How I Got My Job: Louise Kavanagh & Leah O’Reilly, Founders Of Spoilt Bitch Club

Tell us how you guys became friends

We met in 2008 when we were in the final of Miss Universe Ireland. After that, we both joined Assets Modeling Agency and through working together on jobs we became close friends.

Tell us a bit about Spoilt Bitch Club

We started it up in June 2015. We wanted to create a fresh and daring tongue-in-cheek brand that girls would love. We came up with the name and everything else just fell into place. We wanted it to be a fun and exciting accessories brand that was affordable but excellent quality.

What was the inspiration behind it?

We both have a massive sunglasses obsession and saw a niche in the market. They’re a year-round accessory that all females love but there isn’t a massive selection out there that are under €100. We knew what styles we wanted to get so ordered a few samples from a manufacturer and went from there.

How did you go about setting it up?

We wanted to first start it up as an Instagram shop to test out and see what reaction we would get. Instagram is a massive marketing and business tool with amazing access to all different types of customers. We then started uploading images of our products and our followers instantly started to increase with girls from all over the world placing their orders. It’s always summer somewhere, right?!

Was the positive response instantaneous?

Thankfully, yes it was! People loved the quality and more importantly the price. Similar styles are over €300 and most people don’t have spare cash to spend on sunglasses so our brand is the next best thing.

What does a typical day involve for you?

Firstly, we both plan what products we want to plug for the day. We then reply to all of our emails, Louise wraps, packs and posts the orders and I send out all the dispatch emails to let our customers know that their glasses are on the way. Because a lot of our customers are all over the world, emails are pretty non stop and we’ll be getting them at all times of the day and night. You can’t really switch off.

What challenges have you experienced along the way?

Getting the right manufacturer was hard at the beginning. It can be a long process to get your product perfected but the lengthy process is worth it in the end when you have your good quality items.

Having the control to take our brand to the next level is a great way to keep motivated

Tell us about some of the highlights of your job

Working together is really great fun; we both have our defined roles and we mesh well together. It’s also good that we have the flexibility to change hours if either of us have other commitments, with our babies for example. Another highlight is being able to choose and create our own products; that’s a pretty exciting process. Having the control to take our brand to the next level is a great way to keep motivated. It’s never boring and it’s never the same day in the office.

Are there any drawbacks?

It’s pretty non stop; you can’t just switch off at 5.30 and relax for the evening like some other jobs. We’re both constantly on our emails and Instagrams, responding to people and posting about our products. From that point of view it can be tough.

How do you juggle being first time mums and career women at the same time?

We’ve found a really good balance now. We both have great support from our partners and we’re in the same boat as we realise how tough it can be having a baby. If Louise is having a particularly hard day I’ll look after emails/social media and vice versa. She will do the same for me so it works really well; we understand each other.

What do you think has been the key to your success?

As we said, it really boils down to having good quality products on offer for a good price. Also, having glamourous celebrities such as Vogue Williams and Chloe Lloyd wearing them is what has made us so popular. That’s been an amazing boost. We also offer excellent customer service and make ourselves available day and night, which people appreciate. A lot of people are dubious about ordering online so it’s paramount that you put their minds at ease.

What characteristics do you think are needed to become a successful career women in Ireland today?

You need to be:

• A risk taker
• A hard worker
• Driven to be successful
• Confident in your idea
• Committed to your idea

What do we need to start off?

The main thing is to get your idea perfected. Once you know what you want to createor sell everything else will fall into place… with a lot of hard work and dedication, of course.

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