Cheers to 5 Years!
Aubrey LindseyShare
Cheers to 5 Years!
This milestone is HUGE and I am so excited to be celebrating today! Ollie Lue has come such a long way since year one. The brand has flourished and products have been refined. This journey has been nothing short of special. I began Ollie Lue as a way to cope through PPD; to give others a small joy from a daily routine that might normally seem mundane. I never imagined that I would have come this far with Ollie Lue, not in my wildest dreams. Around 60% of small businesses do not make it to 5 years. Beating that statistic is something I will be forever grateful for.
I never planned to be a business owner. I went to college and graduated with my Bachelor's in Biology. I worked a job where I thoroughly enjoyed the work I was doing in my field. Then, the pandemic happened. I lost my job, I was 3 months pregnant, and in the beginnings of an uncertain time. I spent this time brainstorming what I could do while nurturing the time I now had to fully nest. Nothing flourished at that time, and nearly 6 months later I had my baby and fell deep into the darkness of post-partum depression. It was the most beautiful and sad time. (Truly, if you are in the darkness of PPD, please reach out to your birthing team/Dr and ask for help! You are NOT alone!) I dabbled in making various crafts and fell upon soap making. I really enjoyed the process and began diving in the soaping world. I found so much love, colors and joy. This is something that helped bring me out of PPD, finding the craft grounded me. The scents provided positive memories, colors made me see past the daze of PPD and the bubbles made me feel joy. I then set out to craft my own recipe tapping in my college chemistry days. I made my first batch of cold process soap and it was love at first suds.
Life kept blossoming and year later with another baby on the way, Ollie Lue was born. February 22, 2021. If you have been here from day one, you know I originally operated under a different name with a completely different look. The first year I broke even and knew I could make something of the products I was making. I rebranded in 2022 and officially began markets that spring. I dove in head first and have not looked back!
I can't say that you enough to those who believed in me from the start. All of the love of customers who have been with me since day one, those who have become friends over the years, those who have cheered me on from afar and stood up for me in rooms I am not in. I see you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! I feel the love and cannot wait to see where the future takes this journey!
--
More back story: I have an allergy to all deodorants. So, at 15 years old I began making my own. Over the years I began trying other ingredients and settled on the original Sweet Pits formula. It has evolved over the years with the baking soda free formula. This is where my skincare days truly began. From deodorant to lip balms and body butters. Those products were the start of it all!
TLDR: This milestone is amazing! I am thankful, grateful to all of YOU and can't wait to see what the future holds for Ollie Lue!
--
Many bubbles and suds to you!
-Aubrey, Owner