Boss Money: Rebecca Veksler, Founder & Director of Sol Products

After launching SolCups (Sol Products) in 2016, Rebecca Veksler has grown her business to become one of the top 4 reusable cup companies globally. The company now operate across Australia, NZ, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, USA, Europe and the UK with offices in Sydney and London. There’s little stopping this savvy entrepreneur who has plans for further global expansion, developing new products and further market innovation including a suite of educational projects.

Rebecca started her career as a personal trainer where she managed gyms, hosted corporate seminars addressing the link between mental health and fitness. She’s particularly passionate about the psychology of business, human behaviour and product development. Topics which she enjoys speaking publicly about to help educate and empower others in business. One of the ways she does this is through the Bondi Chamber of Commerce where she’s not only one of the youngest members but also the current Vice President.

Sol Products are sustainable, environmentally friendly and healthy, they are chemical free, hand blown glass reusable coffee cups! For optimistic drinkers and half full thinkers. In addition to running SolCups, Rebecca has a coaching business, which she describes as a passion project, focusing specifically in product based businesses. The goal is to educate and inspire others on their journey of small business success from start up to global expansion. If you’re on the look out for a curated collection of vegan, natural, ethical, sustainable and cruelty free beauty products then be sure to check out her third business, Beauty by Australia which she recently co-founded!

I was keen to learn more about Rebecca’s background, her best business and money insights as well as what inspired her to become her own boss.

You founded SolCups in 2016. What’s it all about?

SoL Cups are 100% hand blown glass and Plastic free, for optimistic drinkers and half full thinkers. We are for the SoLful. For the fun loving, passionate and emotional. We’re for those who live with their hearts on their sleeves.

All of our products, including our packaging are hand made. Our glassware is individually hand blown, made using the highest quality glass available making both the environment and people happy. We are for embracing taste and ending waste. Happy, healthy, sustainable and beautiful.

Who doesn’t love a sustainable and beautiful product?! So, what inspired you to start your own business ?

SoL was born from a desire to make a reusable cup that is plastic free and won’t compromise your health. I took my passion for inspiring and empowering people, and love for business to create a product that I truly believed in.

After a life changing year, overcoming Autoimmune and health obstacles, Sol Cups was born out of a mission to share my family's knowledge and passion for health with as many people as possible. The idea of sol cups was an incredibly special one! It’s a family business, so it has a lot of love behind it.

The real passion and idea born out of a hard time in my life. I was hit by an intense auto immune disease, and my body and nervous system essentially crashed. My family had always taught me about health, environment and the body growing up, we never had sugar, preservatives or unnecessary plastic in the house. They really instilled a desire to educate and investigate my own health and wellbeing in me.

We choose to use hand blown glass because it is a more sustainable and ethical manufacturing process which suits our plastic free mission. So I channelled my passion for the environment, the body and desire to inspire into a small passion project all whilst I was stuck in bed for months.

It is pretty amazing to see where it has taken us. I went from being a successful personal trainer with a business, to walking with a stick, to running SoL Cups, turning it into one of the top 4 reusable cup companies globally, to now running 2 other companies, and there’s plenty more to come!

SoL cups are designed to work with your drink, with your body and with the environment.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

Such a difficult question to answer because, everything and nothing!

I’ve learnt so much after so many years of operating multiple businesses, but the truth is, I still get to learn something every single day and I have so much more to learn! This is why I love it so much, because I feel like the journey is only just starting.

If I can had to give one piece of advice its try and maintain an open mind at all times.

You will never know everything, so ask lots of questions, learn from everyone you meet, learn from others mistakes instead of your own (if you can ) and practise lateral thinking, because like I always say, no matter how bad you think it is, there is always a solution.

What's the biggest business money lesson you've learned since starting your business?

Don’t trust any marketing agency! HAHA! No, I joke.

The real lesson is before you agree to work with any agency or contractor, really educate yourself in the service they provide and know your sh*t. You don't need to be the expert (that's why you hire them) but you do need to know how to read between the lines of the sales pitch and not fall for the sell.

It should be decision made on numbers (can your cash flow actually afford this at this time?) , risk analysis (ask them for some industry specific results ) and if the service is really a good fit for your business (do they know your industry?) .

So if an agency who has never worked with a product based business tries to tell you they are the BEST, they are probably not actually a good fit for you.

My advice is, don't just get one quote from one agency, get ten! Don't be scared to negotiate, have clear boundaries, expectations and communication from the start and learn as much as you can and don't make a decision based on emotions.

What's been your biggest financial win as a business owner?

Thats a tough one to say, but definitely working with some really huge department stores and suppliers on a global scale. That always feels really rewarding because it means we have access to such a bigger audience which helps us achieve our missions to make a more sustainable and healthy world!

What kind of legacy do you wish to create with your business and why?

Such a beautiful question, which I will go into more detail in the next question.

The legacy I'm trying to create is a world of more conscious consumers !

Consumers that make empowered decisions to purchase from brands that actually do what they say and don't just sell you a marketing story but generously consider a wholistic approach to ethical and sustainable manufacturing.

I’m trying to make an impact on the world around me through education, positive expression and providing a product that meets incredibly high standards so that we can support the planet by being more sustainable and clean, as well as protecting our bodies from harmful chemicals and toxins by drinking from glass and not plastics or heavy metals.