Creating Bespoke Luxury Artisan Skincare

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in skincare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jennifer Waller, founder and CEO of Celtic Complexion Luxury Artisan Skincare, located in Raleigh, NC, USA.

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

Celtic Complexion Luxury Artisan Skincare is for those who have inherited the fair, sensitive skin of their Irish and Scottish ancestors. Often described in novels as having a peaches and cream complexion yet just as often noted for their rosy cheeks. Everything that's fun in life, a sip or two of whiskey, spicy food, and the sun, seems to trigger the curse of the Celts (rosacea). They are the ones at the beach that resemble a lobster or are covered from head to toe in sunscreen. Over-the-counter commercial products seem to irritate their skin, and they can (if not careful) age like milk. Good thing they have also inherited a sense of humor.

Celtic Complexion delivers skin-loving products like a lighthouse in the harbor during a bad storm. Hand blended in micro-batches with the finest ingredients, they quench a thirst, restore suppleness and reduce redness.

Tell us about yourself

I was mesmerized by the cosmetics department of my local department store in 8th grade. I wanted to be one of those coiffed beauties that dispensed beauty advice like it was the gospel and seemed to have it all. The summer before 11th grade, while all my friends were working at the food court, I proudly donned an Estee Lauder aqua-colored lab coat. At seventeen years old, I sold more Advanced Night Repair that summer than any other Beauty Advisor, and my career was off and running.

Fast forward thirteen years. I had worked my way up the beauty food chain to become a professional makeup artist, trainer, and Beauty Director for Nordstrom. I was living the life of my dreams (or so I thought). Despite access to the most expensive products in the world, I would never leave the house without makeup because I was so self-conscious about my rosacea. I had a M.A.C Studio Fix compact in my purse, bathroom, and car (just in case).

A chance encounter with a holistic esthetician woke me up to what was really going on with my skin. She got me off all my chemical-laden products and on to natural plant-based products. Within two months, my skin resembled glass, and I never looked back. I quit my job, became an esthetician myself, and began a self-taught education on holistic health that has lasted over two decades.

In 2011, I founded Celtic Complexion to provide skincare products to a niche market of women who have been misled about how to care for their sensitive skin. To enable a woman to love the skin she's in is the reason I do what I do.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Maintaining my professional integrity. I have one company policy, which is to treat you like I, myself, want to be treated.

The cosmetic & skincare industry is really an industry of smoke and mirrors. The biggest brand names in this industry sell an illusion to the public. The ad copy is written by a Madison Avenue advertising firm, promoted by an L.A. publicist, worn by a professional model, photographed by a fashion photographer, and purchased by a hopeful consumer. The juice in the jar is not as important as the hope in the jar because, as the saying goes, "hope springs eternal."

Here's the truth. The biggest factors determining how well your skin will age have nothing to do with skincare: your genetics, diet, sleep habits, and stress level are the main contributors. Good skincare with nontoxic ingredients will help you maintain it.

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

If you are bootstrapping your own business, the hardest thing is learning to do everything (manufacturing/production, marketing, customer service, tech, accounting) because you have to. It doesn't mean you always have to do those tasks, but it's a good idea because you will have some knowledge to then hire the right people as your business grows.

This creates a life balance issue. For a long time, I defined myself by my career. It was my number one priority. I can't say I regretted it because I felt like I was on a mission, and I do love it so much, but the stress of working so hard takes its toll.

The best advice I can give (to shorten the learning curve) is to participate in a mastermind group of other entrepreneurs with the knowledge you seek because you don't know what you don't know. Be the mentor you seek.

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

Be able to pivot quickly in a fast-changing business climate. Doing things the way you always did won't always work, and if you refuse to change, you will end up like Kodak, Blockbuster, or Pan Am.
Remove the middle man when communicating with your customers. Don't rely on any social media (alone) to keep your customers interested, engaged, and buying. We started with an electronic newsletter and me writing articles to engage our customers, and later we expanded that to direct mail campaigns. We left all social media presence in 2020, "removed the third wall" of communication between our customers and us, and created a more intimate environment. By doing so, we had an "E. F. Hutton effect," i.e., when we speak, people listen. This positioning enabled us to garner all of our customers' attention instead of competing for it with a thousand other brands. Our open rate for our newsletter is close to 50%. Other than our newsletter, we don't advertise or market anywhere else. We rely solely on the reputation of our products and customer service to do the selling for us.
Stay in your lane. People come to me for great skincare. They don't come to me for political, social, religious, or medical commentary. Resist your urge to jump on every bandwagon and stay neutral. People are tired of being lectured to, and they just want to buy a good product from a company that treats them well and respects them.

This quote from Gandhi is taped to my computer. It's a great reminder to us all.

"Learn as if you will live forever. Live like you will die tomorrow."

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://celticcomplexion.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celticcomplexion/

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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