October 15th 2024.
This Friday, the highly anticipated arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla in Australia is causing quite a stir. The royal couple will be embarking on a grand tour of Sydney and Canberra, and this has got everyone buzzing with excitement. For Perth entrepreneur Casey Bryden, the anticipation of this visit brings back fond memories of the last time the royal duo graced the land Down Under, which was nine years ago in 2015. It was a time that set her and her mother on an unforgettable journey that Bryden refers to as an "insane adventure".
At that time, Bryden had just quit her job in marketing to focus on her new role as a mother. She and her mother, Jillian Intini, were running a small hobby business together, selling parasols both online and at local markets. Intini, who is a nurse, had been seeing numerous cases of skin cancer and was determined to change her approach to sun care. This led her to create her own parasol by repurposing old umbrellas and using block-out fabric. The result was surprisingly beautiful, and it caught the attention of her friends. Bryden saw the potential for success and suggested they start selling them.
Their business, Sun Bella, had a slow start, but it was steady. They would excitedly text each other whenever they made a sale, saying "Sold one!" However, everything changed when they heard the news that Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla would be visiting Perth. Someone suggested that they try to get one of their parasols to the Duchess, and Bryden saw it as an impossible task. But they were determined to make it happen.
With the help of a retired engineer from a local men's shed, they crafted a personalized parasol for Camilla, complete with a hand-turned handle. Bryden then reached out to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, offering the parasol as a gift for the Duchess. To their surprise, the department agreed, but on the condition that they could pay for it. Even then, there was no guarantee that Camilla would actually receive it. However, their hard work paid off when the Duchess was spotted using the parasol during her visit to Government House.
It was a moment of serendipity for Bryden and her mother, as the visit coincided with an extreme heatwave. The parasol became Camilla's constant companion during the sweltering days in WA. Bryden recalls that even Prince Charles was struggling with the heat, while Camilla remained effortlessly cool with her parasol. This unexpected exposure was a game-changer for their business, with Sun Bella selling $20,000 worth of parasols in just two weeks, compared to their usual $1000 worth.
Bryden remembers the chaos and excitement as they were packing orders on their kitchen table, with sales coming in faster than they could handle. This successful marketing move had a lasting effect on their business, even after all these years. Bryden shares that a customer still had a newspaper clipping from 2015 when she purchased a parasol a few months ago. It's clear that this experience has left a significant impact on Bryden and her family, as it propelled their hobby business to new heights.
In the spirit of the upcoming royal visit, many start-ups will likely try to replicate this genius marketing move. But for Bryden and her family, it will always hold a special place in their hearts as the moment that transformed their small hobby into a successful business. As she puts it, "We just really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. We were still packing our own orders back in those days." The memories of that time are still vivid, with the sound of "ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching" playing in her head. It's a story that Bryden loves to share, and it's a testament to the power of determination and seizing unexpected opportunities.
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