This week’s Ambassador Feature is with Nadia Tucker & Stevie Angel, Active Truth

2017 Gold winner for AusMumpreneur Retail Business category

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Tell us about yourself and your business?

We are two Brisbane mums who met when we became next door neighbours 7 years ago. We each have two primary school aged boys and matching black Labradors.

 

Active Truth was launched in April 2016 after we recognised a gap in the activewear market for a size-inclusive range. The average-sized woman in Australia is a size 16, but she’s lucky to find tights that fit and function well enough to workout in. The majority of activewear in sizes 16 and above are black and poor quality. We believed that all women want and deserve stylish and functional activewear.

 

Shortly after launching we introduced our maternity range – another demographic underserved by the majority of activewear brands. Our range caters to sizes small to 3XL and we’re best known for our amazing high-waisted tights.

 

We walk the talk in all of our advertising using women with diverse body shapes and never photoshopping our models. We’ve amassed a loyal community of followers across our social media platforms through shunning the ‘fitspo’ trend and celebrating all women.

 

 

What was your inspiration for your business?

We were both on maternity leave and part of our routine was going to the gym then the playground with coffee in hand. Our bodies had changed post-baby and we often chatted about how frustrating it was to buy beautiful activewear – particularly tights – online that didn’t perform when it was time to work out in them. Talking to our friends we realised we weren’t alone, and that for women we didn’t fit the sizes offered by most brands it was even more difficult to find activewear that both looked great and performed well.

 

 

Did you have any experience in running a business or in this industry before?

Neither of us had any experience running a business. Nadia was a lawyer and Stevie worked in communications. Although our roles were very different to what we are doing now we have found that many of our skills were transferrable. Everything else we learn along the way through reaching out to people for advice and asking our best friend Google!

 

What’s your point of difference that makes your business special or unique?

Our point of view makes Active Truth different from other activewear brands. The company was formed on the belief that all women deserve activewear that makes them look and feel amazing when they workout. We believe in loving and looking after your body for the right reasons – health, happiness, energy and enjoyment.

 

Even more important is the fact we have an amazing product. When someone orders tights from us we are often exceeding their expectations, which in turn leads to a high number of word of mouth referrals and repeat customers. Contrast this to previous experiences where they have purchased online to promises of a great product only to be disappointed with the reality.

 

What have you learnt about yourself since becoming an entrepreneur?

We are both calm under pressure and not rattled easily. Our business is fast moving and fast growing. There are often problems or mistakes, both big and small. We are solution-focused rather than looking for someone to blame or dwelling on situations we can’t change.

 

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced and how have you overcome them?

We had a period of significant growth in mid-2017 which led to many challenges around cash flow, stock levels and distribution. Stevie was still working in her communications role and quickly made the decision to leave to work on Active Truth full-time. We added two additional factories for overflow work and continually reinvested our profits to increase our stock. Most exciting of all we moved our stock which had taken over half of Nadia’s house into a 3PL warehouse who now manage our distribution.

 

What lessons have your business taught you about life?

We’ve been overwhelmed by how generous so many female business owners have been with their time and advice, and in turn we try to help other women who aren’t as far along in their business journey as we are. When women support each other amazing things happen.

 

If you could go back to when you were starting your business and give your younger self some advice what would you tell her?

Listen to people’s advice, but ultimately trust your intuition.

 

What’s next for your business?

We’ve always got a long list of what we’re going to do next! Some exciting things we have coming up include a full swimwear range, additional factories and an office space (no more working from the kitchen bench!).

 

If you could change the world, and money was no object, what would you do?

Give all women and girls access to participate in education and employment.

 

To learn more about Nadia & Stevie, please visit

Website: www.activetruth.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/activetruth