362. How to start a SUCCESSFUL business in your 20s ft. Brittney Saunders

Summary

The Psychology of Your 20s – Episode 362: "How to Start a SUCCESSFUL Business in Your 20s"

Featuring: Host Gemma Spike & Brittney Saunders, Founder and CEO of Fate the Label
Release Date: December 8, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, host Gemma Spike sits down with Brittney Saunders, a pioneering Australian entrepreneur and the founder of the fashion brand Fate the Label. Brittney shares her unfiltered journey from school dropout and YouTube beauty guru to influential business owner, diving into the real psychology, practicalities, and emotional realities of launching and scaling a business in your twenties. Together, Gemma and Brittney talk about self-doubt, risk-taking, the power of starting small, learning from mistakes, and the evolution from influencer to CEO. The conversation is candid, down-to-earth, often funny, and packed with actionable advice — making it a must-listen for anyone considering their own entrepreneurial path.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brittney’s Unconventional Career Path

• Early Life and Education
  • Brittney grew up in Newcastle, Australia, and, uninterested in academia, dropped out of school at 16 to waitress. She was "a born and bred Newie gal" ([06:13]).
  • Felt pressure from teachers/careers advisors to pick a life path at 15:

    “I am 15, I don’t even have a lobe to develop. Like it's not there.” — Gemma ([07:19])

• Experimenting with Side Hustles
  • Dabbled in mobile spray tans, freelance makeup, selling iPhone cases, and YouTube, viewing them as fun hobbies, not “real businesses” ([10:15]).
  • By age 21, she’d had over 20 jobs attempting to find her “thing.”

2. Becoming an Influencer: The First Australian Wave

• Origins of YouTube Success
  • Started a YouTube channel as a teen and, over six years, grew it from zero to 80,000 subscribers, becoming a “full-blown influencer” ([11:08], [12:57]).
  • Experienced the OG YouTube/influencer wave with brand trips and paid posts.
• Dealing with Labels and Stereotypes
  • Known among peers as “the bogan one” for her authenticity, which set her apart from other beauty creators ([13:43], [14:02]).

3. From Influencer to Founder: The Start of Fate the Label

• Finding the Business Idea
  • Fate was not born of a grand business plan, but from a DIY, “think of it and do it” mentality; Brittney leveraged her audience as potential customers ([16:47]).
• Organic Growth and Taking Risks
  • Started Fate at home with help from friends/family, packing orders and teaching herself everything (Shopify, logistics, customer service).
  • Over time, the brand scaled “one foot in front of the next,” taking on a lease, then opening a first store “by accident” ([22:14]).
  • Emphasized risk-taking:

    “Great things can happen if you just take that step.” ([23:56])

Notable Moment

On running things DIY and not overthinking:

“I didn’t see past that moment when I started it... If I could have my time over...I would 100% document [the garage setup]. People love to see that behind the scenes.” — Brittney ([19:40]–[21:30])

4. Business Lessons You Can’t Google

• The Emotional Side of Entrepreneurship
  • “Google couldn’t have prepared me for...the emotional journey of starting a business. And also how much starting a business isn’t about you at all.” ([28:59])
  • Discussed evolving from founder-centric to employee- and team-centric mindset.
• Most Costly Early Mistake:
  • Hiring friends and family for convenience, which blurs personal/professional lines and stunts organizational growth:

    “People will either make or break your business.” ([33:00]) “Avoiding hard conversations was another big one...because, yeah, we’re naturally people-pleasers.” ([32:37])

Memorable Quote

“The first three years of a business is like a trial. And then after three years, that's when it turns into a real business.” — Brittney ([32:02])

5. Scaling Up: Systems, Delegation, and Letting Go

• Growing Pains
  • Moved from a home-based side hustle to a company with 70+ employees and multiple storefronts.
  • Learned to hire “A players” and people “better than you” to achieve real growth ([34:22]).
  • Emphasized the value of paying for expertise over saving and training from scratch.
• Letting Go of Influencing
  • Gradually stepped away from sponsored content to become a full-time CEO. The influencer income initially let her reinvest into Fate for years without taking a salary ([37:34]).

6. Inside the Day-to-Day Life of a Founder

• Current Role
  • Heavily involved in marketing, campaign planning, customer initiatives (e.g., customer brand trips), and major decisions ([39:15]).
  • Still handles all stock buying and Facebook/Meta ads.
  • Expressed the challenge of balancing detailed work with big-picture thinking as Fate grows ([41:45], [42:14]).
• Unique Customer Experiences
  • Created “brand trips” for loyal customers, not influencers — “Lucky Seven” and “Fate Eight” — to celebrate Fate's birthday, building community and content ([39:20]).

7. Future Plans & Advice

• New Ventures
  • Brittney dreams of starting “a faceless business” or even Fate’s direct competitor, as a social experiment to prove she can succeed without a pre-existing following ([51:17]):

    “I would almost love to start a faceless business...and never tell anyone...and then come out and be like, this was me and none of you knew.”

• Philosophy on Luck and Hard Work
  • Acknowledges the benefit of having an audience, but emphasizes years of “hard work, determination, and persistence” ([53:25]).
• Advice to Her Younger Self / People in Their 20s
  • “Do it scared.”

    “The number one thing that holds people back...is being scared. ...You can just do it and still feel scared at the same time.” ([55:06])

8. Fate’s Bestsellers and Denim Rant

• Favorite Product: Downtown Pants (“like a dressy corporate pant...with an elastic back, comfy, easy to dress up or down") ([56:27]).
• Best-Selling Category: Denim; new jeans range coming in 2026. Gemma shares her personal vendetta against Levi’s, sparking laughter ([57:23]).
• On Competition:

  “Every brand can exist together and there's enough customers...I would love to collaborate with a competitor of ours.” —Brittney ([58:59])

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “I am 15, I don’t even have a lobe to develop.” — Gemma ([07:19])
• “Back then I remember, like the OG YouTube days. To have 80,000 subscribers was, like, kind of a big deal.” — Brittney ([11:21])
• “What would you do if you didn’t have this YouTube stuff?” — Brittney reflecting on her own Q&As ([17:59])
• “I am a very ‘think of it and do it’ person.” — Brittney ([16:50])
• “Business is just making mistakes constantly and learning better for next time.” — Brittney ([29:01])
• “The first three years of a business is like a trial.” — Brittney ([32:02])
• “People will either make or break your business.” — Brittney ([33:00])
• “Do it scared.” — Brittney ([55:05])
• “Every brand can exist together and there’s enough customers... I would love to collaborate with a competitor of ours.” — Brittney ([58:59])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |----------------------------------|---------------------| | Brittney’s background, leaving school, YouTube origin | 06:11 - 13:24 | | Influencer era, “bogan” label, brand trips | 13:24 - 15:58 | | Fate the Label: from idea to launch, early DIY | 16:11 - 23:56 | | Business isn’t about you; hiring mistakes | 28:59 - 34:22 | | Scaling, hiring experts, letting go of influencing | 34:22 - 39:41 | | Leading as a CEO: tasks, customer trips | 39:41 - 42:27 | | Future ambitions: faceless business, competition | 48:32 - 52:31 | | Advice to 20-somethings: “Do it scared” | 54:45 - 56:08 | | Fate’s top products, denim, on competition | 56:27 - 59:57 |

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Conversational: Banter, candid admissions, and plenty of laughs (“I just always stayed true to myself...the Aussie, like the bogan one.” [13:43]).
• Inspiring, but honest: Both host and guest acknowledge insecurity and mistakes, showing the highs and lows of starting a business.
• No-nonsense—“no bullshit, straight shooting advice”: As Gemma promised at the start ([04:36]).
• Warm and relatable: Without glamorizing entrepreneurship, the episode normalizes uncertainty, imperfection, and learning as you go.

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Closing Thoughts

If you’ve ever considered starting a business in your 20s (or at any age), this episode demystifies the process. Key takeaways: Start scrappy, learn as you go, hire carefully, document your journey, and above all—do it scared. Fate the Label’s success is not a fairytale of overnight fortune; it’s a story of relentless experimentation, self-teaching, gradual scaling, and learning from every misstep.

Find Brittney Saunders on social media, listen to her “Big Business” podcast for more entrepreneurship insights, or visit one of Fate’s five Australian stores — and maybe, just maybe, keep an eye out for her “secret” competitor brand.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Gemma Spike]

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It is so great to have you.

Here back for another episode as we of course break down the Psychology of our twenties. Starting a business during this decade Starting a successful business in this decade is a big goal that I know a.

Lot of you guys have.

I so often get requests for advice on this or to bring somebody on who can give us some no bullshit straight shooting advice on what it takes.

How to formulate an idea, how to execute an idea, how to handle money investment stuff. Today I am so lucky to have.

That somebody on the podcast who can.

Talk us through all of these things.

Brittany Saunders is the founder and CEO of Fate the label.

It is an iconic Australian clothing brand, iconic that has exploded in recent years.

And she started this business in her 20s.

I'm so excited to have her on.

And to hear her story. Brittany Saunders, welcome to the Psychology of your twenties.

[Brittany Saunders]

Thanks for having me Gemma. I feel like your, your voice is so calming. Do people say that to you?

[Gemma Spike]

They do, they do. I don't know what it is though because I find my voice really irrit.

[Brittany Saunders]

But I feel like I need to match the way that you talk so that we can. No, I'm really. Because my voice is like naturally very loud and you're being really calm. So I'm like, I think I need.

[Gemma Spike]

To Be calm, everybody.

Well, I was saying I love having to you before this. I was like, I love having another Australian on the podcast.

[Brittany Saunders]

I feel like you need to get some more on.

[Gemma Spike]

I know, I do, I do. I don't know I do a lot, but like, just this year I just have just hasn't happened.

[Brittany Saunders]

That's kind of cool though, if you're mixing it up and getting people from all over the world.

[Gemma Spike]

But I feel like people always say, oh my God, yeah, like you don't have a strong Australian accent. And I'm like, I think I do. But hearing your accent.

[Brittany Saunders]

Mine's pretty strong.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

And I love it.

I'm like, oh, maybe I should really. Maybe I should get back to my roots. Yeah. The fuck Are you really getting into it? You know, like really put us.

[Brittany Saunders]

We can talk like that the rest of the episode.

[Gemma Spike]

No, that turns on off. Turns off, yeah. Okay, well, tell me a little bit about your story. I feel like I'm going to get ahead of myself. What did you want to be when you grew up? Where did you grow up?

What's like the history of British.

[Brittany Saunders]

So I am from Newcastle, which if you're not familiar or anyone listening, it's a little regional city two hours north of Sydney or maybe two and a half, depending on what part of Sydney you're coming from, because Sydney is massive. So I'm a born and bred newie gal. I lived like around Australia in my late teens and early 20s. And a long story short is in high school, I discovered this website called YouTube and I thought that looks fun. So I just started that as a hobby and did it all throughout high school. I dropped out of school when I was 16 to be a waitress because I hated being at school. I had no interest in school. I wasn't bad in school. Like, I was actually pretty good. And especially like in year 10, like at the subjects that I chose, but I just like had no interest in being there. And I feel like from a young age, like when you're a teenager, you're kind of told by all of your teachers and the careers advisor, you know, you've got to figure out what it is that you want to do for the rest of your life right now. And it's like, I am 15, I.

[Gemma Spike]

Don'T even have a lobe to develop. Like it's not there.

[Brittany Saunders]

So vividly remember being in like year nine and going into year ten and I was a year young for my year as well. So I was going into year 10 and, you know, you'd have like we got introduced to the school careers advisor.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Did you have one of those?

[Gemma Spike]

And they used to make you do this quiz? Did you do this quiz? Like this? It was like 10 pages and it was like, what? What are you going to be when you grow up?

[Unknown Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And it's like, how do I grow? And I remember back thinking, I have no idea what I want to do. Like, I had no idea. I had no interest in the idea of going to uni. And I remember all my friends in school at the time, like, they knew that they were going to go to uni, become a nurse because their mum was a nurse or whatever, or they want to be a teacher. And I remember going to the careers advisor and thinking and saying, I don't know what it is that I want to do and something really random. At one point, he was trying to sell the idea to me of going into the army reserves.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh my God. I just got chills because that happened.

To me as well.

I genuinely just got chills. I'm not even joking.

[Brittany Saunders]

You got goosebumps.

[Gemma Spike]

I got goosebumps because that happened to me. They were like, you should really join the army reserves. And I was like, what part of me makes you think that that's a good idea?

[Brittany Saunders]

I'm not this young girl. Like, no clue. And I don't know if they were like incentivized maybe that's what I was just thinking, like all brochures and pamphlets and he's handing them all to me. And I was like, oh, okay, maybe this is what I want to do. So then I went to some like, career that.

[Gemma Spike]

Like the army, like an adv or something.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. And so like, I just had no idea. I applied for a couple of like hairdressing apprenticeships because you know how like when you get to year 10, everyone's dropping out to go become a beauty therapist or a hairdresser. I was like, yeah, okay, that's what I want to do. Yeah. So I went and did a couple of trials to become a first year apprentice.

[Gemma Spike]

How many hours did you work when you were doing that? So many. Right?

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. I think like one trial was a week.

[Gemma Spike]

Unpaid.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. Back then I think you have to get paid.

[Gemma Spike]

I don't even know. I honestly wouldn't put it past them back then.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah, I remember I got paid nothing and all I did was sweep floors and make cups of tea for a week at this one place. Then they handed me like a big pack of shampoo and conditioner at the end. They said, sorry, you didn't get the job. I'm there, like, crying. But looking back now, like, I'm so glad that never worked out.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

So, yeah, dropped out when I was just waitressing in Newcastle. Was working on my YouTube channel. I had over 20 different jobs in my teens and into my early 20s and worked in every industry because I was just trying to figure out what it was that I wanted to do doing the YouTube. And then throughout those late teen years, I also dabbled in what I didn't know at the time were businesses, but I just thought they were, like, little hobbies or something, you know? So I did, like, mobile spray tans, and then I set up a little spray tan business at home because I had this lawn mower storage underneath my house.

[Gemma Spike]

Like, that's very smart.

[Brittany Saunders]

It was, like, on a sloping block, and then you knew how there'd be, like, the wooden door and then, like, a brick room under the back of the house. Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

This is a very Australian thing.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. I don't know why.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah. I used to always walk past these and be like, there are children trapped in there.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

You know what I mean?

[Brittany Saunders]

Well, I was in there doing 15 spray tans. Well, so I set up a business there. I would have been 17 or 18 at the time. Taught myself how to do makeup and was doing a bit of makeup on YouTube and stuff. So then I was doing freelance makeup, tried decorating and selling iPhone cases on Facebook. There were just so many things that I did in those early developmental years that I just thought were, like, fun, you know, I never really made any money out of them. And then my YouTube kind of really kicked off.

[Gemma Spike]

Do you remember the video?

[Brittany Saunders]

It wasn't a video. It's because I'd been doing it for years, like, from ages of 15 up until 21, which is how many years? Six.

[Gemma Spike]

Like, six years. Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

So from. Yeah, about 15 years old to 21, I went from zero subscribers to 80,000. And back then, that was kind of like a big deal.

[Gemma Spike]

That's still a big deal. Yeah. Back then, I remember, like, the OG YouTube days.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. And so to have 80,000 subscribers was, like, kind of a big deal. And I was 21, and I was working full time in an admin role in Newcastle, and I was just earning, like, a little bit of money off the ads. And then this is when Instagram had come out as well. So I had maybe 20,000 followers on Instagram. And I started getting paid, like, $50 for an Instagram post, $100 for an Instagram post. You know, just like, holding up A protein powder next to my face or whatever.

[Gemma Spike]

Remember how like how low energy it used to be?

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes. I would say it was like one brand that I worked with back then was Protein World. I don't know if you remember that. And they had like this Slender shake or some shit. It was in like the Skinny Me tea days.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah, I was just thinking that.

[Brittany Saunders]

And I'm pretty sure I did like one of those Detox tea posts too. And like you would literally get sent the product and I would just hold it next to my face and sit, smile in a selfie and put that on Instagram and I'd get like $150. And so that was like the start. Yeah, so that was the start of me like earning money through Instagram and obviously making a bit off the YouTube ads. And again, long story short, but at the age of 21 I kind of looked at the money that I was earning through my YouTube and Instagram, which was nothing. And I was living in a share house at the time with like three other people paying like a hundred dollars a week. Ren. 50 on petrol, 50 on groceries. Back then I remember working out, okay, this is how much it cost me to live. I'm gonna quit my full time job and try to make this YouTube thing my full time job. What's the worst that's going to happen?

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

If this doesn't work out, I will just go and get another job because I've had over 20 by this point.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And have been working for myself ever since. So it's been 11 years now. I'm 32 now and obviously the YouTube then absolutely boomed. In three years that 80,000 subscribers I built to a million. And then I was like a full blown influencer in that first like wave of influencers in Australia which was so surreal. Looking back on now, it just doesn't feel real.

[Gemma Spike]

What was the coolest thing you got to do whilst you were. Because to break the fourth wall. Like I was. Well, I'm how much younger than you? I'm seven years younger.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

So I remember being in high school.

[Brittany Saunders]

You were a little teenager.

[Gemma Spike]

I was a teenager and I knew who were. Yeah, you were like this is the. You were like the one of like the it girls.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah, like the, the Aussie, like the bogan one.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh well, because that was in the.

[Brittany Saunders]

Era of like beauty guru and I know ex.

[Gemma Spike]

There's all these others. Like there was that Curtis, Chloe Morello. Oh my God.

[Brittany Saunders]

Shani Grimmon, Chloe Z. And then there was me going how the are you? And Then everyone would go, she's the bogan one.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, my God.

[Brittany Saunders]

I just always stayed true to myself.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

You know, the most surreal thing back then probably would have just been all the opportunities of traveling with brands, like getting taken to Spain with NARS cosmetics for a global brand trip when they were launching a new mascara. Just going all the way to Spain for three days just for them to launch the Red Climax mascara, which, by.

[Gemma Spike]

The way, but that's kind of iconic. Yeah, I have that mascara. Yes. I still have it.

[Brittany Saunders]

We went to the launch of that.

[Gemma Spike]

That.

You know what? This just this whole economy where people think that, like, influencing and, like, content creation is, like, that's not a real job. It's like, no, no, no. Like, the money behind these industries is.

[Brittany Saunders]

Billions and billions and billions. Yeah, exactly. Right. And it's changed a lot since back then when I did all of that. Like, the industry as a whole is completely different. And I guess back then we were lucky because what we were doing was aspirational. It was like, oh, my God, did you see Brittany got to go on the trip and with tart trips, you know, to Hayman Island.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, my God, I remember those. The tart.

[Brittany Saunders]

It was, like, cool because it was new and it was this whole new era of influencing. And then influencers got picked, and then everyone was almost, like, excited, like, oh, this is so cool. Whereas it's been so interesting now to have been around for so long where a brand will do a brand trip now and people go, this is tone deaf, you know, Like.

[Gemma Spike]

Like they're sick of it. This is too. Did you see this thing the other day? It was like, having a life core where it's like, I saw this post about this the other day where it's like, we don't want unattainable things. Like, people are moving back to, like, the authentic ye. Like, content of, like, this is unattainable.

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

People love to see just everyday life, people going to work and then documenting that. But I guess I feel lucky that I was in that kind of first wave of influences in Australia because it was new and it was cool. And everyone's like, oh, my God, this is amazing. Goals.

[Gemma Spike]

Okay, so this is this, like, amazing journey. You've been on a fun journey. Like, when did you decide to quit influencing? And when did you first get the idea for fate?

[Brittany Saunders]

So the idea of fate came about probably around the age of 23 to 24. And people will always look at fate now and go, oh, like, what was your business plan? Like, you must have had you know, all of your ducks in a row to like looking at what fate is today. But I always say, when I started fate, it was much like when I started the spray tans under my house. It was not this big grand plan. I dabbled in lots of other small little businesses. I think the only difference with fate and going into the world of E. Com was I was a little bit older. I was still very young, but I also had an audience.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

So I knew, obviously, well, I've got all these people following me. I've got these YouTube subscribers of over a million. I've got potential customers here. So that was the biggest difference for me. And it was definitely an advantage. But that doesn't mean that I knew how to run a business. It didn't mean that I knew how to build one from scratch or scale one or sustain it. But I had that audience. Uh, and it was very much a. I'm like a very think of it and do it person. Like, I'll, like, lay in bed at night and then have an idea pop into my head and I'll go, aj, I've got this idea and then I'll start doing it tomorrow. It was very much the same when it came to fate. It was just learning everything myself. And I think, like, I had the experience of working with so many. I work with so many brands. Like, in my early 20s, I had ongoing partnerships where brands were paying me every month to do, you know, a post for their products and stories. And so I guess I kind of thought in the back of my mind, why don't I do this? But with my own products instead of just always promoting other products. And when I was influencing, I even think back to, you know, when YouTubers would do like a Q and A video.

[Gemma Spike]

Yes.

[Brittany Saunders]

And it'd be like, send me in your questions and I'll do a Q and A. And then you'd be like, hi, guys, welcome back. Today I'm going to do a Q and A. And then you would get, like, thousands of comments asking questions. And I remember one common question that I would always get back then was, what would you do if you didn't have this YouTube stuff? Like, that would always be a question that would come up in my Q and A's. And I would always say, and I could probably go back and find one of my old videos. They're all archived. But I would always say, I know that I'm not going to do this forever. I knew that it wasn't sustainable for me to be an influencer forever. I Mean, I definitely could. I could still be, you know, a full blown influencer now, just doing brand deals every day. But like, even back then, like when I was in the peak of the YouTube stuff and like the influencer sponsored posts, like, I always knew in the back of my mind, I don't want to do this forever. I felt like I had more that I wanted to achieve or do. I just didn't know what it was. And so when it come to me, launching Fate, it wasn't this big, grand idea. I didn't think, I'm going to turn this into a really popular brand and we're going to have all of these sizes. It was very much, I'm just going to start this thing. I hired aj, who's my partner, his mum's family friend's daughter, to just come and work with me because it was just at my house.

[Gemma Spike]

Us.

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

You know, so I was like, yeah, just come and work with me like two to three days a week and just help me pack the orders and do the customer service and go to the P.O. box to get our returns. And so it was very diy. And aj, he was an electrician at the time, so he would just, he helped me, like set everything up and like all his post accounts and website. I just learned how to build a Shopify website. It's just very diy.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And I didn't see past that moment when I started it.

[Gemma Spike]

Do you think that was helpful?

Yeah, just to be like, we're just gonna make this now.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. 100. And I think again, much like how I started my influencer journey really early, I'm also glad that I started Fate eight years ago because I didn't have all these expectations that maybe someone starting a business now would have, because I could imagine it would be really overwhelming for, let's say someone's wanting to get into E Comm and start a little Shopify store. This episode is not sponsored by Shopify.

[Gemma Spike]

I know I can't, but they're just really good. Yeah, they just work really well.

[Brittany Saunders]

We use Shopify for Fate.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

You know, if I was starting today and I like, when I started Fate, this was before, like small business. Tick tock. Like, there's no such thing as that. You know, people, no one was creating content about their business. And I even remember back then when I started Fate, thinking, oh, like, I don't know if I'm going to be able to put this, like, on my social media because I don't know if my audience will like this because they want Me to do Kmart, haul and vlog. You know, going shopping at West. Yeah. Q A. And so I started posting a couple little YouTube videos about it. And I would never show my shed at home because that's where it was set up first. But I would go upstairs into my spare room, like, this is my HQ and office. But then I would never show the garage because I was embarrassed of it. Whereas now, like in 2020 or 2026, you, if you were starting a business in your garage, you document the shit out of that.

[Gemma Spike]

But maybe that's like, why it's so.

Hard these days, because it's like you have to get over this. This. Like, it just feels like everything has to be public.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes.

[Gemma Spike]

So all the things have to be perceived. So if it's not looking great, not looking perfect, it fails. It's like, it's just so visible.

[Brittany Saunders]

But back then, because no one else was doing that, I was like, oh, well, I'm not going to show this. People aren't going to take me seriously. But if I could have my time over or if I was starting now and I was still starting in my spare bedroom and all the plastic tubs in my shed, I would 100% document that. Because people love to see that behind the scenes.

[Gemma Spike]

They do.

[Brittany Saunders]

And again, long story short, fate just grew over those first few years. And we moved out, got our first little warehouse in Newcastle, hired employee number two, employee number three. Then we had a little team. In 2019, we opened our first store. And that's a whole other story as well. But the only reason that we opened our first store was because we had to move again because we were growing. And the building that we got had a little showroom downstairs.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, cool. Let's do it.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. So that was 2019, just before COVID Again, I had no idea how to run a store, but I would just get on Google. Again, this is before ChatGPT or anything. So I was just Googling this stuff and I just remember Googling, like, what's a good point of sale system like to have in Australia? You know, how to get shopping bags made? Like, I'm just Googling everything.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Again, hide, like, people I knew, family, friends or whatever. And like, I just worked in the shop myself most of the time when we first opened. And when I opened that store, I had no intentions of ever opening another one. It's just been like this natural snowball effect over the eight years of fate that it's gotten us to where we are today. But it all started from me just Going, yeah, I'm gonna give this thing a go.

[Gemma Spike]

And just like the one foot in front of the next kind of meant.

[Brittany Saunders]

Exactly. And the more that you do things that obviously scare the crap out of you. Like, I remember when I thought, okay, we're outgrowing my little double garage at home. I think I need to get a commercial lease, like, a bunch of money. Yeah, it was. I was looking around, and the one that we got, it was like 100 square meters, like, quite small.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And I think the rent was like, $35,000 a year. And I just remember thinking, well, I've got my one employee, and I'm having to pay her casual. And then I'm gonna have to pay 35 grand a year. What if we don't make money? Or what if people just stop buying from us, you know? But you take that risk even though it scares the crap out of you. Then you move in. You go, oh, my God, like, this is working. Then you move on to the next step. And it's not until you actually make those decisions and take those risks that you'll soon realize great things can happen if you just take that step.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, yeah, we need to take a break here. I'm gonna. I'm gonna get over. Get over my head with questions. Okay. If I don't take a break now. So we're gonna take a break here, and then I want to talk about this feeling.

[Brittany Saunders]

Okay.

[Gemma Spike]

Of, like, you know, when the time is right. What were some of the mistakes you made? What are some of the things Google didn't teach you? So stick around. We'll be right back.

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[Brittany Saunders]

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[Brittany Saunders]

Is that guy with the binoculars watching us?

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[Gemma Spike]

Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist has asked you, do you have any questions? And your mind suddenly just goes blank? Think that's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia starting January 14th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you probably see the most answering the questions you wish you'd asked sooner, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccines should you get before your big overseas trip? Even those questions you are sometimes a little bit too embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures. Just real talk, real answers, and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or ever you get your podcasts. If anyone understands how chaotic life can get and how important flexibility with your finances is, it's me. Especially as someone who was self employed. Some months are stacked, some months are not. That's why the Klarna Card is such a smart tool for me. It's a debit card that lets you decide how to pay upfront like a normal debit card, or plan ahead to pay later. Choose how you want to pay before you buy so you're spending with purpose and staying in control. The Klarna Card works anywhere Visa is accepted and there is no Credit Impairment act. To apply. Sign up for the Klarna Card by downloading the Klarna app or learn [e-mail] US Klarna card Klarna Card Pay Later Plans issued by Webbank Deposits in your balance account are held at WebBank member FDIC anywhere visa is accepted. Certain merchant products, goods and services restrict and supply Some merchants do not accept virtual cards. Physical card only included with a paid Klarna membership plan. Hello my lovely listeners. By now you know the more knowledge we have about ourselves and the way our bodies work, the more empowered and in control we are are. And this is also true when it comes to our sexual health and what to do after unprotected sex. That's where Plan B comes in. It's emergency contraception with no age requirement that helps prevent pregnancy before it starts. And because it works by only temporarily delaying ovulation, it won't impact your ability to get pregnant in the future. We love a backup plan that puts us in control because the more we know, the more power we have. Learn [e-mail] users directed we all know at this stage, finding a therapist is hard enough, but finding one who actually takes your insurance? That is where most online therapy platforms fall short. Ruler does things differently. They partner with over 100 insurance plans, making the average copay just $15 per session. That is real therapy from a licensed professional at a price that actually makes sense. And Ruler it isn't just affordable. The experience is tailored around you. Other online therapy platforms might match you with the first available provider, whether or not they are the Right fit Ruler considers your goals, considers your preferences, considers your background to make you a curated list of licensed in network therapists who are actually aligned with what you need. Thousands of people are already using Ruler to get affordable, high quality therapy that's actually covered by Insurance. Visit ruler.com gemma to get started and after you sign up you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support our show and let them know that we sent you. That's r u l a.com Gemma, you deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget.

Speaking of Google and speaking of like a very DIY intuitive gut gut kind of approach, what's something that you could never have Googled that you learned in like the first two years of building Fate?

[Brittany Saunders]

Everything.

[Gemma Spike]

Everything.

[Brittany Saunders]

Business is just making mistakes constantly and learning better for next time. You're never going to be perfect at any of it. Like you just always. It's like a self improvement journey owning a business. But some things in particular that Google couldn't have prepared me for. One of the main things would be probably the emotional journey of going on a business, going on a business, starting a business, you know what I mean? And also how much starting a business isn't about you at all. Because when we start a business it is kind of selfish, right? Because you're like, I want to start this for me because I have worked in over 20 jobs and I hated them all and I want to start this for me. But if you actually want to start a business and you want to turn it into something, it's eventually going to involve other people. And when you own a business and you have staff, it's no longer about you anymore. And looking at my business now, people would probably see like our fate, social media and my social media and it probably just looks like the Britney show because I'm like the face of the brand and whatever. But in my day to day life when I'm at work from Monday to Friday in the office, it is not about me at all, it's about everyone else. And I think that's something that Google couldn't have taught me. You learn as you go from you know, people management, dealing with people's wants, needs, needs, emotions, their personal lives and things that they bring into work from the outside. Just learning to manage people. I didn't have one day of experience as even a team leader in any of the jobs that I had. So I think it's like the people and emotional side of business that Google definitely couldn't have prepared me for.

[Gemma Spike]

What was like the most costly mistake that you made in, like, the early days. Do you remember having a moment where you were like, oh, my God, we cannot make that mistake again?

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes, I definitely have an answer for this. But at the time, it wasn't an expensive mistake. But if I could do my time over again, I would have done it differently. And that would be hiring the right people at the beginning of my business.

[Gemma Spike]

Yes.

[Brittany Saunders]

When we start a business, especially when it's small, and it was just at home for me at the beginning. My. And because I wasn't taking it seriously because I didn't have this big business plan, it was easy for me back then to go, I'm just gonna hire all my friends, all my friends friends, and all my family friends. And I do.

[Gemma Spike]

I've done this.

[Brittany Saunders]

I feel like every business owner does.

[Gemma Spike]

You want to help.

It's just a thing of, like, who.

Do I trust the most?

Exactly.

[Brittany Saunders]

Right. And you think, oh, this is gonna be fun.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

You know, because you, you're not serious about your business. You just want it to be fine, I'll work with my best friend and my cousin and this and that and the other sister.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And at the beginning of any business, it's fine for it to be that way. And, you know, some businesses are family run.

[Gemma Spike]

It works.

[Brittany Saunders]

But for me personally, one of the biggest discoveries for me, probably for the first three years, I always like to say that the first three years of a business is like a trial. And then after three years, that's when it turns into a real business.

[Gemma Spike]

Okay. Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

But, yeah, for the first three years of fate, it was pretty unserious. It was a lot of fun. I was best friends with everyone that I employed. We were all hanging out outside of work and drinking on the weekends and going to each other's house and all that kind of of stuff. And then as the business grew, I realized I can't have this, like, mix of personal friendships and relationships in a business because the.

[Gemma Spike]

The lines just become everything becomes a personal.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes.

[Gemma Spike]

Insult every piece of feedback, like, yes. And you hesitate to say things that you really should.

[Brittany Saunders]

Exactly.

[Unknown Advertiser]

Right.

[Gemma Spike]

That's the beauty you care about.

[Brittany Saunders]

Avoiding hard conversations was another big one of mine in those early years. Because, yeah, we're naturally people pleasers. We don't want to upset anyone. And then if we're besties with that's also working for us and they kind of do something wrong or they've slacked off, you don't want to go, hey, like, I just noticed that you're dropping off in your work performance, because then you're worried they'll go, what are you talking about? Like, you know, because you're friends.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And so I would say, looking back, if I could do my journey all over again, I wouldn't redo it, you know, at any point. But I, I guess if I was starting today, one of the biggest lessons that I've learned in my business journey, and it's great advice for any business owner out there. It doesn't matter how far you into. You are into your journey is, is. It's cliche, but people will either make or break your business. And if you're serious about your business, which I wasn't at the start, and not many people are, because you just don't think big picture. I would hire the right people that are serious about my business and not take the easy route of just hiring friends and family. But, you know, I have no regrets. And it worked at the time.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

But on reflection now and looking where we are in 2025, where I've just got a team full of a players who are so serious about fate and careers and they want growth and progression, and I'm watching them build careers right before my eyes. I'm like, oh, I should have done this from the beginning, but I don't think you can. I think you've got to go through all the motions and again, like, learn from your mistakes so that you can do better in the future.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah, I like what you said. I think what you're really saying is, like, if you had the option, or if somebody listening to this has a fledgling business and has the option, take the option of hiring somebody you don't, you don't know or like, yeah, somebody who is coming in as, as an employee, full stop, nothing else.

[Brittany Saunders]

Exactly right. And also hiring people that are better than you. Yeah, that's another one. Again, like all business owners, and I don't want anyone to think that what I'm saying is wrong. But for the first four years of fate, I was so fine with hiring people that had no experience at all and teaching them everything that I knew because I had taught myself how to do every part of the business, from packing orders to doing our email campaigns in Canva and building Shopify and doing products and all this kind of stuff. So for those first four years, I would always just hire someone that was nice and friendly and that I got along with. But another lesson for me, and especially like in the most recent years, is it sure, it might cost more to hire someone who comes with a wealth of experience. And as a business owner, you know, that can be scary to have someone who's wanting a higher pay based on their experience. But it's, it's priceless to have someone come in who knows their. And knows what they can do for the business rather than bringing someone in. And sure, you might not have to pay them as much because they've got no experience, but then how much time are you spending teaching that person everything and double checking everything? So that's probably another one of mine is, yeah. Hiring the right people and not being afraid to hire people who are better than you at certain things so they can come in and own their space rather than you being a helicopter boss, trying to make sure, you know, the email looks right before it goes out. And the Instagram stories are all good. Just all those little things.

[Gemma Spike]

They can just do it.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

What does a typical day in your life look like nowadays? And you kind of gave us an insight, but you used to, you know the history of British, like you used to be really prominent on social media and you were mainly influencing and now you're running this business and like, what does that mean? You know, when people always like, oh, you run a business, what do you do do on a day to day.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yep. Cliche. But no two days are the same. I gave up influencing, I want to say, two or three years ago.

[Gemma Spike]

Did you make an announcement or were you just like.

[Brittany Saunders]

It was very gradual over the years I went from doing a sponsored post like every second day on Instagram and I really narrowed it down and by the end, I think I was only working with two brands that I had ongoing partnerships with. They were Esme Skincare. Do you know Esme?

[Gemma Spike]

Esme.

[Brittany Saunders]

I don't know the proper way to say it, Esmi.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

You would probably know it if you saw it.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh yeah, I know. When you said I. I was like, yeah, classic Australian brand.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes. And Canadian Club. Because I'd worked with them a heap of times.

[Gemma Spike]

That's not what I expected you to say.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. So at the end, they were the two brands that I was left working with and I'd given up like all the hairstyling tool brands. Like I worked with GHD for a really long time, all sorts of ones. And I, I ended up only having the two partnerships and I sat on the idea for maybe a year or two to also give those up because I had like ongoing partnerships with them. And I went to my accountant and I said, I think I just want to give up this altogether because I was like, Brittany Lee Saunders as a company. And then I had Fate. And the great thing about being an influencer was I didn't have to pay myself anything from Fate for the first like four years of Fate.

[Gemma Spike]

That was one of my questions.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah, I didn't pay for anything. I worked on Fate and had my influencing on the side. And the influencing was my personal money. And then all the money that the business generated paid my staff and went back into the business. And so, yeah, it would have been two to three, maybe three years ago now I decided I'm gonna give up the brand deals. I'd already given up YouTube by that point.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Just because I was getting too busy running the business and I just had to prioritize not spending my time making YouTube videos to grow the business. And then, yeah, I bit the bullet and said, I'm not doing any more brand deals. And that was. Yeah, three years ago now. And I think over those three years we've done like two that have like come our way that were like too good to pass up kind of. Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

And things you cared about.

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Maybe two years ago KFC said, can you please do something for Christmas in July? And they had these funny ugly sweaters. I was like, yeah, we'll do that one because that's really fun.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

But I've just done a couple over the last 3ish years. But yeah, I fully gave it up. Which just then allowed me, number one to start paying myself from Fade as an actual employee and getting a pay slip and everything. Yeah. Which really exciting. And then it's just allowed me to fully focus on Fate rather than worrying about, oh, I've got to get this post done for so and so brand. What my day looks like today. I'm a very hands on founder and CEO. I work heavily with our marketing team for all things marketing at Fate, whether that's big campaigns that we're doing. Any of our customer brand trips that we do, which has been awesome to do. Like off the back of like. Explain what?

[Gemma Spike]

Explain what? These are the customer brand trips are pretty iconic for you guys.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. So we've done two now. We started it on our seventh birthday last year to celebrate our seventh birthday. Every year our birthday comes around and the team will go to me. It's our birthday in two weeks. Like we haven't organized anything.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And last year I think we thought about our birthday like two months before because you don't think about your business's birthday. You got too much going on. And it's in September, so it's like coming up to the busy period. And I was like, well, why don't we take seven customers on a brand trip? Kind of like how I used to go on all the brand trips back in the day, but instead of taking influencers, let's take customers and like treat them like influencers. And so then that's where the idea of the Lucky seven came to be. And we did a big old giveaway and seven random customers won a trip with us. And it was like such a hit and we got so much content out of it and they had the best time and they all made such great friends. We were with them for three days go. We brought them to Newcastle.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh.

[Brittany Saunders]

We were like, let's start it at home.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah. Newcastle is also a vibe.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. And we've got like five star hotels now, so we put them in.

[Gemma Spike]

Do you have a five star hotel in Newcastle?

[Brittany Saunders]

We got two, which we never used to have but new is really up and coming. But yeah, they all got their own hotel room and we decked out the bed with all the goodies from all the different brands. It was like a full influencer trip. And so that was such a success that we've done it again just this year in September and we called it the Fate eight for our eighth birthday. And last year was a lucky seven and again just a giveaway. Eight customers. We took them to Port Stevens this time. I don't know if you know where that is. We got this big beautiful house and it was more of like a retreat vibe. So that's been really cool to be able to do. But yeah. I work heavily with our marketing team. I oversee our leadership team at Fate. One job that would surprise people that I still do in Fate and I don't know if I could ever give it up is I do all of our stock buying and ordering.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, really?

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

Cool.

[Brittany Saunders]

So every piece is of clothing that comes into our business is my responsibility to order. And all of our store stock and buying for all the stores is me.

[Gemma Spike]

No way.

That's like one of the hardest jobs.

[Brittany Saunders]

It's a big job. But I think because I've been doing it since day one, I could do it with my eyes closed. And because we've grown so gradually, it's been easy for me to learn, like ordering my stock. Yeah. And this store needs this and that store needs that.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And I work with our operations manager on that. But that's like one of my main tasks. I run out ad accounts.

[Gemma Spike]

Cool.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. So I love meta and Facebook ads. I do a lot still.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

As an owner and founder. But I'm definitely getting to the point in my business journey where I am feeling like I need to kind of step away and start being more of a founder rather than getting caught up in what UGC creator hasn't sent their content in. You know what I mean? But I am. Again, it's something that all founders, if their business grows to a certain size, they will find themselves in that situation where you do get pulled into the day to day. But I'm definitely learning as we're growing I need to focus on those big picture things.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Rather than what did that customer say in that email? You know, best to ignore. Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

At least you delete. At least.

Well delete.

[Brittany Saunders]

Just put it in a bin and say it went to Sam.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

But yeah, no, two days the same. And I'm still very much involved with the whole business from retail to warehouse and everything in between. But I love it at the end of the day. So I literally haven't worked a day since I started fast. Right.

[Gemma Spike]

I like that. We're going to take one more break and then I have three more questions for you, so stay with us.

Ever been at the pharmacy counter and the pharmacist has asked you do you have any questions and your mind suddenly just goes blank? That's exactly why you need to listen to beyond the Script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia Media. Starting January 14th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, this podcast brings you real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health experts you probably see the most answering the questions you wish you'd asked sooner, like which medications might not mix well, what vaccines should you get before your big overseas trip. Even those questions you are sometimes a little bit too embarrassing, embarrassed to say out loud. Each episode busts myths, decodes health trends, and gives you practical, trustworthy advice straight from the people behind the counter. No white coats, no lectures, just real talk, real answers and maybe a few laughs. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or ever you get your podcasts. If anyone understands how chaotic life can get and how important flexibility with your finances is, is it's me. Especially as someone who was self employed. Some months are stacked, some months are not. That's why the Klarna card is such a smart tool. For me, it's a debit card that lets you decide how to pay upfront like a normal debit card or plan ahead to pay later. Choose how you want to pay before you buy, so you're spending with purpose and staying in control. The Klarna Card works anywhere Visa is accepted and there is no credit implant. Impact. To apply, sign up for the Klarna card by downloading the Klarna app or learn [e-mail] US Klarna card Klarna Card Pay Later Plans issued by Webbank Deposits in your balance account are held at Webbank Member FDIC anywhere Visa is accepted. Certain merchant products, goods and services restrictions apply. Some merchants do not accept virtual cards. Physical card only included with the paid Klarna membership Plan hello my lovely listeners. By now you know the more knowledge we have about ourselves and the way our bodies work, the more empowered and in control we are. And this is also true when it comes to our sexual health and what to do after unprotected sex. That's where Plan B comes in. It's emergency contraception with no age requirement that helps prevent pregnancy before it starts. And because it works by only temporarily delaying ovulation, it won't impact your ability to get pregnant in the future. We love a backup plan that puts us in control because the more we know, the more power we have.

Have.

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So we're talking about you not replying to emails. Maybe not managing one job I have.

[Brittany Saunders]

Given up is good. Is replying to our customer service emails, which has been nice because I feel like it gets to a point where it feels so much more personal when it's your business. Like, let's say someone is emailing and they're upset with something and then if you're reading that, it's like, oh, fuck.

[Gemma Spike]

Anytime I get a bad review, I know it hurts. It really does. It really stands.

[Brittany Saunders]

No, we've got people that reply to those, which is great.

[Gemma Spike]

I don't, I just. I just don't reply to them. But looking towards the future, what are you planning next? Do you think that you will launch another business?

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, my God.

Cool.

[Brittany Saunders]

I would love to.

[Gemma Spike]

What do you think it would be? And if you have. Have you had an idea recently where you're like, I don't know if you're like me. I have like a list of my phone. Hundred percent, 20 million business ideas. Sometimes I just give. I just randomly mention them to people.

And like, you should.

[Brittany Saunders]

You should do this.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah, I don't know how to do that, but you should do it.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

Do you have something like that?

[Brittany Saunders]

There's so many things that I would love to do. It's just a matter of getting around to doing it. And also I've kind of stitched myself up because fate's quite a big company.

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, it's huge.

[Brittany Saunders]

So, yeah, I kind of have got myself tied into fate.

[Gemma Spike]

You're like, you're suffering from success. I love It.

[Brittany Saunders]

There's so much that I. I want to do. I have my business podcast called Big Business, which I absolutely love doing. I feel very drawn to help others on their business journey just based off everything that I've learned. So I love doing my episodes. I do two episodes a week on that podcast and I just love that. I love making content around business. And I've noticed that people love when I talk about business in like, my TikToks and reels and stuff like that. Part of me wants to become like a business coach or a mentor. Like, maybe in another life I'll do it or I'll get around to it.

[Gemma Spike]

In this life, you've got a lot more life to live.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. And I think as well, like, I've been doing a lot of keynote speeches lately. I just recently did a TEDx talk, which was.

[Gemma Spike]

What was that?

[Brittany Saunders]

Like, really cool. Yeah, that was just a couple of weekends ago. So I love doing keynotes and talking in front of crowds, whether it's about business or just being inspirational in general. I guess so. I love that. I'd love to do like a tour slash workshop thing of my own one day, but I'd love to do. Do anything and everything. I had this one idea recently that I made a little video about. A lot of people have said to me over the years that, well, you've had it easy and it's been. You've been lucky because you had an audience online. So, like, of course you've been able to do what you've done. And I'm like, kind of at the start. Yeah, sure. But it takes something completely different to actually grow and scale a business into the size that fate is. Any influencer can launch a product, but, like, not everyone can keep it going and then grow it.

[Gemma Spike]

And sorry to say this, a product versus how many products do you have right now?

[Brittany Saunders]

Like, so many.

[Gemma Spike]

You would have.

At least we're in every 150 items for sale. Probably more.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. And we've got, you know, five stores, 70 staff. So, like, it's grown into something bigger than me just being an influencer and being lucky. But off the back of people saying those comments to me, like, oh, it's easy for you because you were an influencer back in the day. I would almost love to start a faceless business.

[Gemma Spike]

Interesting.

[Brittany Saunders]

And do that.

[Gemma Spike]

Doing an. I think about this is crazy. Like, do like an anonymous business. Yes.

[Brittany Saunders]

And. And never tell anyone. Yeah, never tell anyone. And try to make it super popular or even medium size and then come out and be like, this was me and none of you knew. Just to show that I have what it takes on the other side of being the face of a brand. And I'm going to, to give away my other idea here. I'd love to make Fates competitor.

[Gemma Spike]

That's crazy that you are so like in the game that you're like, I want to be my own competition.

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And start like another clothing brand and.

[Gemma Spike]

With extended sizes and yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Do it all and like different to Fate. And you know, I obviously wouldn't use myself or my face, but instead we'd have to. It's an investment. You'd be working with models, creators, influencers, ugc, paid ads and paid media. And I'd love to. Like, it would take, it would take years.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

But I'd love to build like Fate's competitor. And everyone becomes obsessed with this other new clothing brand that's got all these sizes and everything.

[Gemma Spike]

And you can be more experimental. Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And then it's just me at the end of the day. And then I'm like, surprise, it was me. And then I merge them together.

[Gemma Spike]

Kate and Fate could be your name.

[Brittany Saunders]

So that's an idea of mine. But I'm open to anything and I definitely think I will start other businesses in my lifetime. I still feel like I'm just getting started with Fate. So there's a lot of exciting things to explore with Fate. I never thought that we would get to where we are today. Like, I kid you not, I couldn't see past that garage when I first.

[Gemma Spike]

Started, which I think that's like the coolest part of your story. And for people being like, oh, you know, well, you had a platform. You also dropped out of school at 16 years old. Like, yeah. You didn't, you didn't have a. Do you get a high school diploma when you drop out in year 10?

[Brittany Saunders]

No.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah, I was.

[Brittany Saunders]

Oh, no, I think I got my year 10 certificate.

[Gemma Spike]

Year 10 certificate.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah, I got that. Yeah. It's like nothing.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah. But that's like being like turning to someone and being like, well, you, you had a university degree, so like that's how you start your business. Or everyone has a one up. Or like your parents, they had a cafe. So you're like, everybody has some kind of advantage.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes.

[Gemma Spike]

Everybody has good luck. Some kind of good luck.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. I truly believe YouTube subscribers. Sure. That was an advantage for me. But also I, I got that YouTube channel for years.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

I built that community for years. And you know, I could have launched Fate and it could have been good for a year and Then it could have flopped. But it's been like the hard work and determination over years and the persistence, you know, I work seven days a week, but I love it. So I never feel like I'm working. But it's that. That's gotten to me, like, to where I am sure the subscribers helped at the start because I had people placing orders from day one, but scaling is a whole other.

[Gemma Spike]

All of a ball game.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

I can only imagine.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

I have one final question for you.

Yes.

And this is the question that we.

Ask everybody who comes on the podcast.

[Brittany Saunders]

I could sit here for hours, by the way.

[Gemma Spike]

I know. I honestly, you know, we've been.

[Brittany Saunders]

You have to get me back for part two.

[Gemma Spike]

I kind of want to. There's so many questions that I want to ask, and I'm like, what was it like to fire your first person? Like, what was it? Blah, blah, blah. Like, so many.

[Brittany Saunders]

First warning letter. Yeah. Never fun. Never copy.

[Gemma Spike]

You like all that stuff. But I have one final question, which is the. The question of the podcast. What is one piece of advice you have for people in their twenties, or perhaps your younger self, that has nothing to do with what we talked about today?

Completely separate.

[Brittany Saunders]

Has nothing to do with anything.

[Gemma Spike]

I know you can't.

Can't talk about business.

Business can't talk. Or you can, but you never know.

Like, try and.

If it's about love, if it's about friendship, if it's about.

[Brittany Saunders]

I've got a saying that I absolutely love, but I don't know. You can tell me if this ties into what we've been talking about. It kind of does, but it can apply to any aspect and element of your life. And the saying is do it scared. Can I say that as my answer?

[Gemma Spike]

I like it.

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Okay. Do it scared. I think the number one thing that holds people back from doing anything in life, and this doesn't mean just starting a business. It could be. Be saying hello to the guy that you keep seeing at the coffee shop, but you're too scared. Or it could be asking your boss for a raise or a promotion. It could be speaking up in a team meeting where you'd normally stay quiet because you're worried that, you know, people might judge you. It could be anything. It could be telling a friend of yours that they've been upsetting you lately by things they've been saying, but you don't say anything because you're too scared. I just love the saying, do it scared. Because it's very easy. Easy for us to say, oh, no, I Won't do that. Like, I'm too scared. We use that as an excuse to not do whatever the thing is. But I think it's a good mindfulness thought to think I can still do the thing even with the scared feeling. Being scared shouldn't be someone's reason to not do something. You can just do it and still feel scared at the same time.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

And you, trust me, you'll feel a million bucks after you do it, no matter what what it is.

[Gemma Spike]

I love that saying, do it scared. I think it's honestly a beautiful representation for this episode. Okay, I said I had no more questions. But one final question. I have to ask this question just because this came to my mind. What is, like, the favorite thing that you guys are selling right now? What's your favorite product that you guys have at Fate? Ooh.

[Brittany Saunders]

I would say our downtown pants, which don't look at mine today, because I've gotten so dirty today, because, yeah, I've got, like, sandwich and something else and black stuff from Australia post on me. But I would say it's our downtown pants. They are a. They're kind of made of, like, a blazer material, and they're like your stock standard, like, dressy, kind of corporate pant. We have been making our downtown pants for maybe, I want to say, three years now or maybe three to four years, and they've only gained popularity in the last 12 months. So it's like a style that people have finally realized, like, these are the best pants ever. We've done them in, like, 18 different colors, and they've got, like, a little elastic on the back, so they're really comfortable. And they're just like a pair of pants that you can, like, wear to work to the office, but then also, like, fully dress them up with some heels and wear them out at night. So I'd say it's probably our downtown pants, but our best selling category is denim.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

I will say this is. This is what you guys are known for.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes.

[Gemma Spike]

Your jeans.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yes.

[Gemma Spike]

The jeans are, I keep saying, iconic.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. We've got a whole new denim range coming out in 2026, which I'm really excited about. I thought our jeans were already good because we sell so many of them and they have the best reviews ever, but it's about to come out in a whole new level.

[Gemma Spike]

You know what? I also say this. This is something that's completely, like, Levi's needs some competition. Well, I don't like Levi's jeans, and I don't know why. I just have to say it, I hate Levi's.

[Brittany Saunders]

There's actually like a massive gap in the market for good denim because when you think of a brand in Australia that is known for their jeans, who is it?

[Gemma Spike]

Like probably Levi's or like just jeans.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

But it's like they do. This is like just such a personal vendetta I have against Levi's jeans.

[Brittany Saunders]

Like, I've never worn a pair of Levi's.

[Gemma Spike]

Great. Don't.

Like, they only. Like, they just don't fit.

[Brittany Saunders]

Like, they either give you some of our new jeans when they come out.

[Gemma Spike]

I think I might just order some. I already own a pair of your jeans. I actually own two pairs of your jeans. I own like your classic, like straight legged ones.

[Brittany Saunders]

Billie jeans.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah, I think that's what they're called. They're great. I think they're.

[Brittany Saunders]

Well, they're about to get a whole lot better. There's a new version of Billie coming out. Oh, we've done like a whole new range. Yeah, we've done a whole new range inspired by our current jeans, but they're just leveled up.

[Gemma Spike]

Is this coming from fate or Kate? Imagine if you just. Dude, maybe you should just launch a whole denim company.

[Brittany Saunders]

Don't. Because that was my idea.

[Gemma Spike]

Really?

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. Dang. I've even got a name for it.

[Gemma Spike]

Sorry?

[Brittany Saunders]

I've got a name for it. But we won't say it.

[Gemma Spike]

No, don't say it. Because. No. If somebody does their idea better than you though, you know?

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah. And you know, I think there's room for everyone in business. I as, I want to create fates competitor as a social experiment. But every brand can exist together and there's enough customers out there for everyone. And also I would love to see in 2026 and beyond more businesses coming together and collaborating. Like, I would love to collaborate with a competitor of ours. I'm saying like competitor in quotes.

[Gemma Spike]

Yeah.

[Brittany Saunders]

Because like, imagine if there's two women's fashion brands that come together and come out with a collection together, bringing both audiences together to go well, now we love both of these brands, like Back.

[Gemma Spike]

And Forth Bridge and Fake the label. Yeah, that's like a cool. Like I would standardize, like formal range or something.

[Brittany Saunders]

I would love to collaborate with another brand that would be considered our competitor. Like, I'm friends with, you know, women that own fashion labels and like, I don't see them as competitors. I'm like, we can learn from each other and vent to each other when we're stressed about something. Like, we can all exist together. Like, we can all Win.

[Gemma Spike]

And it's honestly the best feeling is when you have 100. Your competition becomes your community.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah.

[Gemma Spike]

What people want to be you to have as well competition.

But come to your community.

[Brittany Saunders]

Absolutely.

[Gemma Spike]

That is a very positive message to finish and actually finish this episode on.

[Brittany Saunders]

Are you sure you don't have one more question?

[Gemma Spike]

Oh, I have like several more, but we just don't have time.

[Brittany Saunders]

I mean, let us know. Should I come back for part two? Because I would love to drop a comment below.

[Gemma Spike]

If you want Brit to come back for a part two, where can they find you? I'll leave a link to fate.com down below, but where else would you like.

[Brittany Saunders]

Them to find you on socials? You can just find me Brittany Saunders. I've got two podcasts. One is called Big Business and the other one is High Scrollers with my bestie Matt, which is just like an absolute piss take. And it's really funny. It's really nice to have that like funny creative outlet. And then we have five stores in Australia, we've got three in New South Wales which are in Newcastle where I'm from Parramatta, and Westfield Miranda in Sydney, we've got one in Brisbane which is in Westfield Chermside. And then down in Melbourne, we have a boutique in Hawthorne. And that's about it. You can find me on Tick Tock and all the other stuff. You'll find her everywhere. Read my book. Just do whatever.

[Gemma Spike]

This, this woman is busy. You can find her.

[Brittany Saunders]

Yeah, you can find me.

[Gemma Spike]

Well, thank you again for coming on as always. If you guys enjoyed this episode, leave a five star review if you feel.

Called to do so.

Make sure that you are subscribed or following us wherever you are listening to the podcast and follow us on Instagram at that psychology podcast. We've been doing these really cool announcements for each of our guests and as we kind of come to the end of guest month, we've got some cool ones lined up.

But until next time, stay safe, be kind, be gentle to yourself and we.

Will talk very, very.

Ever been at the pharmacy counter and your mind goes blank when the pharmacist.

Asks you any questions?

That is why you need to listen to beyond the script from CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia starting January 14th. Hosted by Dr. Jake Goodman, each episode features real conversations with CVS pharmacists, the health expert you probably see the most breaking down the questions you wish you'd asked from which medications might not mix well to what vaccines do I need for my next big trip? They'll bust myths, decode trends and share practical advice you can actually use. Listen to beyond the script on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello my lovely listeners. By now you know the more knowledge we have about ourselves and the way our bodies work, the more empowered and in control control we are. And this is also true when it comes to our sexual health and what to do after unprotected sex. That's where Plan B comes in. It's emergency contraception with no age requirement that helps prevent pregnancy before it starts. And because it works by only temporarily delaying ovulation, it won't impact your ability to get pregnant in the future. We love a backup plan that puts us in control because the more we know, the more power we have. Learn [e-mail] users directed I'll be honest with you all.

Life as someone who is self employed.

Is unpredictable and having flexibility with my finances is key. The Klarna Card is an upgraded debit card that lets you choose how to pay now or later, keeping you in control. The Klarna Card works anywhere Visa is accepted and there is no credit impact. To apply, sign up for the Klarna Card by downloading the Click Klarna app or learn [e-mail] US Klarna card Klarna Card Pay Later Plans issued by Web bank deposits in your balance account are held at WebBank member FDIC anywhere visa is accepted. Certain merchant products, goods and services restrict and supply. Some merchants do not accept virtual cards. Physical card only included with the paid Klarna membership plan.

[Brittany Saunders]

Season two of Unrivaled Basketball is here.

[Gemma Spike]

And the talent is unreal.

[Brittany Saunders]

Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plum, Brianna Stewart, Stewart and Moore are back to redefine the game. Unrivaled basketball Season 2, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.

[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Gemma Spike]

Guaranteed Human.