Jacklyn Wyer, of Kiama, is one of a growing number of tech-savvy millennials in the region embracing new technology to launch and grow a business.
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Ms Wyer, 24, is studying finance at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, and launched Raven’s Landing in September after returning to Australia from living and working in Turkey for 18 months in 2014/15.
She worked as a personal assistant for an international businessman and was inspired by the entrepreneurship of many people she met in Istanbul and Monaco where his business was also based.
“I soon realised anything was possible,” she said.
When Ms Wyer returned to Kiama she saw an opportunity to bring quality Turkish towels and homewares back to Australia. She is now selling wholesale products to businesses around NSW, as well as at local markets using a new technology called a Square mobile card payment reader. It means Ms Wyer is able to accept credit card payments wherever she is. So coming from Kiama and studying in Canberra has not restricted her ability to launch a successful business.
I soon realised anything was possible
- Jacklyn Wyer
“Without technology I wouldn’t be able to have the business I am running,” she said.
“I have retail and wholesale platforms. I am mostly mobile at the moment, travelling around to different markets. I attend a lot of Rotary markets, I am often in Gerringong or Kiama. However every month is different. In December I ended up in Kingston markets ACT, rural NSW markets and Torquay. So I travel a bit trying to get a broad idea of who is interested in my product and why,” she said.
Ms Wyer is also launching a online shop at www.ravenslanding.com.au.
The young Kiama entrepreneur has been innovative in many ways while setting up her business. Particularly in the way she has sourced products.
“When I was in Turkey I stumbled upon a family run shop in the winding streets that had incredible quality of handmade silk, linen and cotton products from a small town..close to Syria,” she said.
“I frequently visited this store whilst I lived there and I decided they would be my first point of contact. I didn’t remember the name or have any contact details but I remember where I would walk to get there, so I went on Google Maps to Street View and I walked in the streets I knew I would always go to get to the shop I knew until I found the outside of the shop. That was how I was able to get the name and the contact details.That was fun and it worked. Eventually I got onto them, explained my project and would they like to work with me and ever since they have been incredibly helpful. It has just developed from there.”
In generating exposure for her business Ms Wyer has called on family and friends to help her with everything from marketing and photos to technical advice.
She said her parents were great business mentors and “I have a great group of girlfriends from Wollongong uni who are never short of use for a few extra beach towels and they love to take pictures for me and a young artist and friend from ACT Charlie Kilmartin was so generous in creating a brand image for me to use initially.”.
Raven’s Landing imports rare and unique textiles. Ms Wyer said they are generally handmade by local artisans, usually small family businesses, using traditional techniques.
She said fair trade was important to her and she is always keen to emphasize the human aspect of her product. So explaining who makes it and where it comes from is important.
Ms Wyer said information, assistance and inspiration came from many areas. In Canberra she worked part time at a Turkish restaurant called Ottoman for a while and was impressed by some of the staff who with families who worked full time and had their own businesses as well.
Until then should thought it would be difficult to start a business on her own as a student even with no children or partner. But she looked at what her Turkish friends were achieving. “They inspired me and I came to the realisation that I needed to throw all fears and preconceptions out the window and bite the bullet to start my own business,” she said.
Ms Wyer’ hopes her industrious nature continues to serve her well as she plans to move back overseas.
“I am currently studying finance at the ANU in Canberra and I will continue studying at Bocconi University in Milan in September,” she said.
“In the mean time Raven’s Landing is constantly developing. I believe that there is a great opportunity at the moment to combine contemporary art, style and functionality with local production, essentially merging what my generation has to offer with that of the generations before us. I am working in collaboration with a young designer from Istanbul at the moment to create our own range of products that embraces the full potential of combining modernity with tradition. I am working towards moving my entire operation to Turkey this year in order to work more closely with the local production processes and artisans and to continue research and develop my brand.”
Ms Wyer’s advice for others starting a business from scratch like she has is to tap into the skills and knowledge of friends and people you know and not be afraid to ask questions.
“I am fortunate to have friends in the international tech startup industry. They seem to have knowledge of products that here we don’t have a lot of exposure to. I asked my friend Timur, who is Russian and was working in Silicon Valley, what device I should use to accept credit cards, his first suggestion was Square. Other apps I use are QuickBooks Self Employed which is specifically helpful for being mobile as it tracks your miles. Timur and his team are developing the website and they’re using some incredible platforms such as Heroku to do so,” she said.