My sister and I turned our childhood hobby into a multi-million dollar business
Two sisters tell how they turned their childhood hobby into a multi-million dollar business.
Caroline and Isabel started making bath bombs when they were 10 and 11 years old. They were not satisfied with the bath bombs that were available in the shops.
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Their mother gave them a loan of £115 to get started, and they enlisted the rest of their family to help them with the business, which they named Da Bomb.
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The duo, now in their early 20s, explain that bath bombs are made with just a few simple ingredients: citric acid and baking soda.
“If you mix that with water it creates a fizzy reaction,” Caroline told Channel 4.
The sisters’ business really started to grow when they started promoting their bath bombs on Instagram, where they now have 39,000 followers.
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They were then approached by Target, who indicated that they wanted to sell Da Bomb products in all of their 1,800 stores.
As the company became increasingly successful, the duo moved production from their parents’ basement to a warehouse in Minnesota.
During peak season, they now make over a million bath bombs per month and have 200 employees helping them do it.
But because they are both still very young and run their own businesses, they face some prejudices.
“Sometimes people ask us to speak to the director and we say, ‘You’re speaking to her,’” Caroline said.
Their company is now worth millions and when they were 17 and 18, their sister was on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list.
Da Bomb sells 75 different types of bath bombs, each costing £5.71.
To make their bath bombs stand out, they put cute little surprises inside them, such as small dog toys.
“We just thought this was a fun element,” said Caroline.
They plan to expand their range with more bath bombs with a masculine scent. For this they have called in their brother Harry.
How to start your own business?
Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers that aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of self-confidence. You have to believe in your idea — and more than that, be the one to bore your friends to death with it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, the confidence to make decisions 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 act on it if you can. If you can’t, find someone else who can.
- It’s okay not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions has helped build my confidence and made me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media and remember that the internet is an equal opportunity for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
“Our family is our biggest source of inspiration for ideas,” says Caroline.
“At one point we were making 2,000 bath bombs a month in the basement.
“Look where we are now. Together with my family, we run this great company. It’s amazing.
“I’m excited about what’s going to happen next.”
In the futureThe sisters plan to step out of their comfort zone and push boundaries to continue the success of their business.
“We just want to keep making smart decisions and having fun. Hopefully with a few bath bombs we can make some people’s lives a little bit happier.”
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