Tess Nguyen (pictured) who was told she was making a huge mistake after buying a little-known business from Gumtree for $15,000 has built a $2million sleepwear empire
A physiotherapist who was told she was making a huge mistake after buying a little-known business on Gumtree for $15,000 has built a $2million sleepwear empire.
Tess Nguyen, from Sydney, had always dreamt about owning a clinic one day – but she made a surprising career switch after she stumbled across a business for sale ad for Midnight Mischief, a monogrammed pyjamas brand, in 2018.
At just 22, she took a financial risk to pursue the Australian sleepwear label despite having no experience with business, e-commerce or fashion.
‘This story surprises everyone as it’s not your typical “start up” story. I was late night scrolling through Gumtree looking at prices for physiotherapy clinics when out of nowhere an ad for “Midnight Mischief” was on sale,’ Tess, now 25, told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I don’t know whether it was intuition but I immediately felt drawn to the ad and idea of the business. It was the first time I’d heard of personalised pyjamas so I thought it was a great idea. I don’t know what came over me but I decided to make an inquiry. A month later, I owned a business.’
Fast forward three years, her brand – loved by celebrities, models and beauty gurus – has gone from $15,000 to more than $2million in revenue in less than two years, with a set of pyjamas now sold every 10 minutes.
Fast forward three years, her brand has gone from $15,000 to more than $2million in revenue in less than two years, with a set of pyjamas now sold every 10 minutes
Fast forward three years, her brand has gone from $15,000 to more than $2million in revenue in less than two years, with a set of pyjamas now sold every 10 minutes
‘Although I purchased the business, it wasn’t established and was only an idea at the time. I still had to grow it from scratch because there was little to no data handed over,’ Tess said.
When she sought advice from a commercial accountant and her friends about her new business venture, they all gave her the same stern warning: ‘You’re setting yourself up for failure.’
‘I started to doubt myself after hearing everyone’s thoughts. I was extremely scared of failure but I was more scared of the “what if”,’ she said.
‘But I don’t blame them because upon reflection, it does sound quite odd that a 22-year-old physiotherapist with no business experience wanted to go start an e-commerce store selling sleepwear.’
Refusing to give up, Tess started the label as a side hustle from a spare bedroom inside her parents’ home – all while working full time as a physiotherapist seven days a week.
‘It honestly was one of the most challenging periods of my life,’ she said.
She had always dreamt about owning a clinic one day – but she made a surprising career switch after she stumbled across a business for sale ad for a monogrammed pyjamas brand
With millions of Australians staying home more than ever before amid a global pandemic, her brand saw a 165 per cent increase in sales between July 2020 and July 2021
Every day, Tess would commute more than an hour to the city so she could start her job from 6am before heading home in the evening to work on her brand.
‘In the beginning, I was still holding on to my dream working as a physiotherapist. I was pushing myself to my mental and physical limits and I was chronically sleep deprived,’ she said.
As she struggled to keep up with the demands of her career while juggling her business, Tess decided to reduce her hours by working part-time as a physio.
I was in the right time and right place when everyone was staying home in their pyjamas during Covid-19
‘I wanted to keep my job as long as possible and everyone including my accountant was telling me to quit my job. But I didn’t take their advice,’ she said.
‘I cut all my spending on myself and social life and funnelled it into my business.’
It took her about one year before she saw a significant traction in the business – and eventually she took over every spare room in her parents’ home, including the garage.
‘At the beginning, I was growing my business organically and saw consistent, slow growth. It was when I had a marketing strategy when Midnight Mischief started to take off… this was towards the end of 2019,’ she said.
‘Then in early 2020, I was in a fortunate position where I had momentum and I was in the right time and right place when everyone was staying home in their pyjamas during Covid-19.’
The monogrammed pyjamas brand has a legion of fans, including celebrities, models and beauty gurus (picture of singer Samantha Jade)
Eventually she took over every spare room in her parents’ home, including the garage
Her brand saw a 165 per cent increase in sales between July 2020 and July 2021
Her brand saw a 165 per cent increase in sales between July 2020 and July 2021.
‘I saw unprecedented growth during 2020 and decided to quit my job to pursue Midnight Mischief full time,’ she said.
‘I feel very blessed and grateful. I am happy with where I am and I would have never expected Midnight Mischief to grow as fast as it did so I count my blessings every day.’
For those looking to start a business, Tess said: ‘It’s cliche however I listened to it and it worked for me. Start and figure it out later. When there’s a will, there’s a way and the answer you seek is always out there.
‘At the end of the day, no one will be there 24 hours a day, seven days a week to hold your hand in life – you hold the power to change your own life.’