Brendan Lo has proven he has the business nous to ensure that his ‘cheeky’ underwear makes its way on to every butt in Australia.
Not only are the quirky men’s and women’s Smartass-branded briefs (and socks) emblazoned with tongue-in-cheek motivational reminders, but they are sustainable to boot and made of a fabric that has been engineered using recycled soda and water bottles.
“It all started with the messages, I have a long background in martial arts and I’m an Occupational Therapist by trade, so I’ve always been interested in meaning and purpose and wisdom in all its forms,” Brendan said recently, from his home base in Northern NSW.
‘Happiness Ain’t Luck or Privilege, it’s a Badass Choice’; ‘Sit that Ass Down and Meditate’; ‘Invest in Kindness, it Pays the Best Dividends’, and ‘Don’t Less your Ass go to the Grave with Your Song still in You’ are just a few examples of the wisdom Lo is imparting on his client base, there are 12 in total.
With this in mind, it is no surprise that the toilet wall in the Lo household has been long been a place for quotes from the likes of Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Dr Zeus, and with this in mind it was a so-called ‘3am brain fart’ that put those somewhat private quotes into their rightful position – on the rear ends of men and women everywhere.
“I thought ‘what’s something people do every day’? Most people change their underwear, don’t they?” he mentioned with a chuckle.
“Every single message we have is a message that I need every day to help reinforce myself to have that positive mindset. They’re not things that you just go you do once I got it, you know, you read a passage in a book and you go, yes, I’ve mastered life. Every day, you need something to renew your values, renew your enthusiasm.”
Designed right here in Australia and produced in China, the products are as much about the message as they are the environment.
“There are no trees cut down making our undies,” adds Brendan. “Fifty per cent of our profits are committed to establishing and planting trees and saving and buying back rainforests, particularly Queenslands Daintree.”
The business is a passion project for Brendan who often spends his evenings and weekends processing half of the business’s orders at home.
“The other half is done through our fulfilment centre in China, but I’m in the process of changing that and doing all of my orders from Australia for a while,” he said.
“It is totally a hustle, seven days a week, I work my day job during the week and pack things and fill out spreadsheets at night.”
But it’s all proving pretty success right now with plenty of happy customers ordering the goods.
“Comfy underwear with attitude!” says Matthew, from Byron Bay. “Who would have thought you could turn to your underwear for inspiration and motivation. That is exactly what you get when you put on your Smartass Undies. A quirky reminder that the power of positivity is fundamental to your health and well-being.”
Although just a year into the Smartass Undies journey, Brendan is a keen Qoin merchant. He joined the ecosystem shortly after starting his business and he’s happy he did.
“I’m a big fan of Qoin, my son trades in digital currency,” he said. “I love the community and the trading between and the opportunity offsets.”
Like so many of the 38,500 registered merchants within the community, Brendan is keen on seeing Qoin become mainstream.
At the most recent Small Business Expo on the Gold Coast, Brendan’s stand was one of the most popular.
“It’s really started to blossom in Qoin sales,” he said, adding that if someone was considering joining the digital currency community, it’s really an easy decision.
“It’s a no-brainer, really, you’ve got nothing to lose. Because you control how what you take how much the percentage you take where we’re still saying we’re taking 100 per cent coin for our first sales, online. We are asking for cash for postage now, but it’s so flexible.”
To purchase some of Brendan’s sustainable undies, head to the SmartAss Undies website and choose your mantras today.
