May 24, 2013
Pearl Chan, Resparkle Pty Ltd
Bio The path that led her to this point
I've been in the creative industry for 6 years and believe that great design should not only be aesthetically pleasing but also serve a purpose, be that functional, experiential or inspirational.
I combined this belief with an idealist dream to help shape the world we live in for the better.
I set myself the goal of building an ethical and socially responsible business that inspires positive change.
My personal challenge? To redesign one everyday product that would have a positive impact on both people’s health and planet’s well-being.
Revolutionising the humble home cleaning product became my crusade.
While we focus on the smell, the convenience and cleaning ability, what is often overlooked is that most commonly used cleaners are laden with toxic and some cancer-causing chemicals.
Cleaning products are something we all come into contact with everyday.
Personally, I knew how nasty cleaning products were because they constantly irritated my skin/nose, making housework a chore.
However, it wasn’t until I started my research that I made the horrifying discovery that prolonged exposure through skin absorption and inhalation can have profound harmful effects on our health.
Women and children are particularly vulnerable.
But I also understood that the cost of quality natural cleaning products can be prohibitive.
So much of the cost of cleaning products goes into packaging and transporting these spray bottles filled with mostly water.
Surely there must be a smarter way?
After much effort, my reinvention became Resparkle – a high quality organic cleaning product that truly does not cost the earth.
Q&A Insider advice & tips
What's been your greatest achievement to date?
Overcoming a year's worth of setbacks and odds to finally coming up with an original product that empowers people to clean their homes in a smarter and healthier way plus not harm the planet in the process.
Now every time I see Resparkle on a shop shelf, my heart does a little dance!
What's been your biggest challenge so far?
Learning almost everything from scratch. From how plastics are made, logistics, cash-flow planning, handling suppliers, sales pitch to retailers and the list goes on.
I honestly didn't know what I signed up for when I decided to create my own original product!
But it gets better with time. You just have to keep your mind open and learn as fast as you can.
Best lesson you've learned along the way?
Stay positive and trust things will work out.
It was a stressful time during the product development stage especially with mine and my family's life savings invested in it.
Looking back now, I realise those setbacks were lessons placed there for a reason.
Resparkle still has a long way to go before we reach our goal of making our organic cleaning products accessible to everyone in Australia but now I try to trust the process and see where it leads me. The journey is half the fun!
A website, book or resource that has helped you in your business or inspired you and why?
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and Start with Why by Simon Sinek.
Which person or brand do you most admire and why?
I know it's cliche but the person I admire most would be Steve Jobs and the brand - Apple.
Apple has built a brand where people want to be part of and aspire towards. It didn't sell products, it sold a culture and identity of being authentic & different.
I admire Steve Jobs for thinking he's crazy enough to change the world, and he did.
What advice would you give someone starting an independent business in your industry?
Research & learn all you can.
Don't be afraid to ask for help, you'd be surprise how generous people are about sharing their knowledge.
The rest of it? Believe in yourself and your dream.
Finish this sentence
Everything changed for me when…
I left the world of banking after 911 in search of a meaningful way to make a living that would also allow me to indulge in my creative side.
After several years in the creative industry and now just 2 years shy of turning 40, I've finally found my calling. That is, to create a product that can have a positive impact on people's well being and the planet's health.
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