Last week, I sat down with entrepreneur Emily and her parents to chat about the story behind one of Amazon’s best-selling ice skating accessories! Read how this savvy 12-year-old found a new use for microfiber cloth, and why it’s such a hit!
The opportunity to start a business came when Emily’s mom, Peng, had received colorful samples of microfiber cloth from her cousin’s factory. Peng’s cousin had asked her to help create a new product with their microfiber cloth.
Microfiber is largely sold in the Chinese and European markets as an effective cleaning and scrubbing tool for car interiors, and is sold at a premium price. Less popular in the US, Peng realized she could bring this fabric into the market with a different use.
“We wanted to create something useful in daily life, not just for car cleaning,” says Peng. Microfiber is a great antibacterial fiber and also is very soft to the touch. The duo decided on a hair turban line— dyeing the microfiber cloths vibrant colors and cutting the cloth a certain way to be used for twisting up hair for safe and efficient hair drying!
"The great thing about microfiber is that you can play around with color and texture,” says Peng. Different colors have different weaving methods and textures which make the product bright and interesting, and the best part— fluffy! The great part about their products are the quality of the microfiber. Where Walmart may sell a similar hair turban, the material is sometimes a polyester blend and not as soft or doesn’t work quite as well. That’s the competitive advantage that Peng stands by— their quality.
The process of getting her product in the market was a slow one, as there are many different policies that go into creating and branding a consumer good. Consequently, Peng worked slowly with the hair turban branding while working full time and caring for her family of four plus a dog!
One day at home, Peng’s daughter Emily saw her mom playing with different fabrics and colors for her microfiber hair turbans. Captured by the vibrant colors, Emily asked her mom if she could keep one of the bright microfiber cloths in her ice skating bag. “This would be great for my cleaning my skates!”
In the ice skating world, skates can be pricey, so you need to keep them properly stored and cleaned. Traditionally people would use cotton or old rags to clean the blade after being on the ice, which sometimes can leave blades rusty and dirty. That’s when Emily discovered how useful these microfiber cloths would be for ice skating care and blade covers, called soakers. The microfiber is antibacterial and quick drying, perfect for cleaning and protecting blades. Voilà! Another idea was born!
Quickly, Emily’s friends wanted the colorful cleaning kit for their blades too. With the bright colors and soft fabric, the sales proved to be a hit in their market. The product is listed on Amazon grounded as a top 20 and sometimes top 10 best-selling product for ice skating accessories. Even a few days ago, a world champion skater asked for the kit himself.
Along with uncovering a new niche, Emily has also played a large role in the social media marketing. By using iMovie, Emily created short videos of her product with catchy music and fun edits. Aside from the great marketing, GiantClean microfiber skate care kits truly sell themselves. With almost 100 positive and organic reviews, this product hits the best in its category list on Amazon nearly every week.
Emily and Peng are looking to start pumping up their marketing plan for GiantClean using paid social media ads and influencer campaigns. Peng is also working to push out her microfiber hair turbans into a larger market. As a matter of fact, we know a social media expert who can help. Hint: She's 12 years old and loves ice skating!
Want to learn more? Check out GiantClean's products and social media pages below:
This is very interesting.