I was a florist for 10 years and started working for a lady in New Zealand who also owned a soap manufacturing business. So I used to sell the soap and bath bombs with the flowers and fell in love with the products. I was 8 months pregnant with my first child (who is 6 now) and about to go on maternity leave when my boss wanted to sell the manufacturing business.
I jokingly said to my husband, “Should we buy it?” and two months later we had a new baby and a new business. For the first couple of years, we continued to contract manufacture, and then we created our brand originally called Ahhh (the sound you make when you get into the bath at the end of the day to relax). We rebranded to Anihana 18 months ago.
As a busy mum and new business owner, because it was such a stressful time for me, my go-to method for having some “me time” at the end of the day was to jump in the bath with a bath bomb, so I wanted to help everyone else do that. As the business and my kids grew, so did my passion for sustainability and I wanted to make beautiful products that are affordable and accessible.
Anihana is my daughter’s middle name, Beau Anihana Cooper, who I was pregnant with when we bought the business. Anihana is also the Māori translation of Anderson which is my husband Aden’s late mother’s maiden name. So it’s a very special name to us both and represents our strong family values as a business.
What are you focusing on right now?
It’s been a journey, going from me and a couple of staff where I was making products myself, to leading a growing team and slowly letting go of different areas of the business. I’ve found it hard but also loved learning as much as I can from my amazing team. I am also focusing on some fun stuff at the moment and creating and testing some new products.
One of Anihana's top-selling products in the US is their shower steamer.
What is the main challenge you are facing in business?
Being able to meet demand. Some of our products are exceeding our expectations, especially our shower steamers in Target in the US. So, we are trying to figure out how to scale production whilst still keeping some of the handcrafted elements and the love we put into each product.
What advice do you give to others thinking about starting their own business?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to help and offer advice if you just ask. You don’t have to do everything yourself; it can be a lonely journey if you do. And there’s no such thing as a dumb question. We call them curious questions at Anihana.
