brIsbane’s snot boss Brisbane teacher and mum Laura Klein was looking to solve her children’s runny noses when she stumbled on an idea that would change the direction of her whole career and win her the Best Product Innovation Award at the 2021 Roar Awards Australia for her “Snotty Boss”. We hear from Laura about how it all began... In my years as an early childhood teacher, I had dealt with my fair share of sick kids and runny noses. But the inspiration for the business began in Brisbane in 2011, when I was a stay at home Mum, on leave from my job as a primary school teacher. I saw an ad for the “Snotty” Nasal Aspirator in a magazine. My second child was a “Winter baby”, with a very congested nose. It made it hard for him to feed and sleep. I thought, let’s give this product a go! So I purchased one, and loved it!
“I saw an ad in a magazine, and didn’t realise this was going to change the entire direction of my life” I didn’t realise this purchase was going to change the direction of my life and career in a big way! The Snotty Nasal Aspirator was the most effective device I had ever used to relieve a child’s blocked and runny nose. After telling lots of mum friends and teaching colleagues about the “Snotty”, I started to think “every family in Australia needs one of these, perhaps I could sell them myself”. I was worried I wouldn’t know how to ‘sell’ or run an online business. But then I realised: teaching and online sales are very similar they both require great communication, trust, excellent service, a friendly approach and a passion for your product. I knew I had nothing to lose! So I got in contact with the distributor, and my business was born in 2013.
26
A simple start At first, I sold products to friends, family, mums from my playgroup, and a few local families. I put up some flyers at local playgrounds and did some letterbox drops. The business was growing slowly, I remember getting excited when I sold two Snottys in one day. If only I knew what was to come.
“I remember getting excited when I sold 2 Snottys in a day.
I could see there was a niche market for unique devices that would help keep children healthy, so I took the opportunity to source other products, including those that I already used with my own children - mist vaporiser, the white noise sleep machines, digital thermometer, fetal doppler, and organic balms. A new website was launched, the product range grew, and so did the sales and the customer base, with hundreds of parcels delivered all over Australia every month.
We’re growing and expanding Eight years later, snottynoses.com.au has evolved into a trusted and unique shopping experience. We took a huge growth step in 2020, releasing the new Snotty Boss Nasal Aspirator, and the 5 star reviews have blown us away. We are on a mission to have Snotty Boss is every pharmacy around Australia. In 2021, we released our Little Boss Organic Balms. And we have an amazing new sleep product releasing this month. We are a onestop shop for sniffle and sleep solutions. As a mother of three, I have spent lots of money on products that were simply not effective or didn’t live up to the claims by the manufacturer. That’s why I am so proud of our niche range of products. I understand that what works for me might not work for everyone, but at least you can shop with confidence, knowing that all our products have been used and recommended by a mum!
