Nedahl made a career switch at 43 after quitting her dream corporate job to start a business in her garage. She’s now built a $15 million dollar empire

Nedahl Stelio had her dream job as a magazine editor when she turned her life around and changed careers at the age of 43.

The mother of two quit her job to start her own business from the garage of her parents’ home in Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

“I started to think that I’d been a journalist for so long and I’d done everything I wanted to do with it. I thought it was time to do something different and new,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I like a challenge, so I decided it’s never too late – and you’re never too old – to start a business… and that completely changed my career.

‘I took a big step: I quit my big job and started freelancing to focus on my business.’

The spontaneous decision led the now 49-year-old to launch a $15 million luxury natural perfume business.

“It’s tough, really tough, starting a business while also working, paying your mortgage and raising your young kids,” she explains.

‘In that early stage I was running around to my formulators, looking for packaging, working with designers, literally driving all over Sydney. And because my kids were quite young, it felt like the whole time was going by in a blur, all happening at a rapid pace.’

Long before she started her business, Nedahl was a lifestyle journalist for 20 years, working as an editor for Cleo, Cosmopolitan and Good Food, and having her name featured in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

After struggling to conceive for years, she started using all-natural products after cutting out all harsh chemicals from her life.

“It took me years to finally get pregnant. One of the many things I did during that time was transform my beauty cabinet and household into clean products,” she says.

But when she switched to natural alternatives, she noticed a shortage of non-toxic fragrances on the market.

The mother ‘missed the luxury of spraying a lovely scent’ on her skin, but knew that a perfumed product could contain up to 3,000 chemicals.

“Odor is one of the biggest culprits,” Nedahl says.

‘The perfume industry is self-regulating: companies do not have to list the individual ingredients on the packaging, because the formula is considered proprietary. Therefore, they all fall under the heading ‘perfume’ on the ingredients list.

‘I stopped using perfume altogether when I stopped consuming toxins years ago.

‘There was nothing on the market at the time that was clean and provided the luxury I craved, but without the nasty chemicals. So I decided to make my own.’

This is how her brand RECREATION was created in 2019.

After quitting her office job, Nedahl began collaborating with world-renowned perfumers to develop her own line of fresh fragrances.

“Once we started, I just focused on the business. There was no other income coming in from me, which was very confronting and I had to completely cut back on all my expenses. No more designer shoes,” she said.

‘I started the business in my garage. I remember getting my first delivery of packaging and it was everywhere – the living room, kitchen, garage, even the kids’ room.’

But shortly after launch, Covid struck, giving her a huge surprise.

“We were in lockdown so I was also trying to homeschool the kids while doing everything in the business because I couldn’t bring staff into my house due to Covid. It was hectic, to say the least,” she said.

‘I was using our house as a location for photoshoots, to store products, and to ship orders. It was a mess.’

Two and a half years after its founding, her husband was able to quit his job to work with her full-time on the company.

“That was a big moment for our family, when we became completely dependent on our business,” she said.

‘It took a few years before our house was literally overflowing with boxes. Then we moved into our first office.’

Her hard work paid off: her company generated nearly $15 million in revenue over the past five years.

“We were pretty lucky in the beginning because it was an immediate revenue generator, but I’ve put almost everything back into the business to grow it. So it’s basically spent as soon as it hits your bank account. That took some getting used to,” she said.

Despite her busy work schedule, the busy mother always finds time to exercise and spend time with her two young daughters, ages 10 and 12.

‘I train four times a week as soon as I wake up and I coach my daughter’s netball team one morning a week. Then I have breakfast, get ready and take the kids to school and then go straight to the office,’ she explained.

‘Work is a mix of different things. Every morning we have a production meeting. That’s basically a meeting where everyone can tell each other where they stand. That way I’m aware of all aspects of the company.

‘It is also a mix of everything from marketing to finance, logistics, product development, future planning and strategy.’

From 4pm she went to play sports with one of her daughters.

“I think it’s really important to spend time with the kids when they’re young and want to hang out with me before they become teenagers,” Nedahl said.

‘Then I usually work at home before or after dinner, to make up for the time I spend with the girls in the afternoon.’

Before going to bed at 10:30 pm, she enjoys some time alone.

“Watching a little TV or scrolling, relaxing before bed… I still make sure I have a good skin care routine morning and night,” she said.

What makes her fragrances different from all other brands on the market?

“We make them with real ingredients, without all those nasty additives. That makes a big difference to me,” says Nedahl.

“We focus on the total package and the feeling our fragrances give you. That’s our mission: to make people feel good after using our products. That’s what drives us as a brand and what underlies every decision in product development.

‘I wanted a custom bottle that only RECREATION would have. It had to look organic, clean and minimalistic, but also beautiful and luxurious. So I found an amazing designer and worked with him to create our bottle.’

The brand’s packaging is made of bamboo and is therefore 100 percent sustainable.

“If I was going to send something out into the world, I wanted it to align with my values ​​and not add to the mountains of plastic we throw away every year,” she said.

For those looking to start their own business, Nedahl says, “I would say take it one step at a time. Put one foot in front of the other and you’ll see how far you’ve come.

‘I didn’t even know if I could start a perfume company in Australia, so I thought, I’ll see if I can find a perfumer who wants to work with me on this. And I did.

‘Then I started looking at sourcing packaging, and it was one step, then another step, then another step. It feels like a very slow process, but when you add all the steps together, you have a business.

“I just kept thinking, if I do every step incredibly well, this will work. It takes a lot of confidence to start something, so don’t lose that.”