Katrina Allen

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Occupation/Title : Founder of [De jour Sanitary Products]

Company/Organization: De jour Sanitary Products makers of De jour Tampons

State: Victoria
Age: 32yrs old

Katrina Allen is a 32 year old award-winning Art Director, who had been working in the advertising industry since obtaining her degree in Graphic Design at Swinburne in 1984.

She was last employed as an Art Director at M & C Saatchi, Sydney where she was responsible for creating Seinfeld's Kramer character in the recent Vodafone commercials. In October 1998 she decided to leave her ten year career to take on the mights of the multinationals, Johnson & Johnson and Sancella and launch her own range of tampons into the $70 million Australian market.
Using her creative flair and marketing knowledge Katrina has spent the last 18 months of her spare time designing a product that was more relevant to today's woman. The result was De jour tampons that come in discreet zip lock bags.

Katrina launched De jour tampons in February, 1999 and currently employs Merchandisers in each State to maintain her shelf presence instore. She runs the rest of the business on her own and this year she will have turned over $3 million in grocery sales which gives her a 6-8% share of the 65% of supermarkets she is currently stocked in.

Katrina is currently developing new lines for "De jour Sanitary Products" and has spent the beginning of this year campaigning to have the GST removed from sanitary products after initiating its debate.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Melbourne in Brighton. (which is by the beach)

What was your first job?
My first job was breeding and selling mice when I was about 8yrs old. I thought I could make a lot of money! But mice lice was my down fall.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a princess when I was little, I thought it was a career option. My brothers would argue I'm a princess now!

How many hours a week do you work?
Honestly I work about 50-60hrs a week. I'm a great believer in quality not quantity too many people say they work 80hrs but I know a lot who do a lot of mucking around at work. When I work, I work no lunch just straight though.

Name a movie that actually inspired you?
A watched Lorenzo's Oil the other day and that said persistence pays off.

Name a talent you don't have that you wish you did?
Patience.

What was the last book you read?
The Chocolate Wars - Excellent book on Mars v Hershey

Have you ever had a celebrity crush and if so who?
No I haven't. I have admiration for business people like Richard Branson ( Virgin) Howard Schultz ( Starbucks) or Ray Kroc (McDonalds).

What song transports you to another place when you hear it?
The sound track to The English Patient.

What's your idea of the perfect Sunday?
Breakfast in bed with my boy then reading the papers in the sun.

Looking back 10 years ago are you now where you expected to be? If not, where did you expect to be?
10 years ago I thought I would run an advertising agency, I didn't think I'd manufacture tampons! But Yes my father always encouraged us to have our own business I just didn't know it would be De jour but I'm really happy it was.

What's your favourite city in the world and why?
Eygpt, I'd love to do a dig one day.

What advice would you give to somebody starting their first business?
Have a good idea, without a good idea it won't work. Secondly if running your own business was easy then everyone would do it so never, never give up.