Choice Blog

Olderpreneurs: Founding a bikini business at 76

Life's a beach for Cherry Harker, who is thriving in retirement after setting up a fitness bikini company at the age of 76. Sherry says she inherits her entrepreneurial streak from her father Ronnie Harker, who was Rolls Royce's first test pilot and later ran a series of businesses.

Hers was a glamorous childhood, and decades later sh turned her happy memories into an exciting business idea. 

"I remember holidaying in the south of France in the late fifties and early sixties, alongside icons such as Grace Kely and Bridget Bardot . I wore a bikini all the time, and I understood the importance of getting the right fit, what it should do and, importantly, what it should not do." 

Embarassinf slippage was a constant worry, she says: "I pretty much learnt how to water-ski one-0handed, one hand on the tow-handle and one hand holding my briefs up!"

Cherry jelped her clothing designer daughter Tamarisk set up a shop in Potobello, west London, to showcase her designs, and when that lease ended, set up ZwimZuit.com a couple of years ago, an online sports performance and fashion swimwear brand selling "sporty bikinis for sproty girls".

It is a global business, based in the New Forest. "I design the bkinis with Tamarisk, which are then created at specialist swimwear manufacturers in nearby Poole, Dorset. Bikinis are also small, making them cheap and easy to post around the world."

Husband John EAst-Rigy, 64, who previously founded a classic car wwebsite, helps with the technology. They promote their neoprene swimwear using Instagram, where girls from all over the world tag themselves in #ZwinZuit #Selfies. 

Cherry loves the challenge and says the business should soon be in the swim. "We aren't making a profit yet, but we are close."

She says older entrepreneurs have the edge. "Younger people have more energy but we have the knowledge and wisdom and understanding of how things work."