‘Frustrating experience’ inspires Aussie mum’s $26 million business

An Aussie woman’s “frustrating personal experience” while purchasing a basic item for her home inspired a $26 million big business success story.

When Alexandra Weller was shopping for a rug for her home, she quickly realised how difficult and uninspiring the process could be.

Around the same time, her husband Aaron Weller – who was consulting for an SEO company – discovered there was a huge volume of online searches for rugs.

This insight prompted the Aussie couple to dig deeper, asking their friends and family about their own experience trying to purchase a rug for their homes.

“Without exception, everyone shared a similar story: the excitement of decorating a space would quickly turn into disappointment,” Alexandra told news.com.au.

“Sizing was confusing, colours felt off once in their space, and the whole experience was overwhelming. It became clear that there was a gap in the market – and a real opportunity to re-imagine the way people shop for rugs.”

The couple now lives in Hong Kong with their two children. Picture: Supplied

Miss Amara co-founder Alexandra Weller. Picture: Supplied

A $50,000 gamble

So, the husband-and-wife duo from Sydney set out to fill that void in the market, throwing $50,000 of their life savings into a crazy new business idea and launching online rug retailer Miss Amara in 2014.

Their main point of difference? The brand provides photos of their extensive range of rugs in-situ, meaning customers can snap a photo of their space and see what the products look like in their home before purchasing.

In addition to this, the co-founders also decided to offer a first-of-its-kind return service, with Miss Amara footing the bill for a courier to pick up the rug and offer a full refund if the customer didn’t love their purchase.

“In the early days, I would spend hours reaching out to strangers online, asking if they’d be willing to photograph our rugs in their stunning homes – not as a marketing tactic, but because I genuinely wanted to show people what was possible,” the co-founder said.

“These days, we call this influencer marketing and UGC (User-Generated Content), but back then, it was just a deep desire to help customers visualise the home of their dreams.

“That hope hasn’t changed; whether someone discovers us through an email, a social post, or a visit to our website, my wish is that they walk away feeling inspired to create a home that feels beautiful and uniquely theirs.”

The brand also boasts as a popular playmat range. Picture: @missamaraloves

As well as a pet-friendly range. Picture: @missamaraloves

It all started with one product

The item that first emerged as the brand’s hero product was their pet-friendly range, a stain-proof rug that pet owners and parents of young children absolutely loved due to its super easy cleaning process.

“From the beginning, we’ve prided ourselves on being a customer-centric brand, and what we kept hearing was that many people, especially pet owners and young families, felt excluded from owning beautiful things,” she said.

“They believed style had to be sacrificed for practicality, and that didn’t sit right with us. So, we set out to design rugs that were not only beautiful but could also withstand the realities of everyday life.”

The rugs, which are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, range in price from $199 to $4,499, depending on materials – wool varieties being the most expensive rugs on their website.

More than a decade later, the rug brand boasts a team of around 80 employees operating across five countries throughout Australia and Asia, including Hong Kong, where the couple are now based with their two young kids.

The company turned over $26 million last financial year.

Founder Alexandra was inspired by her own experience as a mum of young children. Picture: @missamaraloves

The brand’s super soft playmats have emerged as a cult product. Picture: @missamaraloves

“Talking about money still feels a little uncomfortable, because success in business can be so

unpredictable,” Alexandra admitted.

“I’ve watched brands I’ve admired for years close their doors, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere, so I never take where we are today for granted.”

The co-founder revealed it took the couple five years before they even paid themselves a salary.

“There were so many moments of uncertainty along the way, and honestly, if it weren’t for my husband, I’m not sure I would’ve had the courage to keep going. He’s a true entrepreneur – fearless and incredibly driven. Where I’m naturally risk-averse, he’s what I’d call ‘pro-risk’.”

Alexandra recalled that in the their early 30s, Aaron convinced his wife to “go all in”, arguing they had “everything to gain, and nothing we couldn’t rebuild if it didn’t work out”.

That leap of faith is what she credits the business’ success with.

Miss Amara co-founders Alexandra and Aaron Weller with their two kids. Picture: Supplied

A new cult item

Speaking of kids, the Miss Amara co-founder says the brand’s new cult item is undeniably their range of rollie pollie playmats, which were “born directly” from her own experience as a mum of little ones.

“I was searching for the perfect playmat and quickly realised it didn’t exist. I wanted something that not only felt soft and luxurious for little hands and feet, but also complemented and elevated my home. Something I didn’t feel the need to roll up or hide away when guests came over,” she said.

“That personal need sparked the idea, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to create a product that speaks to both form and function for modern families.”

While it’s easy to read the phrase “$26 million success story” and believe it was a seamless journey, Alexandra assures us that absolutely was not the case.

The couple faced numerous setbacks in the early days, including naysayers weighing in on their business idea.

“There were countless moments where people told me the things I was trying to do simply wouldn’t work. In the beginning, no one would take our calls or even consider working with us. And once they did, the objections didn’t stop,” the entrepreneur recalled.

“Our courier company warned us that offering a free return and collection service would send us out of business. But I knew that fear and hesitation were the biggest blockers for customers

buying rugs online, and I was adamant that removing those barriers was essential.”

Alexandra also said they were warned it would be far too expensive to implement a virtual reality tool on their website, but “giving our customers the ability to visualise the rug in their space transformed our conversion rate and far outweighed the cost”.

She added: “These are just a few of the objections we’ve had to push through and still face today. Building something from nothing isn’t easy, and there will always be people who doubt you. But if you back yourself, stay true to your vision, and keep listening to the customer, the belief you hold becomes your biggest strength.”

Originally published as ‘Frustrating experience’ inspires Aussie mum’s $26 million business