Annabelle King

Located at Sydney’s The Rocks, Sticky Lollies is an iconic family business whose candy creations have entertained many tourists stepping off cruise ships to see what Sydney has to offer over the years. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they found themselves in a sticky situation. Owners David and Rachel were faced with many difficult decisions due to dwindling sales - their solution was not your obvious pivot. As they no longer had crowds to entertain, it was time to take their talent to social media. The couple’s 17-year-old daughter Annabelle looked to one of the most used social media platforms (TikTok) to increase sales. While this idea led to some initial confusion amongst the team, the business has never looked back. In this session, we will hear from David, Rachel and Annabelle about how the two generations communicated during the crisis and, as exciting as the sales results were, what new challenges they brought with them. They’ll also discuss how they manage dinner table conversations when Annabelle’s sister is not involved in the company and how their business model has changed because of their pandemic pivot. Hosted by Partner and National Head of Family Business Consulting at Grant Thornton Australia, Kirsten Taylor-Martin, the panel will explore how David and Rachel embraced social media and how they will approach future new ideas. What has Annabelle learnt from her idea being adopted and how will she pitch ideas differently in the future? How can family members learn and be inspired by the younger generation? The audience will also be entertained with some of Sticky’s TikToks that have taken the world by storm. Facilitated by Kirsten Taylor-Martin, Client Director at Grant Thornton