As every entrepreneur knows, every bit of support counts. For Maria Baker, the founder of inclusive snow gear brand Nobody’s Princess, winning a $10,000 Business Acceleration Grant has helped accelerate her global aspirations.

The Melbourne-based business owner was recently named the first recipient of a $10,000 grant provided by Australian payments tech unicorn Airwallex.

Here’s how she won the grant – and how your business could follow in her ski boots.

The inspiration for Nobody’s Princess

Baker’s passion for creating size, shape and height-inclusive snow gear for women started on a chairlift on top of a mountain.

Wearing brand new snow pants that suddenly gave out, she knew she wanted to offer women snow gear that was actually designed for their body type – so began the story of Nobody’s Princess.

“Because I’m a bit taller and a bit bigger and I just couldn’t find stuff that fit me well,” Baker recalls. “So to add to the annoyance of learning to snowboard, I was also really frustrated by the fact that I had to keep pulling up my pants, or they’d expose my bottom when I bent over, or they were not comfortable.”

With a mission to challenge the established snow-gear industry and give women winter clothing that would fit well – and last for longer than a chairlift ride –Baker realised a lot of women felt that way too. A Kickstarter for her business, funded by women around the world, helped make Nobody’s Princess real.

Baker faced all the challenges of a startup: managing finances, expanding product lines and trying to reach new markets.

“It went from having one product in 2022 to being over like, 30 stores across like Australia and New Zealand in 2023, which is insane,” she says of the brand. “And the next part of that is trying to get into the US, which is primarily why I applied for [the grant] because that money I can use towards setting up that part of the business.”

Her vision and determination is only getting bigger. She knew that with the right support, her brand could make waves in an industry dominated by a few big names.

But for that to happen, she needed the financial backing to cut through.

Seeking out that game-changing opportunity

In early 2024, Nobody’s Princess applied for Airwallex’s $10,000 Business Acceleration Grant. Baker’s impetus for applying for the grant was less pie-in-the-sky business dreams and more about keeping her business afloat with hopes for future expansion: “If you can get free money, you want as much as you can,” she jokes.

“But to get going over there [into global markets], there are things around doing trademarks and registering business names. For me, that whole thing of switching lanes triggered something in my head: ‘I really need to set up those things and the Acceleration Grant is what’s going to get me there’. That gave me the go.”

For Nobody’s Princess, expanding into the US and Canada was a natural progression. “The US and Canada are some of the biggest snow markets in the world, so it made really logical sense,” Baker says, adding that interest from these regions was apparent from the very beginning, with half of her Kickstarter backers coming from North America.

However, entering these markets brought its own set of challenges. “The US is a whole different beast in terms of the way that people do business and what their expectations are. The hurdles come around shipping, logistics and operations – and having the same quality checks that they do over there,” she says.

 

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A post shared by Nobody’s Princess | Women’s ski and snow pants that fit. (@nobodysprincessapparel)

Winning the Airwallex grant

Winning the $10,000 grant was a major turning point in helping Nobody’s Princess fully embrace global expansion. Part of the funding was used to cover essential costs, such as setting up trademarks and registering business names.

But beyond those core requirements, Baker says the grant will be central to reaching that ‘next stage’ of business growth – something that would’ve been impossible without such a large cash injection.

“[It’s going to] help me take that next step without hindering my growth in ANZ, as my business is still very much in the reinvestment part of its growth,” she says. “And funnily enough, having the Airwallex tools will also be very useful for getting started in the US and Canada. It means I can do it faster and accelerate the entry there.”

Is your startup next?

Baker’s story is a testament to what startups can achieve with the right financial backing.

It’s for this reason that Airwallex has decided to refresh the $10,000 grant opportunity as part of their new Airwallex for Startups program.

The free initiative is designed to support early-stage to high-growth startups with financial tools, educational resources, networking opportunities and more. Applications are open now for their second $10,000 Business Acceleration Grant, closing 30 June 2024.

It’s a golden opportunity for entrepreneurs to accelerate their growth and join a thriving community of next-generation startups.

How to apply

Applying for the Airwallex for Startups program is so easy:

• Visit the Airwallex for Startups page.
• Check out the Terms and Conditions for the $10,000 Business Acceleration Grant.
• Complete the application form with details about your startup.

Don’t miss this chance to turn your startup dreams into reality by joining Airwallex for Startups today. Just like Nobody’s Princess, your startup could be the next success story.

This article is brought to you by Kochie’s Business Builders in partnership with Airwallex.