A better scent: The small business cleaning up our home and beauty products

Belinda Everingham’s game-changing business idea was born out of necessity.

“It all started because I was reacting to the chemicals in mainstream home and body products – [I was getting] headaches, rashes,” she recalls.

Unable to find good natural alternatives, Everingham decided to make her own. In 2013 she launched her brand, Bondi Wash, with three products – a floor wash, bench spray and hand wash, each in three different scents infused with Australian botanicals. That initial line has now expanded to over 50 natural products for home, body, baby and dog, sold in 32 countries around the globe.

Everingham has even launched a more affordably priced sister brand, Wash Wild, sold through Woolworths and Amazon, with the same commitment to Australian botanicals and clean, natural recipes.

“Both brands are built on the vision to capture the scent and properties of Australian native ingredients into very natural products for the home and body,” she says.

“Australia native plants have really wonderful properties which are only just being researched and discovered – in home products they help make products more effective and add antibacterial potency. In body products, in addition to their unique scents, they have wonderful properties for the skin and hair.”

Building on success

Everingham’s natural business vision has been a resounding success. But that doesn’t mean building the twin brands has been without its challenges.

“Whether it’s manufacturing, marketing, product or packaging design or staffing, there is always something that needs attention,” she laughs.

Crafting products that meet the high standards Everingham sets for herself takes a lot of work. Making effective cleaning products with “a very high percentage of naturally derived ingredients” requires a lot of research and development, which can be costly. And it’s not just what’s inside that counts – getting the packaging right can be equally as challenging.

“[Take] soft pouch refills,” says Everingham. “So many customers have asked for them thinking they are better for the environment. But in Australia they just go to landfill, so we don’t offer them.”

Everingham’s secret weapon in business is her American Express® Platinum Business Card, which has proven invaluable “in quite a few ways”. It’s her small business solution.

“It helps us manage cash flow with up to 55 days to pay for purchases¹. We have on occasion paid suppliers using the card. It’s also well accepted these days, so we put most of our subscription charges, like Shopify and Klaviyo, on the card.” she says.

Everingham also appreciates the American Express rewards system, which she’s used to accumulate points that can be redeemed on flights and hotels², and the lounge access in airports around the world³ – great for making business travel that little bit nicer.

When you’re running a busy small business, having a card that supports managing cash flow can be helpful.

After 12 years in the game, Everingham has found the other crucial asset when it comes to overcoming business challenges is mindset. Because no matter your industry, problems will pop up.

“Every week it’s something different. So the way I see running a business is ‘which challenge or problem am I tackling now’. It’s how you approach these that determines your success,” she says.

“Often there is a beautiful silver lining – sometimes you just have to look for it and see if there is a positive coming from the particular challenge. Either way, you learn – and hopefully don’t make the same mistake twice.”

Terms, exclusions and conditions apply on American Express products and services. Please see terms and conditions here.

­­­­­­­Explore our range of Business Cards here.