Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Rusinovic first had the idea for her business Bahama Belle skincare when she was only 13.
There have been "lots of setbacks" along the way but the Year 12 student launches her website selling Bahama Belle's first product in March.
The teenage entrepreneur took to the stage at Pause Festival in Melbourne on Friday as the technology conference's youngest keynote speaker to explain her entrepreneurial journey.
Rusinovic says she spotted a gap in the market for a skincare range for teenagers that wasn't Clearasil. She wants to "bridge the gap between tweens and adults".
"I've always had good skin because I swim in the ocean and my friends would ask me 'How do you do it?. Skincare is important to teenagers but there's not much for them," she says. "So I decided let's do something and create something that is accessible to them. I said to my parents 'I want to start this'."
Rusinovic initially wanted to create a cleanser and moisturiser. She researched ingredients online and considered making the product herself at home before deciding to outsource to a manufacturer she found on the internet.
However the first batch was a fail.
"There was no contract and then I had no idea what was in the sample I had at home."
Rusinovic tried approaching retailers like Mecca Cosmetica with no success.
"I said 'There's a real gap in the market for a teen line' but I don't think they believed in someone so young," she says.
Finally Rusinovic contacted Nicole Jacobs, a buyer's advocate featured on The Block television show. Jacobs has a technology background and Rusinovic says she was able to help her with the process of building a business.
"At my age I don't know anything about starting a business so it's all about reaching out to people and asking for help, otherwise its going to be just an idea sitting there."
At my age I don't know anything about starting a business so it's all about reaching out to people and asking for help otherwise its going to be just an idea sitting there.
Rebecca Rusinovic.
Rusinovic decided to start with one product, an organic sea salt scrub with the tagline "skincare for mermaids".
"It's influenced by [the] quintessential Australian beach girl. It's for teenagers created by teenagers," Rusinovic says. "So I know what is on trend, what works and what doesn't because I am the target market. My friends and me, we all love it, it works."
Rusinovic has funded the business using $5000 she has saved up from "dog walking, tutoring and birthday money".
She is sending free samples to Instagram and YouTube influencers in the hope they will feature the Bahama Belle product.
"I'm a professional Instagram stalker," Rusinovic says. "These days with social media and accessible apps it's much easier for start-ups to get connections."
Rusinovic says being a 16-year-old entrepreneur has its benefits. "I think the naivety opens up to creativity," she says.
"The negatives are my age, as well, because nobody believes in you because you are just 16. There is always that set of doubts."
Her advice to fellow teen entrepreneurs is to "just do it".
"You will never have the right amount of money, the right mentor, or the right everything. You have to accept the fact that you are going to fail along the way. Just have that resilience and persistence that opens up more opportunities to you."
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