‘I Turned What Was A Real Need For Myself Into A Reality’: Phoebe Simmonds

The Blow founder Phoebe Simmonds opens up about her new business, the value of brand and Julia Gillard wandering into her salon.

By Emily J. Brooks

Leadership

The Blow founder Phoebe Simmonds opens up about her new business, the value of brand and Julia Gillard wandering into her salon.

By Emily J. Brooks

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Phoebe Simmonds was never the woman with perfect hair. Until she landed a top brand management role for LVMH in Sydney, and found herself with impostor syndrome. She was young for the role. Confidence was an issue, so she booked herself a blow dry. Then another. And another.

The blow dries were fine, but finding a salon open before her morning meetings was a challenge. The best salon in town also had photos of Korean pop stars stuck to the walls. “I couldn’t believe that in Australia, no one had thought to bring together brand experience but also the convenience of a blow dry which exists in a really successful way in the [United] States,” said Simmonds. “So I turned what was a real need for myself into a reality.”

“When you’re establishing a business, you need to be confident you’re filling a need in the market that you believe no-one else can fill,” says Simmonds. “When creating a brand, you need to take the same approach. Be super disciplined in making sure you’re saying something no other brand can.” Here are Simmonds’ three tips to creating a brand that says something: