Australia's red-hot weather spawns several enterprises that flourish in the heat.
One "summerpreneur" idea was inspired from an argument about sand from towels on the beach six years ago.
![The waterproof-backed Sandusa beach towel gets a workout.](/web/20161115231707im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/m/9/8/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsm9d8.png/1479075710522.jpg)
The Sandusa cotton beach towel, says founder and creator Baz Brown, has waterproof backing that sand does not stick to. The business launched with a crowd-funding campaign three years ago from the Gold Coast and the towels are now sold in more than 30 countries.
Brown says it sold more than 12,000 units last year. "We have been consistently doubling our turnover year on year since we started."
![Baz Brown of Sandusa with his beach products which are sold in more than 30 countries.](/web/20161115231707im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/m/9/6/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsm9d8.png/1479075710522.jpg)
Brown has now launched a range of bean bags. "I only make products that I want to use, and lounging on the beach or by the pool is right up my alley.
Sun-tested, surf approved
"As soon as we had made a prototype and were testing them down on the beach, I had people coming up to me asking what they were and where they could get them from. I knew then that we were onto something pretty special."
The firm started with a run of 1000 and sold out in a few days. "You never really know how a product launch is going to go. In hindsight that was a good one. We are making a second release for early November. I suspect these will sell out prior to Christmas too."
![Patricia Feehan created Pyewear after a fact-finding mission overseas.](/web/20161115231707im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/m/b/v/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsm9d8.png/1479075710522.jpg)
He says Australians cherish summer and love innovation, so it's a good space to be in. "I have always thought that if you can solve a problem that all Australians face at the beach and make summer even better, your idea will be a success and most likely you will have a lot of fun along the way. It's a great time of year, and it's awesome when your whole business revolves around it."
Summer mumpreneur
![Bernie Sharrad models the CapHat, which was inspired from spending long days in the sun.](/web/20161115231707im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/m/9/0/c/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gsm9d8.png/1479075710522.jpg)
The inspiration for Melbourne mum Patricia Feehan's pye sunglasses for children aged 6-12 was born out of a frustration of not being able to find an affordable pair of good quality sunglasses for her three boys, then aged 10, and twins 8, to wear while they played tennis in summer.
"I noticed that although they were wearing hats, they were still squinting and came off the court with headaches and sore eyes," says Feehan.
"I searched high and low for some good quality sunnies designed for kids. What I found was not inspiring.
"There were a lot of cheap plastic offerings, but nothing that were geared towards playing active sport. Everything they tried fell off, the frames were heavy or the lenses were cheap.
"This was my 'light bulb' moment. I sat down and wrote out all the things that I wanted in a pair of sports sunglasses for kids, and I tried to put all of these features into my own products."
Long slow build
Feehan started her company Pyewear two years ago after a fact-finding mission overseas.
She says the next stage was to have production samples made and conduct her own testing to ensure they met mandatory Australian standards.
After a brainstorming session with her husband and sons, they decided on the name pye, which stands for "protect your eyes".
They sell the sunglasses through their website, which was launched in August this year to be ready for the onset of the warmer months.
She says the response has been positive from parents. "I knew I was onto a winning product. With the summer sport season underway, especially cricket and tennis, sales are really taking off."
In her first year of production, Feehan wants to break even and recoup her investment of about $70,000.
Bernie Sharrad is another example of a "summerpreneur".
While fishing out in Fowlers Bay in South Australia many years ago, Sharrad got sunburnt despite wearing a hat. "I grabbed some paper towel and duct tape and made the first cap hat by cutting it out and putting it over my hat. That was how it all started."
He launched the business CapHat in 2014, and made the first CapHat modelled on the lines of the paper towel one.
Adelaide Hills-based Bernie and wife Melissa started a Facebook page and subsequently a web page, with one basic model grey CapHat. "We started it by funding it via the mortgage. We are a married couple with three children so we have had to mortgage twice now to keep our IP and all the other bits and pieces going."
The CapHat, made from UPF45 material, is a one-size-fits-all attachment that goes over one's cap or hat. They now have a second product on the market, the CapHat Hoodie.
The duo have attended a lot of expos around Australia. At one expo in Adelaide, they sold 300 CapHats, and another 500 units were purchased over a weekend by customers in Perth.
Their planned revenue growth for the next 12 months is an increase of 50 per cent on last year. "Since introducing the new CapHat colours and CapHat Hoodie, we have had a 49 per cent increase in sales this quarter as compared to the same quarter last year," he says.
Sharrad says his target market is the seven million recreational fishers in Australia and the more than 40 million in the US.
"We also sell to people who are gardeners, fossickers, coaches; it could be anybody that spends extended periods of time in the sun."
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