Violet Coleman was just 13-years-old when she decided to start her dog accessories brand, Georgie Paws, in 2016. One year on she is launching the range to trade with the help of her entrepreneur mum Annette (and dog George).
While attending school is enough for most girls her age, Coleman knew she wanted to go into business. Her initial idea was a range of dog coats and bedding, which evolved into a collection of collars, leads and accessories made from buffalo leather.
“My designs are inspired by equestrian leather, polo designs and anything high-end leather,” she says.
“I love the way leather feels and it can look really smart… I wanted high-end so we didn’t have returns and faulty stock.”
Coleman says it’s this attention to detail that sets Georgie Paws’ products apart from others on the market but it can also make running the business difficult.
“The biggest challenge is finding reliable suppliers that can pass our high-level quality control,” she says.
Along with kudos from her friends, running a business while at school has also equipped Coleman with skills that many adult entrepreneurs struggle with, like juggling competing priorities.
“I’ve had to learn to work on the business, not ‘in’ the business. I’m lucky because this is a key to success for many business owners.
“I rely on mum to do the groundwork for my ideas and we meet every day to manage the direction of the business and discuss what’s happening.”
Coleman has big dreams for the future and launched new collar designs and Christmas products at Life Instyle Melbourne. She also wants to find an international distributor and expand out of Australia and New Zealand into the US.
“I would really hope that Georgie Paws will crack into the American dog market,” she says. “We are looking at a few different ways to do that at the moment. I would like to keep focused on collars and leads and expand that area, as well as different seasonal products.”
By Ruth Cooper
