How Melanie Nolan started her women’s health brand Naternal Vitamins
A Melbourne mum of three turned a leap of faith into a $5 million revenue stream in just three years.
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In just three years, Melbourne mum Melanie Nolan has gone from setting up a small business from her kitchen and lounge room in 2021, to achieving an enormous $5 million in revenue – all by selling four vitamin products and only working during school hours.
Melanie’s light bulb moment to launch her own brand of supplements, Naternal Vitamins, came to her while working as a naturopath. Melanie recognised how challenging it was for people to access high-quality health products without first paying for a consultation with a practitioner.
Drawing on her background in health, the young mum of three saw an opportunity to create a range of quality supplements that were accessible to everyday consumers. Her vision was simple: high quality supplements that could be purchased easily – and in less time that it takes to visit the local chemist.
Naternal EverNatal, $56 at Naternal
Naternal Vitamins Evernatal
Melanie researched the possibility of formulating and selling high quality vitamins direct to consumer and, although her findings were positive, she also understood the financial challenges ahead. Setting up the business would require significant start-up capital, especially due to the minimum order quantities that manufacturers often demand.
As a workaround, she took an enormous leap of faith, selling her house to cover the $200,000 in upfront costs. It felt like a huge risk, but using the equity from the sale, Melanie was able to fund the first production run of two carefully formulated products: an iron supplement and a pregnancy-focused ‘evernatal’ product designed for use before, during and after pregnancy.
That initial production run of 5000 units per product – a total of 10,000 bottles – cost $150,000 upfront for the determined entrepreneur. With a two-year shelf life on that first batch, Melanie set herself the goal of selling through the order within that time frame. Incredibly, she achieved that target in just three months.
Now in its third year, Naternal Vitamins has four products in its range – including a magnesium supplement targeted at supporting energy levels, and a liquid vitamin D formulation.
While the success of Naternal Vitamins continues to grow thanks to a loyal customer base, Melanie is committed to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Deliberately structuring her business to fit within school hours from the very beginning, Melanie works from 10am to 3pm to ensure she can be present for her three young daughters.
This choice means she’s able to attend school events, assemblies and the daily drop-offs and pick-ups while still growing a business that supports her family’s lifestyle. Her parents also play a vital role in day-to-day runnings, helping with tasks such as picking and packing orders, and have been instrumental in keeping operations running smoothly.
Something that surprises most people is the significant amount of time off Melanie is able to enjoy each year. By prioritising school holidays, she manages to take 12 weeks off every year to spend uninterrupted time with her children. This kind of flexibility challenges the assumption that running a business means constantly being on call.
As a mum who once juggled longer hours while raising her family, she empathises with other parents who feel that push-pull between their career and their children. And while her advice for those looking to start their own business and gain a better work-life balance is to tread carefully, Melanie also believes those goals are 100 per cent achievable.
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Drawing from her own journey so far, Melanie encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to take a cautious but confident approach. While she recommends avoiding external debt to reduce stress in the early stages of building a business, she also emphasises that passion and determination are key cornerstones to success, and believes it’s possible to build a thriving business while achieving the kind of work-life balance so many busy parents strive for.
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