TIPS on how to launch a successful new business:
Create a range of innovative and lightweight T-shirts made from superfine Merino wool specifically designed by hikers, for hikers. Tick.
Have a global pandemic hit just as you're about to launch said new business. Tick.
Witness with trepidation the entire global population tumble into endless months of lockdowns and the suspension of all non-essential services, including local manufacturing centres that are now producing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) instead of fashion apparel. Tick.
Pitch your exciting new hiking product to hikers who can't leave their houses and you know, actually hike. Tick.
It's all sounding a little too much of an insurmountable challenge at this point, right?
But hold onto your tough terrain trail rail my friends, because this is one of those genuine happy ending (or more, happy beginning) stories that reiterates the universal fact that when you're onto something good, even a global pandemic can't stop you.
Meet Paul Goodsell and Richard Dobek, two keen hikers and co-founders of Ottie Merino, a wonderful small business built on a simple idea that hiking t-shirts could be better.
Mr Goodsell, an experienced hiker with more than 20 years of trekking in his two feet, has gone through his fair share of T-shirts in his time.
Some were too tight, too restrictive around the neck, some developed holes, some lost their shape and most would ride up underneath his backpack while on a hike.
They just couldn't cut it as a comfortable, durable yet stylish T-shirt and Mr Goodsell became slightly obsessed with finding the ideal shirt, not just suited to hiking but also nice enough to wear once he finished a hike and was enjoying a well-earned beer at the local pub.
He wasn't alone in his quest, a fact he quickly found out after posing the question online to the Hiking in Australia and New Zealand community of 50,000 members, who enthusiastically responded with what they did and didn't like about existing hiking shirts.
"Essentially, our products have been co-created with our target market," Mr Goodsell said.
"We are producing a product that we want, and what other people in the hiking community told us they wanted too.
"We launched Ottie Merino when Victoria was deep in lockdowns during July 2020, but I think it was a good thing to have had this product and launch at that time.
"It was one of the few things keeping us sane during lockdown.
"(Our business) really shows the power of the people, because the hiking community completely backed us and our idea, gave us all kinds of useful feedback and had total faith in what we were trying to do."
That valuable insight and such detailed responses eventually shaped the design of the ideal hiking T-shirt, now known as the Ottie Merino T-shirt.
Hikers wanted longer shirts that could be tucked in and less likely to ride up under backpacks, they wanted a relaxed fit that wasn't too form-fitting like other 'athleisure' tops.
But most of their clever and practical solutions came from a cluster of wise walking women, who were seeking T-shirts with better sun protection with no gaping necklines, tiny sleeves or typically 'feminine' colours.
As a direct result, the Ottie Merino women's range of tees are a relaxed fit, have regular sleeves, a standard crew neck and come in the same neutral colours as the men's range.
Now to the question on everyone's lips, what are these magical tees made of?
The business partners refer to it as 'the wonder fibre', but it's otherwise known as 18.5 micron superfine Australian Merino wool, the most natural, breathable, moisture-wicking, odour suppressing, antibacterial and biodegradable fibre in the world.
Grown by Merino sheep grazing on pastures across many of the agricultural regions across Australia, it is fully traceable and 100 per cent mulesing free.
The superfine wool spends a short stint overseas to be processed and spun before returning to its Australian roots to be dyed and knitted locally in Melbourne.
The finished product is a versatile, lightweight and silky smooth 165gsm relaxed fit T-shirt, just as suitable for hiking in extreme environments as it is to throw on with a favourite pair of jeans and head out to dinner.
Both men are passionate about their business encompassing as much Australian-owned and operated as possible, being Australian designed, ethically made, owned and using 100pc Australian wool from feedback from Australian (and some New Zealand) hikers.
It was only a short decade ago when Mr Goodsell first stumbled across Merino wool, after a work colleague owned quite an extensive collection of wool garments and encouraged him to try a wool-blend shirt for one of his hikes.
The more he researched the benefits of the natural fibre, the more he was convinced it was exactly what sweaty active people needed, whether it be hikers, runners, mountain bikers or even cross country skiers, the options are endless.
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After joining forces and an extra encouraging nudge from Mr Dobek, the pair launched Ottie Merino and cleverly ran a pre-order campaign for their first collection of tees, securing orders for 240 units that were scheduled to land by the end of August 2020.
However COVID-19 lockdowns and manufacturing delays meant instead, they rolled off the manufacturers line at the end of October that year.
Mr Dobek said their customers were very understanding, and during that challenging period he and Mr Goodsell placed a strong emphasis on keeping customers informed and regularly updated on any delays pertaining to their new hiking shirts.
"A big part of our success was our customers really wanting us to succeed," Mr Dobek said.
"It really is a business built by the community, for the community, and we've certainly benefited from their information, feedback and trust.
"It was perhaps ambitious to launch a business and product amid the 2020 lockdowns, and it was definitely a challenge to navigate the lockdowns and constantly shifting manufacturing requirements as a young, growing business.
"But the upside of that was, we probably went into overdrive with our customer care and made sure we were keeping everyone up to date on their orders and what was happening.
"A big part of the fun of hiking is actually planning the trip, and customers stuck in lockdown were ordering their new tees, getting gear ready and planning trips they wanted to take once allowed back into the wild.
"They were very understanding, they know we were setting out to make a fantastic product for them and they had total faith in what we were trying to do.
"I think in our own unique way, we are reconceptualising how consumers see wool while also providing farmers with new and different markets for their fibre."
The dynamic duo regularly receives emails from farmers wanting to sell their superfine wool directly to Ottie Merino, something the men aren't yet equipped for but hope to achieve as the business grows.
Ideally, they want to take the traceability element of Ottie Merino even further and become a business with completely traceable wool transparency, with the ability to say their wool came all the way from a specific flock on a specific farm to become that specific product.
They believe education is a key component of wool successfully spreading further afield into new markets such as hiking and other athletic avenues, and they are always willing to advocate the many benefits associated with such a wonderful natural fibre.
Public perceptions of Merino wool still lean towards 'legacy and tradition' rather than a 'cutting edge' and fashion-forward fibre according to Mr Goodsell, who jumps on every opportunity to extoll the many benefits of wool to as many people as he can.
Both he and Mr Dobek find it somewhat frustrating that much larger, more corporate, athleisure-wear brands appear to produce and promote a small capsule of clothing made from Australian wool, and only for a short burst.
They feel opportunities are continuously missed by these large companies to use their much broader and extensive platforms to educate consumers on the many benefits of Australian Merino wool.
"Merino wool should be in every Australian's closet," Mr Goodsell said.
"It's a miraculously interesting product and we think there are so many more market opportunities for the fibre, especially within everyday wear.
"We think the current perceptions surrounding wool are outdated among the general public.
"Bigger brands, who could really lead the way with Merino wool education, simply aren't capitalising on this.
"So at the moment it's up to small brands like ours to educate and spread the message about its benefits, and we do it happily, because we are so passionate about it.
"You see all these people wearing, what's basically stretchy plastic, when they're out running or mountain biking; I just don't understand it."
From the backs of a Merino sheep onto the back of the Ottie Merino tee's performing exceptionally well, the brand is potentially looking to branch out into other fitness areas, such as running, gym attire, mountain biking or skiing.
When they started the business, they were very clear on who their customer is and what they want, and continue to be very customer-led in the Merino wool products they offer.
Their entire Ottie Merino wool range now includes long-sleeved tees, underwear, socks, and the newly-launched Merino wool thermals, once again created from customer feedback and demand.
The woolly word now seems to have spread further afield to celebrity circles, and after looking closely at customer reviews on the Ottie Merino website, there sits one particular glowing review left by none other than beloved Australian comedian Hamish Blake.
Mr Blake purchased 10 Ottie Merino shirts for a recent Tasmanian mountain biking adventure with his mates and had them custom embroidered to mark the occasion.
"We know we make a fantastic product," Mr Dobek said.
"We believe in speaking directly with our customers, harnessing the power of the people who are getting behind us and what we are trying to do.
"It's that trust and willingness of the hiking community to engage with the production of our range that we value the most.
"As we continue to grow, we want to push into other categories and countries, want to explore those opportunities to take Australian Merino wool to the world."
