In the lead up to International Women’s Day 2023, we sat down with a few of our incredible female-led brands that we stock at Few & Far to celebrate women in business. Founders everyday are creatively problem solving and constantly innovating - which is core to the IWD 2023 theme Cracking The Code: Innovation for a Gender Equal Future.
In this conversation, the co-founder of Urban Rituelle, Leanne Haining shares her journey to creating such a recognised brand and lessons she has learned along the way.
Urban Rituelle is one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of bath, body, skincare and home fragrance products. Urban Rituelle is stocked in over 1000 boutique gift and homewares retailers Australia-wide, as well as export markets including Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong & New Zealand.
So without further ado - let’s hear from Leanne!
What were you like as a kid? What did you want to be when you grew up?
I was raised in an action and outdoors loving family on the southern beaches of Sydney. I was always ambitious and had a vision to lead a full and interesting life. I wanted to live a life outside the square. Growing up my dad had his own business. He was a real inspiration to me, being always hands on and enthusiastic about everything he set his mind to. That ambition definitely rubbed off on me.
When I was really young I wanted to be a hairdresser, so that I could have my own salon. The thought that I could be creative and have a business excited me. After that I went through a period of wanting to be a florist - but I went off that idea as I wasn't a morning person!
It was in my twenties that I knew I wanted to start my own business. But at the time I could never see myself sitting at a computer in an office, which is what I do now!
What did you do in your career before founding your business?
When I finished school I went to Thredbo to have a winter season skiing. I was desperate to go somewhere as soon as I finished school! I did a season there working in hospitality which was a great life experience.
Then I came back to Sydney and did a Visual Merchandising course at TAFE. My first job was with Just Jeans as their visual merchandiser, becoming the NSW State Visual Merchandising Manager by the time I was 21. I would travel around all of NSW to merchandise the individual stores in line with the national company directive. I left Just Jeans to go overseas, working as a visual merchandiser at Jigsaw in London.
Why did you want to start this business?
When I met my partner Scott, we knew we both wanted to live an intentional life, travelling all the time and creating our own pathway. We couldn’t envisage working in an office in a 9-5 job that allowed us to do the traveling we wanted, so we started our own business. I came back to Sydney and enrolled in a design degree at Sydney College of the Arts, majoring in ceramics. During this time we started selling products at Glebe markets - including unique items that we had collected from overseas such as beads from India and cushions from Thailand. We then started to sell products we had made, like ceramic oil burners I'd made at university, as well as timber planter boxes made from reclaimed timber.
What was the journey like in founding your business? How did you land on the name? Where did you find your first customer?
I was studying ceramics under a Japanese ceramicist and he introduced us to the Japanese concept of the ritual of making. I realised in the early days of our business that we were creating a ritual of people coming to the market and discovering their new favourite soap of the week. We thought of adding the word Urban into the name as we were living in Newtown at the time. We were creating our own Urban Rituelle for our local customers.
I initially thought I would go from a market stall to a bricks and mortar store. It seemed like the obvious transition as my dad was a retailer. However I realised I could wholesale this product to existing gift and homewares boutiques. So I would go out to the stores with the product in my car and merchandise it in their store for them.
How has your business evolved and how has your role in it changed? What does a day in your life look like now? Do you still offer the same products you did when you first started?
Our roles have definitely evolved as the business has grown. In the early days, Scott and I did everything. Manufacturing, picking and packing the orders, answering the phones, invoicing, accounts payable and receivable, and new product development.
We used to make our products on our kitchen table in our rental in Newtown! As we grew our product range we started to manufacture at a larger scale so we could provide our products to retailers Australia wide.
My role in the business now is as the Creative Director - so I oversee the brand direction, including the look, feel, smell and the personality of the brand. I work with all departments in the business, but my main focus is product, people, marketing and finance.
What advice would you have for someone starting a business? What do you wish you knew before you started?
My advice for someone starting a business is to be prepared for lots of hard work! Running a business can be overwhelming and there are many ups & downs along the way.
Focus on customer satisfaction, after all your customers are the lifeblood of your business. Be adaptable as the world is constantly changing, so be prepared to pivot quickly and pick yourself up if you fall down.
Seek help when you need it and surround yourself with an expert team of advisors, mentors, coaches and other business owners who understand your journey.
Is there anything exciting coming up for your business we should know about?
We are releasing a brand new collection called Botanica in mid March which I am really excited for.
I am also currently working on a new home fragrance collection that will be released to stores in August. It is going to be a sophisticated collection of fragrances and packaging designed to elegantly scent your space.
Quick 5 Questions:
Favourite Product You Sell
I have this Hand Cream next to my bed and every night I make a cup of herbal tea, grab my book, get into bed & apply this hand cream. Each night I marvel at how beautiful this product is, the natural scent & the formulation & the fact that the tube is made with 50% recycled PE plastic (yes, seriously, this is what I think about at bedtime!!) It makes me feel good, because I know we got this product just right.
Favourite Travel Destination
Oh it’s too hard to pick one. However, if I have to, my favourite overseas destination is Japan and my favourite spot in Australia is Byron Bay.
Favourite Food
I love food that is spicy, fresh and light - so I always find myself gravitating to Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
Favourite Quote
Beautiful things don’t just happen. If you want something marvellous, you’ve got to make something marvellous.
Go To Business Tip
Adjust Your Sails. Be prepared to quickly make changes to your planned strategy and direction.
When times were challenging my dad used to counsel me with his words of wisdom and advice. My favourite tip from him was, “If it was easy everyone would do it”.
