What motivated you to start your company?

I began by making fragrances and then the ancillary products for them followed. It was a hobby, a craft. I then began to make products for friends and family as gifts, and one day my mother encouraged me to sell at a church flea market and that was the beginning of it all.

What advice do you have for indie brands?

Know who you are and how to tell your story. No one is allowed to alter the DNA of your brand. Not even you. You must always evolve to stay relevant but that must be an evolution and not a revolution.

How can you help indie beauty brands?

I believe that when you are growing a brand, it is important to have some idea of where you want to go and do you really know what that looks like. I think too many people say, “I want to be just like (fill in the blank)” without having any idea what the brand has gone through, what their original vision was versus where they are today. What lead to that shift, good or bad? It is also critical to appreciate the process and live in the moment. Yes, you must look ahead, but it can be a bit like your children. You blink and they are all grown up. You want to love and enjoy where you are when you have $50k in sales just as much as when it is $50 million.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve gotten?

To know my worth. I received an industry award one year and I remember being a bit in awe of the other recipients being honored. A colleague reminded me that I built an empire out of an idea with not much money at all. It was so stunning to hear that. It was then that I began to know my worth.