Twin sisters Julie and Sali Stevanja have changed the way fitness junkies can buy the latest sporting apparel
Fake it until you make it, or so the saying goes. When Julie and Sali Stevanja launched their now hugely successful e-commerce site, Stylerunner, in October 2012, it certainly rang true.
After just three months spent building the website, the twin sisters and their junior staff member hit the ‘go live’ button from a 65sqm office in Sydney’s Potts Point. Julie recalls the office was sparsely furnished, with just a kitchen table and a sofa. Sali says it was “small but luxe” and set the tone for what was to come.
“We’ve always had the attitude that if you act ‘as if’ [it is happening], you’re already well on your way to where you want to be. From the very beginning, we acted as if we had a running, functioning, profitable site, so having a beautiful space was just the beginning of the amazing things to come,” she says.
As entrepreneurial as the sisters are, even they couldn’t have guessed where their Stylerunner journey would lead. The site – and its carefully curated collection that brings together high end stand-out apparel pieces and activewear staples – was an instant hit with fashion-conscious fitness enthusiasts around Australia, and capitalised on the sports luxe trend, seen on every runway from Paris to London, New York and Milan.
In Stylerunner’s first year of operation, they secured online distribution rights to some of the world’s leading activewear brands including Nike and adidas by Stella McCartney, and continue to win exclusive offerings.
Julie says they’ve been able to capitalise on these opportunities by doing the small things differently.
“We started to serve the category in a way that had never been done before and it quickly got noticed. The high fashion photography, hand written notes, branded boxes and rapidly growing social media community were all in perfect alignment for premium active labels,” she says.
Sali agrees, but traces their success to even earlier days.
“Before we even had a site, we created a presentation of what the site would be. We painted a picture of the brands we wanted, the service we would offer and how the site would be different to anything else. We now have the ability to profile our brands to a large audience, one that may be different to that which they already have. We work hard on developing personal relationships and as a result, we recently executed a mass activation with adidas around City 2 Surf, and we’re about to kick off a Mentoring Program with Nike HQ in Melbourne.”
In the media, Stylerunner has been pitted against retail stalwart David Jones, and has been labeled as ‘the one to watch’ by The Australian’s luxury insert, Wish Magazine.
“It was proof that we were onto something that was attracting the attention of consumers, media and established businesses alike,” she says.
Of course their success, and an annual turnover that’s rumoured to be close to the $2 million mark, hasn’t come easily. Before Stylerunner, Sali was working as a recruitment manager and Julie, who has a management degree, worked in digital marketing for a tech start-up in London.
Julie says the concept for Stylerunner was a joint idea. They began to look at high level industry trends via research reports online, and examined the performance of publicly companies such as Lululemon, Under Armour and Nike.
“We also went to conferences like Online Retailer to learn all we could about setting up an e-commerce site, logistics, shipping partners and so on,” recalls Julie.
“And we read a lot of books, like What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, EMyth and 9 Laws of Attracting Profits to name a few,” says Sali. “Plus we connected with a lot of leaders in the e-commerce/digital space.”
The sisters were in the fortunate position of being able to back the venture with their own funds, and to this day Sali says they’re entirely self-funded with no bank loans.
“I always tell people that it wouldn’t have stopped us if we didn’t [have the funds],” says Julie. “If you have a great idea and can demonstrate the potential and address the risk, there is no shortage of capital.”
With their own money on the line, they set general budgets but exercised flexibility.
“We knew what we wanted to create so if we needed to spend more at times, we did. As co-founders, it is imperative to know what we’re making but more importantly, where we can save,” says Sali. “Sometimes the best way is not always the most expensive option, so my role in particular includes researching and consolidating competitive pricing for all outgoings in the business.
“As a starup, every day is a challenge when it comes to budget. You’re completely out of your comfort zone and security net and just have to accept the risk and everything that comes with it,” she continues. “Once you have dedicated your time and energy into making it work, you find a way to rise above the fear and the dollar signs and focus your energy into how you can achieve results.”
Julie likens their experience in launching and running Stylerunner to a undertaking a fast-track MBA.
“We knew things would eventually pay off and work out, so we made a lot of decisions from the gut in the beginning and just crossed our fingers! Now we look at cash flow forecasts, open to buys and financial models on a weekly basis,” she says.
Having just launched StylerunnerMan, an activewear site targeted to men, the sisters have bold plans for the future.
“We’ve already carved a strong international presence and we are working towards a distribution centre in the US. Of course, continual development for the best user experience is always of utmost importance,” says Julie. “We also work really hard to foster a creative, inspiring and rewarding company culture, and in the future, we hope to be recognised as one of the best companies to work for in the world.”
Stylerunner’s small team, which has grown from just one employee to 15 in less than two years, would probably already vouch for that. Julie says the power of a positive culture has been their single most important business lesson thus far.
“We have put an enormous effort into fostering a culture of positivity, success and celebration at Stylerunner HQ. Monday morning all-in ‘locker room’ sessions are spent upskilling the team, sharing gratitude and setting positive intentions for the week ahead. Friday afternoon all-in ‘Kudos Hour’ is spent reviewing and celebrating the team’s achievements, where a peer voting system results in a weekly, monthly and yearly prize. These acts have resulted in a team who truly loves to be part of the Stylerunner family but also work towards one shared goal. Positivity makes the world of difference — we see it every day,” she says.
With a fresh business outlook, motivated employees and a captive audience that can’t get enough of the brand, Stylerunner is one business the Australian public will hear more about. And they most definitely don’t have to fake it.
Writer: Megan Gamble
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