HEY LOU

And I fell from the pedestal

Right down the rabbit hole

Long story short, it was a bad time 

Pushed from the precipice 

Climbed right back up the cliff

Long story short, I survived

- Taylor Swift (Long Story Short)

Those around me know me for my entrepreneurial spirit. Entrepreneurship these days has such a negative connotation though. I don't think it's perceived as hardwork and the brave taking the road less travelled anymore. It's now seen as the cop out to a 9-5 job. Entrepreneurs are those who are unrealistic dreamers and want to get rich quick. 

But the real entrepreneurs will know that it's not glamorous nor easy. Things never go your way and you need to be a hell of a planner and decision maker. Doing business alone is also so much more different to doing business with a partner or friends/family. There is often no one to really talk to, especially not one that truly understands what you are going through and the headache you are feeling from the problems you are facing. I am therefore so so thankful for my SO, my older brother and my father who have been there to listen and provide some guidance.

I have been planning the launch of my swimwear for the past year since May 2020 (during Perth's COVID lockdown). It started with wanting to shop for swimwear online for myself but not feeling comfortable with purchasing something I haven't had the chance to try it on. As a woman with a small chest it's always been difficult finding something comfortable, fits well and is flattering... And that was the dawn of the idea for this new business venture: LOU Swim. 

I connected with other women all around the world who were part of the IBTC (Itty Bitty Titty Committee) and realised this was a widespread issue. Women of all ages, from all cultural and social backgrounds, shared a common enemy: the perception that small boobs are not attractive. 

"Hi, a while back, I was v depressed about my self-image because my bf checks out other women."

"Hi ladies. I’ve been feeling so awful about my chest size lately, worse than usual. I’m starting to feel like a boob job might be the only way to feel truly happy with my chest."

"Hey guys im feeling really insecure about my boobs and today i put money inside for a boob job, im just scared i wont find a guy that likes them over bigger/medium breast and will always want a women with large or medium breasts."

"I've lost an awful lot of weight and now I'm a 34A and I just feel a bit insecure. I can't afford surgery..."

"I don't look good wearing fitted clothes cuz it makes me look like a 12year old (no.1 problem of slim and short people) I have lady friends and relatives who have a beautiful body and my insecurities are killing me."

Connecting with these women and supporting them to love their own bodies empowered me to start something that was beyond me and beyond something that is merely a fashion product... I set out on my mission to release a swimwear range to empower women with small boobs who suffer from crippling low self-esteem as a result of society's standards of what is perceived as sexy. 'LOU' from LOU Swim is more than just the abbreviation of my name, LOU stands for 'Love Ourselves Unconditionally'. LOU swimwear is here to break the negative perceptions that society has placed on small boobs and to empower women with small boobs to love life, kick ass and own their body. 

There was a lot of going back on my launch date, first it was end of 2020, then it was end of 2021 and now it is mid-2021. The horrors, though, of having a difficult sales representative to work with on the production of my designs. Miscommunication? Tick. Passive aggressive? Tick. Tells me to find another factory 2 months from when I want my order to be complete? Tick. I was thrown with a giant curveball (several actually). Do I continue with this factory because I've already spent $300USD on samples alone and time is of the essence in meeting my launch date. Or do I f*ck it and just go with a completely different factory in the last minute and pay for new samples (and go through the process of it) all over again? 

I stuck with my guts and I jumped ship. If there was no trust before I even put my $10k+ order in, best to cut my losses short and invest in someone I am confident in. It's not even about losing my $10k+, it's about launching my brand with sub-par products that completely destroys the trust my customers have with my brand before it's even had a footing to hold to. This is why I have been so particular with my sampling process. I want things to be perfect as much as possible. I want my product to be a solution to my girls' problems, not another problem in its own.

The hard work and persistence has paid off so far. The samples are amazing with incredible fit! I can't wait for LOU Swim to take the world by storm.

COMING SOON: LAST WEEK OF MAY 2021.