What the founder of Celle Skin learned from launching in the US

“I think I was once told you need to have a minimum of 50,000 US dollars in your bank account to have a US-dollar bank account.” – Vanessa Babuin, Founder and Managing Director at Celle Skin

At the root of it, Celle Skin’s vision was to create the world’s first wearable beauty product that could replace invasive cosmetic surgery and the “magic” cellulite creams that never seemed to work.

Thanks to Celle Skin’s innovative shapewear, and an equally-innovative global business account, Founder and Managing Director Vanessa is now helping women all over the world with their body woes.

A red-hot business idea

When Vanessa originally pitched her hosiery range for curvy bodies, Sonsee Woman, on season one of Shark Tank Australia, business pioneer Naomi Simson knew she was onto something. So much so, Naomi invested AUD 80,000 for a 20% stake in the business.

Naomi Simson recently caught up with Vanessa to talk about her latest launch into the US, including her journey from Shark Tank Australia contestant to a global success story. In this special Airwallex Customer Airtime episode, you’ll hear how Vanessa built an international brand that reached overseas markets with the help of Airwallex.

Creating brand trust: the proof is in the pudding

It doesn’t matter how good your product is if your customers don’t trust you. Most people do their research before buying, which is why Vanessa developed a product that visibly reduced the signs of cellulite with fibres that promote healthy blood flow and circulation.

But clinical evidence isn’t the only thing convincing customers to buy Celle Skin’s garments. Vanessa attributes brand trust and loyalty to the thousands of customer reviews she’s received so far. 

She says the results speak for themselves—which led Vanessa to believe that Celle Skin was a solid product-market fit for the US. 

One less thing to worry about — and 50,000 fewer dollars to find

When Vanessa decided to take her brand offshore, she knew she’d face some challenges along the way. 

But she quickly learned that launching into the US market was a venture fraught with many more unexpected obstacles: the first being setting up a local bank account as a foreigner.

“I think I was once told you need to have a minimum of 50,000 US dollars in your bank account to have a US-dollar bank account—which entrepreneurs and small businesses don’t really have sitting around,” she says.

But Vanessa was able to bypass the banks, minimums and foreign exchange fees by opening up an Airwallex business account. Instead, Vanessa invested the money and her time and energy into launching her products.

At the same time, it was important for Vanessa to keep track of all the different currencies, available funds and business transactions in one place.

“I can open up my card and see all the transactions I use for Facebook in the US or my marketing team in the US.”

All in all, Vanessa emphasises that Airwallex has helped her move to new markets with ease by streamlining her finances and eliminating the friction involved in an overseas launch. Geography and fees certainly won’t be holding her business back.

Why not put Airwallex to the test? Open domestic and foreign currency accounts in minutes.