How one Aussie’s simple idea turned into a highly successful eight figure business
A Brisbane woman has revealed how she turned a simple idea into an eight-figure global business in just a few years.
It was only five years ago that Ellen Powell’s little Brisbane unit was filled to the brim with orders from her start-up lunch-bag brand.
She would pack orders in her lounge room between setting up market stalls, working through the night and on holidays from her day job, wearing “all the hats” playing bookkeeper, designer and every role in between as the company’s only employee.
“The early days were intense. It was scrappy, but some of my favourite memories in the business,” she told news.com.au.
Now, Ms Powell’s brand The Somewhere Co has grown to a team of 40. She has customers from all over the world, her brand enjoys partnerships with major retailers like David Jones and boasts collaborations with brands like Disney and Barbie.
Ms Powell has shared how she took her simple idea from a $10,000 investment to a multimillion-dollar Australian business, making the leap many Aussies with an idea for a side hustle won’t.
“At the beginning, I didn’t need much money to start out, but that has evolved over time. My very first investment was probably around $10,000 so I could attend my first trade show,” the 36-year-old said.
“That really kicked off the brand with our wholesale partners. Luckily, my first product was low cost so that I was able to scale that to keep reinvesting in the business.”
Ms Powell began her career as a graphic designer before starting her very simple side hustle making wedding stationary, which eventually morphed into The Somewhere Co.
She said her desire to “pour beauty into mundane things” and “make everyday objects beautiful” led to designing items such as picnic blankets, laptop cases, and the brand’s signature lunch bags, which can all be personalised and made unique to the customer.
After a rebrand in 2020, The Somewhere Co scaled rapidly, and the rest is history.
“It was an exhilarating but incredibly challenging experience,” Ms Powell recalled.
“Managing inventory, cash flow and people, while maintaining creative and operational integrity has been the biggest challenge.
“But I’ve learnt that building strong systems and hiring smart, values-aligned people is everything. As well as a whole lot of personal growth.”
Despite the brand pulling in over eight figures, Ms Powell says the small things still give her a buzz, such as seeing a customer toting their The Somewhere Co product out in the wild.
“That is my favourite thing. Seeing someone from TSC community walking down the street with one of our bags,” she said.
“It never gets old. Of course, I will always give a little cheeky compliment.”
Research conducted by Westpac in October this year revealed more than half (55 per cent) of Australians surveyed were either already actively earning from a side hustle or are considering starting one as an additional source of income, whereas 28 per cent of respondents were considering starting a side hustle but hadn’t yet.
While many may be thinking about starting a business, the research revealed the more common barriers to getting ideas off the ground.
Time scarcity (33 per cent) and juggling life responsibilities (28 per cent) were the two key barriers for most, especially for the under 50s and respondents in metro locations.
Speaking to news.com.au, Westpac Managing Director of Business Lending, Tamara Bryden, praised entrepreneurs like Ms Powell for overcoming those obstacles and highlighted the importance of backing Australian retailers.
“When you choose brands like The Somewhere Co, you’re not just buying a lunch bag or a beach towel, you’re backing Australian entrepreneurialism and supporting 40 local jobs,” she said.
“Choosing to shop with Australian retailers has a genuine multiplier effect on our economy.
“Ellen’s story perfectly captures the spirit of Australian entrepreneurship. She saw an opportunity, backed herself, and wasn’t afraid to take calculated risks.”
The research also showed women were more likely than men to give up on their dreams of starting a side hustle, with the main reasons attributed to not knowing how to start a business, an overall lack of confidence, as well as a fear of failure. But Ms Bryden said she was seeing many women-led business succeed.
“Women-led businesses like The Somewhere Co aren’t just succeeding in traditional sectors, they’re securing major international licensing deals and creating substantial employment,” she said.
“That is the kind of ambition and achievement we need to see more of and that we’re proud to support.
“Going from $10,000 at a trade show to employing 40 people and securing Disney licensing in just five years is remarkable, and it shows what’s possible when you combine creativity with business smarts.”
Ms Powell is proud of how far she has come with her brand and encourages anyone who may have a dream of starting a side hustle to simply just start and believe in yourself all the way.
“Be prepared to back yourself relentlessly,” she said.
“You have to have the resilience to keep going even when it’s ridiculously hard. Spoiler alert, it will be.”
This article is part of the Back Australia series, which was supported by Australian Made Campaign, Harvey Norman, Westpac, Bunnings, Coles, TechnologyOne, REA Group, Cadbury, R.M.Williams, Qantas, Vodafone and BHP
Aussie mum’s world-first invention stuns
Aussie man’s simple idea makes millions
