  Um. So that's been really cool to be able to do. But yeah, I work heavily with our marketing team. I oversee our leadership team at FATE. One job that um would surprise people that I still do um in FATE, and I don't know if I could ever give it up, is I do all of our stock buying and ordering.

• 39:53Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, really?

• 39:54Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 39:54Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, cool.

• 39:55Speaker 03

  So every piece of um clothing that comes into our business is my responsibility to order and all of our store stock. Um. And buying for all the stores is me.

• 40:05Jemma Sbeg?

  No way. And that's like one of the hardest jobs.

• 40:08Speaker 03

  It's a big job, but I think because I've been doing it since day one, I could do it with my eyes closed. And because we've grown so gradually, it's been easy for me to learn, like ordering more stuff. Yeah, and this store needs this and that store needs that.

• 40:20Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 40:20Speaker 03

  Um. And I work with our operations manager on that, but that's like one of my main tasks. I run our ad accounts.

• 40:26Jemma Sbeg?

  Cool.

• 40:26Speaker 03

  Yeah. So I love Meta and Facebook ads. I do a lot still.

• 40:30Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 40:30Speaker 03

  As an owner and founder, but I'm definitely getting to the point in my business journey where I am feeling like I need to kind of step away and start being more of a founder rather than getting caught up in what UGC creator hasn't sent their content in. You know what I mean?

• 40:45Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, I do know.

• 40:45Speaker 03

  But I am, again, it's something that all founders, if their business grows to a certain size, they will find themselves in that situation where you do get pulled into the day to day.

• 40:54Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 40:54Speaker 03

  But I'm definitely learning as we're growing, I need to focus on those big picture things.

• 40:59Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 40:59Speaker 03

  Rather than what did that customer say in that email, you know?

• 41:03Jemma Sbeg?

  Best to ignore.

• 41:04Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 41:05Jemma Sbeg?

  At least you.

• 41:06Speaker 03

  Delete.

• 41:06Jemma Sbeg?

  At least. Well, bye.

• 41:08Speaker 03

  Delete. Just put it in the bin and say it went to spam.

• 41:11Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 41:11Speaker 03

  Um. But yeah, no two days the same. Um. And I'm still very much involved with the whole business from retail to warehouse and everything in between, but I love it at the end of the day. So I literally haven't worked a day since I started FATE.

• 41:26Jemma Sbeg?

  I like that. We're gonna take one more break and then I have three more questions.

• 41:30Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 41:30Jemma Sbeg?

  For you. So stay with us.

• 41:36Speaker 00

  OnDeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDeck's loans up to $400,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five-star TrustPilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at ondeck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans amount subject to lender approval.

• 42:05Jemma Sbeg?

  This episode is sponsored by Gymshark. Gymshark has spent over 14 years obsessing over gym clothing and the people who wear it. And let me just say, I think we all know, they are very, very good at what they do. No, seriously, their stuff is so good. Their everyday seamless collection is light, it's soft, it's stretchy. All of their stuff just looks good on, and it's made for people who love to exercise, whatever exercise that is. Lifting, cardio, Pilates, running around campus, maybe just doing errands. Discover Gymshark and find your new favorite gym clothing at gymshark.com.

• 42:43Jemma Sbeg?

  These days, there are more people than ever telling you how to manage your health. And we've all gone down an internet rabbit hole exploring the latest health trends. Your social media feed is packed with wellness advice, telling you to cold plunge, protein max, detox, track your sleep. But what's actually real? What's exaggerated? What's just wrong? That's exactly what Health vs. Hype from the American Medical Association and iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio is here to find out. Each episode, Emmy-nominated science communicator Trace Dominguez, who's racked up billions of views across PBS, Discovery Channel, and YouTube, talks to health influencers, real

• 43:24Jemma Sbeg?

  people, and most importantly, doctors, to separate fact from fiction. Because when it comes to your health, who you listen to matters. Listen to Health vs. Hype on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 43:42Jemma Sbeg?

  No two journeys look alike. That's why Sky Miles is designed to move with you wherever life takes you. Fly, it flies with you on new adventures, family getaways, business trips and the moments that matter most. Earn, it earns alongside your everyday life. It dines with you on special nights out, it streams alongside your favorite entertainment, rides through your daily routines and helps turn everyday moments into something more. Redeem, it helps you redeem for what's next. From spontaneous weekend escapes to the trip that you have been dreaming about, to upgrading your next trip to a premium cabin experience. The miles you've earned along the way can help take you further. Access, and it unlocks access to exclusive, one of a kind experiences and opportunities

• 44:27Jemma Sbeg?

  that make membership feel rewarding long before takeoff and long after landing. Because Sky Miles is more than a travel program, it is a membership that moves with you. Fly farther, earn every day, redeem your way and access more. Because when your membership is as unique as you are, there's no telling where your next journey will take you. Growth isn't linear, there's no magic timeline or secret template. And no one understands that quite like Southern New Hampshire University. Because SNHU has online degree programs built for whatever path you are on. Tried college before? Transfer up to 90 credits. And if you're new to this, no worries.

• 45:09Jemma Sbeg?

  Every student gets a dedicated academic advisor. And here's the best part, there's no set class times, so school actually fits your life. Ready to get started? Visit SNHU.edu/psych. That's SNHU.edu/psych. So we're talking about you not replying to emails maybe? Not that it's like...

• 45:34Speaker 03

  That's one job I have given up is replying to our customer service emails, which is being nice, because I feel like it gets to a point where it feels so much more personal when it's your business. Like, let's say someone is emailing and they're upset with something. And then if you're reading that, it's like, oh fuck.

• 45:49Jemma Sbeg?

  Anytime I get a bad review.

• 45:51Speaker 03

  I know, it hurts.

• 45:52Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, it really does, it really stings.

• 45:54Speaker 03

  No, we've got people that reply to those, which is great.

• 45:57Jemma Sbeg?

  I don't. I just, I just reply to them, but looking towards the future, what are you planning next? Do you think that you will launch another business?

• 46:08Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 46:10Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh my God, cool.

• 46:11Speaker 03

  I would love to.

• 46:11Jemma Sbeg?

  What do you think it would be? And if you have, have you had an idea recently where you're like, I don't know if you're like me.

• 46:16Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 46:17Jemma Sbeg?

  I have like a list in my phone of like

• 46:18Speaker 03

  Oh, a hundred percent.

• 46:19Jemma Sbeg?

  twenty million business ideas. Sometimes I just give, I just randomly mention them to people and like,

• 46:23Speaker 03

  Yeah, you should do this. Yeah.

• 46:24Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, I don't know how to do that, but you should do it.

• 46:26Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 46:26Jemma Sbeg?

  Do you have something like that?

• 46:27Speaker 03

  There's so many things that I would love to do. Uh, it's just a matter of getting around to doing it. And also I've kind of stitched myself up because fate's quite a big company.

• 46:35Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, it's huge now.

• 46:36Speaker 03

  So yeah, I kind of have got myself tied into fate.

• 46:39Jemma Sbeg?

  You're like, oh, you're suffering from success. I love it.

• 46:42Speaker 03

  Um, there's so much that I, I want to do. Um, I have my business podcast called Big Business, which I absolutely love doing. I um, feel very drawn to helping others on their business journey, just based off everything that I've learnt. So I love um, doing my episodes. I do two episodes a week on that podcast and I just love that. Um, I love making content around business and I've noticed that people love when I talk about business in like my TikToks and reels and stuff like that. Um, part of me wants to

• 47:14Speaker 03

  become like a business coach or a mentor, like maybe in another life I'll do it or I'll get around to it in this life.

• 47:21Jemma Sbeg?

  You've got a lot more life to live.

• 47:23Speaker 03

  Yeah, exactly right. Um, and I think as well, like I've been doing a lot of keynote speeches lately. Um, I just recently did a TEDx talk, which was awesome.

• 47:33Jemma Sbeg?

  What was that like?

• 47:34Speaker 03

  Really cool.

• 47:35Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 47:35Speaker 03

  Um, that was just a couple of weekends ago. Um, so I love doing keynotes and talking in front of crowds. Um, whether it's about business or just being inspirational in general, I guess. So I, I love that. Um, I'd love to do like a tour slash workshop thing of my own one day. But I'd love to do anything and everything. I had this one idea recently that I made a little video about. Um, a lot of people have said to me over the years that, well, you've had it easy and it's been, you've been lucky because you had an audience online. So like, of course, you've been able to do what you've done. And I'm like, kind of at the start, yeah, sure. But it takes something completely different to actually grow and scale a business

• 48:17Speaker 03

  into the size that fate is. Any influencer can launch a product, but like, not everyone can keep it going and then grow it.

• 48:25Jemma Sbeg?

  Sorry to say this, a product versus how many products do you have right now?

• 48:29Speaker 03

  Like so many.

• 48:29Jemma Sbeg?

  You would have at least.

• 48:31Speaker 03

  We're in every category.

• 48:32Jemma Sbeg?

  Fifty items for sale, probably more.

• 48:35Speaker 03

  Yeah, and we've got, you know, five stores, seventy staff. So like it's grown into something bigger than me just being an influencer and being lucky.

• 48:42Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 48:42Speaker 03

  But off the back of people saying those comments to me like, oh, it's easy for you because you were an influencer back in the day. I would almost love to um start a faceless business.

• 48:54Jemma Sbeg?

  Interesting.

• 48:55Speaker 03

  Um, and do that.

• 48:58Jemma Sbeg?

  Do it and I think about, this is crazy, like do like an anonymous business?

• 49:01Speaker 03

  Yes, and and.

• 49:02Jemma Sbeg?

  Never tell anyone.

• 49:03Speaker 03

  Yeah, never tell anyone and try to make it super popular or even medium size and then come out and be like, this was me. And none of you knew, just to show that I have what it takes on the other side of being the face of a brand. And I'm gonna give away my other idea here. Um, I'd love to make Fates competitor.

• 49:26Jemma Sbeg?

  That's crazy that you are so like in the game that you're like, I wanna be my own competition now.

• 49:33Speaker 03

  And start like another clothing brand and.

• 49:36Jemma Sbeg?

  With extended sizes and like.

• 49:37Speaker 03

  Yeah, do it all and like different to Fates. And you know, I obviously wouldn't use myself or my face, but instead we'd have to, it's an investment. You'd be working with um models, creators, influencers, U G C, paid ads and paid media.

• 49:51Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 49:52Speaker 03

  And I'd love to like, it would take, it would take years.

• 49:55Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 49:55Speaker 03

  But I'd love to build like Fates competitor and everyone becomes obsessed with this other new clothing brand that's got all these sizes and everything.

• 50:02Jemma Sbeg?

  And you can be more experimental and like, yeah.

• 50:04Speaker 03

  And then it's just me at the end of the day. And then I'm like, surprise, it was me. And then I merge them together.

• 50:10Jemma Sbeg?

  Kate and Fates. It could be your name.

• 50:12Speaker 03

  So that's an idea of mine, but I'm open to um anything. And I definitely think I will start other businesses in my lifetime. Um, I still feel like I'm just getting started with Fates, so there's a lot of exciting things to explore with Fates. I never thought that we would get to where we are today.

• 50:29Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 50:30Speaker 03

  I kid you not, I couldn't see past that garage when I first started.

• 50:33Jemma Sbeg?

  Which I think that's like the coolest part of your story. And for people being like, oh, you know, well, you had a platform. You also dropped out of school at sixteen years old. Like, you didn't, you didn't have a, do you get a high school diploma when you drop out in year ten?

• 50:45Speaker 03

  No.

• 50:46Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 50:46Speaker 03

  Oh, no, I think I got my year ten certificate.

• 50:48Jemma Sbeg?

  Ten certificate.

• 50:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, I got that, which means nothing.

• 50:51Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, but that's like being like, turning to someone and being like, well, you, you had a university degrees. Like, that's how you start your business. Or everyone has a one up. Or like, or your parents, they had a cafe. So you're like, everybody has some kind of advantage.

• 51:04Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 51:04Jemma Sbeg?

  Everybody has good luck, some kind of good luck.

• 51:07Speaker 03

  Yeah, and like the YouTube subscribers, sure, that was an advantage for me. But also, I, I built that YouTube channel for years.

• 51:14Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 51:14Speaker 03

  I built that community for years. And, you know, I could have launched FATE and it could have been good for a year and then it could have flopped. But it's been like the hard work and determination over those eight years and the persistence, you know, I work seven days a week.

• 51:28Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 51:29Speaker 03

  But I love it, so I never feel like I'm working.

• 51:31Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 51:31Speaker 03

  But it's that that's gotten to me, like to where I am. Sure, the subscribers helped at the start because I had people placing orders from day one. But scaling is a whole other.

• 51:41Jemma Sbeg?

  All of a ball game.

• 51:42Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 51:42Jemma Sbeg?

  I can only imagine.

• 51:43Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 51:44Jemma Sbeg?

  I have one final question for you.

• 51:45Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 51:46Jemma Sbeg?

  And this is the question that we ask everybody who comes on the podcast.

• 51:49Speaker 03

  I could sit here for hours, by the way.

• 51:50Jemma Sbeg?

  I know, I, I honestly, I, you know, we've been here.

• 51:52Speaker 03

  To get me back for part two.

• 51:53Jemma Sbeg?

  I kind of want to. There's so many questions that I want to ask that I'm like, what was it like to fire your first person? Like, what was it, blah, blah, blah, like so many questions.

• 52:01Speaker 03

  First warning letter.

• 52:02Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 52:03Speaker 03

  Never fun, never fun for anyone.

• 52:04Jemma Sbeg?

  Copy you, like all that stuff. But I have one final question, which is the, the question of the podcast. What is one piece of advice you have for people in their twenties or perhaps your younger self? That has nothing to do with what we talked about today, completely separate.

• 52:20Speaker 03

  Has nothing to do with anything.

• 52:22Jemma Sbeg?

  I know, you can't, can't talk about business, can't talk about, we can, but never know, like try and, i- if it's about love, if it's about friendship, if it's about.

• 52:31Speaker 03

  I've got a saying that I absolutely love, but I don't know, you can tell me if this ties into what, um, we've been talking about. It kind of does, but it can apply to any aspect and element of your life. And the saying is do it scared. Can I say that as my answer?

• 52:44Jemma Sbeg?

  I like it. Yeah, do it scared.

• 52:46Speaker 03

  Do it scared. Um, I think the number one thing that holds people back from doing anything in life, and this doesn't mean just starting a business, it could be um saying hello to the guy that you keep seeing at the coffee shop, um, but you're too scared, or it could be asking your boss for a raise or a promotion. It could be speaking up in a team meeting where you'd normally stay quiet because you're worried that, you know, people might judge you. It could be anything. It could be telling a friend of yours that they've been upsetting you lately by things they've been saying, but you don't say anything because you're too scared. I just love the saying do it scared, uh, because it's very easy for us to say, oh, no, I won't do that. Like, I'm too scared. We use that as an excuse to not do whatever the thing is, but I think it's a good um mindfulness

• 53:31Speaker 03

  thought to think I can still do the thing even with the scared feeling.

• 53:35Jemma Sbeg?

  Hmm.

• 53:36Speaker 03

  Being scared shouldn't be someone's reason to not do something. You can just do it and still feel scared at the same time.

• 53:43Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 53:43Speaker 03

  And you, trust me, you'll feel a million bucks after you do it, no matter what it is.

• 53:47Jemma Sbeg?

  I love that saying.

• 53:48Speaker 03

  Do it scared.

• 53:49Jemma Sbeg?

  I think it's honestly a beautiful representation for this episode. Okay, I said I had no more questions, but one final question. I have to ask this question just because this came to my mind.

• 53:58Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 53:59Jemma Sbeg?

  What is like the favorite thing that you guys are selling right now? What's your favorite product that you guys have at Fae?

• 54:04Speaker 03

  Ooh.

• 54:06Speaker 03

  Um, I would say our downtown pants, which don't look at mine today because I've gotten so dirty today.

• 54:11Jemma Sbeg?

  Sydney is a dirty city.

• 54:12Speaker 03

  Yeah, I'm, I've got like sandwich and something else and black stuff from Australia Post on me. Um, but I would say it's our downtown pants. They are a, they're kind of made of like a blazer material and they're like your stock standard, like a dressy kind of corporate pant. Um, we have been making our downtown pants for maybe, I want to say three years now, or maybe three to four years, and they've only gained popularity in the last 12 months. So it's like a style that um people have finally realized, like, these are the best pants ever. We've done them in like 18 different colors. Um, and they've got like a little elastic on the back, um, so they're really comfortable. And they're just like a pair of pants that you can like wear to work, to the office, but then also like fully dress them up with some heels and wear them out at night.

• 54:57Speaker 03

  Um, so I'd say it's probably our downtown pants, but our best selling category is denim.

• 55:03Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, I will say this is, this is what you guys are known for.

• 55:06Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 55:06Jemma Sbeg?

  Your jeans.

• 55:07Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 55:07Jemma Sbeg?

  The jeans are, I keep saying iconic.

• 55:09Speaker 03

  Yeah, we've got a whole new, um, a whole new denim range coming out in twenty twenty six, which I'm really excited about. I thought our jeans were already really good because we sell so many of them and they have the best reviews ever. But it's about to come, uh, out in a whole new level.

• 55:25Jemma Sbeg?

  You know what? I also say this, this is something that's completely, like Levi's needs some competition.

• 55:30Speaker 03

  Well.

• 55:30Jemma Sbeg?

  I don't like Levi's jeans and I don't know why, I just have to say it. I hate Levi's.

• 55:34Speaker 03

  There's actually like a massive gap in the market for good denim. Because when you think of a brand in Australia that is known for their jeans, who is it?

• 55:42Jemma Sbeg?

  Like, probably Levi's, or like just jeans.

• 55:46Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 55:46Jemma Sbeg?

  But it's like they do, uh, this is like just such a personal vendetta I have against Levi's jeans, like.

• 55:52Speaker 03

  I've never worn a pair of Levi's.

• 55:54Jemma Sbeg?

  Great, don't. Like they only, like they just don't fit.

• 55:56Speaker 03

  I'll have to give you some of our new jeans when they come out.

• 55:59Jemma Sbeg?

  I think I might just order some. I already own a pair of your jeans. I actually own Tube has your jeans. I own like your classic, like straight legged ones.

• 56:06Speaker 03

  Billy jeans?

• 56:07Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah, I think that's what they're called. They're great. I think they're, they're iconic.

• 56:10Speaker 03

  Well, they're about to get a whole lot better. There's a new version of Billy coming out.

• 56:12Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh.

• 56:14Speaker 03

  We've done like a whole new range. Yeah, we've done a whole new range inspired by our current jeans, but they're just leveled up.

• 56:20Jemma Sbeg?

  Is this coming from fate or Kate? Imagine if you just, dude, maybe you should just launch a whole denim company.

• 56:26Speaker 03

  Don't, because that was my idea.

• 56:28Jemma Sbeg?

  Really?

• 56:28Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 56:29Jemma Sbeg?

  Dang.

• 56:29Speaker 03

  I've even got a name for it.

• 56:31Jemma Sbeg?

  Sorry.

• 56:32Speaker 03

  I've got a name for it, but we won't say it on the poll.

• 56:34Jemma Sbeg?

  Because no, if somebody does their idea better than you though, you know.

• 56:38Speaker 03

  Yeah. And, you know, I think there's a, there's room for everyone in business, you know, I, as I wanna create fate's competitor as a social experiment. But every brand can exist together and there's enough customers out there for everyone. And also, um, I would love to see in twenty twenty six and beyond, um, more businesses coming together and collaborating. Like I would love to collaborate with a competitor of ours. I'm saying like competitor in quotes.

• 57:03Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 57:03Speaker 03

  Cause like, imagine if there's two women's fashion brands that come together and come out with a collection together.

• 57:08Jemma Sbeg?

  Yeah.

• 57:08Speaker 03

  Bringing both audiences together to go, well now we love both of these brands.

• 57:12Jemma Sbeg?

  Like Beck and Bridge and Fate the Label. It does like a cool, like.

• 57:17Speaker 03

  I would love to.

• 57:18Jemma Sbeg?

  Like formal range or something.

• 57:19Speaker 03

  I would love to collaborate with another brand that would be considered our competitor. Like I'm friends with, um, you know, women that own, um, fashion labels and like, I don't see them as competitors. I'm like, we can learn from each other and vent to each other when we're stressed about something. But we can all exist together. Like we can all win.

• 57:36Jemma Sbeg?

  And it's honestly the best feeling is when you have.

• 57:38Speaker 03

  A hundred percent.

• 57:39Jemma Sbeg?

  Your competition becomes your community.

• 57:41Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 57:41Jemma Sbeg?

  What people want to be you, you to have as competition becomes your community.

• 57:44Speaker 03

  Absolutely.

• 57:45Jemma Sbeg?

  That is a very positive message to finish and actually finish this episode on.

• 57:49Speaker 03

  You sure you don't have one more question?

• 57:50Jemma Sbeg?

  Oh, I have like several more, but we just don't have time.

• 57:53Speaker 03

  Let us know. Should I come back for part two? Cause I would love to.

• 57:56Jemma Sbeg?

  Drop a comment below if you want Britt to come back for a part two. Where can they find you? I'll leave a link to fate.com down below, but where else would you like them to, to find you?

• 58:05Speaker 03

  Uh, on socials, you can just find me, Brittany Saunders. I've got two podcasts. One is called Big Business and the other one is High Scrollers with my bestie, Matt, which is just like an absolute piss take and it's really funny. It's really nice to have that like funny, creative outlet. Um, and then we have five stores in Australia. Um, we've got three in New South Wales, which are in Newcastle where I'm from, Parramatta and Westfield Miranda in Sydney. We've got one in Brisbane, which is in Westfield, Chermside. And then down in Melbourne, we have a boutique in Hawthorn. And that's about it. You can find me on Tik Tok and all the other stuff.

• 58:37Jemma Sbeg?

  You'll find her.

• 58:38Speaker 03

  Everywhere. Read my book. Just do whatever.

• 58:41Jemma Sbeg?

  This, this woman is busy. You can find her.

• 58:44Speaker 03

  Yeah, you can find me.

• 58:45Jemma Sbeg?

  Well, thank you again for coming on. As always, if you guys enjoyed this episode, leave a five star review. If you feel called to do so, make sure that you're subscribed or following us wherever you are listening to the podcast and follow us on Instagram at that psychology podcast. We've been doing these really cool announcements for each of our guests. And as we kind of come to the end of guest month, we've got some cool ones lined up. But until next time, stay safe, be kind, be gentle to yourself and we will talk very, very soon.

• 59:18Jemma Sbeg?

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• 59:55Jemma Sbeg?

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• 1:02:16Jemma Sbeg?

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