Sunshine Coast bathroom brand Konsilee booms in popularity

A young Sunshine Coast woman has hit the jackpot with a niche bathroom storage product after being left without a job during the pandemic.

Konsilee founder Courtney Johnstone created her business after she lost her job during the COvid-19 pandemic. Photo: Supplied.

A young Sunshine Coast woman has turned a job loss into an opportunity by creating a streaming-hot brand, pulling in $50,000 in just several months.

Wurtulla resident Courtney Johnstone, 25, started bathroom storage brand Konsilee in August last year, selling aesthetic, reliable, and silicon-made toothbrush and razor holders in pastel colours.

Ms Johnstone said her arch-designed product, which stuck to flat surfaces, exploded into popularity with mostly women and mothers.

She said she has sold up to 1600 products, made $50,000 from sales in the past six months, currently sold out three-quarters of stock, and has even built a cult following on Instagram, with more than 16,000 followers.

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Ms Johnstone said her new brand, which she ran from her home office, was attractive because it was well-designed and functional, saying she has experienced shower holders falling and breaking items.

“There’s definitely been a huge demand,” she said.

Konsilee's bathroom storage product. Photo: Supplied.

Ms Johnstone said she lost her job in medical administration during the peak of the pandemic - which “sucked”.

On top of this, she had also studied nursing for two years but dropped out, and had even kick started an at-home beauty brand, which was “very short-lived” because of restrictions related to the pandemic.

Ms Johnstone said she was passionate about jumping into the business world and began searching for gaps in the market before landing on her niche product, admitting it was a “bit random” but “perfect”.

“I just feel like there’s not that many options,” she said.

Since launching, she said it has had an “amazing” response, typically with women aged 25 to 35 and mothers who were looking to buy for themselves and their partners and children.

She said it was “trendy” for everyone to have their own, differentiated holder in their bathrooms.

While it has been a challenge to navigate the complexity of running her own business, she said she wasn’t slowing down, and was soon releasing a single-pouch bathroom holder and toying with other ideas.