Starting a new business venture not only requires capital, market research, and a product or service that fills a gap in the market, but a whole lot of guts, grit, determination and sacrifice. When Koko&Kush founder Cindy Lim started her skincare business selling refillable hemp beauty products, she found it also meant hanging on for a steep learning curve, sacrifice, and risk.

Inspired by her entrepreneurial family, this Melbourne-based entrepreneur was always destined to go into business for herself. Even from a young age, Cindy explored a number of business opportunities as she worked to make her mark in the world. From liquid lipsticks, event management, and selling grazing boxes during COVID, she was always looking for ways to find solutions to other people’s problems. After working in corporate for a few years, she knew that a J.O.B. was not for her.

At age 28, Cindy, with the support of her husband, risked it all, selling her dream home to bootstrap her business after realising her start-up funds were not enough to get her business off the ground.

“I am not afraid of hard work or trying something new. After growing up in the family business, my mum always encouraged me to learn as I start from the bottom and work my way up,” Cindy said.

“Even though I have no background in beauty, I started my first business when I was 18 creating my own liquid lipsticks. After that failed spectacularly, and I lost my life savings, I was determined to find something I could pour myself full time into.”

Solving skincare problems

Like all good ideas, Cindy’s pathway to business fulfilment came from a personal problem. “I have alopecia and sensitive skin issues, and it got me thinking about others with the same issues,” Cindy said.

“I had spent over $1000 trying to fix my skin issues, and nothing worked. I created a serum, which cleared my skin up in less than 72 hours.” The Bong Appétit serum is now our bestseller and the inspiration for Koko&Kush.

“After a conversation with my brother-in-law, who works in product development, I hatched a plan to create a skincare range using one of nature’s most perfectly balanced oils – hemp.”

However, with limited experience in product development, Cindy discovered a whole new world of product formulations, minimum orders, and finding manufacturers who could help her realise her dream.

“I had just gotten married and we had saved $100,000 to build our dream home in Melbourne – a fixer-upper – and was excited to start our life together, but I couldn’t get the skincare idea out of my head,” she said.

Betting it all on a dream

“I said to my husband ‘Give me $30k so I can get my business up and running’. He was all in, but I quickly found out, you cannot do much with even $30,000 to start a skincare range. So, we sold the house, packed our bags and moved back home with my parents.”

With the proceeds from the house sale and the rest of the savings, Cindy had the money she needed to launch Koko&Kush.

“It was a big gamble and sacrifice. All we wanted was to own our own home, but my desire to be in business for myself was all-consuming, and I just knew I had to make it happen regardless of the risks,” Cindy said. “But when you have something really important to you, you will pull out all stops to make it happen.”

Cindy said the most important thing when starting a business is belief in yourself. “If you are going to invest and do something with your life, you may as well back yourself 100% and do something that gives you joy,” she said.

“Selling our home to invest in the unknown was a big risk but it paid off. Koko&Kush grew 430 per cent from the launch date, with our August launch smashing five figures in three months. I am seeing a 45 per cent return of customers who love my take on sustainable skincare.”

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