Two Ideas, One Business: How Kaleena & Brandon Made it Happen

Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, entrepreneurship ran in Brandon and Kaleena Morrison’s blood. Kaleena had a career in make-up artistry where she was inspired to create her own make-up and skincare line, and Brandon taught himself how to mix and blend beard oils while working in Atlantic Canada, when the siblings came to together over Christmas, they decided to bring both their business ideas together. Today that business is known as United & Free.

United & Free is an all-natural, gender neutral body and haircare brand inspired by nature. Their products are gentle, which makes them great for all skin types, and their main goal is to provide people with a quality product line that they can trust using. “Our approach is to always be open and honest with our customers and teach people about product ingredients and skin care regimes through humor and education,” Kaleena explained.

But before starting United & Free, the business partners needed to receive financing to help take their idea off the ground, and their business plan at the time was just not where it needed to be to do that. That’s when they found the Rock My Business Plan workshops that were happening in Vancouver, a workshop series that helps you build your business plan in record time through the support of your peers and business experts. The workshop helped them secure financing and mentorship for their business (through Futurpreneur Canada) and with their now clear and defined path, they are ready to move forward.

After completing the workshops in February 2016, United & Free did their soft launch at Know Show in Vancouver on July 20th to Canadian retailers. This show was one of their biggest milestones to date, as after spending months preparing for the show, and overcoming their fear of putting themselves out there in front of so many buyers, the outcome ended up being amazing for their business. “We put everything we had into the trade show and it really showed us how hard we are willing to work to succeed,” said Kaleena.

Brandon and Kaleena would recommend the Rock My Business Plan workshops to other entrepreneurs if they have a business idea and are curious on how to turn that into something tangible. “They can help you think outside of the box and really assist you in becoming your own boss,” she explained.

As for the next steps for United & Free, they plan to fully launch their product line this month in retails stores and on their e-commerce website. Stay tuned!

Rock My Business Plan workshops are happening in Nanaimo, Kelowna and Prince George throughout fall 2016. Register now for an upcoming workshop in your area by clicking here.