BÜTSCHWIL – Toggenburg hair gangs: Two Kantian boys set up a company and are already delivering to Canada

It was April 2019 when Anna Keeler and Isabel Bauer sewed their first scrunchie out of old clothes and scraps. After hours of fixing and experimenting, it was a reality. A hair tie is a hair tie made of a strip of cloth and sewn into an elastic band. Fashion accessories are mostly worn by young women in their hair or on their wrist.

So an all-natural fashion product? No. Because Anna Keeler is only 18 years old, she attends Canton School in Watwell and graduates in the summer. She decided to dedicate her thesis Matura to her own company. She examined and analyzed how she can make money selling Scrunchies. Using the established concept and Canvas (BMC) business model, vulnerabilities are localized and development options and solutions developed and demonstrated.

The concept creates a unified language, supports the design of the business idea and places it into nine units. The four most central components include customer, supply, infrastructure, and financial viability.

A “tight” and young entrepreneur Anna Keeler.

Photo: Felicitas Markov

Zurich workshop parts

The Kantian student comes from an entrepreneurial family. she said:

“The work completely shaped my being. My desire for entrepreneurship has always existed. “

Anna Keeler has wanted to do something with knitting for a long time. It was inspired by Pinterest.

Anbell, as the company is called, defines Bütschwiler’s daily life – and her company is getting bigger and bigger. The manual work of the sugars becomes more time consuming, even if the hair tie production time can be reduced from 20 to 3.5 minutes. This is the reason to ask for a helping hand. You got gold at the “Marktlücke” workshop in Zurich, Altstetten. The workshop provides your company with specially designed fabrics and elastic bands.

Sell ​​on social media first

Scrunchys were initially sold out on Instagram. Every customer order must be processed manually. In order to become more efficient, the founders launched their website a year later. Products can also be viewed and purchased in various stores.

Hair accessories are also produced in the basement of the father of the company founder.

Photo: Felicitas Markov

While customer inquiries first came from the local area, the customer base has now expanded geographically. The company delivers products to Canada, England, Spain, Germany and Austria. Buchwell native Tugenburg is satisfied with the income from its products. About 50 to 100 products are sold per month.

Anna Keeler Scrunchie Collection.

Photo: Felicitas Markov

An entrepreneur even while she is studying

Anna Keeler already has plans for the future: Scrunchy is being planned with an inner pocket. It can be used in daily life as a hair tie and as a small bag. The entrepreneur is also planning Hugey Scrunchy, which is suitable for women who like to exercise. Additionally, the earrings must be created. Anna Keeler is also considering working with an embroidery company so she can sew embroidery with delicate design onto clothes.

But the afterlife goes on, too. In addition to her work at the company, Anna Keeler is currently preparing for the Numerus clausus test in order to study medicine. She also wants to continue managing the company while she is studying.