Our Why: The Story Behind Foil Me

Written by Emily Ciardiello, Co-Founder of Foil Me.

As a business owner, you often get asked, “Why did you start your business?” Simon Sinek is well known for his book and TED Talk Start with Why (if you haven’t read it yet, give it a go, it’s a great book!).

I’ve been asked this question a lot lately, so I thought I’d tell you our WHY.

Where it all started

The idea of Foil Me started in late 2013 in an Adelaide hair salon. I was getting my hair done with our youngest son, Orlando, on my lap, while Ili, my husband and co-founder of Foil Me, ran errands for the business we had at the time. I’d asked him to pick Orlando up when he was done. When he walked into the salon, he gave me an odd look and left with our little one without saying much.

When I got home, he was waiting in the lounge room. I thought I’d upset him, but then he asked, “What was that in your hair?” I knew straight away he was onto something.

“Foiiiiil,” I said very slowly, realising he had that look in his eye. He had yet another business idea.

He replied, “Call your best friend (who was a hairdresser) and ask her if pre-cut foil is a good idea.” We were already manufacturing large foil sheets for food packaging in our other business, so it wasn’t as random as it sounds. I called her and asked. She said, “Gold, Jerry!” (from Seinfeld, if you’re not old enough to know that reference 😉). And that was enough for us to start asking other hairdressers.

Emily and her best friend, Amy, in 2013.

Asking hairdressers what they really needed

We spent the next few weeks visiting salons nearby, asking hairdressers what they loved and hated about the foil rolls they were cutting up themselves, and what their ideal foil would actually do.

We took that list to our manufacturer and asked for a foil that:

• grips, not slips
• is pre-cut to precise dimensions
• is malleable and not too thick to fold comfortably
• won’t blow around on a busy salon floor

So, that was our WHY at the start: there was a gap in the market, and we wanted to make hairdressers’ lives easier.

How our why grew

Once we’d solved that, our why shifted over the next few years. We started asking what else we could do to help. We made different sizes, new ways to dispense foil, and trending colours and patterns.

I realised that hairdressers deserved foils that looked as good as they worked, so we redesigned our packaging to feel more high-end and beautiful. Our iconic half white, half colour and design packaging was created in 2018, four years after we officially started.

And, like you, I’m an artist. So instead of using designs that already existed, I started drawing the designs for our foils myself. I wanted our foils to represent art and celebrate what hair artists do every day: create art.

Where we are today

Almost thirteen years on, we’ve done what we set out to do. Every hairdresser now has access to pre-cut foil, something we blazed the trail for. We’ve also invented hair tools like our boards, brushes and clips to make life as a hair artist that little bit easier.

But our WHY has changed again.

Our why now

Now, we exist to keep innovating in this industry and to help elevate hairdressing in society’s eyes. A few years ago, we started using the term “hair artists”, and we continue to find ways to show the public that hairdressers are just as needed and respected as any other trade.

We do this because we love hairdressers and what you do. You spend your days making people feel good about themselves. You train and educate yourselves to provide the best service and stay on trend. You listen to and nurture complete strangers who become friends, and you work your butts off to make sure dinner gets put on the table. That deserves far more recognition than it gets.

So we’ll keep advocating for you, and keep finding ways to make your job easier and your workplace happier, because you’ve earned it. This is our way of giving back, along with the charities we support.

So, that’s our why.

We exist because more is what you deserve.

Emily x