When Katherine Ruiz launched Individuals Haircare, she didn’t tiptoe into the market.
She went straight into over 800 Coles shops nationally. No mushy launch. No boutique trial. Simply premium, high-performing haircare on the cabinets of one among Australia’s greatest retailers – proper from day one.
“From day one, Coles was part of the vision,” she says.
“If we wanted to make high-performing, affordable haircare truly accessible, we had to be where people already shop.”
That concept – of accessibility with out compromise – sits on the core of the Individuals Haircare mission:
“To make premium, high-performing, and ethically made haircare accessible to all people with all hair types, giving them the confidence to look and feel like themselves.”
And that’s what makes Katherine’s story so essential – not only for the haircare area, however for each girl questioning if she will be able to construct one thing daring, industrial, and uncompromising on her personal phrases.
As a result of she has.
Constructed from identification, not trade
Individuals Haircare wasn’t born in a lab. It wasn’t spun out of a advertising and marketing playbook. It got here from Katherine’s personal expertise – years of navigating self-image, identification, and her relationship to her pure hair.
“I’ve always cared deeply about my hair – it’s always been a big part of my identity,” she says. “But for a long time, I struggled with my own self-image.”
Individuals Haircare slick styler
In her twenties, she felt like she was performing who she thought the world needed her to be. Now in her thirties, embracing her pure curls has been a part of returning to herself.
“My curls are now one of my favourite features; they make me feel confident and truly ‘me.’ But that wasn’t always the case.”
Rising up, the embarrassment was actual. Katherine remembers the second when her hairdresser would ask what shampoo she used – and the way she’d quietly want the query away.
“The truth was, I was using something from the supermarket because I couldn’t afford salon-quality products. That feeling stuck with me.”
So, she determined to unravel it.
“I wanted to debunk the stigma that you can’t buy quality hair care from the supermarket. I saw an opportunity to create a brand that was high-performing, beautifully designed and accessible.”
And when she couldn’t discover the merchandise she wanted?
“I had been searching for salon-quality results without the price tag – and when I couldn’t find it, I decided to create it.”
From AFL to retail
Katherine’s journey didn’t comply with a straight path – nevertheless it all the time had momentum.
“I wasn’t a big academic, but I loved subjects like business management and psychology.”
She tried promoting at RMIT, walked away after six months, and jumped into full-time work earlier than giving uni one other go. Finally, she took a task at Richmond Soccer Membership – and from there all the pieces began to alter.
“I always had the feeling that I wanted to run my own business and be my own boss.”
That imaginative and prescient grew to become clearer as she stepped into the function of Managing Director and part-owner at Anatomy Studios, the place she spent years constructing manufacturers for fast-growing client corporations like Roll’d, Soul Origin, and Kings Area Barbers.
“Those experiences taught me how to spot market gaps, scale quickly, and create brands that resonate with everyday people.”
However even whereas constructing for others, she observed one thing lacking from her personal world.
“When it came to haircare, something I’ve always personally cared deeply about, I couldn’t find anything inspiring on supermarket shelves.”
And so she created it herself.
How she landed Coles
Individuals Haircare didn’t take the standard startup route of sluggish and regular progress. It went daring.
“Going straight into Coles… it felt risky at the time, but it’s been the biggest driver of our growth and allowed us to scale quickly.”
So what made the pitch work?
“Preparation and persistence. We had a clear vision, a strong brand strategy, and high-performing products that filled a real gap in the market.”
She knew they wanted greater than a product. They wanted to indicate up retail prepared.
“Retailers see a lot of pitches, so you need to show up not only with a great product but with a brand that feels thought-through.”
“The formulas had to stand up – that was non-negotiable. But equally, the brand story was clear, authentic, and aligned with where consumers were heading.”
And he or she did all of it from her lounge room.
“Our very first pitch to Coles happened over Zoom, just post-COVID. I remember holding up sample bottles and packaging mock-ups to the camera, trying to make sure the team could see every little detail.”
“It was nerve-wracking… but it also forced us to be really sharp about our story and why People Haircare deserved a place on the shelf.”
Progress with out compromise
Large retail comes with massive calls for. Scaling with out sacrificing high quality wasn’t straightforward – nevertheless it was potential.
“It came down to two things: being resourceful and being uncompromising where it mattered.”
They made trade-offs – labels as an alternative of display screen printing, for instance – however by no means on method.
“We never compromised on formula performance. We partnered with great local manufacturers and leaned on strong supply chain relationships.”
That core product integrity is what’s pushed repeat buy—and earned shelf area alongside international giants.
Standing out in a saturated area
Haircare is crowded. So how did Individuals break by means of?
“We stand out by offering high-performing haircare that’s locally available and genuinely affordable.”
It’s a full system – wash, deal with, fashion – that meets a variety of wants throughout various hair varieties and textures. And it’s accessible nationally.
“Unlike many brands that focus on one niche, we’ve created a complete system that’s easy to use, beautifully designed, and works across the board.”
However most significantly? It really works.
“Performance was non-negotiable from day one. If the products didn’t genuinely work, no amount of branding or marketing would sustain us.”
Model with spine
Earlier than visible identification, Katherine invested in one thing else:
“Brand strategy before launch. We invested heavily upfront in defining our vision, values, and positioning.”
That readability formed all the pieces – from packaging to PR to inside choices.
Individuals All-in-one shampoo and conditioner
“Whether it’s our packaging, our social content or how we show up in PR, everything ties back to our mission of making haircare accessible and empowering people to feel more themselves.”
The identify Individuals was additionally no accident.
“Hair is as unique as the person, and we wanted the brand to feel human, approachable and universal.”
Even the emblem?
“The P in our logo was inspired by the gender-neutral symbol – a subtle design choice that reinforces the idea that our products are for all people.”
Founder gas: what retains her going
Katherine’s definition of success is deeply human.
“When a customer tells me that our products made them feel more confident, more seen, or simply made their mornings easier – that’s success.”
However she’s trustworthy concerning the challenges too. Like retail promotions:
“I didn’t realise at first how central promotions and marketing calendars are to retailers and to customers.”
“Looking back, I wish we had invested more heavily in promotions in our first year. It would have accelerated awareness, trial, and repeat purchase.”
Nonetheless, she’s simply getting began.
“The word I’d choose for this year is evolution. This year is about stepping into a new chapter, building on what we’ve created, and evolving the brand in ways that set us up for the long term.”
And as for the pinch-me second?
“Walking into Coles for the first time and seeing People Haircare on the shelf. After all the strategy, late nights, to see the brand we created sitting alongside global giants was surreal.”
What Katherine Ruiz proves is that this:
You don’t have to comply with another person’s roadmap.
You don’t have to play it secure to scale.
And also you completely don’t want to attend till it feels “ready.”
You want an excellent product, a robust model and braveness.
So if you happen to’re a girl with a product in your head and a fireplace in your intestine – construct the factor.
Do your homework.
Personal your model.
Lead with proof, not permission.
And present up such as you already belong on the shelf. Since you do.
Tracey Warren is CEO & Bree Kirkham, COO, of enterprise capital agency F5 Collective.
