Latest news with #CaoimheStewart
News.com.au
30-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Had a good cry': 27-year-old left in tears after failed market day
When it comes to business, there are always highs and lows, and a young Aussie was left devastated after spending a whole day at a Sydney market and making zero sales. Caoimhe Stewart started her active wear brand BEAU in 2024 because she wanted to make people feel 'beautiful and confident' in their everyday lives. The 27-year-old recently set up a stall at Sydney's popular Glebe Markets, spending $450 preparing for the day only to leave with zero sales and damaged stock. 'I was so excited,' she told 'I arrived early, between 7 and 8am, to set up before the market opened at 10am. Unfortunately, it rained heavily on and off all day.' Ms Stewart said that, even though the market was still busy enough, she didn't make a 'single sale', which was heartbreaking. 'My gift bags got soaked, my flyers were ruined and, at one point, a lady accidentally knocked over one of my clothing rails into the wet ground, ruining over 40 pieces of clothing,' she explained. 'It was heartbreaking. Not only had I invested so much into the day, but losing that much stock also set the business back financially. 'I went home completely exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally and of course, had a good cry.' The young business owner admitted that the experience was so 'crushing' that she needed a few weeks to regroup from the disappointment before she felt comfortable sharing it online. Eventually, she opened up about her experience on TikTok, and the response was exactly what she needed. Lots of people commented and told her to 'hang in there' and 'keep going' even when it was hard. People also shared that they loved the brand's look, and the overwhelming response turned her market failure into a marketing success. 'The support I've received through social media with the comments, messages and people sharing on their own stories has been amazing,' she said. 'It helped spread the word about BEAU and now I'm starting to see more people placing orders and getting excited about the brand. 'I always say, people need to feel the clothing themselves to really understand the quality.' The 27-year-old is now back to feeling 'excited' about the brand. She's always loved fashion and having her own brand has always been one of her dreams. 'I saved up my own money and started the brand without any external investment, learning and doing everything myself along the way,' she said. 'It's something I've loved building every step of the way. Since the business is still growing, I wear all the hats: modelling my own clothes, running the website and social media pages, handling the financial side, and creating the clothing itself.' Even though growing a business is hard, and even though sometimes she ends up in tears, there's also been such big wins along the way. 'Seeing other people wearing and loving BEAU is what keeps me going. I'm doing something I truly love, and when I see that it's having a positive impact on others too, it makes everything worth it,' she said. Ms Stewart said that, ultimately, some days are better than others, but even the 'smallest wins' push her to keep trying. 'I really believe in being honest about the journey, including the tough parts, because I think people can relate to that and want to come along for the ride with me.'
Sky News AU
29-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Heartbreaking moment Aussie small business owner, 27, weeps after making zero sales at popular Sydney market
A young Australian business owner has broken down in tears after she made zero sales throughout the entire day at a popular Sydney market. Caoimhe Stewart, 27, founded activewear brand BEAU in 2024 and spent $450 to prepare for her stall at the harbour city's Glebe Markes recently. BEAU stocks a range of leggings, tops, and shorts that can transition from the gym to everyday life with the aim of making women "feel confident in their skin." However, Caoimhe walked away from Glebe with a financial loss and 40 pieces of damaged goods after a market-goer accidentally knocked over a stock rack onto the rain-soaked ground. "I put everything into bringing my small business to the Glebe markets, made zero sales, and someone accidentally knocked over my rail and ruined most of my items," the business owner said on TikTok this week. On Tuesday, Caoimhe told she was heartbroken to have not made a single sale at the popular Saturday market in Sydney's inner west despite the flurry of people who flocked there in the Autumn downpour. 'I was so excited. I arrived early, between 7 and 8 am, to set up before the market opened at 10 am. Unfortunately, it rained heavily on and off all day," she said. 'It was heartbreaking. Not only had I invested so much into the day, but losing that much stock also set the business back financially. 'I went home completely exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally and of course, had a good cry.' Caoimhe, who is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, received widespread support after she shared her experience on social media. One sympathiser said Glebe may not have been the ideal market to sell activewear as it typically attracted bargain hunters after vintage pieces. "Glebe is probably not the correct market for active wear. I love Glebe markets and have never bought any new clothes from there - it's very much a 2nd hand/vintage clothes place," they said. Another person echoed the sentiment and suggested Caoimhe move her stall to Bondi or Kirribilli markets to attract the right crowd. "I feel like the crowd needs to be more of the wellness / active type!! Bondi markets and Kirribilli would be great; I feel like Glebe is for vintage/ thrift-type clothes," they said. Another person shared their similar experience at a Sydney market where they made merely three sales. "Meanwhile, I made $4000 online in the time I was at the market the same day. Never again, haha," the commentator said. Caoimhe started BEAU with her own funds and no external investment, quickly growing the one-person brand. The 27-year-old has avoided hiring external resources and wears multiple hats, from modelling her activewear to managing her website, social pages and bookkeeping. And after her "soul-destroying" market experience, Caoimhe said she felt "inspired" and was "not giving up" on her business dream. "I'm not giving up, just a bump on the road, I have a new collection launching in the next few weeks," she said on social media. "You have to experience the lows to get to the highs... Just need to ride the wave and stick with it."
Herald Sun
29-04-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
‘Had a good cry': 27-year-old left in tears after failed market day
Don't miss out on the headlines from Small Business. Followed categories will be added to My News. When it comes to business, there are always highs and lows, and a young Aussie was left devastated after spending a whole day at a Sydney market and making zero sales. Caoimhe Stewart started her active wear brand BEAU in 2024 because she wanted to make people feel 'beautiful and confident' in their everyday lives. The 27-year-old recently set up a stall at Sydney's popular Glebe Markets, spending $450 preparing for the day only to leave with zero sales and damaged stock. 'I was so excited,' she told 'I arrived early, between 7 and 8am, to set up before the market opened at 10am. Unfortunately, it rained heavily on and off all day.' Caoimhe Stewart was so excited for the markets. Picture: Instagram/caoimhe_stewart The 27-year-old arrived early and was ready to make a splash. Picture: Instagram/caoimhe_stewart MORE: A guide to the average salary in Australia Ms Stewart said that, even though the market was still busy enough, she didn't make a 'single sale', which was heartbreaking. 'My gift bags got soaked, my flyers were ruined and, at one point, a lady accidentally knocked over one of my clothing rails into the wet ground, ruining over 40 pieces of clothing,' she explained. 'It was heartbreaking. Not only had I invested so much into the day, but losing that much stock also set the business back financially. 'I went home completely exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally and of course, had a good cry.' The young business owner admitted that the experience was so 'crushing' that she needed a few weeks to regroup from the disappointment before she felt comfortable sharing it online. She ended up going home in tears. Picture: Instagram/caoimhe_stewart Eventually, she opened up about her experience on TikTok, and the response was exactly what she needed. Lots of people commented and told her to 'hang in there' and 'keep going' even when it was hard. People also shared that they loved the brand's look, and the overwhelming response turned her market failure into a marketing success. 'The support I've received through social media with the comments, messages and people sharing on their own stories has been amazing,' she said. 'It helped spread the word about BEAU and now I'm starting to see more people placing orders and getting excited about the brand. 'I always say, people need to feel the clothing themselves to really understand the quality.' MORE: Australia's fastest growing salaries She said the support she got online was a massive win. Picture: Instagram/caoimhe_stewart She started the brand all by herself. Picture: Instagram/caoimhe_stewart The 27-year-old is now back to feeling 'excited' about the brand. She's always loved fashion and having her own brand has always been one of her dreams. 'I saved up my own money and started the brand without any external investment, learning and doing everything myself along the way,' she said. 'It's something I've loved building every step of the way. Since the business is still growing, I wear all the hats: modelling my own clothes, running the website and social media pages, handling the financial side, and creating the clothing itself.' Even though growing a business is hard, and even though sometimes she ends up in tears, there's also been such big wins along the way. 'Seeing other people wearing and loving BEAU is what keeps me going. I'm doing something I truly love, and when I see that it's having a positive impact on others too, it makes everything worth it,' she said. Ms Stewart said that, ultimately, some days are better than others, but even the 'smallest wins' push her to keep trying. 'I really believe in being honest about the journey, including the tough parts, because I think people can relate to that and want to come along for the ride with me.' Originally published as 'Had a good cry': 27-year-old left in tears after failed market day
