It’s the fantasy of every set of best friends: Dream up a business, work together 24/7, be outrageously successful.
Best mates since they were in year eight attending a Melbourne high school, Vera Yan, 30, and Katia Santilli, 31, are doing just that.
In 2014, frustrated by the lack of options and the obscene price tags of workout gear on the market, the pair created Nimble Activewear as an affordable, colourful solution.
Fast forward to now and Nimble Activewear turns over $4 million annually. A pretty impressive feat to achieve in such a small amount of time, right? But the pair are quick to point out that the brand isn’t an “overnight success”.
“Katia and I were both working in other jobs at the time and continued to work in those jobs while we balanced the business,” explains Vera, who only quit her job to focus on Nimble full time in 2016.
“We invested all of our savings at the beginning and it took a while before the business could support itself. We made the decision to keep our jobs so that we could support ourselves and continue to invest back into the business.”
With Yan’s background in finance and law and Katia’s creative and business skillset, the pair worked tirelessly from their kitchen (yes, they live together too) where they packaged and sent orders in the early days.
The duo decided to focus on producing activewear in fun prints (think khaki flower print leggings and navy leopard print shorts) that are made from custom, technical fabrics (think lightweight leggings that have the power of compression tights).
Top Comments
Affordable? Sorry, I don’t consider $99 for leggings in the affordable price range.