Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in skincare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ana Cossio, co-founder of Avanza Skin, located in Atlanta, GA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are 3 Latin sisters: a chemist, a dermatologist, and a financial analyst, who decided to start a business to solve everyday athletes' skin and hair problems. With my dermatology background and Lucia's chemical engineering expertise, we were able to design each product using key ingredients that deliver results for skin that moves and sweats. Avanza Skin means "move forward" in Spanish; we want to help people who work out keep moving forward. Avanza Skin gives athletes solutions to prevent, treat, and clean skin and hair. Athletes' skin is in constant motion, exposed to sweat, sun rays, dirt, and other everyday contaminants.

All of our products are manufactured in the US with locally sourced ingredients. We are FDA compliant. Avanza Skin offers solutions to amateur and professional athletes that need to address sport-related skin issues such as chafing, sweat acne, dry skin, dull hair. Our products were designed gender neutral and for all skin types. We want to help athletes move forward into the world. Their skin should never be the thing that holds them back.

Tell us about yourself

I'm a dermatologist. I find that helping people is the most gratifying feeling you can get. Avanza Skin was created during my dermatology residency. My sisters Lucia and Maria (cofounders) were training for the NYC marathon. They started experiencing friction burn, sweat acne, and dry feet. I told them what ingredients to look for in their skincare. When they looked for formulas that work, they couldn't find much that's when Avanza Skin was created.

Chafing, breakouts from sweat, dry and brittle hair, sunspots – all these are unexpected challenges that athletes encounter daily, and we know that these problems aren't rare medical issues. They shouldn't require a trip to the dermatologist. The solution should be easy to find, easy to use, and made specifically for the needs of active people everywhere.

A little more about my background: I studied dermatology in Mexico and moved to the US in 2016. I did my revalidation as a general physician, which requires you to complete three tests that you have to pass to prove your medical knowledge is equal to any other doctor in the US. For dermatology, you need to re-do all your training, and to enter a program, you need to be known. I still recall when a doctor told me that my training meant nothing for them. I had all this knowledge, and I had to prove that it meant something and that I could still help people manage their skin concerns. My motivation is to help active people reach healthy skin and not settle for less.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

With the right team, you can create products and solutions! It has been a long and bumpy ride, but the actual fulfillment of people using and liking our products is the best. Launching a brand in the middle of a pandemic has been proven more challenging than expected. We had to find creative solutions to reach our audience and build the brand. Every repurchase feels like the most significant accomplishment because that means that they like our product and they found it helpful. For me, that is the biggest win.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing is when you question yourself, and when you're at a low point, it can make everything crumble down, and the only one that can improve it is you. Any entrepreneur knows that there are many downs, but it will be worth it when you get an up. We hear all these success stories of the business that succeed in a short time, and what we don't realize is those are the exception, and the usual thing is to build brick by brick, and that takes time. When you hear about other entrepreneurs experiencing the same obstacles and that nothing is excellent from one day to another and that they are also struggling like you, you feel that you can still fight for your dream and that the battle is not lost; it takes time. I consider myself lucky as I'm not alone in this journey, and I have my sister Lucia. Even though sometimes we challenge each other, at the end of it, we grow together, complement each other, and deal with the challenges together.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Do market research beforehand, and incorporate your feedback.
  2. Build a network of mentors, other entrepreneurs, and people that inspire you. Being an entrepreneur is sometimes quite lonely, and feedback from people outside your project can have beneficial insights.
  3. Stay true to yourself and know what you want to accomplish, so you don't deviate from what you want.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Be true to yourself and the mission of your business. When we first started Avanza Skin, we didn't think it was necessary to tell our story and background. As three Latina sisters, we know that Avanza Skin is our creation and our story and values are part of our mission. It is essential to share our story and be proud of our accomplishments.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://avanzaskin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avanzaskin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avanzaskin/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.