Olivia Carr

Launching a niche brand can be tricky even for the most experienced in business. So trying to penetrate the fickle fashion, beauty and lifestyle sector with zero social-marketing spend on a global scale should be considered impossible. Yet Olivia Carr has done it.

The Melbourne-based entrepreneur and mum-of two knows exactly what it takes to launch a prestige brand, and more importantly, how to make it thrive in the ever-competitive eCommerce realm.

The successful business woman has been offering Shhh Silk’s international customer base exquisite silk pillowslips and pyjamas since her brand launched back in October 2015.

With a strong concept but minimal funds behind her, Olivia knew she would have to captivate a large social media following and keep their loyalty for as long as possible so word of Shhh Silk could spread. At the beginning this meant spending more than ten hours a day building awareness of her brand on social platforms while juggling international manufacturing herself.

Understanding the power of a celebrity endorsement, but without the money to pay for one to be the face of her brand, she trusted in the quality of her 100% silk pillow cases to do the talking.

Jumping on a flight to L.A, she hand delivered her luxurious pillow slips to none other than Kim Kardashian. Two years on and Olivia proudly counts the Kardashian clan as well as celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic as some of her biggest fans and supporters of her brand.

With a decade worth of experience working with some of Australia’s most highly renowned companies and organisations and with a background of Sales and Public Relations, Olivia was able to gain invaluable knowledge that has undoubtedly helped along the way.

As a young mum in her twenties, Olivia started her first business SHOWS 4 KIDS in 2006 a national touring, educational theatre company, Olivia was awarded prestigious Young Entrepreneur of The Year award.

Olivia has also held the position of Corporate Partnerships Executive at The National Breast Cancer Foundation and later a General Manager at Pacific Brands, an Australian consumer products company known for iconic labels such as Bonds, Sheridan and Berlei.

Shhh Silk has proven to be the perfect start-up for Olivia as it pulls together all the best aspects of her previous roles and highlights her signature strengths.

Everyday she is able to express her creativity, harness her entrepreneurial spirit but also show her philanthropic side, a characteristic that was nurtured while working at The National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Partnering with REST (Relief Society of Tigray), with every product purchased from Shhh Silk funds are donated to an orphan in Ethiopia allowing them to go to school for an entire year equipped with all necessary books and supplies.

Today Olivia is enjoying watching all of her hard work come to fruition. Shhh Silk has seen incredible growth globally since its launch – a huge feat in under two years. She gets to enjoy this incredible ride with her now 15-year-old daughter, 10-year-old son, her mother and a small team of hardworking staff.

Olivia enjoys nothing more than sharing her tangible secrets to success and some hard earned lessons with other like minded entrepreneurs, believing in the quote "A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms."