Co-Founder, DNA Security Solutions
Founder, Lashes of Change
Influence and Negotiation Strategies Program
Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2019
Catching criminals and making mascaras are all part of a day’s work for serial entrepreneur Tania Jolley. As the co-founder of DNA Security Solutions and founder of Lashes of Change, Ms Jolley is the ultimate example of finding answers to solve both serious and pesky problems.
LAW AND ORDER
With a Bachelor of Arts majoring in psychology from Flinders University, Ms Jolley completed a Bachelor of Management in the late 90s at Uni SA to explore the commerce mindset. Her first foray into the business world came at the tender age of 27, when she became the first female operator to take over a failing Tint a Car franchise. Fast forward three years and she built the business back up again and sold it with a 300% ROI.
After a brief hiatus working in the hospitality industry, which she thoroughly enjoyed, she went back into business and joined her partner at his existing business Technotronics. Ms Jolley found ways to add value and grow this business by introducing different offerings. While working on a project with SA Police (SAPOL), the duo was asked to create a solution for one of SAPOL’s biggest issues. This solution became DNA Security Solutions – the answer to the prayer for SAPOL and a silver lining for high-end jewellery manufacturers, bottle shops, gaming rooms and petrol stations.
“In 2004 we started working with SAPOL – they wanted a solution to forensically identify a criminal at a crime scene so they had the irrefutable evidence to prosecute them, ” Ms Jolley says.
“At the time there was an escalation of armed robberies and a spate of active gangs, including the Gang of 49,” she says.
“Police knew exactly who the perpetrators were but lacked the forensic ability to place them at the crime scene at the time of the crime, so it became a real game of cat and mouse.”
Unable to find an existing suitable solution after a worldwide hunt, the pair decided they needed to create one; the patented technology involves spraying a non-toxic, water-based solution embedded with a synthetic DNA fingerprint and ultraviolet ink onto criminals as they leave the crime scene, which can later be seen under black light when police catch up with the suspects and if need be, further analysed against crime scene samples.
Ms Jolley says the deterrent effect that this technology has created is the most stunning result, with a consistent elimination of crime for more than 98% of DNA Guardians customers across Australia and New Zealand.
“Considering we are working with some of the most attractive businesses to criminals and very soft targets, this is an outstanding result.”
INTRO TO THE ILF
Encouraged by Industry Leaders Fund (ILF) CEO Geoff Vogt, Ms Jolley applied for and won a study grant that saw her undertake an intensive, week-long course at Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2019 on the subject of influence and negotiation.
“Negotiation doesn’t necessarily mean a win-lose situation and that’s something I’ve taken away from the course. It’s given me the confidence to go into negotiations with different suppliers and customers, and negotiate successful outcomes for both of us.
“The ability to join the ILF cohort is also a huge bonus – being an ILF Scholar provides continued learning, friendships and networks and the chance to give back to the South Australian community, which is what the ILF is all about.”
BEAUTY GAMECHANGER
With DNA Security Solutions a soaring success that’s on track to hit the US market, Ms Jolley has turned her sights to solve the problem of mass-produced, sub-standard mascaras that cause many consumers great frustration and waste in their search for their perfect, go to mascara.
Last July after seven years in the making she finally commercialised a world-first, fully customisable and refillable mascara with interchangeable brushes, colours, formulas and cases. Better yet, the bespoke “made by you, for you” sustainable mascara leaves a legacy, with 25% of profits donated to The Centre for Cancer Biology with a focus on breast cancer research in here in SA; a subject close to Ms Jolley’s heart following her 2017 diagnosis. She has since become one of the centre’s consumer advocates and lends support during their time-consuming grant application process.
Ms. Jolley notes that her Stanford course came in very handy when needing to negotiate quite a number of areas during the 2.5 yr. development process to make her dream become a reality.
In the words of Nike, her advice to aspiring ILF Scholars is “just do it”.
“Be open to the process. If you’ve got aspirations for learning or furthering your career, just do it. It will give you a great deal of confidence and create opportunity that’s not available to the majority.”
