Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rose Quinn, Founder of Effervescence Skincare, located in Tonawanda, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I hand-make 100% All-Natural, Vegan, Eco-Friendly Skincare, Hair Care, and Body Care in WNY. Every aspect of our business is sustainable with ethically sourced ingredients, compostable packaging and labeling, and glass or metal bottles. We even offer a bottle return policy where customers can refill their bottles at a discount!
My customers are people on a budget looking for sustainable, high-quality skin and hair care products and want to make a difference with where they spend their money.
Tell us about yourself
I have been interested in makeup and skincare since I was a teenager, but has always been passionate about the environment and sustainability, I knew that these two areas in my life were not coinciding well. So I looked for eco-friendly alternatives to products I used, and there weren't any that I could afford.
So I started making my own skincare to reduce waste in my own routine, then I would give some to friends for feedback and started getting requests for certain products. And decided to make it a business to make eco-friendly products accessible to more people with affordable pricing.
What motivates me every day to keep working on my business is the mission that I started it with, to simply make eco-friendly products more accessible and give an option for people to be able to spend according to their morals within their budget rather than having to choose between the two.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being a part of a refill station at Little Salmon Co. in the Elmwood Village of Buffalo, NY. Customers can come in and fill a bottle of product at a reduced price, and it reduces a tremendous amount of waste.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Having to do all steps of running a business alone is very time-consuming, and it is sometimes hard to shut off your brain from thinking about what has to be done next.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't let fear hold you back from anything. If you are anxious about going to an event, do it anyway, and it will help you next time.
- Make sure to have a balance between work and free time and set boundaries with yourself for how you are going to do this.
- Make friends within the business world. It's so nice to have someone who understands what it is like to run a business and be able to bounce things off of for advice. You'll end up making some of your closest friendships from running your business without thinking about it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://effervescence-skincare.square.site/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EffervescenceSkincare/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/effervescence.skincare/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/__effervescence
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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