Slick Stick: How young woman made $200,000 in just one week with her ‘genius’ hair gadget

A young woman made over $200,000 in just seven days after sales for her ‘genius’ hair product skyrocketed.

Mia Plecic, from Melbourne, is the self-taught CEO and brains behind Slick Hair Company, known for its global success with the ‘Slick Stick’ ($24.99) which is an anti-flyaway hair wand.

‘We run one major sale a year as this really engages potential customers to transact with urgency and for us Cyber Week is it,’ she told FEMAIL.

Mia Plecic [pictured], from Melbourne, is the CEO and brains behind Slick Hair Company, known for its global success with the ‘Slick Stick’ which is an anti-flyaway hair wand

Slick Hair Company was launched in December 2019 with the Slick Stick as the solution for annoying baby hairs and is now stocked in over 1500 Australian stores, including Coles, Stylerunner, and Universal stores.

Mia dropped out of her university sports science degree in 2013 to start a career in business, which has seen her found or collaborate with more than 20 start-up companies over the past nine years.

She capitalised off TikTok in the brand’s early days to make $1million in just one year selling the ingenious hair wands spruiked by Australia’s biggest influencers.

Similarly, Mia was particularly stunned by her recent prosperity due to the dire state of the cost of living crisis in 2022.

While the wand generally sells one unit every four minutes worldwide, Cyber Week sales brought a whole new level of success.

The university drop out capitalised off TikTok in the brand’s early days to make $1million in just one year selling the ingenious hair wands spruiked by Australia’s biggest influencers

One Slick Stick sold every minute for the entirety of the week – with the website offering a company-first 40 per cent site-wide.

‘This year in particular we were unsure what to expect with the cost of living crisis – so we offered a larger discount than usual and could not believe how successful it was,’ she said.

The businesswoman was pleased to note how important big sales events – like Black Friday, Cyber Week, and Boxing Day – were for small businesses still finding their legs.

‘Sales periods are so beneficial for small businesses as it drives large revenue which always helps with cashflow.’

A young woman earned over $200,000 in just seven days after sales for her ‘genius’ product skyrocketed during cyber week

The Slick Stick is particularly special because of its ingredients.

The wand is made from jojoba and evening primrose oil that work to tame any flyaways without leaving your locks oily or crunchy.

Using the wand means you can forgo things like hairspray or bobby pins, while enjoying a natural and cruelty-free product.

Ms Plecic, who views business as a form of of problem solving and visualises where products would fit into the market, says she created the wand as a solution to one of the world’s most common cosmetic complaints.

‘On a daily basis, women are dealing with these crazy baby hairs that are super annoying. We use gel or hairspray, then we need to wash it out which is even more annoying,’ she said.

‘I’m not a hairdresser, I’ve never claimed to be, but I’m a problem solver,’ she said. ‘If I’d buy it, I’ll sell it.’

Slick Hair Company was launched in December 2019 with the Slick Stick as the solution for annoying baby hairs and is now stocked in over 1500 Australian stores, including Coles, Stylerunner, and Universal stores

When Mia launched the Slick Hair Company just months before the COVID pandemic lockdown, she didn’t foresee the overnight success that would come from her idea.

‘I never fathomed I could sell a products in Iceland or Saudi Arabia and countries we wouldn’t generally target.’

The then 29-year-old said she woke up one morning to realise one of her TikTok videos using her product gained five million views and $30,000 in sales overnight.

At the time she was still running the budding business out of her Melbourne one-bedroom apartment, where she also kept her stock

The hair company will also be the first Australian brand to be stocked at Sephora in the Middle East from 15 December

But she has come a long way since then.

‘Slick Hair Company is a business that I’ve bootstrapped since day one, so cash injections are helpful, especially for us as we have 12 new products launching in quarter one 2023 so have a huge year ahead.’

The hair company will also be the first Australian brand to be stocked at Sephora in the Middle East from 15 December.

The Slick Stick is now available in over 100 stores across the UAE including the flagship Dubai Mall Sephora store which is the number one Sephora store in the world.

‘We are so excited to join Sephora in the Middle East just in time for the holiday season. It’s the largest global market and we could not be prouder to align with such an iconic store and have lots planned for the New Year, including a launch event in Dubai in 2023,’ said Mia.

But that is not the extent of the Slick Hair Company’s international expansion.

The Slick Stick will also be launching in two US retailers in January 2023 after opening its Los Angeles warehouse earlier this year.

The businesswoman was pleased to note how important big sales events – like Black Friday, Cyber Week, and Boxing Day – were for small businesses still finding their legs

Videos shared on TikTok show just how effective it is in action, while there are more than 1,300 four and five-star reviews that describe the beauty buy as a ‘game changer’ and ‘amazing’.

‘I’ve never found anything for my frizzy and naturally curly hair that controls the fly always without leaving an unpleasant crunchy feeling in my hair. I would definitely recommend this,’ a recent review reads.

‘I love the Slick Stick so much! The only thing that helps tame my flyaways! I will never use anything else!’ another added.