Already a subscriber?When Georgia Geminder started her company Gem in 2020, she could have had significant financial backing from her Rich Lister parents, but she knew the importance of building the company off the “smell of an oily rag”.
The daughter of Raphael and Fiona Geminder of Pact Group only had minimal financial support from her parents and spent three years “We originally had a tiger on the packaging. It was supposed to symbolise the ferocity of nature … it was definitely too brand heavy, whereas I had aspirations to launch into Mecca, into Priceline … I knew my packaging needed to reflect what a beauty-focused consumer was interested in.”Having tripled its revenue and its team, and with growing profitably, Geminder is now expanding Gem into its first category outside oral care, launching a line of deodorants into 3500 retail stores nationally.
“If you’re not on-shelf, you don’t exist, so having that retail support has been fundamental in the business growth to date.”Geminder’s first job was at age 14 in a book store, but her exposure to start-ups came in her 20s when she worked forAfter years spent modelling, the choice to launch a toothpaste business came as a surprise to her friends and family, who thought if anything she’d launch a fashion label or beauty company. But she had spotted an opportunity to disrupt unloved categories.