In just ten years, Argylica Conditsis went from selling shoes in her bedroom to becoming the founder of a $60 million fashion empire.
At the age of 17, he launched Babyboo from the comfort of his parents’ home in Baulkham Hills, NSW, with a $1,000 savings from his job at Pizza Hut – and from humble beginnings started with ‘crazy idea’.
‘After I finished high school, I looked for a pair of ankle boots but couldn’t find them. So I started decorating shoes for myself,’ Ms Conditsis told FEMAIL.
‘When I started to see a positive response from other people, I decided to try to sell them on Facebook – and it went quickly.’
The shoes take hours to make and Ms Conditsis, now 29, has hundreds of orders from customers, which she struggles to keep up with.
Then his brother William, now 27, decided to bring the clothes into the company – and has watched the brand soar to new heights since then.
Today Babyboo has grown into an Australian ecommerce juggernaut that boasts 1.5 million Instagram followers and sells in 145 countries.
Argylica Conditsis (pictured) is the founder of the global fashion empire Babyboo
Over 12 years Babyboo has grown to become an Australian ecommerce juggernaut boasting 1.5 million Instagram followers and selling in 145 countries.
Ms Conditsis launched the brand with her brother William, now 27, (left) who both dropped out of university to pursue the idea (pictured in 2012)
Ms Conditsis had to give up her Visual Communications university degree to keep up with the demand – a decision her parents tried to talk her out of.
“It’s not considered a business today – it’s just a crazy idea for a hobby, but it’s got a lot of attention and virality,” he said.
Not only did he not know the business, he had no money, training or help.
When we were young when we first started, we were in this stupid mindset. I’m hungry to do something new and I don’t know where it will take me,’ he said.
‘If you had told me at that time all that we have achieved so far I would have laughed. The goal is not to build a successful business, but to do more.’
Ms Conditsis has taken a planned and thoughtful approach to growing the business that has contributed to global success.
We spent money wisely, but we were not afraid to fail. And if we do we learn quickly from it and then pivoted and moved quickly,’ he said.
‘We have continued to reinvest everything we have done in the business to develop it further.’
Not only did the brothers have no business experience, they had no money, training or help (pictured today)
‘If you had told me at that time all that we have achieved so far I would have laughed. The goal is not to build a successful business, but a goal to do more,’ he said.
Organized exclusively in the fashion e-commerce space, each Babyboo collection takes between six and eight months to create, from the first sketch to the final stitch.
Today Babyboo is one of Australia’s fastest growing technology companies with three international subsidiaries.
Positioned independently in the fashion e-commerce space, each Babyboo collection takes between six and eight months to create, from the first sketch to the last stitch.
Designed in Australia with a wide range of women’s clothing and accessories that appeal to a global audience, Babyboo has positioned itself as a millennial and Gen-Y brand with cult appeal.
Ms Conditsis said the quality of the products was high and the designs were unmatched.
You won’t find styles anywhere else. We think long and hard about each collection,” he said.
From the beginning, the founders of the Internet business have used their advantage to sell products to their target audience.
“We quickly learned how to make the media business work for us – and I think that’s why it’s been so successful,” he said.
Today, the company has customers all over the world, especially in Australia, the US and the UK.
From the beginning, entrepreneurs have used the internet to sell their products to their target audience.
Not only that, Ms Conditsis considers herself a marketer and uses her own personality to understand what other women want.
Ms Conditsis considers herself a marketer and uses her own experience to understand what other women want.
I had this feeling that it became natural. We follow the trends and we know that our customers today are not the same customers we had 12 years ago – we have all evolved,” he said.
This attention to detail is another driver that has sent the brand to new heights.
“We know that our products won’t change the world, but you will when you wear them,” he said.
“We know our products won’t change the world, but you will when you wear them,” he said.
Ms Conditsis said one of the most frequently asked questions was ‘how did you get started?’, and confirmed that there are no secrets when it comes to business.
Everyone tried it from day one. All the professional knowledge I gained came from this experience,’ he said.
“We make mistakes every day and it’s not right, but we learn from those experiences and we pivot quickly.
And when asked what advice he would give to others starting out, he said don’t be afraid of failure and don’t rush into action.
‘Don’t force, press, or cut corners because you’ll end up backfiring,’ he says.
Allow yourself to flow through it, and evolve along the way. ‘
He also said don’t compare yourself to other people’s journey.
“I remember being very hard on myself in the beginning and I think a lot of women in business really beat themselves up by comparing themselves,” she said.
I always say comparison is the thief of joy, and you shouldn’t compare your one chapter to someone else’s chapter six. You’ll get there, you just have to be consistent.’
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