Jax Wax founders, Geoff and Tina Copland, have taken their business literally from the kitchen sink to salon countertops. Tina Copland tells their story.

Q. When was Jax Wax founded, where, by whom and why?
Jax Wax was founded in October 2000 by my husband Geoff and I. We had spent a year working in the USA and decided that it was timely to begin our own business rather than work for others. We started from our home in the south eastern suburbs of Victoria. We used my kitchen to make our sample batches and used to have meetings with suppliers and customers around our dining table.

Q. What were the company’s short-term and long-term goals at the time it started? How many of these goals have been met so far?
Initially we were not involved in the beauty industry. Our first business was supplying wax to wineries. Our goals were to obtain what we considered to be a reasonable share of the market in which we operated. We achieved this and increased our market share substantially. This is still the same now – for each type of market in which we are involved we set ourselves a goal for what we would like to achieve. So far we have met our goals but there is always room for improvement.

Q. How has the industry changed from when you started until now?
Jax Wax is certainly the new player on the block. We have been in business for nine years now – in the beauty industry for some six years. In that time I think what I have noticed most is the number of professional products available to the public either through discount stores or online. This is a concern as many products should only be used by qualified personnel. As an example professional waxes can cause nasty burns if used by untrained operators. The move towards natural and organic product ranges is also increasing. We also are seeing much more direct selling to salons rather than via wholesalers.

Q. Does your company have a mission statement? If so, what is it?
This pretty much sums up our business ethic: “We will produce the best products and provide the best service to the industries we support. Quality of product and service is paramount. There is no second best at Jax Wax”.

Q. What is your business philosophy and approach? ...
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