In 2017, Jacqui and John Nolan-Neylan, founders of high-performance nutrition brand Revvies, were gearing up to close their second investment raise. After promising conversations with potential investors including verbal commitments to invest, both founders decided to quit their jobs and dedicate all of their time to their business. However, complications with one of the major investors resulted in the collapse of the raise. As a result, John and Jacqui were left with no new investment, a reasonably large legal bill and mounting debt with no way to pay any of it.
With two small children to care for and their business at risk, John and Jacqui decided to fight with everything they had to save their business. The plan was very simple: like a shark, they had to keep swimming, moving cash through the gill of the business, and their own accounts. They developed a new, very modest budget, that allowed them to pay everything off within 12 months. They applied to become Uber drivers, to pay for their food and rent while giving them the flexibility to build the business themselves.
Seven days a week for a year, John and Jacqui would take turns to do 8 hours of Ubering a day, starting at 4 am and finishing between 8-10 pm, with time spent on the business squeezed in between. On Monday to Friday, the other would spend time with the kids, getting them ready for school, dropping them off, then doing some work on the business, before picking them up and doing the bedtime routine. On weekends they would make sure there was some special time with the children, but almost always one parent at a time.
It was without a doubt the hardest year of their lives, but this hard work paid off rewarding them in unimaginable ways. By April 2018 they were no longer in the red, had grown the company by 70% and successfully raised AU$265,000. In this process, they became the first Australian company to successfully close a crowdsource equity offer.
Now, they have successfullyf launched Revvies Energy Strips on Amazon UK, and have taken their seat in the Top 10 Best Seller list for their category.
About Revvies
Revvies Energy Strips provide a performance-enhancing boost and are used by elite athletes and professional teams worldwide. Each strip contains either 40mg or 100mg of caffeine and get to work almost instantly. Revvies are sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan and contain no liquid so they can be taken immediately before and during exercise. The strips dissolve on the tongue and are light on the stomach especially compared to other sources of caffeine, such as drinks, pills or gels. They come in three different flavours: Arctic Charge, Cola & Lemon and Tropical Hit, and are available through the UK Amazon website.
