661: Donna’s Corporate Career Ended Overnight — So She Built A $51K Brand In 2 Months

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

Episode 661: Donna’s Corporate Career Ended Overnight — So She Built A $51K Brand In 2 Months
Date: May 13, 2026
Guest: Donna Gilbertson, Founder of Juni – The Quick Dry Hair Towel
Host: Leah (on the Foundr team)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Foundr spotlights Donna Gilbertson, a member of the Foundr community who transformed an unexpected end to her 20-year corporate accounting career into entrepreneurial success. Donna shares how she developed, validated, and launched her brand—Juni, the Quick Dry Hair Towel—which achieved $51,000 in sales in just its first two months. The conversation is packed with actionable insights into product validation, sourcing, marketing, mindset shifts, and capitalizing on community and influencer support.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

A Viral Week of Sales (02:39 – 04:18)

• Donna explains the explosion in orders after an Instagram influencer bought her product:
  • 600 orders processed in a week.
  • It began with a comment Donna left on Brit (Brittany) Saunders’ Instagram Reel about the dangers of regular bath towels for hair.
  • Brit bought 10 towels, announcing a giveaway to her followers, followed by a reel showcasing the Juni hair towel.
  • Donna: “My phone just was blowing up off that one comment. …I sold out within 24 hours of that reel being posted.” (03:34)
• After selling out, Donna opened pre-orders. Orders have continued at pace.

Donna’s Background Before Juni (05:12 – 07:23)

• Spent 20 years as a chartered accountant in senior finance roles.
• Suddenly lost her job due to corporate restructuring.
• Attended e-commerce webinars, including Foundr’s, to explore new directions.
• Had a prior small business (herbal tea) on Instagram ten years ago, noting the dramatic changes in the e-commerce landscape since then.

Identifying & Validating the Product (08:31 – 11:46)

• The origin: personal frustration with existing hair towel options—poor quality, bad fabrics, or design.
• Researched the negative effects of bath towels on hair.
• Did extensive competitor analysis: “I bought every hair towel, turban, anything similar that I could find on the market in Australia… pulled from each to come up with my design.” (10:17)
• Conducted a survey (inspired by Foundr)—results showed people didn’t know the drawbacks of using regular towels.
• Sourcing the right fabric was tough: “Samples cost me $500 each… some would arrive and I’d be dismally disappointed.” (17:55)
• Found a unique, high-performing fabric after much trial and error.

Sourcing & Manufacturing: Navigating Minimum Order Quantities (11:46 – 13:35)

• Negotiated down her manufacturer’s minimum from 2,000 to 1,000 units for the first batch.
• First order cost: $7,000, paid using her home loan offset account.
• Timing: Order placed in October, received in February—intentionally avoiding the Christmas and New Year retail clutter.

Target Customer & Marketing Foundations (15:05 – 17:37)

• Early tension: The potential customer base is broad (“women with hair”) but has two main avatars emerging:
  • Busy moms who need convenience.
  • Younger women/gym-goers who wash hair frequently.
• Surprise secondary market: Women with hair extensions.
• Memorable moment: Shopify sales ticker sitting at 889, another “welcome distraction” as orders rolled in (16:36).

Social Media & Face-to-Camera Content (20:10 – 24:39)

• Focused on Instagram; also publishes to TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube. “It’s another paint splatter on the wall—if I’m already creating content, why not share it everywhere?” (20:10)
• Grew audience before launch by posting relatable hair content, not revealing the product until January.
• Building authenticity: Donna pushed herself to create face-to-camera videos, using a school pickup routine to hold herself accountable and to overcome nerves.
  • Quote: “People don’t care if you do post, they don’t care if you don’t post, so you might as well do it.” (24:19)

Launch Strategies and Email List Tactics (25:46 – 28:56)

• Built launch anticipation with a robust email flow and exclusive launch discounts for subscribers.
• 300 email contacts at launch, aimed for 500.
• Launch night: “I got 12 sales within the first 40 minutes, and I was just, like, crying.” (26:55)
• First sale was from someone Donna didn’t know—extra validation.

Scaling Up: The Power of Influencer Exposure (29:15 – 37:24)

• Brit Saunders’ engagement fueled a meteoric rise in sales.
  • Donna commented with personality to get noticed (“Girl, let me send you one of our hair towels…”), after previous DMs had gone unanswered.
• Describes the chain reaction: influx of sales, content creation, and ultimate sellout (347 orders in 24 hours).
• Opened pre-orders after confirming community appetite for a 6–8 week delay—secured 214 pre-orders for 300+ units in four days.
• Social proof: Over 50 five-star reviews before the influencer coverage, thanks to a mixture of gifted products and follow-up with buyers: “Even when people were DMing me… I’d say, can I please put that as a review on my website?” (39:16)

The Mindset Shift & Lifestyle Change (40:32 – 44:51)

• The major change: Making “Juni is my job” her core mantra—going all-in mentally and operationally.
  • Quote: “As soon as I made that mindset switch, my life changed. My whole life changed.” (46:20)
• Newly acquired skillsets: Sourcing, branding, marketing, web design, social media, and more.
• Flexibility with family: Can now work around her kids’ schedules, embodying her goal of work-life balance while wrestling with “mum guilt.”
• Financial leap: Orders are growing, cash flow allows bigger manufacturing runs and consideration of new product lines.

Donna’s Advice to Aspiring Founders (46:07 – 47:01)

• “Do your research and back yourself. Once you know you’ve got a good product, there’s a market fit, and you’ve done the validation—run your numbers as well.” (46:20)
• “Reach out to other people who know more than you… People are so generous with their time and knowledge.”
• The foundation: “100% back yourself. That’s my main thing.”

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On her rapid success:
  “I know, oh my god. …It’s incredible. I just can’t believe it.” (29:21)
• On the Instagram influencer’s impact:
  “I just said, girl, let me send you one of our hair towels. Bath towels are so bad for your hair. …And then my phone just was blowing up off of that one comment.” (02:46)
• On product quality:
  “There’s no point launching if you’re not happy with your product or if the quality isn’t there. …You just have to make sure you spend as much time as is needed to get things where you want it before launch. Because it really does pay off.” (19:19)
• On video marketing:
  “My husband was like, you don’t sound like yourself at all. And I was like, oh my god, I was so nervous, my voice was all shaky, but I thought I did okay... Now I just film and post. …People don’t care if you do post, they don’t care if you don’t post, so you might as well do it.” (24:19)
• On the mindset shift:
  “Knowing that I was all in and not having another job, I was like, I’m going to make this my job… I was just so determined to learn and do as much as I can…” (43:59)

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Important Timestamps

• [02:46] Donna’s viral week and Brit Saunders’ Instagram influence
• [05:12] Donna’s corporate background and career transition
• [08:43] Hair towel validation and why bath towels are bad for hair
• [11:46] Sourcing manufacturer and bulk ordering challenges
• [16:24] Evolving understanding of her target market
• [20:10] Social strategy—Instagram-first, using all platforms
• [22:05] Face-to-camera content: authentic storytelling and hacks
• [25:46] Launch week, email list building, and “dinging” Shopify moments
• [29:15] How influencer marketing caused Juni to sell out overnight
• [36:33] Community feedback, pre-orders, and scaling up inventory
• [40:54] Mindset, finances, family, and lifestyle transformation
• [46:20] Donna’s core advice: “Do your research and back yourself”

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Final Thoughts

This conversation is a must-listen for aspiring e-commerce founders, especially those grappling with imposter syndrome, product sourcing, and early-stage marketing. Donna’s story underscores the importance of deep product research, authentic brand building, and taking bold action—while also highlighting the unpredictability and excitement of catching a viral wave.

Donna’s journey shows that opportunity favors relentless preparation and authentic community engagement.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Here we are. Welcome to the Founder Little Empires podcast where we feature different members from our community starting and scaling their e commerce brands. I am so excited today to bring Donna Gilbertson, the founder of Juni the Quick Dry Hair Towel. Donna has made $51,000 in sales in the first two months of her brand. So we have so much to to cover. Donna, I'm so excited to have you here with us today.

[C]

Thank you so much, Leah. This is my very first podcast and I'm so honored to be doing it with founder because you guys have helped me so much along my journey to get where I am. Yes. I'm just super happy to be doing this with you for the first time.

[B]

Oh, awesome. And than for, thank you for making the time because you have had like an insane week, an incredible week of sales.

[C]

It's been so crazy.

[B]

I'm going to go back to the start of how you actually started the whole brand. Yeah. But can we give the listeners an idea of the week that you've had maybe like a little snapshot of how many orders you've processed in the past week.

[C]

Yeah, sure. So it's been, gosh, I think there's been about nearly 600 orders. So it all started with a random comment that I made on one of Brittany's Instagram reels. She was wearing a hair towel, a bath towel on her head. And I just said, girl, let me send you one of our hair towels. Bath towels are so bad for your hair. And then I just went back to watching TV and my phone dinged and I had a sale from Brittany for 10 hair towels, which is officially my biggest order yet. And, and then she commented saying, I've just bought 10 and I'm about to do a giveaway with that. How about that? Instead. And then my phone just was blowing up off of that one comment her followers had seen that she purchased. And then they were coming along to my page following and purchasing. And then later that week on the Friday, she did a real, the most amazing real showcasing Juni and my product and putting a shout out to other small businesses to comment and just put the business in the spotlight. And it just blew up from there, there. And I sold out within 24 hours of that reel being posted. So then I had a weekend full of packing. I had to do two post office runs. And then yesterday was the first day where I kind of had a step back to breathe and went out for brunch and just kind of took it all in. But yeah, even today I am still getting so many orders because I have since opened pre orders off of the back of the sellout and they're just going nuts as well.

[B]

Oh, this is just insane. And for our listeners, if you're not familiar with Brittany Brit Saunders, she is a massive influencer, leader in E commerce, leader in entrepreneurship, particularly in Australia. So check her out. And that sort of coverage has really helped Donna get this sort of traction.

[C]

Yeah, it's been phenomenal.

[B]

So you've had like an incredible crazy, life changing week. We'll get into the numbers shortly. But basically like $51,000 in sales in the first two months is just insane. So I understand why you took a bit of a day off yesterday to just take a moment to breathe.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

But let's, let's go back to the beginning. So before, before you started Journey, the quick dry hair towel, did you come from E Commerce? Like what was, what was your background like?

[C]

No. So I am actually a chartered accountant. So I had been working in high level finance roles for 20 years. I was working in an AFL company. They had a restructure and in one day's notice said that I wasn't needed anymore. So I had a massive reflection period where I was thinking, what am I going to do next? I decided I was just going to take some time. And then E commerce webinars and information about E commerce just kind of kept popping up and I just kept seeing it and I thought, I'm going to look more into that and see kind of what it's about and where it leads. I have previously also had a herbal tea business. That was 10 years ago where I was selling on Instagram, but 10 years ago and now is just so different. So I don't even really consider that I was in E commerce previously. So then I already had an idea in my mind of a hair towel because I had previously been looking for the right one for me. I bought a couple. They did. The quality just didn't hold up. The threads would come loose and just the fabrics, they either felt good and didn't perform or performed and looked so ugly. And I just was like, I need to do something about this. So once, yeah, their sort of webinars were popping up and one of the first ones that I did was the founder. I think it was a three day one back then. A sourcing the find your product and sourcing webinar. Yeah, I actually came down with a really bad cold during that time. And the webinars started so early, but I just set my alarm, I got up, I rugged up on the couch. Because it was during winter, it was in July, and I just had my cup of tea and I just was obsessed with learning about it. Like, I just was like, yep. And then so I looked into the product development side and I did competition, my competitive analysis. And just every step of the way I just kept getting confirmation that I needed to keep going down this path.

[B]

Okay, so you were on a path to making this happen and you just committed to it.

[C]

Yeah. So the further I went down, I was sort of applying for jobs here and there. I would go to interviews and every time I sat down in an interview, I was like, I don't want to do this anymore. Like doing high level finance and reporting to the board and preparing these reports and there's so much responsibility on your shoulders to like make the business do so well. And I just was ready to not have that sort of pressure anymore. And I. After learning more about E commerce, I was confident that I could equal or increase what my current salary was. So very, very early Days still. But I'm confident that I will get there eventually and the business will be paying me a very good wage.

[B]

Wow. All right, thanks for sharing us with us. Thanks for sharing the journey of really how, how you got there, like, how you got started. Now, you. You mentioned that you did some competitor analysis. Can we talk through validating the idea?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And what your quick dry hair towel actually does, because quick dry sounds obvious, but I know that there are benefits for our hair with this towel.

[C]

So it's very funny because I am actually not a hair person. I hate styling my hair. I hate washing my hair. My daughter has the most beautiful hair. When she was young, I just hated doing hair. So it's so funny that I've ended up here, but it's because of the problem that I had and I just couldn't find a solution for it. So after it all started with me buying a Dyson Air app, and I thought, if I'm spending this much money on a hair tool, I want to make sure that everything else that I'm doing is beneficial to my hair. And then I learned that bath towels are so bad for your hair. They rough up the hair cuticle, they cause fluid frizz. They don't even absorb moisture from your hair. Well, they do a little bit, but it's not very efficient. And then I started looking into different fabrics. So talking back to product validation, I did a survey. This was off of Founders advice. I did a survey and I sent it out to 25 people because that's how many I could do on the free plan. And yeah, I just. It was just more confirmation that there was a need for it. So people didn't know that bath towels were bad for your hair. And I think it's just something for me, anyway, that's just what you do. Like, you see it on TV and movies and people don't really. Your parents don't really teach you, like to dry your hair with a different towel. So then after I had the product validation, I went to competitor analysis and I bought every hair towel, turban, anything similar that I could find on the market in Australia. And then I went through the testing process of all of them. So there was aspects of some that I liked. So I kind of pulled from the ones that I liked the bits and pieces to come up with my design. And then the fabric, I just bought a whole heap of off the shelf microfiber fabrics because that's what was available. And that's what all the competitor hair towels were using. And they just Felt cheap and tacky. And you know when you rub it and it just gives you that icky feeling. And I was like, this isn't it. And so I found a. Another fabric that I liked, a fabric blend. And I through the sourcing process, no one could make it for me. They were like, this is especially designed. Fabric company doesn't do it. So then I eventually found someone who did three places that did, and I got samples done from two of them. One was horrible, one was outstanding. And then I tried the prototype of that, which is actually the hairtail I'm still using to this day, six months on. And I was just so happy with how the performance of the fabric, the look and feel, that wash after wash, it didn't go crusty or degrade. And so then I placed my bulk order from there.

[B]

Wow. Okay. And so how did that bulk order, like, talk us through that bulk order? Like, what were the conversations like with negotiating your minimum order quantity? Like, what was the first batch like?

[C]

So I obviously wanted a small batch for my first order and I have watched all of the Kion videos. The sourcing with Kion, which was a massive help in shortlisting suppliers. And I initially shortlisted to 10 and reached out to all of those and then just kept narrowing it down to those three that I got samples from. So then after shortlisting the suppliers and then working on my minimum quantity, it was just a lot of back and forth. I spent maybe two months talking with my manufacturer about it. She initially wanted 2000 for the first order and I was just like, I cannot do that. That is too much outlay for me to start with. And I said, I'm happy to pay more to get less. Anyway, we ended up with a thousand as the first order quantity. So I still was freaking out because that was such a big outlay for me to place that order. But as a famous. Oh, it's not a famous quote, but a quote that I like to use is, you haven't come this far to only come this far. So I was like, right, but we're just doing it. So I pulled the money out of our home loan account offset account and just kept going every day until that order arrived. So I placed the order in October last year and it didn't arrive until February. So the first week of February, and then I had about a week between stock arriving and my launch night. Whoa. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. And so how much did that first order cost you?

[C]

The first order was about $7,000.

[B]

$7,000. And you waited from October to Feb for it to arrive.

[C]

Yep. Because I was not paying more for air freight so I thought I can just wait a little bit longer to get it by sea. And yeah, it's just I knew that I knowing after learning the cycles of E Commerce, I knew that I didn't want to launch like right before Christmas. I knew that my brand wouldn't have enough time to be aware and I didn't want to get lost in sort of that Black Friday Boxing Day sales. So I thought I'll wait. And then January, I know is a quiet time as well, especially with the product that I have. I feel like there's a lot of mums that buy it and January is sort of, you know, getting organized for the kids, school, school and buying uniforms and the spending just isn't there in January. So that's why I it just kind of all aligned for me that February was going to be the best time to launch. Yeah.

[B]

And that's really intentional.

[C]

Right.

[B]

You had that foresight to think, okay, if I'm looking at who my target customer is, they're probably going to be spending on everything that comes with starting the new year, whether that be in terms of your career. And also coming off the back of Christmas, Boxing Day sales, Black Friday before that and then back to school comes with school uniforms, school books, textbooks, all the rest of it.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Is that, was that your target customer or was that perhaps your own experience that you wanted to reflect on?

[C]

Yeah, I think it was a bit of both. And one thing that I have found a little tricky so far is my ideal customer, I feel like is such a broad market because it really is women with hair. And when I say that to E commerce people, they're like, no, you need to get as niche as you can on your customer. So my main avatars are sort of young, busy mums that don't have time to dry their hair and just need to quickly have a shower, wash their hair, chuck your hair up in the towel and back to running around after the kids and then dry it again after. And also sort of those younger gym gym women who you know are always exercising so you need to be washing your hair all of the time. They're sort of the two that are really sticking out to me after two months. I also have another sort of market there of gift givers. So I've had a lot of people go, this is a perfect gift. I'm buying this for my daughter for her birthday or my granddaughter's or if I just got another sale, then I've got the shopify counter on my bench here. And so it ticks over every time even though my phone's on sale.

[B]

So it's a nice welcome distraction.

[C]

Yeah, really good. That was a bit of an investment, but I was like, I'm buying it because I want it sitting up there that every time I get a sale. So it's currently on 889.

[B]

So thank you to whoever just sent a pre order.

[C]

Yeah. Yes. So the target market has been a tricky one for me to identify, but I obviously know that the need for this product is out there. So that's been super exciting.

[B]

Yes. Okay, so you've identified those two target customers, which would have evolved over time, right, as you're making these sales.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's a product that is for hair health, anti breakage, anti frizziness, but then also really focused on that convenience.

[C]

Yeah. Also, I've had a lot of customers with hair extensions because apparently hair stack extensions need to be treated differently. And you can't just, like, rub. You have to be really careful with the hair and also not draw the moisture out, like, in a certain way. So a lot of girls with hair extensions have messaged me already and been like, this is so good for my hair. So it's just amazing.

[B]

How good is that?

[C]

Feedback from, like, I didn't plan to do it for hair extension girlies, but here we are.

[B]

Yeah, of course. And any. Did anything go wrong in this sourcing manufacturing process? Anything that surprised you or stumped you?

[C]

Yeah, I did. I guess, like, you know, when you're starting out and everything's so exciting and, you know, all the samples that I were getting were costing me $500 each. So one would arrive on my doorstep and I'd be like, yes, this is the one. And I would open it and be dismally disappointed at what I was receiving. I had spent a week designing the tech pack and making sure that I was very specific with what I wanted, the fabric, you know, everything else like that. So there was a couple of samples where it just kind of was a bit of a blow. But I just knew I would get to that point at some stage. So just reiterating. Or in that case with the really bad one, just having to explain, sorry, I. I can't progress further and get my product through you until I just found. Yeah. One of the three, which we communicated really well. She was open and honest with me every step of the way. And just the product that I have received from them is just. The quality is amazing. I'm so happy.

[B]

Isn't that so important though, that communication line being really strong, transparent, frequent, accessible. Like if you're dropping thousands of dollars with, with a supplier, you want to know that you have strong communication there.

[C]

And I just knew that it was going to take time. Like when I started out doing this, you just, all you think about is launch. I can't wait to launch and make sales. But it's like there's no point launching if you're not happy with your product or if the quality isn't there. Like, you just have to make sure you spend as much time as is needed to get things where you want it before launch. Because it really does pay off.

[B]

Absolutely. And getting, getting those foundations right from the start and make. Knowing that you have full confidence in who's producing your product.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Now let's get into some marketing and where this, where this traction has come about. So firstly, I want to ask you about where the first, the first channel that you identified that's given you some real traction, because I think I know the answer.

[C]

Yeah. I always knew it was going to be Instagram. Like, I have dabbled in TikTok. Like, it confuses the hell out of me. And going from myself as the target market and have been on Instagram for so long, I was like, it's just got to be Instagram. And then all I have done is just anything that I post on Instagram, I put to TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest. And I actually have a large audience from. On Pinterest as well. Just from purely that same content filtering out. I just say, like, it's another paint splatter on the wall and eventually something sticks. So I'm already creating the content for Instagram, so why not just share across all those platforms? Even though it's not going to be the ideal type of content on those other platforms, it is working for me on, on Instagram and I'm just getting those paint splatters out onto the other social platforms. Yes. So I started my Instagram page in July once I had a name. And when I was in the product development stage and product validation stage, all I was posting about was just hair, very vague hair content. So I didn't actually announce my product until January on my Instagram page. And for those six months beforehand, I was just posting like hair quotes and pretty bathrooms or a woman with beautiful hair saying hair goals and just sort of kind of finding my target audience without really announcing yet what it was that the product or the brand was going to be.

[B]

Yeah, right. And so you started the Instagram, July 2025.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And so you built that audience over over about a six month period.

[C]

Six, seven months.

[B]

In the lead up to your Feb. 2026 launch. Tell us a bit about being Face to Camera founder led content. I know some of you do very well.

[C]

I feel like everyone has the same story. Like now everyone goes, you're such a natural. You know, I. When Brittany shared my thing, I was wearing my husband's hoodie and I had. I was just a mess on the couch. But I'm like, I have to film this. And it's one of my most viewed videos. So to start my very first Face to Camera video, I had to take my daughter to an appointment an hour away. So I filmed it, I posted it and got in the car because I was like, I don't have. Now I've got an hour, I don't have time to rewatch it. Go, oh my God, I shouldn't have said that. And just let it go.

[B]

And it did.

[C]

Like, people were commenting and it was really nice. And I was like, oh. My husband was like, you don't sound like yourself at all. And I was like, oh my God, I was so nervous. My voice was all shaky, but I was like, I thought I did okay. And then I just was like. And it was the story as well, because I was like, I don't want any, like permanent record of that. But then after seeing like the connection that it got, I was like, I just need to keep doing it. So then I just kind of wrote a list of the things that I wanted to talk about Face to Camera and then just kind of kept doing it. And it took me maybe three weeks, I reckon. So my next step from that was I would take my mic, my little mic that I plug into my phone and I would take that with me to school pickup and I would get there 15 minutes early. So I knew I had 15 minutes to film, edit, post, and then the same thing. Then I had the drive home where I didn't have. Couldn't look at it. Just had to wait and see what happened. And then when I got home, I would check like how it was performing or resonating with people. And that was a really good step for me as well because it also held me accountable that it was something I had to do because I do the school pickup every day. So I started posting my videos like that. And then it just kind of naturally evolved that now when I'm at home and I think of something, I just film and post. So another kind of Quote that I like is people don't care if you do post, they don't care if you don't post. So you might as well do it.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Yeah. So now I, especially over the last couple of weeks, I just film post and people love it and they just want to see the person behind the brand and know that you're genuine and you just, I don't know, a good person, I guess.

[B]

Yeah, you're a real person. You're a good person. And they want to see the authenticity. They want to see the ups, the downs, the, the shock, disbelief, the real emotion behind a founder building a brand. And I love that hack that you've shared. Right. Like if you're giving yourself a 15 minute window where you need to just like film, like record the content, edit it, post it, put it up there, then you are tight locking and being smart about when we're getting this content out because it is, it is quite easy to, it's quite easy to not find the time in the day and then postpone it. Right. So I think that's, that's a really helpful tip now. All right, so let's, let's go back to your launch. Like your launch week. You shared a lot of really powerful content keeping your followers and your email list informed about when you were launching. Yeah, because I was on that list watching updates. How many contacts did you have on your email list before you launched on launch?

[C]

It was I had on my whiteboard that I wanted to get to 500 and I had about 300. Okay. So I had again spent a lot of time studying product launches and what performs. And I knew that with my launch discount, I wanted to make it an email only exclusive because I was really working on building my email list alongside my Instagram. So that worked really, really well. So I had a sort of six email flow, I think it was where I sort of was peppering things out the week beforehand. And even on launch night, as I was getting a bit of traction online, I was still like discount codes, email only sign up for the list. Like there was a 10% welcome code for everyone, of course, but then I had a 20% off launch week discount that was only available if you were on the mailing list for that, even on launch night. I had a lot more signups on launch night as well because of that.

[B]

Yeah. Okay, really clever. And let's talk about the launch. I remember you filming yourself, seeing Shopify, just ding, ding, ding.

[C]

I'm really excited. So my husband is a cinematographer, so we have a real fancy Video of my launch night. I have put it up on YouTube, but that one, I think, has about five views, so I need to promote that a bit more. So I was so nervous. I was confident I would get a couple of sales from family and friends. I just was like, I just hope someone buys. So launch night was here. I had done a Q and A on my stories during the day and was just making sure I was really active, communicating when I was going live and just amping it up, I guess. So then six o' clock came, and I unlocked my store, and the first sale actually happened before my husband was filming. So we didn't get that one on camera, But I got 12 sales within the first 40 minutes, I think. And I was just, like, crying. I was like, I think it's Nathan who said, if you can sell to one person, like, you can sell too many. So I was like, oh, my God, 12 people. Believe in what I'm doing. Believe in the product that I've created. And I was just so, like, I. I was so happy with that. I was like, I've done it. I've bloody done it. Like, I can go from here. I've got something to work with. And then, yeah, that all week, I just kept getting sales. And I think I ended up at about launch night, I did seventeen hundred dollars, which I was so, so happy with. And then I had a few more sales during the week as well. And, yeah, I was just like, all right, this is gonna work. Wow.

[B]

And how validating. Like those first 12 sales in 40 minutes.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

12 real people that are ready to buy the Juni hair towel. Believe in the product, believe in the brand, and just went for it.

[C]

Yeah. And the very first sale was someone that I didn't know. So I was like, yes. So, yes. Yeah, that's the best.

[B]

How validating now. Okay, so let's look. You are two months into the brand, which I feel like you've probably blinked, and now it's two months.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And you're sitting at $51,000 in sales, which is insane.

[C]

I know. Oh, my God. It's incredible. I just can't believe it. I've already placed two more orders with my manufacturers because the pre order is about to sell out. So I've got another order coming after that as well, just to make sure I can keep. And I'm increasing the quantities every time, which is very daunting. My last order was $20,000. So I. It was just like, the first time I placed that order was like, oh, my God, can I sell that many. But I know I'm all in on this and I have been from the beginning, so why would I not spend $20,000 on my product? Yeah.

[B]

Oh. Oh, my God. Absolutely. And so let's go back a little bit to how the brand has absolutely blown up in the past week or so. So you mentioned that you commented on a post of Britney Saunders, the Australian influencer leader in E commerce entrepreneurship. You commented on her post of her wearing a bath towel on her head, which is bad for your hair.

[C]

Yep. I just said girl. And I did heaps of Ls because I was like, that might capture some attention. I don't talk like that. I don't say girl. But I was like, girl, let me send you. And I said, girl, bath towels are so bad for your hair. Let me send you one of our junior hair towels. And I didn't think anything of it because honestly, when I spend time engaging on socials, I kind of do look for videos of people wearing bath towels because I see that as a big opportunity. Opportunity to get my product in there. And I was like, no. I had previously DM'd her maybe three times, saying, Let me send you one, let me send you one. And I didn't hear anything. So I was just. It was the final episode of Maths and me and my daughter were obsessed, so I just was like, I need to get back to watching Maths. And then my phone ding. And the sale was $400, and I hadn't had a sale in like three days before that. And previously before that, I'd gone seven days without a sale. So I was like, $400? Are you kidding me? And then I looked at the name and I was like, oh, my God. And I started shaking and I ran to my husband in the other room and I was like, look, look. And then my phone dings again with another sale. And I was like, what's happening? And I went back on Instagram and yeah, Britney said, I've just bought 10 and I'm going to do a giveaway video coming soon. How. How about that? And I was like, oh, my God.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[C]

This was at about 10 o' clock at night by now. I was like, first of all, I need to film and get a real up. So the. The lighting is so bad in that reel and I'm wearing my husband's hoodie. Like I said, I was like, people need to see this. And they loved. People loved it. And because I was getting so many new followers already off of the back of that comment. From there, I was like, I just need to keep creating content. I was previously only posting once a day, and now it's twice a day. And I'm on stories as much as I can be.

[B]

Absolutely. And as us as your followers, being a part of the Joonie community, we loved seeing those live updates. Like, you've taken us on the journey from when it started to the sampling to when the stock arrived to when you went live. You made your first sales, then you got recognized by an influencer with a massive following that people love and admire and really look up to. And so Brittany said that she. She placed the order, you saw the order, then she created a reel when the order arrived, and it was like, the best display of the house.

[C]

It was so crazy. So I. That was Monday night, the first comment when she purchased, and I sent the order out straight away. First of all, I didn't even have packaging that could fit an order that big because I had never sold 10 hair towels before. So I had to go to the post office, figure that out, and I did a story about it. I took everyone along with me. Like, I don't know. I have never sent 10 of my product before. Let's figure it out, guys. So then I sent them off to her and then was packing each day because I kept getting orders all through the week. I think I ended up with maybe 150 just from the comment before she even posted about it. And then Friday afternoon comes. I've got all, yes, I'm up to date on my orders. Me and my husband go down to the post office to drop them off, get some stuff for dinner. We're walking back to the car, bing, bing. My phone starts going off, and I'm like, something's happened. And I look on Shopify and there's 88 people on my store. And I'm like, there's a bug or something. Like, something's not right here. And I was like, I need to check Instagram. And as soon as I looked in there, the Britney's Real was there. And I just started watching it. And my husband's in the passenger seat. And I was like, you need to film this now. So he's got me. The real reaction of me watching that video for the first time, and the sales are, like, dinging as I'm watching it, and I'm, like, shaking, and I'm going, you need to drive, because I can't drive now. Like, I'm so, so adrenalized. And here I was thinking, I've just Done my post office run. Now I'm going to have a chill weekend with no orders. And I am not complaining at all because it, it was so fun. And I just from that 3pm reel that she posted on Friday all the way through till Saturday, must have been out 2 o'. Clock. It was less than 24 hours, 347 orders and completely sold out of all of my stock. So I'm sitting there, I have a massive pile of cows on the couch. I know there's 10 more boxes in the garage and I'm thinking, I just, I want to get them all out to everyone on Monday. And I'm like, I can't do that. I need to just make sure I take some time. I got them all out by Tuesday, so it was the most crazy weekend. And Saturday night I had a few messages from people, other e commerce brands on Saturday after I had already sold out saying you need to open pre orders and get like, keep the momentum going. And I was like, I can't do that. I know my stock is six to eight weeks away. I don't think people are willing to pay that far in advance for my product. So then I did what I had been doing all week and put another video out. Hey guys, I'm thinking about opening pre orders. Here's the timeline. Let's be super, I'm going to be super clear about it. Would you be willing to, to purchase now knowing that it won't come for six to eight weeks? And over 85% were like, yep. So then I was like stopped packing, got back onto my Shopify store and figured out how to do pre orders and I set all of that up. And then since then, Saturday night, I can tell you Now, I've had 214 pre orders and over 300 individual hair towels. So a lot of people are buying more than one as well, which is crazy. So I only have a thousand coming in my next shipment in the beginning of June and that's already over 30% sold out in four days.

[B]

Right. So you've absolutely taken advantage of this opportunity. You've sold out, you've checked in with your community to see what they actually think, want, what they would actually do. Yeah, they love the branding, they love the brand, they feel a part of the movement that is the Juni hair towel. And you've made, you've received 214 pre orders for a six to eight week wait.

[C]

Yeah. For 300 individual units. Like it's so mind blowing to me. So I have already, like I said, placed a Second order that will be coming in late July and that's. I've ordered 2,000 in that one. But now I'm like, oh my God, I need to increase crease that to 3,000, 4,000. Like where does it end? It's not stopped. It has not stopped.

[B]

Wow, that is, yeah, that's just incredible. The week that you've had, the, the two months that you've had and now I, I want to ask you, I think this is something that might be on the listeners minds is you have been, you have fortunately had Brit Saunders post on her socials about your brand. Now there are lots of brands out there that may not receive that exposure this early on. We need to, we need to appreciate that. Right. So I think given that this has happened, maybe if you could share with us what do you think was so impactful that you did in this moment on the back of that that has made it so successful?

[C]

Yeah, I think to strip it all back is just having. It comes from the product validation process. Like I knew through that process that I had a good product and that there was a need for it because it could have been another business in a flooded market. That didn't flag her interest. Off the back of the comment like I. And I think it was a lot of divine timing as well. Right. I posted that comment, she could have been busy and not checked her Instagram for another hour and then it would have just been lost in the sea of comments. Like I am so aware of the timing and how lucky I have been to have this opportunity. But I think as well it's a lot to do with the business and the brand and I've already had over 50 reviews on my online store before that. So that social proof as well I think was very, very important once I got the exposure that people saw. And yes, it's a new business but there's 50 plus people out there that have left a five star review already. So it must be good.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah, that's such great social proof and to have that many reviews there, that's what people are looking at nowadays.

[C]

So it's really nice. Honestly I was just messaging people. I had sent quite a few out to influence and gifted collabs and even when people were DMing me saying this is so amazing, I'd say can I please put that as a review on my website? Like always getting their permission first. But yes, a lot of them, like I just had to prompt them, please give me a review, I need to get this review. And just I already had from the gifted collabs that I sent out before launch, I think I had maybe 7 to 10 reviews on my website on launch night because I knew just in all of my research and my personal buying preference. Right. Like, I want to see. See real people using it, real people's experience to give me that assurance before I buy. So, yeah, of course, social proof there as well, I think is what's helped snowball the snowball effect.

[B]

Yeah, of course. All right. And so the business has just been going from strength to strength in the first two months. Like, it's still really early days. Right. Like, you're only launched two months ago.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

What. What would you say? Okay, so since July 2025, when you were just starting out with the Junior Hotel, coming up with the idea and the concept, and it was all very new. Fast forward to today. What. What do you think has changed the most? Like, mentally, financially, lifestyle?

[C]

Yeah, I think mentally for me, in the first few months, I was sort of seeing it as I'll just dabble and see how I go while still, like, pursuing my accounting career. And like, kind of just had the feelers out in a lot of areas. And then after I did another job interview and I was like, no, this isn't what I want. I was like, I need to switch my mindset to Journey is my job. I am building something here. I am going to create my own job, my own salary, and my own brand. And that mindset switch, after I did that, things just were aligning so well and I was like, all right, so now that my mind's in order and I know this is what I'm doing, I just need to keep following the path. And obviously then financially, from the sales that I've had, I've been able to place bigger orders with confidence, which has really helped because I. I am a chronic overthinker as well. So as I guess a lot of us are, especially when it comes to a big financial outlay. Right. Like, you need to make sure that you're at least going to recoup on that expense. And so, I mean, it's only been a week, but I'm like, oh, now I can look into, like, new products or expanding the product line already. And I honestly thought that would be a year before I could start doing those things. Like, people are asking me for different designs, different sizes, different products, and I'm like, oh, I could actually do that now. Like, with a little bit of cash flow back into the business. And lifestyle wise, these last two weeks have been school holidays. So My poor kids are just stuck in their rooms, like, chatting with their friends online, which I honestly don't think they mind. But I've been. I've had a bit of mum guilt, which I think a lot of mums in business have. But I am just so grateful that I can drop them off to school, pick them up if they forget something, I can run it down and I can just work this business around my life. So that's always what I wanted to do. Like, I'm a big believer in work, life balance and I think that's why the corporate world just wasn't working out for me. So I've already been able to create that for myself within two months of launching, which is insane.

[B]

Wow. Thank you. Yeah, thank you for sharing with us. And I think what you've said around that mindset piece there of I am going to treat Juni as my job for a lot of people. It's not going to happen overnight. Like, you can't just quit your 9 to 5 and then move to something overnight. However, making that decision for yourself to own your career and the direction that you're heading in.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And, and taking real ownership of what you want to do with your life and how you're going to. How you're going to run your own timetable, produce your own income stream. I think this is really powerful that you made that switch for yourself.

[C]

Yeah. And what? Yeah. Just knowing that I was all in and not having another job, I was like, I'm going to make this my job. So I literally sat down at this desk after, in between school pickup and drop off and watched webinars and studied and learned. And just because of the tight budget that I had, not being only on one income now without me working, I was like, I'm going to do as much as possible as I can. So I did all of my branding, I did the whole website, I've done all the marketing, all the photo shoots, every single thing I have done myself in house with the help of my husband, with the, the film shoots. But yeah, I was just so determined to learn and do as much as I can because I was of the, you know, in the fortunate place of being able to have the time to invest into it.

[B]

Wow. And you've just. That's right. Like it's changed your lifestyle in ways, but you've just developed this whole other skill set when it comes to sourcing, manufacturing, branding, social media, getting in front of the camera, that founder led content, like everything that we've covered. But how reassuring is that? That you can basically like reinvent your occupation and you can adapt and you can be agile and you can pursue a whole different path that you barely knew of before.

[C]

It's so crazy. And when I first started, I was like, marketing is going to be the hardest part for me. Like finance data, numbers. I did all the budgeting and planning and, you know, my pricing. I was very confident in all of those areas. And there was the marketing side and, you know, putting my face out there and, and learning what kind of works for social content. I was like, I don't know what to do here. But then I just started doing it and committed to myself because I was already committed to the business that socials is going to be a massive part of making this business succeed. So I'm just going to do it and see what happens. That's honestly where my head was at with the marketing and the social content side.

[B]

Yeah, of course. And what would be your upon reflection, what would be your number one word of advice to someone who's considering starting an e commerce brand?

[C]

I would say do your research and back yourself. Once you've done your research and you know you've got a good product, there's a market fit, you've done the validation, run your numbers as well. I can't go without saying that because as an accountant that is my duty and just reach out to other people who know more than you as well. So I have learned so much by just DMing people, voice messaging people. People are so generous with their time and their knowledge, so you just need to reach out. But 100% back yourself. That's my main thing because as soon as I made that mindset switch, my life changed. My whole life changed.

[B]

Well, thank you so much for sharing, Donna. Yeah, this is, this is just been so powerful and it is demystified the process. You've come to this, come to this conversation really real, which I really appreciate. Donna Gilbertson, the founder of the Juni Quick Dry Hair Towel, thank you so much for joining us on the Little Empires podcast.

[C]

Thank you so much for having me, Leah. It's been a lot of fun. Thank you.

[A]

Hey, founder fam. Thank you so much for tuning in today and if you enjoyed this episode, please take the time to leave us a review and let us know what you think. Think this podcast is 100% free. We work so hard to go out and find the most successful entrepreneurs and founders in the world. Your feedback helps us grow, improve, and even bring on more incredible guests and insights. So if you have a second, please take a moment. Leave us a review. It really makes a difference. Thanks again for listening and I'll catch you on the next show.