From Housing Commission to a $30M Wellness Brand: How AJ Williams Built Revel Sauna From Scratch

Breaking free from housing commission and domestic violence, AJ Williams turned childhood trauma into a business superpower - launching Revel Sauna, a wellness brand now worth over $30 million.

What started with a pre-order eCommerce model turned into one of Australia's most disruptive health and recovery businesses.

In this raw, value-packed episode, we go behind the Instagram highlights to uncover the startup success story you haven’t heard.

Tune in to discover:

✅How AJ used unique and advanced market research techniques to validate his ideas

✅How brand positioning gave Revel a strategic edge over competitors

✅AJ’s step-by-step blueprint for validating a product idea without inventory

✅The mental toll of scaling and fighting the belief that you don’t deserve success

✅How to build a founder-led brand that sells through authenticity, not hustle culture

✅How pre-orders funded the entire operation before he even launched

This episode is a practical masterclass in startup validation, mental health and entrepreneurship, and building a team that scales with you - without sacrificing your family, sanity, or soul.

Key Points

00:01:00 Introduction and Background
00:02:20 Domestic Violence And Childhood
00:04:00 Business Partnership Origins
00:09:00 Sunglasses Business Exit
00:10:40 Innovation Cycle Research
00:12:00 Mental Health
00:14:40 Headphone Product Development
00:18:00 The Pivot to Saunas
00:27:00 Pre-order Model Strategy
00:30:00 Metrics and Calculations
00:32:00 Unique Content Strategy
00:35:00 Risk and Resilience
00:37:20 Success Psychology
00:42:00 Managing Self-Doubt
00:46:00 The Truth About Hustle Culture
00:50:00 Time Over Money
00:52:00 US Expansion Plans
00:58:40 Go-to-Market Strategy

Hit play to discover the blueprint behind Australia's fastest-growing wellness brand.

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👉Connect with AJ

https://www.instagram.com/iamtheajwilliams/
https://www.instagram.com/revelsaunas/
https://revelsaunas.com.au/

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👉Connect with us

https://www.instagram.com/twoblokesonebusiness
https://www.linkedin.com/company/two-blokes-one-business-podcast

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Adam Powell & Harvey Rivers are the founders of HARWELL.

HARWELL. are renowned in the recruiting space - specialising in finding top talent within the Construction, Accountancy & Finance & Labour Hire sectors. Along with eCommerce.

Their award-winning concierge approach is helping companies attract exceptional talent to their team.

👉Want help finding exceptional talent for your business?

Get in touch with Adam, Harvey, and the team at HARWELL. https://www.harwellconsulting.com.au/