Twenty-one years of friendship. Four years of running a business together. And, for most of it, 17,000km between us.

Caroline is in London. Kel is in Sydney. We run an Aussie business across time zones, family life, video calls and a frankly ridiculous number of WhatsApp messages. There is also the occasional desperate "are you awake?"

Four years ago, Solmates was a little idea we thought was worth a go. Today, it is a real business, with a brilliant team, products we are proud of and customers who have become part of the adventure.

So, for our fourth birthday, we are looking back at the idea, the friendship and what it's really like building a business with your mate.

First, a little rewind…

Solmates started when Kel was trying to solve a familiar problem: small children, sunscreen and a whole lot of mess. She also wanted to cut down on the single-use plastic that comes with keeping a family sun-safe.

Her idea? A small, refillable roll-on applicator. She took a rough sketch to a design agency and started figuring out how to make it real.

Caroline came on board to help with branding. A few conversations later, that had turned into a business partnership. Turns out, "just a bit of branding advice" can be a slippery slope!

Getting our first product out into the world took longer than planned. There were broken moulds, delayed roller balls and plenty of moments when we wondered if we'd ever actually launch. We did, eventually - just a year later than expected!

Kel started by packing orders at her kitchen table and storing stock in the back shed, while Caroline figured out how to build a website. Our neighbour Steph became our first employee and now runs our warehouse. Since then, we've moved warehouses, built a brilliant team of women and grown Solmates into something we could never have quite imagined at the start.

And we have done it from opposite sides of the world. So, what have 21 years of friendship and four years in business taught us?

What's one thing the other person is brilliant at?

Caroline: Kel is brilliant at the details. She can work out exactly what size a roller ball needs to be - down to the tiniest fraction - and work with suppliers to get it right. Our Solmates wouldn't be nearly as good without her!

Kel: Caroline is amazing at anything creative. She's designed pretty much everything you see from Solmates - our website, packaging, ads and social content. Without her, I would probably have sold about five Solmates by now!

What's the worst thing about working 17,000km apart?

Caroline: Not being there for the highs and lows. When something goes wrong, I wish I could help in person - and when something wonderful happens, I'd love to celebrate together. 

Kel: Only getting a proper hug and a natter with my friend about once a year. Booo! I'd also love to sit next to Caroline and nut through problems together. We talk every day, though - usually while one of us is still in our PJs!

What's our most "pinch me" moment?

Caroline: Seeing Solmates in the Powerhouse Museum's New Australian Design exhibition was pretty special. After all the stress of getting our first product made and launched, seeing it recognised for its design - and taking Kel's daughter Mia along - was a real pinch-me moment.

Kel: Seeing a Solmate in the wild! It still blows my mind when I spot someone with one on their bag at the beach or walking down the street. And when customers tell us how they use their Solmates and how much they love them? Makes me so proud!

What's one thing you love about working together?

Kel: Who wouldn't want to work with one of their best mates? It's like an extension of our friendship. And as we are both mums, we get the juggle - hungry kids interrupting meetings, sick days and everything else that comes with family life. No explanation needed!

Caroline: I love that we can be completely honest with each other. If one of us is having a bad day, the other usually brings some optimism. We can say what we think, work things out and move on - and nearly always have a laugh along the way.

What's one thing about running a business that neither of us expected?

Kel: The fact that everything is on you. Technology playing up? IT support is… us. Payroll going wrong? Where's HR? Also us. It never ends, and you're constantly learning to pivot and come up with plan b.

Caroline: Just how many things you have to become an expert in. One minute you are working on a product, the next you are figuring out finances, manufacturing, marketing, logistics and about 47 things you have never heard of. 

If we swapped jobs for a week, what would go wrong first?

Caroline: Probably everything pretty quickly! Kel keeps track of all the operational details, and I would definitely struggle to keep up. I prefer the big picture while Kel makes sure all the pieces fit together.

Kel: OMG, there would be no sales that week. I wouldn't even know where to start!

What's one thing we hope we're laughing about in 10 years?

Caroline: The early years, when we counted every penny and did pretty much every job ourselves. Hopefully, we will laugh at how much we worried and how we somehow made it all work.

Kel: The fact that, almost every day for the last four years, one of us has said, "Well, today didn't quite go to plan."

So, what's the secret to going into business with your mate?

Caroline: People warned us that going into business together could ruin a friendship, so we made a deal - if the business ever put our friendship at risk, we'd stop.

Four years in, we're still here. Trust is a big part of it. We both have our say, but if we disagree, the person responsible for that area gets the final call. We don't have to agree on everything - and we don't need to!

Kel: Being able to say, "I've really messed up" or "I'm scared and don't know what to do" without being judged. It's patience, too - especially when I ramble on about one of my hare-brained ideas, or Caroline has to explain ROAS for the thousandth time!

And knowing we can laugh, cry and work through the hard stuff together.

Four years in, we're still figuring it out

We didn't start Solmates with a grand plan to build a huge business. We had an idea we believed in and wanted to see if we could make it happen.

Four years later, we're proud of what we've built - the products, the team and the community around Solmates.

We're still learning. Still having ideas. Still sending far too many WhatsApp messages.

And, most importantly, still mates.

Happy 4th birthday, Solmates. 💛

Caroline & Kel x