How SHE Turned a Side Hustle into a Gifting Empire with Melissa Wilkinson from Personalised Favours

In this episode of SHE-talks E-commerce, we sit down with Melissa Wilkinson, founder of Personalised Favours, a company known for its unique personalised gifts.

Melissa shares her inspiring journey of starting the business as a side hustle while working full-time, eventually growing it into a booming brand that’s loved around the world. 

From starting with just a laser engraver and working out of her garage, to now managing over 2000 SKUs and fulfilling massive corporate orders for brands like Porsche and Lamborghini, Melissa’s story is full of invaluable insights for anyone looking to scale their e-commerce business.

Melissa opens up about the unexpected twists and challenges along the way, including how winning a laser engraver at a trade show was the catalyst that led her to quit her day job and go all-in on her dream. She also shares the lessons learned from international expansion, navigating brand growth, and maintaining a diverse, happy team of 50 to 70 employees.





We dive into: 

✨ The early days: How Melissa started Personalised Favours as a side hustle while still working full-time.

✨ Scaling challenges: From working out of a garage to moving into a 1,800 square metre warehouse with 12 laser engravers.

✨ Winning moments: How Melissa won her first engraver and used it to transform her business.

✨ Corporate orders: Fulfilling personalised gift orders for Porsche, Lamborghini, and Australian Idol.

✨ International expansion: Melissa’s lessons from entering the U. market, including the branding challenges of selling to different countries.

✨ Peak season madness: Juggling 2000SKUs…and what happens when Melissa sells out of stock.

Join us for an insightful episode filled with practical tips and entrepreneurial wisdom from Melissa Wilkinson, a true SHE-com success story.


Resources and Links:

Visit Personalised Favours to explore their range of products.

Follow @personalised_favours on instagram for their latest news and releases.

NOT SURE

what's next?

Have a chat with our team about where your business is at and which program fits.

Want to skyrocket your ecommerce sales? 🚀

Want more content like this delivered direct to your inbox?

Subscribe for Hot Tips, Hacks and Strategies to Grow Your Brand Online!

FREEBIES

GUIDE

5 ways you can drive traffic to your website.

GUIDE

10 STEP
Trust Audit

Lisa Jones

I'm the founder of SHE-com

Mum of three, founder of 3 x multi-million dollar brands, passionate e-commerce coach, speaker, author, podcast host and creator of SHE-com.

In 14 years, I built seven companies, including Ecoriginals, a $2M award-winning brand. Now, I’m dedicated to helping women build successful businesses and achieve their biggest dreams—on their own terms.

Listen to SHE-talks on:

Level up with these freebies

THE BALANCED BUSINESS:

5 Steps to success without sacrificing your life

Running a business shouldn't mean sacrificing your time, energy, or happiness. The Balanced Business Guide walks you through the five key steps to building a successful e-commerce brand without burnout.

MASTERING VIRAL CONTENT-

Your guide to tiktok success

Want to start using TikTok to grow your brand, but not sure how it works?  Maybe you’ve already started but need help getting seen. Either way, this guide is for you!

From Clicks to Shelves

Get Your Brand Into Stores

Want your e-commerce brand in retail stores? The Getting Your Brand Into Stores guide by SHE-com coach Joyce is your step-by-step roadmap from clicks to shelves!

Lisa's Friday Five

Five smart moves for your brand. Straight to your inbox, every Friday.

Speed. Smarts. No spam. Just the good stuff.