Andrea started her own business Roo Bags while still studying her Diploma of Business at Lexis Training. She came to Australia back in 2015 for an exchange program and fell in love with the country and its culture. Then decided to come back in 2016 and started her own business. She created an environmentally friendly bag to be hung over the gear lever of the car similar to the female kangaroo pouch where she carries her joey.
Here is her story of how she created her own unique business “Roo Bags”
ANDRÉA Dantas, CEO of ROO BAGS®
1. How was studying part of the process?
My biggest dream was to learn English and start my own business. So, I came to Australia, which is a wonderful country, safe, welcoming and has good working and study conditions; and I chose to study in great schools and take courses that would help me carry out my project.
After two years studying English in Sydney, I moved to Noosa in Queensland. In Noosa I have studied at LEXIS for 2 years, where I attended the Certificate III in business and Diploma of business courses.
All the courses I took were focused on the business area in order to improve my knowledge to apply in my company called ROO BAGS, where I am the founder and CEO.
2. How lexis course has helped you grow up / develop the company?
Despite my academic training and professional experience in Brazil, my home country, I felt the need to learn to manage a business in Australia, a country with different habits and costumes, and different legislation and tributes. Therefore, I needed to learn how Australian rules and regulations work.
In this case, the courses carried out by LEXIS are of fundamental importance. During the courses, I pushed myself hard, I worked really hard! I was so focused on my business ideas and decided to make the most of my studies. I learned a lot with my LEXIS teachers, mainly because they were business leaders with lots of experience, so they helped me a lot from the very beginning.
I developed my business plan which is, in my opinion, one of the biggest challenges as it is very technical. I used ROOBAGS as a case study during the whole course…so projects I developed during the course with the help of my teachers have been implemented in ROOBAGS.
Thanks to my dedication, commitment, hard work and the skills that I have learnt at Lexis, my company is a success in Australia.
3. What factors do you attribute your success to?
The reason of the success of my company is our product, which is an eco-friendly car tidy bag, also called Roo bag. Besides being a useful car accessory, the Roo bag is also environment friendly, because you can use and reuse it.
We aim to raise awareness and educate people about the impact on the environment. With simple and small daily actions, we can help our planet. For this reason, Australians love our product. The product was so well received here that the BAGS are also called ROO BAGS, which is the company name.
Another point is… we have the design registration approved by the Agency that regulates the intellectual property in Australia (IP Australia), for being an innovative, distinct and unique product. Furthermore, we also have the trademark approved by IP Australia. Therefore, we have the exclusive right to market this product here.
4. Tell us a little more about the Product Roo bag, an eco-friendly car tidy bag.
Roo bags are an innovative product in Australia. They are designed to hang over the gear stick of the car, or other suitable suspension points, serving as a litter bag or a car organiser. We have products made from Neoprene and Non-Woven Fabric, which we sell on the ROO BAGS® website and in many markets around Australia.
We also have a custom product. In other words, any company can personalise the Roo bag with their brand, phone number, address, advertisement, and distribute it to their clients. It is a strong way of advertising their products or services.
5. What message would like to share with all who are watching us today!
I would like to take the opportunity to offer a 20% discount for Lexis students and employees to buy their Roo bags.
Please visit us online at roobags.com.au and at checkout include the coupon code: LEXIS and ‘Gotta Get your Roo bags’ with 20% Off!
Also, I would like to invite everyone to follow us on our social media. We always publish posts or articles about the environment to inform and make people aware that with small actions in our daily lives, such as using the Roo bags, we can help to preserve our environment.
Lexis Training’s Business Courses provide the foundation for a wide range of challenging and exciting work roles. With units including introductory technology, document production, customer service, accounts, and workplace organisation, students graduate with a skillset ideal for employment, or as a stepping stone into higher levels of study. Our experienced trainers will support you in developing the knowledge base and skill set to analyse and evaluate information to address a wide range of planning and operational challenges.
Fully supported through both online and face-to-face classes you will be joined by both international and domestic students in a fast-paced, challenging and diverse study environment. Graduates are equipped not only with a respected qualification in their own right but also with credit at leading universities equivalent to a full year of tertiary study.
