How Hippo Blue Scaled with Disney Licensing - Special Episode

What really happens when a growing brand enters the world of licensing?

In this episode of Born to License, we go deep with the founder of Hippo Blue to unpack a real-world licensing journey — from early design roots and manufacturing challenges to partnering with Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and beyond.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How Hippo Blue transitioned from trends to evergreen IP
• Why licensing unlocked credibility and customer trust
• The real numbers behind licensing growth (including 400% increase in acquisition)
• How personalization became a competitive advantage
• What brands must get right before approaching licensors

This episode is essential viewing for founders, brand owners, and anyone considering licensing as a growth strategy.

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Transcript

Welcome back to Born to License. I'm David Born. Today I have a really special episode for you. Last year I visited the team at Courtney Brands in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia. For those who don't know, Courtney Brands is one of Australia's leading personalization companies. They've been creating innovative, high quality print products for over 40 years. Their most recognized consumer brand is Hippo Blue, which specializes in personalized children's products like backpacks, bento boxes, name labels and more. They're one of Born to License's favorite clients and since we started working together, they've signed licenses with Disney, Warner Brothers and Paramount, launching ranges with some of the most in demand IP in the world, including Marvel, Mickey and Friends, Star Wars, Paw Patrol, Batman, Toy Story, Moana, and the list goes on. 

 So today I'm sharing my chat with their owner and CEO Aldo to talk about what it's like to work with world leading IP and how these partnerships have completely transformed their business. Let's dive in. Before we dive into today's show, I wanted to share something really exciting with you. For the first time ever, I'm opening my vault of nearly 20 years of licensing experience through my online course, Learn to License. Whether you're just starting out or looking to level up your licensing game, this is everything I wish I'd known when I began my journey from deal structures to finding the right license, you knowing if you're ready and how to pitch like a pro. It's all there, the fundamentals that separate successful licensors from everyone else. Visit learntolicense.com and let's get you from curious to confident. Now let's jump into today's episode. 

 So, Elder, you started as a graphic designer and then you acquired Courtney Brands. Can you tell me about that process and when was it? 

 And yeah, it's a long time ago. Yeah, showing my age. But no, definitely yes I did. I started as a graphic designer. So again as a young kid I was always good at drawing pictures and my mum and dad obviously wanted me to have a professional career. My parents actually ran pizza shops so I used to work in a pizza shop part time, which I loved and I thought I was going to be a pizza maker for the rest of my life. But my parents pushed me to go to school and obviously try and study something and as a result of that, I found this passion with graphic design. I loved it and my idea was always to, you know, again being in a small pizza shop, you know, we used to always have our biggest competition. 

 Used to be things like your Domino's and your Pizza Hut. 

 The big boys. 

 The big boys. Being a small pizza shop, you always struggled against those guys. You know, they did marketing and their shops would be full. This was in the day when, you know, the pizza delivery was the only fast food you can get delivered. And so for me it was like as a designer, there's no barrier, I guess in design, you know, why can't the little guy look as good as the big guy? And so it was really choice. So I started to design my parents pizza pamphlets and store windows, you know. 

 And boxes, the pizza boxes and. 

 Started to put obviously design on things that, you know, were buying anyway, but were generic and standard. But we started to make them a bit more again unique to our brand, our pizza shop brand, which was called Uncle Sam's Pizza and Pasta back in the day. My dad's name is Salvatore, but when he came to Australia they obviously labeled him as Sam. So that's how the, hence the name. And so from there that passion grew and so my focus was always, how do you make the little guy look like he can compete with the big guy? And that mentality obviously drove me to doing what I do. And the first opportunity came obviously. I studied graphic design, graduated, worked in an advertising agency, learned a lot in the agency life. Very cutthroat, again, very challenging at times. 

 But also you got to see the demand of brands, what their expectations were and been able to put all that together. This job came up at Courtenay Color Graphics, which was a printing company in Lilydale. I was used to driving into Richmond at an agency and all of a sudden it was like a bit of a change. At the time I was planning on getting married. So I kind of, to be honest, I actually moved for the money, but I moved to, to Lilydale. And it was a print manufacturing business that was servicing the Yarra Valley and they wanted to expand more and more in design. And so I took the job there with a graphic designer who had set up a design studio within the business. And eight years later the opportunity came up to acquire the business. 

 And again being a commercial print business with a design studio attached to it, there was an acquisition that fell through. And as a result of that, it was almost presented to the management team. And I was one of the management team running the design studio at the time. And I thought, you know, this could be a really good opportunity for me. I never thought, I never knew what was going to be around the corner, you know, but at the time I knew there was a lot of potential in this business and so I used my design skills to take over a printing company. And so before you knew it, I kind of traded the Mac for a folding machine, a printing machine and a guillotine. 

 And being able to use, again, the mentality of lead by design, we changed the processes and we again took over the printing business. And. And you know, 10 years later, the opportunity came to invest in some digital technology. And this is where I saw the opportunity. We still ran the design studio alongside the printing company. Again, my involvement was more in an operational manufacturing side. It wasn't really in design, but again, the mentality of design was always there. The opportunity came up where we needed to invest in new technologies. Those new technologies was everyone was leaning into digital. And for us at that point were like, well, we need to lean into digital. Analog offset was kind of the thing of the past. So were the first in Australia to invest in a HP Indigo 10,000. 

 So again, they're all numbers and brands, but at the time were pretty much rock stars. In our Indigo history is this. This was 2013. 

 2013. 

 Okay, 2013. And so basically went from producing big volumes, big manufacturing out in Lilydale to relocating to Dandenong South. Again, strategic move, the Yarra Valley. Again, beautiful part of the world. A lot of wineries went through a really dark period of root rot. So a lot of the wineries started to obviously struggle in vintages. And we also saw, you know, the Fire season, which was Black Saturday, and that really affected that region. So strategically, we relocated to Dandenong south as a result of that. At that time, we invested in the digital technologies. Again, were rock stars in that space. Within 18 months, went from one to two. So we're the first company in Australia to have two of these HP Indigo 10000s. And what that allowed us to do was produce units of one, so really put our business on its head. 

 So from going to mass production to units of one, that obviously lent into where we are now, which is our retail brands in Hippo Blue. So, so Hippo Blue, again, we acquired Hippo Blue. It wasn't something we invented, but it was something that was very small. It was a startup. It was producing predominantly just labels. We were actually a supplier of Hippo Blue. We were actually manufacturing storybook covers for them. Unfortunately, the previous management ran into some financial difficulties. The company went into administration and we acquired it. They owed us a large sum of money. We acquired the business, but it really allowed us to look at what opportunities there were for us. 

 And you know, coming from that design background and understanding that, you know, a, like the small guys compete with the big guys mentality allowed me to kind of put the business on its head. And with my team, we started to really see the opportunity and it took us. And that was in 2018. In 2018, we took over again every year. That business kept growing to the point that, you know, now we're at a point where it's, you know, 80% of our volume comes from our commercial. 2018, we acquired Hippo Blue, but we actually grew during COVID You know, a lot of businesses really struggle. Our commercial business struggled. You know, we lost actually a lot of our corporate clients because the volumes weren't there. You know, so all of the, you know, our biggest. 

 Two of our biggest customers at the time were Spec Savers and Melbourne University. So Melbourne University had no more students going into Columbus. You know, Core Flutes and course brochures. Everything went to zero. And same with Spec Savers. People were going into, to optometrists. You know, their eyes checked because they're at home. So we had a real challenge in our business and we lent into that E commerce space. Obviously Hippo Blue again, we expanded our range. We went to puzzles, went into activities like arts and craft and activities. And that really helped us during that time because people were at home, were still manufacturing and were shipping. We also lent into. At the time there was a real strong need for messaging around Covid. 

 And so using our personalization skills, we actually came up with these Covid packs, personalization Covid packs, which were actually servicing the food industry because they were still allowed to operate. And during that time were actually sending them, you know, floor graphics that would say, you know, stand here and signs that said pick up this point. And so what we did is using our E commerce and units of one mentality, we basically made these pizza boxes. Going back to my pizza story, these pizza boxes that would basically, instead of having a pizza in there, would contain a whole heap of COVID material. So again, always trying to think of how we can make improve in areas and support obviously industry Covid. Covid was done and dusted and then obviously Focus was in obviously relaunching Hippo Blue. 

 Obviously with some of the new products that we developed during COVID and obviously this year, strength to strength, we grew from, you know, 30% of our business being E Commerce, being Hippo Blue to Now, you know, 80% of that Business now being E commerce, it's a big increase. 

 It sounds like you have a. Have always had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit from working with your family's pizza shop and working on the designs and everything there, and then going and working for a company that you would end up acquiring eight years after being there. How important do you think that kind of spirit has been from taking you from your parents pizza shop to where you are today? 

 Yeah, I definitely. You know, it's funny because early days, the word entrepreneur has kind of become popular probably in the last 10 years, you know, so before that I probably never knew that I had those instincts, but definitely maybe coming from a small family business mentality and my parents, migrants to this, to Australia, which, you know, I'm very lucky for that. I was born in Italy. So, you know, obviously again, opportunity, you know, it's just seeing my family business, seeing the opportunity. You know, we didn't just have one. My dad changed many jobs when he was young and probably just seeing that in the household probably drives you to being more of an entrepreneur. But it's not just that. I think it's sometimes it's about just wanting to see change or wanting to see areas that can improve, you know. 

 So again, you know, my thinking is, you know, we constantly, as humans, we're improving and we're constantly trying to make things better. And so I think that's where it comes from. I think it's how do we make our product better for our customer, how do we bring it to market more efficiently, how do we get longevity out of it? So all of these things, I guess, gives you that entrepreneurial foundation. And I think definitely it goes back to thanking my parents for again, giving us challenging moments as kids and have to almost fend for ourselves in many ways. 

 Yeah, yeah. Of course we're sitting in front of some really incredible licensed products and I do want to move on to talk specifically about the product doing, but before that, set the scene for me of what you were doing prior to moving into licensing because you were selling product with hipaa blue kind of branding. Can you tell us a bit more about that? 

 Yeah, so one of our, I guess our, I think one of our biggest products at the time. And it's funny how things shift, but one of our biggest products at the time were our personalized storybooks. So they're really nicely illustrated and really well written. Again, they were, you know, designed to encourage and inspire young children and really targeted that, you know, three plus and Maybe more as a keepsake. As a result of that, we always thought in the background, in our thinking was, how do we make these. How do we make these characters? Because the character at the end of the day is your own child. How do you make this character? And how do you then put that on merchandise? 

 How do you actually take it from the storybook and put on merchandise that people are going to want to see the connection between a book and a backpack? And we really struggled with that because we just didn't have the engagement with our audience. So as much as they loved our storybooks and they loved our bento box and they loved our backpack, because our focus was product of choice. How do we make the best product for our customer in that space, and how do we add personalization to that, but how do we continue to keep up with the designs? So, again, you know, it's a. It's a. It's a challenging process because what comes first, is it the product? Is it the design? Is it the personalization? And I think it takes all three to make the best product. 

 And so, you know, with our competition, you could have one or the other, but how do you bring them all together? And so we really found that there was that designer's block. You know, we. We would really just work with what was on trend. So if avocados was on trend that year, you'd do avocados. And we found ourselves constantly trying to find new designs, but they were really fast. There wasn't really anything that had some real value. 

 You had to always know what was the next big. What was the next avocado. 

 And. And to pick that, you know, 12 months in advance is very difficult. 

 Yes. 

 So hence the. Hence the leaning into licensing. You know, licensing is something. I think it's also. It's in you. I think it's. You know, there's people that would buy product, and I guess it's a corporate decision. Corporate decision is buy a product, put licensing on it, go and sell volume. For us, it's a bit more emotionally connected. You know, for us, we, you know, come from a family of where we. We love licensed product, we love movies, we love, you know, we love you know, having my own children, you know, bringing them up and. And. And really leaning into, again, some of the values that come out of. Out of licensing. So for us, it was really, how do we kind of create that. That designer's block? How do we stop that designer's block? 

 How do we bring something to our customers that is going to bring real value? To service already the value that they're receiving in the product of choice, and so hence the lean into license. But that wasn't easy. 

 Noah, tell me about that. Because it's one thing to say, oh, we want to get into licensing, it's a whole different thing to actually do it. I mean, was it a bit daunting the idea, like, we want to work with these massive brands, where do we even start? Because you were working before we met, you were working with Smiley, so you had a Smiley range. How. How did you. How was that, you know, getting into licensing? How was that experience? 

 It's interesting because Smiley, you know, as much as. And again, you know, with Smiley, they actually came to us and I think. 

 So makes things easier. 

 Definitely, definitely. So previous to that, I think in the personalization kids space, I think we already had a really good brand and I think people really engaged with that brand and saw the value of our product. Hence the reason Smiley were looking for new opportunities and they saw that in that space there was an opportunity for them. They came to us, which made it a lot easier. Also, also showed us one, the opportunity. And even though Smiley, the original launch, was nowhere near what were expecting, but it also opened us up to the idea. Hence then we looked at what opportunities were out there. And to be fair, it was literally, you know, most doors were closed. It was very hard to open those doors. 

 We, we always knew that we had a good product, we always knew that we had good operations and processes, but it was very hard to get in front of the right people to be able to present that as a business case. And also we had no experience. So even knowing the right levers to pull to get those appointments for us was. Was nearly impossible. We tried. We tried, but, you know, it was, I would say we tried for about a year on Constant, you know, LinkedIn, trying to befriend people, trying to make connection and no, no rude response, but pretty much, you know, a lot of it was, you know, silence. 

 Yeah. Either no response or thanks, but no thanks. And I think this is really the challenge that a lot of companies that are new to licensing have, is that they don't know how to just make that first approach. They don't know how to connect with the right person at the license or to at least, like, do the pitch. So you're saying it took, you know, you took about 12 months to try and get in front of the right people and even then you weren't able to do it. 

 Yeah, and were almost giving up, to be honest. It was almost like, you know, when you're trying to buy your first home and it's like you go to every auction, you get outbidded. It was like we just. We just didn't see a way through. What we did then look is we looked at Smiley a bit more. We thought, okay, what other assets they have available to them. And that was even complicated because it was held by an agency here. And so even though we thought we had Smiley and there was other, you know, franchises available, we couldn't tap into that. So we kind of nearly gave up. And then I came across Born. Yeah. To license. And. And I kind of looked. I looked up and I read the profile and I thought, wait a sec. I think we. 

 Let's go with one more last chance. Let's try. And so I spoke to Kayla, who's our cfo and she's like, yeah, let's reach out and we'll try this. And. And we did. And at the other end of the line was David. Yourself. 

 Yeah. 

 And. And were like, wow, this is actually really. This could be a possibility for us. 

 Yeah, I remember that. That was almost two years ago now, I think. And I think one of the things that got me most excited was that, you know, I'm from here, right? So I'm from the southeast of Melbourne. And when that came through, I was like, well, I feel like this is a company that we can really forge a strong relationship with. When you came to me and we started to get our hand around your business, you immediately ticked a lot of boxes that I knew the Disney's and the Warner brothers and the Paramounts were looking for in. In terms of partnerships. And it just so happened that my old colleague, actually two of my old colleagues were working at Disney, still working with Disney, with the right people to speak with. So we. 

 While it was you sort of taking 12 months to get in front of the right people, I was just calling my old friends, my old colleagues and saying, hey, I've got this amazing opportunity for you. And I think there's a few challenges that everybody experiences. You're certainly not alone, Eldo, in that experience is that, you know, it's one thing to get in front of the right person, but it's also another thing to present pitch in the right way. And so, you know, I knew what our friends at Disney were looking for and I knew all the strengths that we needed to highlight in order to get them interested. A quick pause here. If what we're discussing is really resonating with you. You're going to love what I've put together in Learn to License. This isn't just another course. 

 It's two decades of real world licensing experience distilled into actionable strategies you can use immediately. I've worked with everyone from startups to Fortune 500 brands and the patterns for success are surprisingly consistent. The course covers all things that you need to consider when it comes to licensing, particularly those who are just starting out. So visit learntolicense.com, your future licensing deals will thank you all. Right, back to our conversation. So you signed the license with Disney, I think it was about 18 months ago and then you first launched to market Back to School last year. Tell me about what has the response been both from your customers but also what has it meant for your business. 

 So again, you know, at the time you were always a bit nervous. As I mentioned earlier with Smiley, it probably wasn't to the expectation that we thought but Disney is a different beast and in saying that, you know, it was exciting, very exciting. I think, I think the, the most exciting thing for me once we signed with Disney and obviously we got that over the line and I just want touch on that you guys were instrumental in that because again I, I, I again going on the previous conversation we're having that there is no way in the world we would have been able to present the way we did and also just even pull out the highlights that you are able to within our business. 

 Probably the things we take for granted every day that we just do that were really, I guess instrumental in getting Disney to see the value in our brand. And so again as I've said, Disney for us is yes, we're just another product but at the same time I don't feel like that in the relationship. It feels like they definitely see us as something special. And so again that's the work of you and your team that have been able to bring that and make sure that relationship was established with the right foundations because again, like anything relationships, it's all about people. 

 Yeah. 

 And it's about understanding and sometimes there's the things that are unsaid that are the things that actually need to be said to make things actually come together. So but for us it was super exciting and I use that word like you, the grin and from year to year, every day it was such an excitement for me and my team to be able to brands together for me to see Hippo Blue alongside Disney, let alone you Know, the Disney logo, but then putting it next to the Marvel logo, next to the Star wars logo, you know, next to Pixar cars, you know, stuff that my kids grew up with, stuff that I. 

 That you grew up with. 

 You know, Toy story. Yeah. 30 year anniversary, like, these things are like. And again, you know, being a designer, being able to always appreciate, you know, animation at that level and to now be able to see that on my product was. Was unbelievable. And so from the beginning, you know, I think we set ourselves a pretty big task because I guess in excitement it was almost like, you know, we want it all and we want it all now. And so we launched, I think it was nine. Nine franchises in six months. Yeah, first 12 months was a lot of plans. 

 It was a compliance. 

 It was a sprint. It was a sprint. And you know, again, my team, your team, the way they pulled that together, you know, and it was probably the first time in, I would say 10 years that I actually got on the tools. So I was excited by that as well, you know, that I was actually able to sit there at a Mac again and design back to my beginnings. Didn't last long, so I take any credit for any of the designs, but it was exciting to be part of that. So definitely, you know, the 12 months before starting design was hard work because compliance and making sure that all the, you know, we ticked all the right boxes and that Disney felt comfortable. But once we got into the design phase and rolling that into production, that was easy and that was easy. 

 And come launch for us, you know, I think the first teaser we did was, you know, our Hippo leaves, which, you know, Hippo's backstory is always about the jungle, you know, pushing through the jungle to reveal Hippo Blue, which is a watering hole where everybody comes together. And so being able to push through those jungle leaves and see the Mickey ears alongside our brand was amazing. And, And I guess, yeah, that 18 months to get us there was. Was exciting. And then went into launch and the rest is history. 

 And what does it mean to have the Hippo Blue brand associated with Disney, like, sitting alongside that? 

 It's just huge. It's huge, you know, and again, being. Being able to not just watch the movies or, you know, go to the cinemas and, you know, buy merchandise, but to actually go to Disneyland and walk through the park and in the back of your mind say, I know that asset and we're working with it. I'm working with these guys and I'm part of this family, you know, so that there, and not just for me, I think the biggest excitement for me was seeing my kids reactions. You know, they, that, you know, you talk about, you know, wanting to be your children's idol and wanting to be there for them and you know, how they look upon you and being able to rock up home and say, hey, here's a prototype of the next year Mickey Mouse bottle. We work. You're not super excited. 

 And so I think that was, for me, it was a sense of achievement. 

 Do you think the perception of the Hippo Blue brand has changed because of this? 

 100%. 100%? Well, I think it's just seen as, as a real credible brand. I think up until then were credible as far as product of choice. But obviously the barrier there was the design. You know, being able to bring again, I see it as a collaboration, being able to bring Disney to the product has again just strengthened the brand. And just. The choice is easy now. The choice is easy. The customer gets to choose. And we spoke about the triangle, you know, product name design. Now it's a given that design is now a big factor. The product was always a factor. And now adding your name to it is where the uniqueness comes. 

 And that's what separates us from, I believe every other licensed product out there with the same asset is that you can have your name on it and you do go through that personalization process of choosing what you want. So almost the parent is choosing and designing obviously within reason, what they want for their child. And, and so even a Spider man design, just by changing the name and changing the background color, is a unique design for each child. So that is, I guess where again, I think the credibility comes in and I guess how seeing Hippo Blue alongside Disney is again elevated the Hippo Blue brand. 

 I think consumers are getting more and more savvy and I think that they can look at something like a partnership with Hippo Blue and Disney and say that Disney would not partner with this company if their product wasn't good, safe, reliable, if it wasn't, you know, a good operation. I think that the, it adds so much credibility to say, oh, Disney work with Hippo Blue. So, you know, it must be a great brand. Do you find that people are thinking that as well? 

 I would think so, yeah, definitely. And again, these are the things that we kind of maybe take for granted because it's just part of our practice because we want to work at the highest standards. But I agree, I think that you're right I think that Disney wouldn't work with a brand. And, and we often say this because in every industry there's competition. But we always ask ourselves, would Disney work without competition? And the answer is probably no. And it's for those reasons. So again, we're very proud of that. And I think that's something that sometimes we maybe forget, you know, in our day to day operations, but definitely is a key part, I think, to the partnership. 

 And do you think your consumer has changed since you started introducing licensed product? 

 I think so, I think so. I think we've looked, you know, we ran some, we, you know, we always run acquisition campaigns throughout the year. Being E Commerce, obviously, you know, the bigger the database the better. So it's very hard to acquire customers. And I think some of the activity that we've been able to do with Disney has really grown. I think, you know, one of our last acquisitions was we never forecasted the numbers we did, but more in acquisition numbers. You know, usually in an acquisition campaign we'd be lucky to acquire 5 to 10,000 new customers through a pretty aggressive campaign. In the recent campaign, you know, we're talking three times that number, three or four times that number through the same activity. And so again, hence I think the customer base is changing. 

 So what's that like a 400% growth? 400% growth on acquisition numbers? Yeah. Unbelievable. 

 Yeah, we again, we still pinch ourselves. Yeah, it's not again, that's the power of loss. 

 Is that over and above your expectations? 

 Oh yes, definitely. You know, you would probably say double, but yeah, you know, to go 400% is kind of scary. 

 Yeah. So we talked about some really great statistics. 400% increase in customer acquisition, which is kind of a dream result. I'd love to get into some figures if you have any top of mind. Tell me about kind of the best statistics that you have about your experience working with licensing. 

 Yeah, I think the first thing is the opening up of new markets. So probably there's not much statistics about that, but opportunities throughout the year that we would never have had. So I think the first one is aligning with obviously the activity that the franchises are doing. Again, every time one of those opportunities opens up, statistics change and obviously grow. 

 An example of that is like Toy story selling 30, celebrating 30th anniversary. And so Disney's doing all this activity and then you can say, okay, that's going to be a tent pole that we're going to get behind because you have a Toy Story in your license that's an example of that. 

 Yeah, perfect. Perfect. Yeah. So usually throughout the year outside of back to school, we wouldn't have any opportunity for growth usually would come just during back to school and the sales periods. But the sales period, it's again, you know, your Black Fridays at your Cyber Mondays, click frenzies, these kind of things. But being able to leverage off 30th anniversaries events means that there's activity and when there's activity it means that there's opportunity for growth. So the growth for us is really, our business has grown 30%. So that's probably a really important number because 30% of already in the well established business is a big number. 

 Huge. Yeah. 

 You know, if I think you said to any business if you're growing 30% year on year, you'd be saying that's something I'd want to invest in. Yeah, sure. So 30% is probably the biggest one. But you can break that down into again, the biggest one we're seeing is again the cost for acquisition coming down. Our Facebook, our Facebook has dropped. Our cost has dropped 10%. Our growth has been 20% in Facebook and purely because you're dealing with franchises that people are aware of. So the cut through is a lot easier. And so the statistics, there is thousands of them that I could run through but every one of them has improved. But if we talk about, you know, 400 in acquisition growth and we talk about 30% in overall sales conversion is huge. 

 So 30%, you're basically you easily absorb the royalty that you have to pay for Disney and the fees that you have to pay my team as well. And then there's a lot left over for that. So it's actually a really significant increase when you look at it that way. 

 Definitely. So again, in any business obviously being manufacturing, there's our cost to manufacture is obviously a big cost and to constantly improve in technologies and in constant reinvesting. So yeah, definitely the again covers again our investment in Disney as well as that our growth opportunity. It's an interesting number because that's the scary thing I think at the start is thinking how, you know, all of a sudden Now I have 10%, 15%, 20% additional costs within your business. How do I cover those? And I think it's important to know that licensing it brings in a new customer. And I think not just that the customer is willing to pay more. Something that was very hard for us. You know, there's that old saying, you know, don't leave any change on the table. 

 And unfortunately, with licensing, you don't leave any money on the table because people will pay for it. And so what we found is that 30% growth, a lot of that 30% growth is also just coming increasing the prices of the product where you could never do that. And so that. That's probably an area where we've seen most of that revenue coming from. 

 If there is somebody that's watching this now that is thinking about getting into licensing, they've great product like you did before you started licensing, and wants to kind of take that leap. Is it something you would encourage them to do? 

 Yeah, definitely, yeah. Yeah, I think. I think it's. I think it's. It's got to be in the right space. Licensing isn't for everyone, but I think if you've got a strong product, you've got a good customer base, I think definitely it will amplify your business. 

 Are there any tips you would give someone? 

 Any tips? I think manage your expectations. Yeah. I think we can get caught up in the hype and the excitement of it all, but I think with the right planning and the right process, the results will come. They may not come in the timeline that you originally expect. Just because you have licensing, it doesn't mean that it just works. I have to work for it. Right? So you have to have the right assets. You have to understand your customer base, you have to know what to put in front of your customers, and you have to work with good people. And I think, again, a testament to your team and yourself. Working with good people is always makes the job easier. 

 And I think you guys have been really good, understanding our product and understanding what to put in front of our customer with our product and how that works. At the end of the day, we will make that decision. But you do need guidance. So I would say manage expectations, keep it simple, start small. Results will come. Just be patient. 

 You mentioned my team, and so you're working really closely with Alyssa, with Brynna, with Jenna, with the other Alyssa. What's the experience been like? And would you recommend others work with us? 

 Yeah, yeah, it's great. It's great. So it's. It's funny because I've worked with lots of agencies in the past, you know, coming from my original young days of agency work. You know, everyone will tell you what they want you to hear, and it's about the deliverables for us. That's very important. At the end of the day, I believe good people attract good people. And at the end of the day, I think were very lucky and maybe all the stars aligned to be able to partner with Born to License. But your team's been fantastic and I do. And this is not just because we're talking, but, you know, we catch up weekly. We speak about our current PD that's in process. 

 Anything that's ever been challenging, you know, with Disney, you know, you guys will actually go and fly the flag and make sure that, you know, because again, there needs to be robust, strong conversations in order to get the best result for everybody. And no one's shies away from that. Your team don't shy away from that. And they always put our brand first and so I think that's what's made a perfect relationship. But working with the team again weekly wips your clear correspondence, understanding of what our needs are, and also just helping develop the product. Obviously, sometimes what we think might work, sometimes a second set of eyes, the experience that your team has in that space and seeing it all before, might just sometimes be that little bit of a shift in what we're thinking to get the best result. 

 And I, I could say that I don't think we'd be the brand we are and the business we are today if it wasn't for the support of you guys. And again, it's a partnership. It's not about being an agency and servicing us. It's about a partnership. And it works both ways. 

 So that's good. I'm really glad to hear that. You know, I, I do think we've got an incredible team at Born to License. I know how much they love working with you guys. They love how organized you are, how efficient. They love all your spreadsheets that you send to us. You know that we're the shared documents with all these plans. Like, I think, you know, when you compare, we've got a very broad range of clients and I do know that you're certainly one of the favorites as far as being organized, having amazing product. You know, that partnership that we have with you, we really treasure that. So. And I know the team loves working with you. We've got some exciting things coming up with you, some new launches, which is really exciting. 

 So tell me about your decision to sort of expand beyond Disney, which, you know, obviously Disney has an enormous portfolio of amazing brands. What was the thought process behind going to some other license source? 

 Again, I think that we saw the impact of Disney on our brand, and we saw obviously our customer base, their response to it. And it's funny the amount of. Since we've been obviously with Disney and with the licensing, it's really the customers driving this, you know, and that's the exciting bit. It's not us having to think of what's next. It's our customers coming to us and saying, oh, you know, have you thought of port before? 

 Are they saying that? 

 So they say they are, yeah. And there's a massive. And there's a massive. Again, you know, I'll call it cult followings for some of these things. And driven by the child, you know. And we see it in Australia, particularly the impact of Paw Patrol. We see the growth in that space. And so again, for us, it was just a logical process, but it wouldn't have been possible if we didn't have your team there to support us on that. All we did was say, what do you think? And you guys were able to bring us the statistics and let us know how we. How it could work. And they've been able to make the appointment and close the deal was obviously the easy part for us, is all we needed to think about was what were designing when were getting hold of the assets. 

 So definitely our strategy long term is to continue to grow in licensing. And at the same time, we don't want to be everything to everyone. So we want to be selective, you know, in that sense as well, because you can be everything to everyone, but it's about having the right balance and giving every property the right balance. And so this year, launching Harry Potter through the Warner Brothers and obviously Paw Patrol, Nickelodeon, Paramount is exciting and we think those two assets there alone have such a strong following and have been definitely driven by Insights as well as our customer. 

 Yeah, well, I can tell you it is a. It's a much easier sell when you're doing such an incredible job for Disney. You know, it is a. It's a pretty easy sell to go to the Paramounts of the world and the Warner Brothers of the world and say, look what Hippo Blue are doing with Mickey Mouse with Star wars and so forth. Like, trust me, you want to be a part of this action. And, you know, I know that you've also had licensors coming to you directly and I do feel like this is part of license is it's hard to get your first license. It's hard to get your first really good license. But once you prove that you understand licensing and you can execute in a really good way, then it's a bit of role reversal. 

 You have the power, the licensors start coming to you and I know that has started happening. So now suddenly you have to be really careful with what you're saying yes to because you don't want to say yes to everybody. You don't want to have too broad of a portfolio. You want to really make sure that you've got a really well thought out process of launching new licensed product. Is that something that's been on your mind as well? 

 Yeah, definitely. Because I think it's. And, and you nailed it there. That, you know, yes, people are coming to us, you know, and I think we, that's exciting, that again is another part of the process. And I think, you know, we have done a good job with Disney and again, you know, we value the position we're in. But you're right, I think that's the hardest thing because the excitement is, yes, you want to be able to do everything, oh, that would look great on my product. But at the end of the day, it's also, you know, what is best, what is my customer actually wanting. Because I think you can actually dilute your dilute the ones you've worked really hard on by bringing in the wrong ones. 

 And it doesn't mean that none of them are wrong, but there was a right time for everything. So I think that's definitely played on my mind. And that's been our discussions about a great position to be in. These guys are wanting to come to us, but again, that process of understanding, again, which is the right thing, the right fit at the right time for us. You know, we spoke earlier about growth and, you know, product, but, you know, with three to six has been our core demographic for a long time and now it's 6 to 12 and now 12 plus and hopefully with pet products. So it doesn't mean that each franchise is across all those products, but at different points they can come in and be across any of those products. 

 So again, choosing the right one is important thing, I think, and not diluting what you've already got. 

 Yeah, and I think you always have to have a, have your fingers on the pulse of like, what's next, like what is coming through that's going to be the hottest preschool property in one year time, two year time. And I guess that's the other benefit of you working with us is that, you know, we're going to licensing expo, we're going to all the summits, we're reading all the industry news and we can Kind of get the rumblings of, you know, what character IP is going to be big in the next two to three years, which is very important. For our last question, I want to pull out a bit of a crystal ball. 

 Yes. 

 And I'd like to know, where will Hippo Blue be in five years time? 

 Five years time? Well, the ambitions are always big. You know, I think if we go back to that mentality, you know, small and thinking big and dreaming big, I think licensing is definitely on the cards. You know, it's something that I think is here forever. It's just about choosing the right ones at the right time with the right alignment of products. Global expansion for us is probably the next thing. You know, I think what we're doing in Australia, we are the market leaders in this personalised kids space. We have ambitions of having probably some bricks and mortar, you know, having actually a really nice showcase of our products so people can come and experience it firsthand, not just through e commerce platforms, continuously investing in the manufacturing of our products. How can we improve it? How can we make our bottles better? 

 How can we make our bags better? How can we make our labels better? But again, in five years from now, we'd like to be, again, not just a local brand, but to be a global brand and to really be changing the lives of kids all over the world that are going to, you know, daycare, school, kinder, bringing that touch of personalization into their lives and making it efficient and, and creative for the parents as well. 

 Just imagine what it would be like if you could replicate the success that you've had here in Australia in other markets. I mean, the sky's the limit. 

 The sky's the limit. Yeah. And you know, in saying that's, that's, it'd be a dream, but, you know, we can work towards that dream. Dreams do come true. 

 Well, look, I hope that we will be by your side every step of the way. Thanks so much for the chat. It's been really interesting. I'm a big fan of you and everything you've achieved here and looking forward to seeing some launches over the next coming months and beyond. But thanks so much for the chat, really appreciate it. 

 Beautiful. Thank you very much for your time. 

 I hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Born to License podcast. Don't forget to like and subscribe. And if you're eager to learn more about licensing, I encourage you. Take a look at my course, Learn to License. I've condensed almost 20 years of learning in my licensing career to help others understand how licensing works. And as a reward for sticking around, here is a discount code for you to put in. That code is born to license 25. I hope to see you there.