Nik Mirkovic and Alex Tomic's business is a masterclass in marketing.
They've taken the mundane - toothpaste and teeth whiting - and packaged it into a multimillion-dollar brand.
"When you look at toothpaste you pick up either the cheapest one or ultra-white, super white, or white-white. They’re all bringing out the same products," Nik says. "So we felt this was an industry we could truly shape and change."
Taking their cue from companies like Apple and Nike, they've worked to position the products as being synonymous with a certain lifestyle.
HiSmile co-founders Alex Tomic and Nik Mirkovic Source: Supplied
Celebrities and influencers like Kyle and Kendal Jenner, boxer Conor McGregor, and others have all been enlisted to push the message.
"We work with around 5000 influencers around the world," Nick says. "You definitely get impact immediately, more website traffic, more sales. But it’s not something where we are ROI (return-on-investment) focused at that point. Our strategy isn't to convert people looking for teeth whiting - it’s to convert someone who likes things like Kylie Jenner."
"That’s all a part of the brand and the lifestyle that comes with the brand. "
HiSmile’s target market is females aged 15 - 24, but Alex says they're focusing on male users too.
"With the likes of influencers like Connor McGregor, other athletes pushing the brand, guys have started to attract to the brand as well."
While their biggest market is still Australia, HiSmile now ships around the world.
Boxer Conor McGregor is one of HiSmile's many paid influencers Source: Supplied
Alex says when they were first developing the products, they found most teeth whiting kits on the market required the user to mould trays to their mouth shape.
"The goal was, how do we now make it convenient. It had to attach, be a universal mouth tray, the gel application had to be very easy and clean for the customer," he says.
They claim the kit's LED light reacts with the gel, helping to whiten teeth more effectively.
They now also sell a whitening pen, mouthwash and toothpaste.
20-something millionaires
But it’s their clever branding strategy that's propelled the business to success - and catapulted Alex and Nik into the AFR's Young Rich List. At the ages of 22 and 24, they're worth an estimated $46 million.
But The childhood friends say they're just getting started.
A model demonstrates how HiSmile's teeth whitening system works Source: Supplied
"It’s a ten, twenty, thirty-year game. We have new products coming out, even taking it further, rethinking the ultimate experience of oral care, oral cosmetics, oral hygiene."
And that's something to smile about.
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