‘I put everything on the line’: 25-year-old Aussie uses inheritance to bet on herself

A young Aussie has revealed why she lost sleep after putting “everything on the line” and spending her entire inheritance.

A young Aussie has revealed why she put everything on the line, including her chance of homeownership, to start a business.

Yuliya Lozovyk, 25, was in a good position to buy, even living in Sydney where the median apartment price is over $800,000.

She had over $200,000 tucked away, partly due to an inheritance, and was already in the throes of a successful career in beauty and fashion.

The 25-year-old previously worked as a personal assistant to the late and great designer Carla Zampatti and has since worked in marketing for major brands.

Ms Lozovyk was thriving and on track and, then, she veered off course to start her own fragrance brand, By Yuliya.

“I put everything on the line. I used what I had saved for a house deposit to start By Yuliya, and that was terrifying,” she said.

“But I knew if I didn’t back myself, no one else would.”

Yuliya Lozovyk made the choice to bet on herself. Picture: Instagram/Yuliya Lozovyk

She wanted to create something at a reasonable price point. Picture: Instagram/Yuliya Lozovyk

The young business owner said she knows the fragrance space is “already so saturated”, but she decided to trust her gut and her nose.

The 25-year-old explained to news.com.au that the idea of her fragrance brand came to her during the pandemic.

Her younger and teenage sister wanted to buy a perfume that was going to cost between $150 and $200.

The high price point made Ms Lozovyk realise there was a gap in the market to offer Aussie women cheaper alternatives that still smell great but are also trendy.

She came up with the idea of a perfume mist, an elevated body mist, with an 80ml bottle costing $89.

The brand launched in October last year and made $20,000 on the first day. It exceeded expectations, but she had done a ton of work in the lead-up.

“I’m lucky in the sense that I know eCommerce quite well. We were doing paid ads in the lead up, organic socials on LinkedIn, and we did PR before the launch,” Ms Lozovyk said.

The fact the business was an immediate success was a huge relief for the 25-year-old, who had sunk everything into it.

“That was my life-savings,” she said.

“I didn’t sleep for six months and we’re still in that risk phase.”

The 25-year-old struggled to sleep before she launched the brand. Picture: Instagram/Yuliya Lozovyk

She said the company is still in the ‘risk phase’. Picture: Instagram/Yuliya Lozovyk

Even though the business has been running at a profit for over six months now, Ms Lozovyk still hasn’t relaxed.

“I’m not taking an income now and everything we make is back invested into products. I still rely on a second income because I don’t take a salary and we are very much in the grind,” she said.

The 25-year-old said there’s also still a stigma attached to investing all your money into a business.

“You’re taught to invest in property and I’ve spun that on its head and I’m like ‘f**k this, I’m going to invest in this’,” she said.

“I’m going to take a risk.”

She wanted to take the risk and bet on herself and her idea. Picture: Instagram/Yuliya Lozovyk

The business has been making money since the very first day it launched. Picture: Instagram/Yuliya Lozovyk

Ms Lozovyk is over-the-moon that the risk is taking off, and she also thinks part of the success is because her products are affordable.

“People are living frugally and, in your 20s, you’re taught to save for a house and work your corporate job and put everything into savings,” she said.

She’s found that women in 2025 are looking to buy perfumes that aren’t dirt cheap but also don’t cost an arm and a leg.

“I initially thought my target market would be young teenage girls. It actually is 30-40 year olds who want a good smelling fragrance and don’t want to pay heaps,” she said.

One of the biggest joys, though, has been creating a perfume that her teenager sister prefers over the $200 bottle she had her eye on.

In fact, the 25-year-old now can’t keep up with his little sister’s demands.

“She’s so funny, she’s like ‘can you make this, can you make this one?’ And I’m like, ‘we will get there’,” she said.

Originally published as ‘I put everything on the line’: 25-year-old Aussie uses inheritance to bet on herself