Our background: Stella studied Economics, Charity studied Environmantal Studies, Wanjiru studied Fine Arts and Design and Constance studied Psychology
The idea: Wanjiru, Charity and I (Constance) became friends in Alliance Girls High School. Afterwards, Charity and I would go shopping but we could never find a bra because we were really busty. So on this particular day, we went to Sunbeam, and the guy was like 'Madam, hiyo size yako hatuna.' So frustrated I turned to Charity and suggested we start manufacturing bras for buxom women called Double Dees after DD the last cup size sold in typical outlets. But, we did not pursue it. Soon after, Charity went abroad.
Out of the blue, she called telling me that a friend (Stella) was at Skidmore College (in New York) and they were having a business competition in their campus and wanted Double Dees to take part. Then we realised we needed a creative person, and Wanjiru was my roommate in campus, so we incorporated her. We came out third but they encouraged us to take part again, so in 2015 we did and won.
We got about Sh2 million and decided to do a few pieces just to gauge the response, which we sold to friends and family. We realised we needed to put down about Sh5 million to start an entire line, so in 2016 we decided to open the shop, as we needed an avenue to drum up support for our products, instead of investing in an entire line, yet people do not know about us. So now we are in the process of working on our first collection.
What happened next: We are trying to change mindsets because growing up with a big bust attracts the wrong kind of attention, so women tend to slouch. Thankfully, as you get older, one becomes more confident but a new problem arises, where they can't get pretty bras in those sizes. But because they want to wear an attractive bra they get a smaller bra and learn to organise their 'stuff'. So we are trying to convince women that wearing a proper bra makes it easier on your shoulder, back and posture.
Also, we really invested in our digital marketing because majority of our clients are online. Charity and Stella are in the United States and Wanjiru and I (Constance) are here. So when we are asleep, they are awake responding to customers, and vice versa, we are a 24-hour business. We also devote energy and money in nice photo shoots, like our February campaign, with a former Miss Kenya, just ended. Every once in a while we have a brunch where we have food and drinks and items are on discount.
Running a startup: Many people do not want to spend money on a bra because they are thinking it's something that is going to be hidden most of the time so why spend that kind of money on a bra. So convincing women to move from that terrible Sh250-500 bob bra to Sh4,000-Sh5,000 matching set of bra and panty has been challenging. So we encourage them to come up with a plan, buy one every month or every other month then by the end of the year, they will have like six bras which will push them for another year or two. Because if they wear the same bra every other day, it wears out faster.
Where we are now: The fact that we have different personalities, has really helped. Wanjiru is the creative one but is also very good at setting up the business development, Stella is the glue that holds us together, so in a situation where all of us agree but Stella objects, that's a red flag for us, because Stella does not easily disapprove something unless it's something serious. I am very talkative, I befriend many people especially people to partner with which is good for networking, but not taking a hard stance towards someone because I get emotionally attached. That's where Charity comes in and breaks the relationship but in a diplomatic way.
My tip: Find your passion and don't look back. When we started we were really going up against powerhouses that have been around for a long time but we identified our niche and ran with it. Also, if you are not passionate about something, you will not wake up in the morning, even though you want to make money. Money will not wake you up in the morning. Passion will.
Fact Box
Launched: June 2016
Start-up Costs: about Sh1 million
Projected Turnover: Sh5 million in 5 years
Website: www.doubledees.co.ke
Location: 44 Riverside Drive (After Office Park and directly opposite 9 Riverside Building), Nairobi