Founder Stories
Foldable yoga mat brand foldUP is dominating the fitness eCommerce space and selling with leading retailers all over Australia.
foldUP is all about making movement more comfortable and convenient for all movement lovers. Founder Elle Kiffer had the idea for foldUP when she was teaching yoga and pilates in Melbourne, after coming out of almost 2 years of back to back lockdowns. Elle noticed more and more people choosing to bring their own mats to class, but realized one thing students found challenging was the ease of carrying a mat to class.
Students would travel to class on the tram, on their bikes, or by foot and if you have plans after class you’ll likely be lugging your mat with you. The heavy, rolled up, bulky mat is just an unquestioned inconvenience, and it got her thinking, there must be an easier (and cuter) way!
There’s no one size fits all for poses and shapes, and in turn, our mats need to be flexible to support our unique bodies needs. I wanted to create a product that was able to mould to your body, and provide extra support for where you need it the most.
Elle Kiffer
Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
The initial idea came from a convenience perspective - the desire to create a mat that was lightweight, foldable and can be carried in something like a trendy backpack, but what came as a secondary benefit throughout our product development process, was the ability to fold the mat for extra support. I would take note of students attempting to fold their mat for extra support under their knees during certain poses, and it was an awkward experience as rolled up mats aren’t made to be folded.
If you’ve ever taken one of my classes in the past, there is always a huge emphasis on making movement accessible and enjoyable for you, and this looks different for everyone.
There’s no one size fits all for poses and shapes, and in turn, our mats need to be flexible to support our unique bodies needs. I wanted to create a product that was able to mould to your body, and provide extra support for where you need it the most.
You really need to look at the bigger picture and set everything up for long term growth and success, even though it can be a challenge to get bogged down in the smaller details.
Elle Kiffer
What were some of the the key milestone moments for your business?
We launched in September 2022 and we’ve definitely hit some exciting milestones in this short time!
I often don’t take the time to celebrate and reflect on these, it’s all very much go go go in my small business, so this is a fun exercise for me. A few key milestones:
- We’re seeing month on month growth since launching
- Launched on Australia’s biggest online retailer - The Iconic
- Signed a licensing deal with a large fitness and sporting company, which will see our product in retailers both in Australia and Internationally
- Bootstrapped, female founded business
- Working with studios, gyms and boutique retailers both in Australia and Globally
- Launched custom by foldUP - customised branding on our mats and we’ve worked with brands like Mecca, L’Oreal, KIC, TOM’s and more
- Interviewed by Jasmine Garnsworthy on our first podcast, Female Founder World
What tools and apps do you use to run your store?
We use shopify for our website, Klaviyo for our emails, Judge.me for our reviews, and we’ve set up our Klaviyo and Judge.me with automated flows to ensure we are communicating with our customers at all levels.
These of course need constant tweaking, analysing and reviewing, but it’s saved me a lot of time in the long run using these platforms.
With the rising Cost of Customer Acquisition through Meta what strategies do you believe are essential for brands to think about to scale growth?
We definitely rely on Meta a little too much, and I often see brands getting locked out of their accounts which is a scary reminder to focus on our organic channels more and more.
We have been focusing heavily on partnerships and collaborations - whether its online giveaways, in person events, connecting with local studios, we’re always looking for ways we can work in person. It can also be super isolating being online, and we’ve found our product is so well received when people get to try it.
As a foldable mat is different to a regular mat, people want to try it, feel it and test it before they purchase, so if there are opportunities to get our mats in front of new audiences, we are always open to these.
Was there an ah hah moment that launched your growth? What was your secret sauce?
I brought on a business advisor about 6 months ago, which was just shy of my 1 year anniversary. Although I was seeing growth prior to bringing him onboard, I was feeling a bit lost on how to take it to the next level. When you’re a solo founder, you’re wearing all the hats - the customer service, the marketing, the finance, the creative and if I’m being honest, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. I was connected with Mick through someone else I randomly met on Linkedin, and I’m so grateful I did.
I’ve really been able to focus on growth the last 6 months, and I’ve seen my biggest growth since then. I’ve spent lots of time understanding and learning about my numbers, my budget, my forecasting, and all of the things I avoided for the 12 months prior. You really need to look at the bigger picture and set everything up for long term growth and success, even though it can be a challenge to get bogged down in the smaller details. Having this kind of support has been the best investment I’ve made in my business (both professionally and personally). This has definitely been my secret sauce!
What are your top resources for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Something I try to do but am definitely still working on, is setting boundaries. I worked from home for the first 14 months and the lines were blurred between work and home, and I found it extremely difficult to switch off. This was causing me to feel signs of burn out, and it was then that I decided to work from a co-working space. I’m loving having the separation and using my home as a place to unwind, relax and cook without the distractions of work. I’m definitely not perfect and often work does get carried home, but I’m learning to shift my mindset and switch my phone off at least an hour before I go to bed.
I love a good podcast. My 3 favourites are: Diary of a CEO, Female Founder World and Jay Shetty. These are a good mix of business and mindset are I love listening and learning in this way.
And of course, daily movement is a non negotiable. I have to start my mornings with some kind of movement - my preference is pilates, walking or running. I have a dog so she gets my out of the house at least twice a day, and I try to keep my phone at home during this time. I spend a lot of time on my phone for work so it’s nice to have small moments without it, to process, reflect and be present.
If you are looking for a foldable yoga mat that lets you experience a new way of comfortable, supportive movement on your terms, check out foldUP today.