CHINWAG: with Bare Bros Co.
CHINWAG: with Bare Bros Co.
by Melbourne Commercial Photographer | Leah Ladson
Funny story actually, about how I met these guys (and gal), we have so many different connections… It’s really bizarre! (aka our friendship was meant to be) And I’m not sure in which order to explain how and when I met them first. But I’ll try.
So, I actually went to high school with Ryan ( the one with the beard), but we didn’t actually realise this until I photographed Ryan’s Brothers wedding earlier in the year. But the reason we started a connection on Insta land, was because I was doing a shoot at an awesome shop in Bendigo called Made In Common, and while I was waiting for the model to get changed, I took a snap of this real cool candle that caught my eye. Long story short, I posted it on Insta, tagged Bare Bros Co in the photo, they messaged me to thank me, and it was just a love fest. Then I was watching my friend EmmyLou’s insta stories one day, and saw a photo of her and Carly (The female part of Bare Bros Co, and the lady behind the socials) – So we ended up working on this epic event called Dot Com Social too. So… it’s been a series of really lovely connections, which is probably why I love them SO much!
It was at Dot Com Social, that Carly & Ryan opened up about how they had received a letter requesting (forcing) them to change their name. You see, these guys used to be ‘Nude Dudes Candles’ up until about month ago. Instead of letting it get them down, they powered on, came up with a new name, and began their rebrand. Which… lucky for me, I got to be a part of – And looks fricken amazing!
Bare Bros Co. is made up of Ryan, Chris & Carly. Ryan and Carly are married, Chris and Carly are siblings, and Ryan and Chris are best mates. Dream team? I think so! And here is a little about the bums (and babe) behind Bare Bros Co.
- Let’s start with the deep questions… You are a new addition in a crayon box, which colour would you be?
Carly– a glitter crayon
Ryan- Blue
Chris– Red
- Why did you start your business?
Ryan– I was already running a training business but wanted to expand the horizons and try something different (completely different lol) create a positive influence with what we could do with different charities and above all making people laugh and smile at some of the antics we get up to whilst building a brand. I had experience in working for myself but thought teaming up with Chris who was heavily involved in studying his masters of business. We team up very well..helps that he is the brother of my wife and my best friend 😉
Chris– I love candles, Ryan loves being naked and we wanted to start a business together. It was the practical experience I needed whilst completing my MBA. Also having the ability to work for a purpose and change lives in the process is a satisfaction I have never been able to achieve whilst working for someone else.
Carly– I was a late edition to the party, even though we all live together, I watched the boys go through the process of concepts and brainstorming and I wanted IN… I was able to offer some input and took over the social media platforms and then became part of production, for me I wanted to be involved because I fell in love the our business model, changing the world one candle at a time, making an impact through a product I’m proud of!
- What was your biggest business hurdle to overcome?
Ryan – The day we woke to an email regarding trademark and forced to rebrand. Very stressful period both emotionally and physically. As always, things happen for a reason, one door closes and there is always another ready to be open..or kicked down.. depends how you approach it 😉 there is light at the end of the tunnel. Turns out it was the best thing that could happen as we are now very happy with the changes to the name, logo, image etc.
Chris – Apart from the rebrand I think that the hardest part for me was realizing I learnt next to nothing practical about starting and running my own business. I learnt more in the first 3 months of starting the business then I did in two Bachelor degrees and a Masters degree.
Carly – I think the boys will agree, REBRANDING L such a nightmare, in saying that it’s a double edged sword, going through the process of rebranding has also been exciting in terms of new logos, products, flavors, names etc… I think I’m even more in love with our new name
- What is your biggest achievement to date?
Being able to have a tangible impact on so many people through the charities we support, from kids in Cambodia to the homeless living on the streets of Melbourne. For us being able to be a part of making a difference is worth so much. (Learn more about Bare Bros Co. charity partnerships here)
- What is your favourite 90’s jam?
Ryan – NSYNC bye bye bye duh
Chris – Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
Carly– hmmm for me I love no scrubs by TLC for the win!
- Tell us something that your customers might not know about you.
Ryan – I used to be an Australian ten pin bowling representative
Chris – I kissed girls on TV blindfolded on an episode of the wildly (not) successful show Kiss Bang Love.
Carly– We all live together in a house in Fitzroy, and Ryan and I are married, Also I’m a nurse and I like milo a lot!
- What is your favourite part of running your own business?
Ryan – Creativity. I love that everything we have has directly come from ideas and concepts WE created. From the scrub to the candles, the logos and images, photos. The concept of doing the hens parties and candle workshops is our creation from simply have a wild idea.. can we teach people how to make candles? In the nude? Wearing aprons? Why not.. its 2017
Chris – You mean besides being (almost) naked and seeing our butts on products…. I would say the passion, we love what we do and our goal is to be able to do this crazy thing full time and we have plans in place to achieve this. The more stores we are in across Australia, the more tangible impact we have on the community and having a positive impact in the community is something worth working (being naked) for.
Carly– Hanging out with the boys and being able to be a part of every aspects from production to the back end of the business to markets. I think sharing this whole thing with the boys is what I love the most!
- What do you think about when you are alone in the car?
Ryan – My next meal.. I’m currently dieting for a bodybuilding show.
Chris – ‘Do normal people pick their nose this much?’
Carly– My mind is constantly on the go but generally, I like to whack on a ballad and sing super loud, it helps me not think!
- What are you excited for?
Ryan – Excited to see how far we can take this. We have achieved a lot in a short space of time but its all in planning for bigger things to come. We have some big plans moving forward. All about executing that process now and proving to ourselves that we can do it. Its our dream.
Chris – The future. We have big plans, for growth, new products, new concepts and creative ideas, we are ready to take this to the next level.
Carly– I am so excited to be able to push our business as far as it can go, I want to take over the world and become a household name, people will know us for our charity work and fundraising as well as beautiful quality products, and the boys bums of course
- Who are you business idols? Who inspires you?
Ryan – My client, friend and mentor Mark Davis. Completely different business to what we are. He runs an investment and lending company but he is without doubt the hardest working person I know. There are days I may not be myself or not pushing as hard as I can, I have a 5 minute conversation with him and my mind is set right again. Years ago after we met he said to me ‘I’ve never seen anyone work as hard in the gym as you do, to stay as disciplined as you do, the moment you transfer that energy into business, you will succeed’ its only over the last year or two I’ve understood this.
Chris – I usually don’t get inspiration from ‘famous’ business people, my inspiration comes from those around me. People within my network are doing amazing things within the community such as Jarryd Burns from Thankyou, Madeleine Buchner from Little Dreamers or Lyndon Galea from Eat Up Australia, just to name a few. The other big inspiration is Carly, we both left school early and now she is completing her Masters and killing it in the business world. Maybe it’s the sibling rivalry but she drives me to be better without knowing it.
Carly – I think for me, I look up to the team at THANKYOU, we have had the pleasure to meet with the guys and catch up a fair bit. We love their model of business and they really inspire me. I also look up to anyone who has started like us and is thriving, all those startups and small business’s killing it, grinding day to day! That is what inspires me
- How would you describe your job to a child?
Ryan – I play dress up with my wife’s brother and make candles and scrubs and support the less fortunate
Chris – ‘Hello kids, Ryan, Carly and I spend our time making smelly candles and scrubs to help your house and body smell good and feel happy.’
Carly– I get to hang out with my best friends (ryan and chris) and create cool things while helping others who are less fortunate.
- Tell us 5 fun facts about yourself (personal or business)
Ryan –
- I compete in bodybuilding
- My favorite food is fruit toast,
- I’m a superhero nut,
- My favourite singer is Celine Dion,
- I love a good mountain hike
Chris –
- I currently live in China and work as a kindergarten principal.
- I really only started this business for the ‘free’ candles.
- I quit eating donuts for 1 year… It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
- I used to think Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were two people… I had a crush on both of them.
- I have a genuine fear of cotton balls.
Carly-
- I’m vegetarian
- I love red wine
- I used to be a dancer
- I love camping and hiking
- I am obsessed with coconut oil (on my face, hands, food haha)
- Who should we follow on social media?
Us !! and of course you Leah Ladson! We love all of the people doing cool things….
Follow people that inspire you! Not only in business but in life. Every day we scroll through Instagram, several times a day/per hour, the last thing you want to do is scroll down the page seeing negative attitudes all day long. We aim to give people a reason to smile when the scroll past our feed. Whether it’s a picture of us boys at a candle making party, coffee scrub smothered over someone’s face or body or the positive impact we have in the community. You’re a product of your environment, so make it a positive one.
There you have it, folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the BBC team as much as I have!
Big Love, Leah
~ xoxo ~
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