Zane Sabre was in his third year studying dentistry when his father was diagnosed with cancer in 2016.
His older brother Omar, 28, who was already working full time as a dentist in New Zealand, knew that the brothers would now be responsible for their own finances, including Zane’s $60,000 per year university tuition fees.
So instead of despairing the siblings decided to go into business together, knowing their product would be able to safeguard their future – and help their parents along the way.
‘We know consumers are more likely to purchase from a company that offers personalised experiences so we doubled down on that quickly,’ Zane, 25, told FEMAIL.
Zane (right) and Omar (left) Sabre launched MAISON de SABRÉ in July 2017, a year after their father was diagnosed with cancer in New Zealand
Personalised leather goods company MAISON de SABRÉ launched online in July 2017 and within seven months the brothers had earned $1million.
Zane, who was on the Gold Coast, Queensland, at the time, moved into a three-bedroom townhouse to accommodate hundreds of orders and growing staff.
‘We originally set up our dispatch from the office room. This was where we would process orders from,’ Omar said.
‘We used the spare room for our customer support staff and grew from there.
Personalised leather goods company MAISON de SABRÉ launched online in July 2017 and within seven months the brothers had earned $1million
‘We had no real business experience or education at all as I was from a healthcare background and Zane was still in university,’ Omar said
‘Eventually we had to move into a commercial property as we literally had half a dozen staff in and out of Zane’s house.’
At the same time the boys were working full time, with Omar still based in New Zealand, and Zane studying.
‘We had no real business experience or education at all as I was from a healthcare background and Zane was still in university,’ Omar said.
‘However our father was in business and we spent most of our holidays growing up helping him out.’
Eventually they both turned to the leather goods business full time and now work with a team of 16 to dispatch 400 orders worldwide daily.
Eventually they both turned to the leather goods business full time and now work with a team of 16 to dispatch 400 orders worldwide everyday
Social media became a rapid tool for growth with Omar and Zane wasting no time reaching out to influencers and brands
Social media became a rapid tool for growth with Omar and Zane wasting no time reaching out to influencers and brands.
‘From day one we had a lot of interest in our products and the business and it was immediately recognised as a higher tier, premium leather brand,’ Omar said.
‘We had a flurry of influencers that wanted to work with us and this created opportunity with international press who noticed our rapid growth.’
While there are a number of monogram leather brands the brothers set ‘strict branding guidelines’ to ensure MAISON de SABRÉ stood out from the rest.
‘MAISON de SABRÉ means house of Sabré (our last name) and it’s firstly a lifestyle and secondly a product,’ Zane said.
‘MAISON de SABRÉ means house of Sabré (our last name) and it’s firstly a lifestyle and secondly a product,’ Zane said
Their most popular products are card holders and phone cases (pictured), which you can customise to have your full name or initials on
‘We focused on showing our brand as a persona rather than running it strictly as a financial company and this has worked for us in attracting customers from all over the world.
‘We have scaled our start-up without taking any investments from venture capitalists or angel investors.
‘No one’s doing what we’re doing in our space. The larger companies struggle to keep up with us because we’re hitting the millennial market through social media, making it hard for outdated brands to stay relevant.’
Their most popular products are card holders and phone cases, which you can customise to have your name or initials on.
Zane and Omar financially support their parents and hope to build an estate one day where their entire family can reside
Phone case prices start from $55, card holders are $85 (pictured) and clutches are $149
Phone case prices start from $55, card holders are $85 and clutches are $149.
Thankfully their father is now cancer-free and has been able to retire at 64, purely thanks to the work of his sons.
Zane and Omar financially support their parents and hope to build an estate one day where their entire family can reside.
‘Family comes first and being able to give back to our parents makes us incredibly proud and cements the fact that we’re on the right path,’ Zane said.
‘The company hit a $10million milestone earlier in 2019 and is now hovering over $14million valuation.
‘It wasn’t an easy decision leaving our careers as dentists after studying for over five years but it was without doubt one of the best decisions we’ve made to date.’
You can find their quality accessories on the website, MAISON de SABRÉ.