EP91. Does an indie beauty brand's mission matter?

When we first start working with a new formulator, we always tell them to create a formulation philosophy. After all, building a beauty brand in 2022 involves much more than just making products and selling them. Shoppers nowadays want purpose. They want vision. They want a story they can buy into. And that is what makes modern entrepreneurship so exciting. It's also one of the reasons that there's such huge scope for indie beauty brands that get this right. The big players simply do not have the capacity to infuse that same purpose and passion and formulation philosophy into their products. And yet, when I ask new formulators what their formulation philosophy is and what they stand for, I often receive the same bland answer. Lorraine I'm trying to create natural or organic products that allow people to live more sustainable or healthier lives. And although that's a lovely concept, it isn't a formulation philosophy that will stand the test of time. It isn't a philosophy that will allow those beauty brands to stand out and be a success. So what is it that holds a lot of new beauty entrepreneurs back? The only answer I can think of is that they're scared of being different and of really standing for something they feel passionate about. In today's episode, I want to introduce you to someone who knows in her very core what her formulation philosophy is. She knows what she stands for and she knows what her mission is in the world. Sandra Velasquez is an inspiring entrepreneur who has moved mountains in a very short period of time and who you want to listen to, to learn from. Settle in for a great episode. You are going to love this one.

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Welcome to Green Beauty Conversations, the podcast that challenges you to think about how you buy, use, make and sell your natural beauty formulations. We tackle topics that will make you think and encourage debate about green beauty with your friends, followers or customers. I'm your host, Lorraine Dallmeyer. I'm a chartered environmentalist, biologist and the CEO of award winning online organic cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica. We have thousands and thousands of students in over 175 countries around the world who study with us to become organic beauty formulators and entrepreneurs. Visit our website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course. So in today's episode I am joined by Sandra Velasquez, Formula Botanica graduate and founder of no Palera, a high end Mexican bath and body line based in New York. The brand takes its inspiration from the Mexican Nopal cactus for its cultural symbolism, versatility and resilience. After studying with Formula Botanica, Sandra launched her brand during the pandemic in November 2020 and after one year of trading, can now be found in 250 independent retailers in the USA. Sandra was named one of BuzzFeed's Women to Watch for 2021 and has been featured by NBC, Telemundo, Forbes, Vogue, Elle, and many other publications as she takes the beauty world by storm. Welcome to the podcast. Sandra, it is so lovely to have you here.

I am so excited. This is such a full circle moment for me. Thank you so much.

I am really privileged to have you here because I can't wait to dive into your story and I know that our listeners are going to love it. So I think let's start at the top. Let's start with your roots. Why did you start your beauty brand and what is your big mission?

Yes, I started Nopalera because I saw a lack in the marketplace. I just noticed that here in the United States. And this might, you know, I think if you live in the United States, this will make more sense too. But here in the United States, the Latino population is the largest minority group in the country. And of that population, the Mexican community is the largest component within that. And so, you know, my family is Mexican. I grew up near the border. I just noticed that on the shelves. Why is it that we weren't really represented, like, in a very high end and overtly beautiful way? Because Mexican culture is so colorful. And I just felt like, why? You know, I was seeing a lot of the African brands represented on the shelves, like Nubian Heritage or Alafia or, you know, Shea Moisture, and they were taking up space on the shelves. And so I was like, why are we not on these shelves? And so it was this moment of realizing that that in combination with I had just left a job. So I had this, you know, kind of brain space, right, to just think of new things. And then I, you know, I had experience as a sales rep, so I understood sales, distribution, branding, marketing, margins, cogs, you know, all of these things. So I was very fortunate in that sense. And so it was this kind of lightning bolt moment where I realized, I can do this. I know how to do this. I see what's missing. I know that I can fill that void and I can do it well. And also in combination with the fact that I was visiting my parents in San Diego, where there are tons of nopales. I mean, nopales are everywhere in California, but we kind of take them for granted because they're everywhere. I'm sure you have plants where you live that are kind of just everywhere and you kind of just take them for granted. And so for me, centering it around the nopal was a great way to celebrate the culture, to make it so overtly Mexican. Because the nopal is the most Mexican plant of them all. It's on the Mexican flag, in fact. So that was kind of my lightning bolt moment where I, I didn't really have to think about it too hard. It just kind of all came together and I said, I'm going to do this and I'm going to call it no Palera. I didn't even, there was no other name that I was thinking I was going to call it because I said if I'm going to do this, it needs to be overt, it needs to be in your face, it needs to be beautiful, it needs to be high end. The whole point was to really, when you say, what's your mission? My, the mission is really to change the cultural perception of the value of Latino goods here in the United States. Because here in the United States, you know, you go to beauty stores and you see a lot of French brands, Italian brands, or they might even actually be American brands, but they use French names and they use Italian names. And it really reinforces this Eurocentric view that if it's from western Europe, it must be fancy, it must be high end. Oh, it's $150. That makes sense because it's French. It was, it's really to, to change the perception of the value of Latino goods because here in the United States Mexican goods are supposed to be that people think of them as cheaper. Right. And so, you know, it's kind of a big mission because to change cultural perceptions is a lifelong journey.

Yeah, absolutely. Well, let's dive straight into that. I, I even had a question about that because obviously I've been following you on social media. You know, I've been following Nopalera, I've been following you personally. I love, love everything you're putting out and I've seen you put up posts about the fact that some people seem to think that Latina made goods equals cheap and you called people out on this and I love that you're fighting against this bias. So how has your message been received so far?

Well, definitely there's more people that are with me than against me. So in the beginning, Lorraine, honestly, like, it was hard to hear these people's responses that like, oh, it's Mexican made but not Mexican prices or things like real Latinas could not afford that. And so when those in the beginning, the beginning Those things, you know, like, hurt me, but as a, you know, hurt my feelings. But then I reached this new milestone in my mind where I realized the reason that people, when people say those things, it reinforces why this brand exists. I exist specifically because people think that. And I'm like, that is just wrong. No, not all Latinos are poor. Also, we all deserve nice things. And why is it that you assume that products from made by a certain group of people should just be cheaper? Like, where did you even get that? There's definitely more people. When that post went viral, my community really rallied behind me. It went viral and I was like, wow, that was really a moment where I realized everyone is really everyone that I care about and that I'm doing this for is, is on my side. You know, we're all doing this together and just by existing we are, that we are moving towards our mission. Like we are changing the perception because we're standing in our worth.

That's beautiful. I can just imagine you having this lightning bolt moment where you're, you're sort of realizing, oh my goodness, you know, there's all these nopales, the nopal cactus. Obviously this is my heritage. I want to go out there and create this big mission. So how did you put all of that together? Because your brand is so strong. It is one of the strongest brands I have ever seen. And I've been doing this for a decade now. I am blown away by what you've made. So how did you bring it all together to create this gorgeous brand?

Yes, well, first of all, I found Formula Botanica. So that was part of that same summer, you know, I had this. It was the summer of 2019, it was June of 2019 specifically. And I'm sure if you go back into your records, you can find when I signed up for Formula Botanica, so I had this. It was this specific summer of 2019 where I was visiting my parents in San Diego in California. And you know, I had no job. I was like, what am I doing next? I started to. My first, you know, what I call the gateway drug was soap making. Right. So there's, it's really easy to learn soap making. And I, that I kind of stumbled into that because I had my daughter with me. I have a 14 year old daughter. So at the time, time she was, you know, 12. So I said, hey, this summer we're going to learn how to make stuff. We're going to infuse oils, we're going to make lotion bars, we're going to make soap I, for some reason, I was feeling crafty. And so the power of the Internet and the power of advertising, clearly an ad was served to me, right, that that's how I discovered Formula Tan. Because the Internet knows that I was searching for how to, for how to make this and how to formulate that. And I discovered Formula Botanica. When I, when I say discovered, that's how we feel, right? But really for the Botanica found me because it knew that I was looking for these things. And I was like, wow, this is amazing. And I have to say, like, at the time, I had no job, right? So there's, there's no money. But I just felt so strongly that I was going to learn so much and that this was the right move, that I just made the investment on my credit card, you know, and I just did it because I knew that this is what's going to make me feel like a real formulator and this is what is going to give me the credibility to start this. And also, I'm just kind of a DIY person at heart. I've always, I always have been. So it didn't really occur to, to me to go and hire a contract manufacturer to create a formula for me. I wanted to do them myself. And so Formula Botanical was part of that journey. So, you know, that was a year of studying. And but once I decided that I was going to create this brand, I, the first person I called was my designer. That I think is because again, I understand the, the foundational, paramount importance of building a brand with a strong foundation. And so when people ask me now, oh, how did you get into Nordstrom? How you get, how did you grow so fast? I, I tell them the truth is it's not about what I'm doing right now. It's about what I did in 2019. It is about, is about the foundation that I built when no one was watching, when nobody knew what I was doing. You know, when, when my parents, you know, looked at me kind of crazy like, you're going to start a company. But, you know, no one in my family is an entrepreneur. And so it was really about the foundation. So, you know, Formula Botanic was my formulation foundation. That was a component of my foundation. I called my designer and I told her what I was trying to accomplish. And I think knowing what you want to accomplish is also really important. So I said, I. My actual words to her were, I want to create a high end Latina brand that can sit on the shelves of Barney's. Barney's is like a very high End store here. Right. I'm sure you have something equivalent right, in the uk. And so that was my mission and I didn't even know Lorraine at the time what the products were going to be. I just knew what the mission was, I knew what the purpose was, I knew what the end goal was. And so, so, you know, the branding took as long as basically the, you know, studying with Formula Botanica was a year and so was the branding. So they ran concurrently and that was what I did for a year before I actually launched. Right. So there was a lot of again the pre game work that you do to create the foundation. Like when you're going to build a house, no one can see the beautiful house yet, but you're building the strong foundation so that you can build a mansion on top of it if you want.

This is just music to my ears. I am so excited listening to you because I watched so many people do the brand afterwards and they make the products first and it, oh, it's just so beautiful to hear about your, your journey and it shows in what you've built because your mission is just so strong. You can tell I'm really excited. So tell me about your first year in business because you're coming up to, I think you've just completed your first full year in business, right?

Yes.

What's happened? What have been the big highlights?

The entire year has been a highlight. Lorraine, I cannot choose. I mean if I definitely can, you know, some big standouts. Right? Well, first of all, we got into Nordstrom, which is. Nordstrom is. It was the number one retailer on my wish list. I said Nordstrom. I would like to get into Nordstrom. I think there's only like three stores, you know, really. So Nordstrom was number one. So we got into Nordstrom within like six months of business. And then I was on the Today show, NBC. This is like national television. So that was, you know, large exposure. We were also on the largest, you know, Spanish language news network work. So many press, I can't even name them. I mean like literally my publicist just sent me over the list, recap. You know, of all the magazines that we've been in, I couldn't fit them on a page. It was just so long, you know, so lots and lots of press. Have a publicist. That was an investment that I also decided to make. Once I realized like, okay, this is, has momentum, it's working. I need to add fuel to the fire because I am too busy now running the business. I cannot also chase my own pr so that Was an investment that I do not regret. I launched to an email list of 800 people and now it's 10,000 people on the email list. I started with 200 followers, now we have 25,000. So for me, yes, the press is great and it's exciting, but really how we've built the community is my proudest thing because that is what I was really hoping that this would become from the beginning. Wanted to create a platform to be like a cultural storyteller and I hoped that people would flock to it. And so I knew that part of that obviously was again, the branding is the first touch point is like what, what people see, they can't see your ingredients, they can't see your formulations, they see your branding. Right. So it's just, it's so important. And so, yes, the community continues to grow and I think that that's really my proudest achievement. Not to mention that, you know, my revenue goal initially when I launched was I'm quoted in Beauty Independent as saying, I would really like to make $100,000 in our first year. That would be really great. And so we're gonna pass, we're gonna pass half a million in sales for our first year. So that's also, you know, the fact that we've really surpassed our goal very quickly. So that was. Those are the highlights.

Wow. Well, just a few there. I mean, just, let's just take a minute to, you know, appreciate and wow, what you've achieved is just absolutely incredible. And I, you know, of course you couldn't mention everything, but I've seen the whole article about you in Forbes and on television. Just phenomenal. Congratulations.

Thank you.

Incredible to watch. Let's talk about the sort of day to day stuff. You know, what, what happened on a day to day basis in the business to get, get you where you are now. I know you said initially you had to move into commercial premises quite quickly. What did it look like when you first started out and how quickly did things change?

Yes, I mean, the beauty about this type of category about making skincare products or bath and body products, is that you can start small in your house. Because these are. It's not like starting a cold brew coffee company or a yogurt company where you have to go to a manufacturing plant. So this is the beauty, no pun intended, of starting a beauty brand is that you can start small, which I did. Right. My first packaging order was 1,000 boxes of each. And that seemed astronomical. I was like, I don't know how I'm going to sell A thousand of each. Right. And so that flew through. And so, you know, now my purchase orders for my packaging is, you know, 50,000 boxes at a time. I do want to say that anyone who is creating a product or brand, I would really recommend that you implement your systems in advance because that is what caught me off guard. So when you say the day to day, my day to day is I'm now trying to catch up with my own company, with how fast it has grown because I did not have a proper inventory management system. I did not have a property. I thought I had a proper, like bookkeeping system, but I now just realized literally yesterday that I have outgrown it way. It doesn't do that. It doesn't do accrual accounting. So now I'm struggling, you know, not struggling, but like I'm rushing to find a new CPA because in order to get investment, you need to have your account, your cash flow statements and your balance sheets and your PNLs in accrual format. Right. So these are all things that you don't think about when you're starting small in your house. Right. You don't think about, is my accounting in accrual format or do I have a robust inventory management system? These are not things you ask yourself when you're like trying to perfect your formulations or you're trying to get people to visit your website. But these are things that ultimately you do need if you're really trying to build a serious, you know, iconic brand and, you know, in a profitable business. And I know it's, it's really kind of overwhelming in the beginning, but I would just encourage people to begin with the end in mind. Like, where are you trying to, where do you see this being in a year and what are the things that you're going to need and try to implement those things as soon as possible. So the day to day, Lorraine, right now is I'm just trying to catch up. I'm trying to make my systems talk to each other because they currently don't. I'm trying to get my inventory levels to the correct place so that I can really promote because I've had to actually hold back a lot this year. We had a great month and I was like, now we're out of product. Great. So that's now. But if you ask me in three months, Lauren, I really hope that I'm saying my day to day is that I wake up and I write in my journal and I meet with my team and none of us are rushing. That's what I hope to say in Q1 of next year. So I'm using the rest of this year to really get my systems in order. So that's my day to day. I'm still very much in the weeds of the logistics. So, for example, Nordstrom. Nordstrom requires a freight truck pickup. It requires Bols. It requires sending event shipment notices, it requires sending invoices through an EDI system. These are the things that people don't think about. You know, they think about the glamour of being in a big retailer, but there's a whole logistical backend that someone has to manage, and right now that person is me. My dream is to. I'm fantasizing about an operations manager, and I really hope that next year I can have. I can find one.

That's incredible and incredible to think that just a year ago you were doing this on your kitchen table, and now here you are trying to figure out the. The logistics of working with Nordstrom. That's an incredible leap to make in 12 months, I have to admit. I also hope that I'm there with you in Q1 next year, journaling in the morning, drinking my green juice and taking things easy. But yes, the joys of being an entrepreneur. I see so many people start beauty brands and they. They really worry about infusing themselves and their personality and their culture into their business. Now, you don't seem to have those same reservations, which has been really interesting to watch someone on the outside. You know, I'm looking in and I'm watch. Watching you create something that is just beautifully, unapologetically, you. You put yourself out there. What. What was the process like of creating something so personal? Because I watched so many people struggle with this.

Yeah. You know, because my brand is so culturally specific. First of all, I am authentic in that. I am that. That is my culture. Right. So I think that, you know, you definitely see a lot of cultural appropriation in the beauty space where, you know, they're promoting one culture, but the people that are the founders behind the brand have nothing to do with that. And so, you know, that's a podcast episode. Right.

But.

But for me, I knew that in order to really make it like it's my. It's my authenticity, it's me that is. That is really behind it. And, you know, it's interesting they say that because when I launched at Beauty Heroes, and I know that, you know, Jeannie and her team, yeah, they were one of my first major retail clients, they said that the first thing they did when they saw the brand is they rushed to my website to look at the about page to make sure that I was. That this was not a cultural appropriating brand, you know, and that they were so relieved when they saw that it was me. Like, hey, it's me. You know, I'm Mexican. My family's from Mexico. I was raised at the border. Me putting myself out there is part of the authenticity of the brand. And so there's absolutely no reason to hide it. It does. You know, I guess for anyone that is hesitant about putting themselves in the brand, I would ask them. I would ask them, like, why? What is it? What is your fear? Because obviously, when you do put yourself out there, you are inviting people to come throw stones. And that has happened, and I knew that it would. Lorraine. From the very beginning, when I decided I was going to launch this brand, I knew that it would be powerful. But I also knew that the flip side of that is that people would come and throw stones and they have. So there was no surprise, right? I wasn't surprised that people were like, how dare you, you know, sell a soap for $14? And it's in Spanish, right? I knew that that was going to happen. But that is also part of our vision, right? Is to stand in our worth. And so I have to walk the walk. I have to go first, and then other people, someone has to be first on the dance floor, you know, and then everyone else feels comfortable. And so when I get notes, I get a lot of notes, you know, like in the DMS or people email me of other founders, other Latina founders who are like, thank you so much. You're so inspiring. Like, I need to raise my prices. Thank you for everything that you're doing to celebrate our culture. I live for that. That is what I'm like, okay, this is correct. Like, we are. That is part of my mission is to bring all of us, like, all of us step up, right? All of us move forward and have the confidence to be boldly ourselves. Because that's part of what. How racism impacts us here in the United States is that people, Their parents didn't teach them Spanish because they didn't want them to get picked on in school. Or they. People change their name or they want to hide who they are because they're ashamed of who they are, right? And the whole purpose of this brand is that we are not ashamed. In fact, we are so proud and we are so beautiful, so we have to stand. That is actually what the mission of the brand is, right? And so I didn't really feel Like I had a choice to hide for for me, right. So I would encourage other people to also stand. Like, I'm just so anti shame, you know, Like I am just like wherever you came from, whatever your story is, like if you were born to a mother on drugs in jail, that is also your superpower, right? Because when you stand in your worth and you say, this is who I am and I'm proud of who I am and here are the things that I'm doing, you inspire others to do the same, right? To also say, oh, it's. I'm not alone. I also, here's my story, right? Whatever it is, wherever it is that you came from, it's not to be. It's to be. It's something to be proud of and it's something that will become your superpower.

Beautiful. And you are inspiring. You're inspiring an entire tribe of people out there worldwide and it is wonderful to watch and I feel inspired by you every day. And I'm. Thank you for sharing your story. It is incredible. What does no Polera success mean to you? How has it changed your life?

Well, it's changed my life in that I work for myself. So that is fantastic. As you know, right? I mean, you work for yourself to be an entrepreneur. Yes, it's scary, it's risky, but ultimately it's you stepping into your full responsibility to create the life that you want. And that is the power of entrepreneurship is that you realize, like the money is inside of you, the ideas are inside of you, and the security is also inside of you. Like you can create something from your own self that can create the life that you want. And so that is really. I've always wanted that, you know, but before I launched no Palera, you know, I was a professional musician for 15 years and I always had, you know, I had a whole career as a musician, which has also set me up for being an entrepreneur in so many ways that I never could have imagined because I never imagined that this is what I would be doing. Lorraine. I never. If five years ago you would have said crystal ball, I see you're going to start a beauty brand. I would have said, what are you talking about? I wash my face with soap, you know, so the success means that I get to create the life that I want, right? I get to have the freedom that I want. I don't. There's no nine to five. You know, sometimes it's eight to eight, right? It's actually more than nine, but sometimes it's not. Right. It means I get to travel and work at the same time. And I get to, you know, live my mission and be profitable and help other people along the way, which is what I was trying to do in music as well. But music is a very tough industry. It's not a sure thing, you know, with, with money. Right. So I, I had a great run. I had a lot of success. You know, I toured internationally. But music is not. It's. It's from the self. It's like your self expression, which is very different from creating a business, because when you create a business, you are in service to your customers and you are in service to your brand. So it's like a service mindset versus a self expression mindset. And that was a big thing that I actually learned from, from being a musician is there. That's, that's why music is so hard. Because people create based off their self expression. And then they try to figure out how do I get other people to like this thing that I love. Right. Whereas I did not create my brand because I love to make stuff. Yes, I love to make stuff, but that's not why I created. I created my brand for my customer. That's also a big, you know, big piece of advice that I would give to anyone who's starting a brand is, who are you creating this for? I hope the answer is for your customer. Because if you want to make stuff just because you love to make stuff, you love to make oleo gels and you love to make, you know, serums, that's great, right? But that's different than you creating something for somebody else that needs something. That's the thing that I see with a lot of people, like in this space, right? They're like, I love formulating is my favorite thing. I'm like, okay, but marketing also needs to be your favorite thing, you know, because formulating and manufacturing is not the business. The business is the business, right? Manufacturing is manufacturing. Anybody can manufacture. Right? But running the business and leading a team and having a vision that is, that is, you know, something else. Right? And so kind of like went on a tangent there, but all those things are, you know, I would say it's the freedom, you know, creating, being able to create the life that I want through. Through some. Through the mission that I. That I really am attached to.

Yes. And that was a very good tangent to go off on because I completely agree with every single word you've said. I have watched so many beauty brand founders create products for themselves and then try and pigeonhole it into the marketplace. And that doesn't work at all. So I love the advice you just gave. That was spot on.

Yes. And I know that because I was a musician for so long, and I did exactly the opposite of what I'm doing now. Right. Which is, like, you create something like, I love these words. I love this song. I love this, you know, whatever. And then you're like, how do I fit this in? How do I get people to book my, you know, book my band? Or how do I get people to come to my show? It's. And then that's a really tough mountain to climb because there's a lot of rejection involved because you're always trying to get other people to like the thing that you love. The complete opposite of saying, I'm going to build a brand, because I see that there are people out there that need this thing that's missing. Let me go make it for them.

I completely get that. Has no Paleera given you? Well, I mean, how has it really changed from where you were before? You obviously were a musician. You said you'd lost your job, and now all of a sudden, you've created something huge that's really, you know, exciting. It's going massive places. I mean, I want to ask you more about what's next for it, but, I mean, what was that transformation like going from being without a job, being unemployed, and then creating something that has grown so quickly?

I really think that I got to this. First of all, I do believe that everything you have done in your life leads you to where you, it's like, has prepared you to what you're going to do next. Right. Whatever you did before Lorraine, you started Formula Botanica, I'm sure it has helped you in Formula Botanica in some way. It may be that you. You did not even know at the time. Whatever you have done in your life has prepared you in some way to do what you're going to do next. And I don't think I could have started this any sooner because, again, it was all of the things that I, you know, experienced and. And lived through that led me to this moment to start this company. So I just. It's this feeling of this is what I'm supposed to be doing, Right? Like, I'm assuming that this is how you feel about forming a botanical. You're like, I am standing like this is. It just feels right. There's no fight, right? You feel like you are being yourself. You are being authentically yourself. You are bringing all of the past experiences into the present to help you build the next Thing. And, you know, this last year has been. I've honestly just been trying to keep up with my own brand, that I haven't had a chance to really, like, revel in how the transformation feels. But obviously it's been a huge transformation, but it felt totally natural. I didn't feel like, who am I? What's happening to me? I didn't feel like I had any identity crisis whatsoever. Not to mention that we just went through Covid and I launched in the middle of a pandemic. And so that was a whole time warp that we were all in together, right? Because Covid, for me, actually gave me the time to just work on my brand. There was nothing else to do except stay home and learn and review my formula botanica notes and think about what products am I going to make. So the transformation feels very natural. And. And that's a relief because I know what it's like to fight, like, the. The phase that you're in, right. Like, I know what it is. You know, I felt that a musician, there's always like this. You go through peaks and valleys, right? Like, not every day can you wake up and write a great song that's going to be on a TV show, right? It's. There's peaks and valleys. I would just, you know, check in with your. With your gut, you know, does it feel. Do you feel good? Do you feel good? I feel good.

In other words, you're in the place you need. You were meant to be. It sounds like it was a very natural progression for you. It had to happen, really. And look at where you are today. What have been the biggest learnings so far for you in running your beauty brand over the last year?

I mean, I have to go back to the boring topic of systems because, you know, it's the thing that no one really talks about. People don't want. No one who wants to go to a. To a conference on systems, right? That's so boring. Everyone wants to talk about how do you get people to. How do you get more followers or how do you get. You know, but the thing is that there is a back end to all of this success, right? And that is so important. And people, if you're really serious about building a strong brand or a company. We're building. You have a company, I have a company. We're building companies where we're growing companies. There is a back end to that. And so, you know, I have learned the importance of systems. Not that I didn't understand the importance before, but I now I really understand as you grow, just things need to be in place. I mean, how many times do you hear people, they say, like, I started a business and my books were not correct. I didn't keep track of my expenses. And then I had to hire an accountant and to comb through years of receipts. Right. Because they didn't set it up from the beginning. Right. So it's the same, right. Having an inventory management system. I also really learned the importance of having a team, Lorraine. Right. And I know that you know that more than anyone, you are not running Formula Botanica by yourself, nor could you. Right. You're not filming yourself and editing the videos yourself. Right. You have to have a team. And I think that's another hurdle that I see with small brands, is that they're doing it all themselves. They're making the product, they're doing their own shipping, they're running their website, they're sending the email blast. And I'm like, you are going to stay small, and if that's what you want, then there's no problem. But I think, again, going back to people need to be very honest with themselves about what they're trying to build. Right. Are you trying to build a little formula school, or are you trying to build a worldwide formulation school? And just be very honest with what you're trying to build and then look around and see, like, okay, what are the components? Like, what are the departments of this company? What. What are the things that need to be filled, the positions that need to be filled? So I started, you know, I'm very diy, so I'm like, I can do it all. Right. In the beginning, that quickly faded because I cannot do it all. It's just not physically possible. So I slowly build my team over time. Right. Which is still quite small. Right. We're only, you know, we're only really three employees. With my sales rep, I have a customer support. So five, maybe? Yeah, we're five. We're basically five. The biggest learning is you need a team. And from within that, I would also say that it's so important who you allow on your team. I would say that that is hiring is hard, right? To learn to go from never having to hire anyone in your life to all of a sudden now you have to hire people. That's, you know, that's a skill, right. That you have to learn how to do, that you have to acquire. But it's really important to let the right people on your bus.

Yes.

Because, yes, you can have a. You can have a lean dream team. You can have a small and mighty team, but every single one of those people has to be disciplined, has to be awesome. Right? Because we're not trying to. Having to. I don't like to micromanage people. That has also been a huge learning. Like, okay, we're able to do all of this with such a tiny team. Why? Because everyone is awesome. Everyone is, like, pulling their weight. Everyone is, you know, good at what they do. That's a big learning that eventually, another big learning. And this is something that I actually came with. But I want to say it for anyone that's listening, because most people don't come with sales experience. Like, they don't. I was a sales rep, so that was. That really helped me because I understood how to do my cogs, I understood how to do a mar. Like margin calculations, I understood how to price my products. And so I would say that's also really important. That's a big thing for people to know is, again, beginning with the end in mind, like, where do you want to go? Are you trying to create a brand that's going to sit in Nordstrom? If so, price it so that it can sit at Nordstrom. Because, you know, if you want to build a brand that you want to sell on Etsy, then do whatever you want, because everything is on Etsy. Right? There's no doesn't. It's like, high, low. Right. But I had to price my products with the end in mind. And now that my company has grown, I'm like, thank God I did that, because there's going to be so many more expenses that you cannot foresee, and those are going to come out of your margins. And so therefore, you need to have margins. Strong margins, yes. So the importance that I could just go on and on, but those are some of the key things.

Well, there's a lot of gold in there, so I'm sure lots of the. The beauty brand founders listening today will be taking lots of notes. And I. I very strongly feel that you and I need to get together at some point, have drinks and talk systems, because I think we'd geek out a lot on them together.

I'm like, I just. Just tell me what inventory system I should use, Lorraine. I'm just like, oh, everyone. I have asked every founder that I know, and I am amazed at how nobody has the same answer. I'm like, okay. Well, that kind of relieves me because I feel like, okay, I'm not missing some big, you know, secret out there. Literally, some people are like, I use stickers. I'm like, what you Know, like in a warehouse, you know, you know, I'm in the Credo Beauty cohort this year. And I asked all of those founders, all of them have a different answer. One is a spreadsheet, one is, you know, stickers in a warehouse. Even Credo Beauty themselves, they were like, we struggle with inventory management. And so that's when I felt relief. I was like, okay, you're a major beauty retailer and you struggle with inventory management. I feel better.

I think you've just found your next gap in the market, basically. Although you don't have enough hours in the day at the moment. And obviously things are going so well with Napoleona. I mean, you've grown from kitchen table to half a million dollars in sales sales in a year, you know, from yourself to five in your team. How many units are you manufacturing now, roughly?

I'm trying to get up to having, according to my. My average monthly movement, right, I should have 3,000 units of each SKU on. I have five SKUs. I should have 3,000 units of each SKU on hand at all times. And I don't. I'm still trying to. I do not at all. Right. And so, so, you know, I'm trying to catch up to that. And now I've, you know, I've found manufacturing partners. That was another thing. That was a big learning that define real, you know, manufacture. A manufacturing partner. I say partner because that's what they are. They're going to be a partner. And it takes time to find good manufacturing partners. It just, it takes to. It takes time to find good partners, period. Accountant, a good, you know, anything, right? A good fulfillment warehouse, right? All of these things, these are partners, right, in your business. And so it took me longer than I. I mean, I knew it would take a long time because I had experience with this when I was a sales rep. But because of COVID it now has. It's exacerbated how long it takes to get things made and to get things done. Everything is, you know, lead time. Freight is a complete nightmare. I don't know how it is in the uk, but the freight system here is just. If they say they're going to get it to you in two days, it's really two weeks. And then the prices, you know, are, you know, there's really. What it comes down to is that Covid, really, it was the worst labor shortage that people have seen in their lifetimes. So no labor, no people to drive the trucks. The trucks are more expensive, no people to work at the gas stations. Like, everything is that's how it really impacted us. So finding good manufacturing partners because now I'm no longer making all the products myself. Thank God, Lorraine, because it's not possible. I, I just, I can't say it enough. It's like if you are going to make your own products, you are running two businesses. You are a manufacturer and you are running a company. They are not one in the same. So if you're going to do that, no problem. But just be very clear, like are you going to have a, you're going to rent a facility, right? You're going to have a plant manager, you're going to follow safety rules, gmp, like you're going to do all of those things and you're also running a business. They are not one in the same.

Yes, absolutely. In fact, when you're, when this interview will come out a couple of weeks beforehand, the interview that I did with, with Sarah Brown from Pie Skincare will have come out and she said exactly those same words and she has this, I can't remember what she said. 18,000 square foot manufacturing facility. And she was like, just think very carefully before you do this.

Yes, yes, yes.

Okay. So we've talked through your incredible journey, your fantastic success. I'm so, so happy for you. What's next for Novelera?

Yes. So next is, you know, I'm actually having my first team like gathering because all of us, you know, we all live in different places and so I talk to everyone individually but we've never like gathered as a group. And I really also this year understood, I also joined a mastermind last year or no, this year I joined a mastermind which changed my life and I had my first like retreat with some of them that was life changing. So I really understood the value of the container, right. Of like if you go to a different, you take yourself out of your current environment, you go to a new environment that's ideally beautiful and you're with amazing people, transformation will happen, right? And so that was, that's another thing I'd love to recommend to anyone that is, you know, go find other people who are doing amazing things and commune with them. Right. Whether you're joining a mastermind, whether you're just joining a group, something but people that are doing amazing things, right. So we're having our first company gathering in San Diego because I'm just already going to be there next month and so we're going to talk through what are we making next because obviously there's more products on the horizon. And I positioned myself, Lorraine, as You know, a bath and body brand intentionally because I felt that it would give us more Runway. And also because I personally could get behind bath and body products more than. Because skincare is like the face, right? And that was another. So I'm going out of order here. But this was another defining, like, moment. Early on, when I was building my foundation, my copywriter, she asked me, is this. She knew what the mission was, right? She knew what the idea was that it was going to be with nopal, et cetera. But she asked me this important question that changed the trajectory of my business, which is, is this for the face or is this for the body? And I said, you know, at the time, I was like, it's for both. You know, I want everyone to like it, right? You want, like, it's for everything. You can use it all over the body. She was like, no, the face is its own thing. Are you making a. Are you making like, you know, is this skin care or is this body care? It sounds like something such a simple question. However, when I really thought about it and I made myself answer it, I said, you know, if I'm going to create this company, I'm going to have to stand behind. I have to talk about these products all the time, right? It's like when you write a book, you're going to be endlessly talking about this book, and it's going to define who you are, right? And what it stands for. And so I decided, okay, I can't get behind, like, I don't have a passion for eye creams or retinols or reducing pigmentation or fine lines or anti aging. I don't have a passion for that. However, I can really get behind bath and body products because I love the ritual of, you know, of all of that. And so this is like my long winded way of answering your question, like, what are we making next? Is, you know, I do have. I do use products on my face, right? So the question is, should we come out with face facial products? Like, is that in line with our brand, right? Do we want to go into this territory of the face, or do we want to continue to make more bath and body products? Like, I can obviously see line extensions, right? Like, people, the exfoliant has become very popular. I can make another one with a different color, a different scent. Obviously, there's going to be some more bath and body merchandise, like custom soap dishes, things that go with the products. I also want to release, you know, we talk about an operations manager. The point of that is to release me of my being in the weeds. Right. So that I can go and really focus on building the community. That's really what I want to do in 2022, aside from making more products, is I want to focus more on the community, like building the cultural platform. I have projects that I want to do, like, that involve our customers. I need to start a blog, for God's sake. I mean, there's no reason why we don't have a blog on our website. I just haven't had the time because I've been doing the weeds. So those are the types of things that I. Yes, there's going to be new products because Nordstrom is always going to say, what's new for the spring collection. Right. So we always have to do something. But I also really want to focus on growing the community. Brilliant.

Well, I cannot wait to watch what happens in 2022 and beyond, because I have no doubt that there is much greatness in store for you and for Nopalera. And I will be cheering you on from the sidelines the whole way, as will all of Team Formula Botanica, I should add, because all of us absolutely love watching everything you do. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. It has been an absolute joy talking to you today. If people want to follow Nopolira, all of the links will be with the. With the show notes. But if they want to follow you, because I'm sure that there are lots of people listening, feeling very inspired at the moment. Where can they follow you, Tony?

Well, yes, you can find Nopalera. You can just Google us. Right. So nopalera.com is our website. Our Instagram handle is exactly the same thing. And my personal Instagram is official slv. Those are my initials, Sandra Lila Velasquez. So official SLV is me on Instagram. And that's pretty that that's where you can find us. I'm. I'm in those two places.

Awesome. Well, all of those links will be with the show notes. Thank you so much for coming on today. It's been an absolute joy talking to you.

Oh, this has been my pleasure. What a full circle moment for me. Thank you.

I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did, and I hope it's inspired you for what's possible once you become a formul indie beauty entrepreneur. Our Formula Botanica graduates are phenomenal and I am so proud of everything they achieve. I have no doubt that we'll be hearing many more fantastic stories about Sandra and Nupolera very soon. If you feel as inspired as I do come and leave us a comment on our social channels as the Formula Botanica team and I love hearing from you. Thank you for joining Sandra and I for this latest episode of Green Beauty Conversations. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please do leave us a five star review so that other people can enjoy these conversations too. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast on itunes or Spotify or whatever your favorite podcast app is and stay tuned for the next episode. Follow Formula Botanicaormulabotanica on Facebook, Instagram, Clubhouse, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Visit our website at formulabotanica.com and sign up for our free online formulation course today.