Dec 16, 20223 min read

From the IKEA bag to a professional logistic in a feminine and powerful co-creation

Female founders co-story startup women WeCoCo Oilspiration — The co-story of Oilspiration

You start as friends, who have a good idea, which is then turned into a shared business. Sadly, it is not uncommon that a business partnership causes a break in the friendship.

When we first met in 2015 we connected over Yoga, Food, Nature, and a love for traveling. In 2017, we started to dive into the Essential Oil world together and noticed soon that there were a lack of good, funky and sustainable aromatherapy supplies (i.e. glass bottles, books, diffusers, etc.) to mix our own blends, support a chemical-free household, and dive deeper into various topics related to essential oils. Even more difficult to get the right educational and inspirational literature in German. Shops in our neighboring countries often don’t ship to Switzerland or have high shipping costs, and then the additional import cost really makes it not a fun shopping experience. Of course, cheap products can be found in Asia, however, we were trying to find sustainable products.

So there we were. Two Essential Oil Lovers, frustrated about the accessories side of it. We knew that we were not the only ones, being dissatisfied with the possibilities in Switzerland to lay our hands on essential oils accessories. Over lunch, we had the idea to start a business, that way helping ourselves and all the other Aromatherapists and Oil Lovers out there. No sooner said than done. We began by researching wholesalers around the globe - a sometimes quite tiring and frustrating task. And ordered our first batch. Found a name ...

... and set up a website and an Instagram account. And here we went. Mind you, we had no business plan and did everything pretty much in an “off the bat” manner. All we wanted was to work sustainably and build on organic growth. We were not at all in a hurry.

During the first months, we took the first orders ourselves to the post office. First under the arm and over time we needed one of these big blue IKEA bags. And then two. After a little bit more than a year, the number of packages to be shipped became so high, that we arranged for the Swiss post to come and pick them up. We still did all the rest of it ourselves: pack the packages, print the invoices, print the labels, etc.

In 2020 fortunately the business became so big, that we had to consider two things: outsourcing the packaging and shipping part and the form of our collaboration. Therefore, we founded a GmbH, and we found an institution that was ready to take over the packaging and shipping part. Regarding the latter, it was imperative to us to work with a logistic company that was in line with our values and has a social impact. That is why we chose a Swiss institution committed to the social and professional rehabilitation and integration of people with mental or physical employment impairments.

We try to avoid plastic as much as possible and are always looking for alternatives. In addition, we mostly ship a large part of the packaging “reused”

That means we buy as little new packaging material as possible (and if we do, then plastic-free) and use existing material. We are always striving to improve and look for ecologically compatible solutions.

As for our relationship, we experienced an opposing trend. Often people start as friends, who have a good idea, which is then turned into a shared business. But sadly, it is not uncommon that a business partnership causes a break in the friendship. In contrast to that, our friendship deepened. We developed an effective, feminine, and joyful way of doing business. Besides a wonderful and effortless co-creation, we are now Best Friends, Sisters by heart, and go through the ups and downs of not only the business but also of life.

Visit Oilspiration for more information.

About Andrina & Nadine