Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw apologise profusely as they approach the table I’m sitting at. They are a mere few minutes late to our interview, and yet it’s clear they both feel genuinely terrible for keeping me waiting at all.
We move into a meeting room within the complex that their business operates out of — one of many The Commons venues across Melbourne — and the pair joke about how deep in work mode they’d already become at only 9am in the morning.
The best friends and business partners had been caught up in emails and lost track of time, Henshaw explains; it happens a lot these days, time getting away from the two of them.
It’s understandable how busy they both must be. As the co-founders of Keep It Cleaner (KIC), they oversee a growing health and wellness empire, encompassing an app with workouts, recipes, meal plans and more, in addition to a podcast and an exclusive Facebook community group.
But seven years ago, KIC started simply as an ebook; it was a “passion project”, explain the co-founders, who were aged 21 and 22 respectively at the time.
As Smith tells SmartCompany Plus, she and Henshaw both went through their own personal struggles growing up with dieting and exercising “for the wrong reasons”.
This was back in 2015, when “the market was flooded with fad diets, quick fixes and ‘abs in five minutes’”, Smith explains.
The ebook included recipes that weren’t about calorie planning or minimal calories, but instead focused on wholesome, nutritious ingredients that you could find in your local supermarket.
“We wanted to make health a little bit more accessible,” Smith says.
“From there, it’s kind of grown — but still stayed true to that value.”
‘Kind of grown’ is an understatement. KIC now employs 17 full-time staff across the app in addition to its part-time trainers, and the KIC fast moving consumer goods product range is growing under separate ownership by Metro Food Co.
Sitting across the room from Smith and Henshaw, it’s evident that such a value is a pillar not only of the brand, but of the women themselves — and their strong friendship bond that has allowed them to create the inclusive, genuine and positive community KIC is built on today.
Mark Twain said ‘write what you know’. For Smith and Henshaw, using what they knew about their own personal health struggles has helped build a positive brand
Having – and showing – a strong bond between co-founders and your wider team will help the community of customers you build feel more closely tied to one another, too
Being best friends with your business partner isn’t always easy. Learn to appreciate each other for your individual strengths, and your business will grow when you encourage each other to, as well
The now 28-year-old and 29-year-old founders aren’t able to disclose specific revenue figures from the business, but Smith made it onto the AFR’s 2021 Young Rich List thanks to her estimated $36 million fortune, with Henshaw “narrowly missing out”.
KIC has seen 91% growth in revenue in the past 24 months alone, and a 60% increase in its customer base.
As to what both the founders account for such mammoth growth, it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room: COVID-19.
Showcasing ‘anywhere’ fitness workouts wasn’t a pivot made during the pandemic for KIC, however, unlike many gyms that had to completely revamp their business models. This nimble flexibility was a pillar that KIC was built on from the very start.
“I think [lockdowns] helped expedite the process of people being more open to other types of fitness,” Henshaw explains, as people were realising the amount of time they could save by not having to drive to and from the gym just to get a workout in.
People have learnt how to be their own motivation — whether inside a gym or not — and that workouts don’t have to “look a certain way or be a certain way” in order to “count”.
Such a mindset has seen society pivot towards options that can help them be fit in an affordable way that works seamlessly with the rest of our busy lives, the co-founders explain. A subscription to KIC, for example, is $19.50 monthly, $49.50 quarterly, and $115 for the annual package, which covers access to the entire app and the exclusive community.
It’s not to say KIC didn’t pivot during the pandemic, however. Henshaw explains that as soon as Melbourne went into lockdown, the team made sure their ‘no equipment’ workouts were front and centre.
Equipment was few and far between during the lockdowns, with many fitness stores unable to keep up with customer orders and second-hand prices skyrocketing under the demand.
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So Smith and Henshaw made sure to work with their development team and get said workouts on the homepage to showcase to the community why equipment wasn’t necessary to still get a well-rounded workout in, along with launching a “live gym”.
It’s funny to think about now, reflects Henshaw, because two years on, we all very much have live-fatigue.
“But at the time, there weren’t a lot of live workouts on social media. So we did a live gym where we offered free classes three times a week on the Keep It Cleaner Instagram,” Henshaw explains, describing how that move helped get the app and its products in front of more eyes — with the Instagram account boasting 317,000 followers to date.
For KIC members, access to the all-inclusive app isn’t all a subscription provides: it also includes access to a private community on Facebook, which currently has more than 46,000 members.
“The community being in touch with each other and being able to support each other and encourage each other is a huge part about why we started KIC in the first place,” Smith says.
Smith says the community is a “huge thing” for subscribers, as it is for the founders themselves, and this can be seen in the average monthly engagement rate of 80%.
As for how members become aware of the Facebook group, Henshaw explains it’s a part of the onboarding process, where an EDM is sent when an individual is signed up, as well as it being pushed through its social channels and podcast as well.
Members aren’t kicked out if they are no longer a KIC subscriber either, Smith explains, commenting on how each member is “a part of the family”.
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During COVID-19, the community saw engagement “go through the roof” because everyone wanted to “be in touch with someone”.
“It’s really beautiful because what we have realised through doing what we do at KIC is that we’re not just encouraging people to have wholesome ingredients in their food and enjoy eating, for the right reasons or move their body for all these good reasons, but [it is] also [helping to] they build their confidence — whether in making friends or walking into the workplace,” Smith says.
“It’s a holistic experience.”
Smith and Henshaw were best friends before going into business together, which the co-founders admit “doesn’t work for everyone”.
But while sitting down with them both, it’s clear to see their friendship is just as strong as ever as they joke with one another and finish each other’s sentences.
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The pair account the strong bond to not only being close prior launching the business, but also having such similar, personal values that align with KIC’s core values, too.
“We want the exact same thing for the business and for the community. But that’s not to say that we agree on everything,” Smith says, sharing a laugh with Henshaw in agreement.
“A big part of our role of [being senior leaders] in the business is to challenge each other and challenge the other senior leaders that we have, so if we did agree on everything, it probably wouldn’t be the best thing for the business,” Henshaw adds.
Along the way, they’ve also learnt to acknowledge their individual strengths — and appreciate one another for them.
Smith says she loves the creative aspect of Keep It Cleaner and thrives in the design aspects, while Henshaw is equipped in the operations and data side of running a business.
Leaning on these strengths is pivotal, as is “communicating everything with one another”.
And the co-founders really mean everything: doubts, fears, concerns with the business, and disbelief in their own abilities.
But running a business with someone — especially your best friend — also means they are both there to support one another when the other may be feeling these doubts. This helps “not only for the hard points in running a business”, Smith says, “but it also helps to have someone to celebrate with, as well.”
“It allows you to stop and appreciate the little wins.”
Sophie Venz is a freelance writer and editor working remotely from wherever she can get an internet connection. You can find her bylines in Forbes, SmartCompany, Mamamia, Punkee and many more.
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