How The Quick Flick founder Iris Smit forged a $15 million beauty empire

It only takes a glimpse of her pink and yellow skincare/sunscreen hybrid range Quick Screen lining the shelves in the beauty section at her local Coles supermarket to make an every day trip to the grocery store a surreal experience for The Quick Flick founder Iris Smit.

For Smit, the opportunity to pitch and close a deal with Coles — and launch her new collection of Quick Screen SPF 50+ “skinscreen” products in 820 supermarkets across Australia — is a dream come true for a girl who started her entrepreneurship journey coding websites at 14 years old and opening her own Etsy vintage store at 16.

A fondness for beauty and a desire to be a champion of change in the industry saw Smit come up with the idea for her Perth-based startup, The Quick Flick, in 2017 from her dining room table. 

While studying a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture and mastering a winged eyeliner, Smit invested $10,000 of her own money and launched The Quick Flick, with a focus on challenging traditional cosmetic applications through compact, time-saving and multi-functional products.

This approach quickly drew the attention of high-profile investors on Channel Ten’s Shark Tank, but Smit ultimately chose to turn down an offer of $300,000 from Andrew Banks and go it alone. 

Today, The Quick Flick is a $15 million beauty empire with more than 185,000 followers on Instagram, 42,000 likes on Facebook, 840,000 likes on TikTok, and close to 26,000 fans on the video hosting platform.

From eyeliner (The Quick Flick), lashes (Quick Lash), brows (Quick Brow), make-up remover pens (Quick Fix) and now sunscreen (Quick Screen), Smit’s business is well and truly making its mark in the beauty sector, with these products and Quick Screen now available in 250 Priceline stores.

Smit sat down with SmartCompany Plus to discuss how The Quick Flick is changing the face of beauty as we know it, how to grow a customer base on social media and what steps business owners can take to land themselves the deal of a lifetime with a major retailer.

Spotting a gap in the market

It was Smit and her The Quick Flick team who approached Coles about launching the skincare/sunscreen hybrid range Quick Screen into supermarket stores nationally.

“Coles was looking to expand their sunscreen category, so we pitched our line of sunscreen products but from the angle of them being multi-purpose sunscreens with skincare and makeup benefits,” Smit explained. 

“We knew they didn’t have a product like ours in the category and that ours could add new value due to its unique positioning.”

The deal with Coles also sees The Quick Flick move from online and beauty retailers into fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).

Quick Screen was born after Smit saw a gap in the market for a product that offers full sun protection over make-up and leaves skin looking glowy without a mess or white marks.

There are few products on the market that offer this, Smit says, and ultimately, it makes SPF products more accessible to more people. 

“I didn’t want Quick Screen to just be sunscreen or to feel like sunscreen. I want people to feel encouraged to apply it and just make it a part of their regular beauty routine,” she said.

“We want to make the process simpler, to encourage more people to put sunscreen on. 

“We also know that lots of people hate the feel of sunscreen. So the added bonus of our Quick Screen is it doesn’t have that greasy feel and it doesn’t smell. It’s easy to put on under primer or make up. You can just put it on and go.”

But product benefits aside, what does it take to secure a deal with a retailer the size of Coles?

Smit says brands looking to work with big retailers need to ensure they have the framework in place to support the retailer (or at least be willing to invest in it), from a logistics, team and marketing perspective.

“Many companies start off as B2C and underestimate the level of work that goes into meeting B2B requirements, especially those of major FMCG companies,” she said.

“It is a very different playing field and if brands don’t have the capital to invest in growing this framework in their business then they won’t be able to meet the retailer requirements properly, which will ultimately lead to an unsuccessful partnership.”

Don’t forget the customers you have

Social media has undoubtedly played a major role in the growth of Smit’s business, and while this remains a key focus for The Quick Flick, the founder is equally attuned to the needs of its existing customers.  

“Whilst we are focused on growing and acquiring new customers via organic and paid media, we’re also very focused on nurturing the customers we do already have, which I feel is an aspect companies who are hungry to grow tend to forget about,” she said.

“Many brands don’t focus enough on the customers they already have (retention) and are too focused on the customers they don’t have (acquisition). Putting strategies in place to ensure high quality products, engaging organic platforms to build a sense of community, having great customer service and communication platforms in place like emails and SMS to encourage customers to repurchase have all contributed to our growth over the years.”

That being said, Smit says there’s a role for founders to play on social media as ambassadors for their brands. And that means not being afraid to be authentic. 

“Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there as your own brand/influencer. We have branded social media accounts as well as my own personal account,” Smit explained.

Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the people behind their favourite brands, says Smit, and this includes knowing how products are made and where they come from. It means “founders are their own influential platforms”. 

“These ‘behind the scenes’ storytelling pieces have become a key focus over the past few years and helped our brand stand out from the rest. I’d encourage founders to put their face out there, tell their story and show their customers the day to day of what goes on behind the scenes,” Smit said.

“It builds a better relationship between your brand and your customer, which strengthens customer trust and ultimately increases product sales.”