Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in skincare but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Casey Georgeson, founder of Saint Jane Beauty, located in Manhattan Beach, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
The brand and, by extension, our products are inspired by Saint Jane, who was an actual person in 1500s France. She was anointed into sainthood for healing people. Specifically, healing women, which society would otherwise never touch: the old, the very sick, unwed mothers. She dedicated her whole life to healing. Her story has been very inspiring to us because our products focus on nurturing and healing, and we have a very authentic female empowerment story, as well. I have three daughters, and the company is comprised of all women. It's truly a gift to have Saint Jane's legacy as a foundation for the brand. Our approach is healing-centric, and the way we've expressed that through the brand feels very authentic. We have customers in their twenties through to their seventies who are all using our products on their skin wellness journey with the powerful benefits found in our science-backed floral formulas.
Tell us about yourself
My family has a long history of entrepreneurship. My great-grandmother was a mail-order bride from Italy who came over in the 1900s. She and my great-grandfather grew grapes in the San Joaquin Valley with their seven children. At the end of Prohibition, still in the Great Depression, she took out a $10,000 loan, using their farm as collateral. She gave $5,000 to her sons, the Franzia brothers, to start a winery and $5,000 to her son-in-law, Ernest Gallo, to start a winery with his brother, Julio. That story always resonated with me, and even though I never had the chance to meet her ā I've always admired the confidence it must have taken to do that as a woman in the 1930s. My great-grandmother is my daily inspiration. She was not only one of the first female entrepreneurs, but a risk taker and her incredible journey gave me the resolve to be an entrepreneur.
I actually started my career as a producer for CNN and got into the wine industry as a brand creator, where I developed a brand called Cupcake Vineyards. I went to business school at Stanford and interned at Sephora. It was there that I had this extraordinary training in the beauty industry and in product development and formulations. After I graduated, I worked at Kendo. My role was to sit as the liaison between the brands we partnered with ā Marc Jacobs, Elizabeth and James, Disney, Hello Kitty, and Kat Von Dā and articulate their vision in the world of beauty, and that would ultimately lead to the building of their brands. I had been creating brands for many years and thought I wanted to create my own brand at some point. It might be beauty. It might be wine. I just knew I wanted to do something on my own, but it had to be a really big idea.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Creating products/ formulas that truly resonate with our customers. Hearing from customers has been the most rewarding thing since starting the brand. That's why we're doing it, to help people. And that's the legacy of Saint Jane that we're trying to honor.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The wherewithal to say no. It's very tempting to say yes to exciting opportunities, especially as a young brand. But I've learned the importance of saying no and exercising patience. This kind of measured approach has been invaluable as we enter our 4th year in business as we are growing at an organic and healthy rate.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Patience. Agility. Integrity. I would say these are the top three. It has to go deeper than just being a market opportunity or a buzzword. You have to be starting your business from a place of integrity/ authenticity in order to break through. Agility is essential for a start-up/ entrepreneur - it is a fast-paced life, to say the least. So being agile and ready to pivot is one of the best tips I always share. Patience, on the other hand, is integral too and probably the most difficult as being an entrepreneur is all about the moment but leading with patience I've found to be critical in a fast-paced environment and helps to ground my team and me to grow our business at the right pace.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://saintjanebeauty.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caseygeorgeson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseygeorgeson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-saintjane/
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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