Co.Clare mother and daughter duo Paulette and Louise established a fitness, lifestyle, and yoga clothing brand in 2014. The brand focuses on designing stylish, flattering, and comfortable activewear for women of all shapes and sizes. iSpy joined the TikTok SMB ADvance programme with the overall goal of growing their brand. From their involvement in the programme, iSpy had awe-inspiring results, increasing their followers by 86%. To hear more about their experience in the SMB programme, we spoke with Louise the daughter behind iSpy.

Q: Could you start by telling us what inspired you to start posting on TikTok? A: We saw a lot of small businesses using TikTok and getting some great results, and making some cool content. We have been posting on other social media platforms a lot for the last four years, and I feel like there's a bit of pressure to be perfect on other platforms and to be a certain way, whereas TikTok seems more fun and a bit more free, so we kind of decided to start trying this and then we started enjoying it.

Q: When it comes to promoting iSpy on TikTok, what type of content works for you and what doesn't? A: A big part of our story at ISpy is that it’s me and my mam. So any content and videos with the two of us, or anything about our story, tends to do really well. We’ve found that anything from us having fun to just being ourselves gains great traction on the platform.

@theispyteam I-SPY 🤝 Good leggings. Shop online now at the link in our bio 💃 #smallbusinesstiktok #leggingsoftiktok #irishsmallbusiness #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #fyp #fitness #foryoupage ♬ original sound - Carson Genal

Q: Has the presence on TikTok supported your business or grown your community in Ireland and have you seen more customers because people find you on TikTok? What has that been like for you? A: We had a strong community on other social platforms however, we've found a completely new community on TikTok. This has been nice as we've reached many people who might not have heard about us before, so it’s really helped grow our audience and business. TikTok has also been great for the events and community initiatives we host at ISpy.

Q: Can you share any memorable moments that directly resulted from something from your TikTok about your business? A: Last year, we hit a million in sales, which was a huge milestone for ISpy. From that one video, we ended up featuring in the Leaving Certificate business exam paper and a journalist from the Irish Independent wrote an article about ISpy and our journey.

@theispyteam What a moment 🥰🥰 #irishtiktok #irishsmallbusiness #smallbusiness #irelandtiktok #supportsmallbiz #smallbusinessowner #fyp #leggings4life ♬ Cornfield Chase - Dorian Marko

Q: What was your highlight of being a part of the ADvance programme? And what was the impact on your advertising bid on the platform? A: Learning how to use TikTok advertising was a huge highlight of the program. In terms of the impact, we saw a big, big difference - we doubled our followers! We also got a lot more interest in terms of people commenting and a lot more engagement.

Q: What's the favourite TikTok you've ever made? A: The TikTok video of us hitting one million. It’s a special one.

Q: What advice would you give to other SMBs wanting to start a TikTok account? A: I would probably say don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just try things and be yourself. Don't overthink it and do whatever you want.

Q: Are there any other Irish businesses that you see on your For You Page that you particularly like? A: The Smooth Company @thesmoothcompany is great.


*The TikTok ADvance programme launched as a pilot in the Summer of 2023 The goal of the programme, which ran from August-December 2023, was to learn more about, and support the SMB TikTok community in Ireland. To read more about I-Spy's participation in the TikTok ADvance Programme, please see here
For more information on how to get started with TikTok Advertising, please visit TikTok For Business