Sirie Palmos realised a 12-year dream last November when she started online underwear company hottie.com.au, but the growing success of the business is made even sweeter, she says, by the involvement of husband and sister.
The trio works from a home office and separate warehouse selling ‘tag-less’ underwear to customers around Australia and overseas.
Sirie looks after the company’s day-to-day operations, chooses the designs, colours and fabrics of the products, receives orders, converses online with shoppers, models and advertises the products. Her sister, Anna Palmos, a graphic designer, creates and upgrades the website, while her husband, Charles Woodhouse, takes care of the accounts and daily distribution.
And although her role is small, Sirie and Charles’ daughter Athena, 6, is also part of the hottie.com.au team. She does some modelling and is surprisingly well informed about the product range.
“That is the dream about working with my family. That is the wonderful part, even if I have to work a 16-hour day I am spending it with the people I love,” Sirie said
“The trust and education issues I don’t have to deal with. Someone like my sister knows the products because she has been involved right from the beginning. I get to be a stay-at-home parent, work full-time and work with my family. It is wonderful.
“They always have my best interests at heart and they will do anything for me.”
A part-time job in
a lingerie shop during high school was the inspiration behind Ms Palmos’ concept and development of tag-less underwear, and then hottie.com.au.
“I noticed the huge percentage of people who cut the tags off before they left the shop,” she said.
“They would always ask if they could borrow the scissors because they were a gift and didn’t want the size to show, or they wanted to wear them straight away.”
Family Business Australia is celebrating
the achievements of Western Australian family businesses such as hottie.com.au with the 2005 Family Business awards.
• WA Business News wants to hear from 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation family businesses or from anyone who wishes to nominate a family business. You can nominate online at www.familybizawards.com.au or call Aisha on (08) 9288 2104 for more information.
