Embracing The Challenges Of Female Entrepreneurship & Breaking Into ‘Saturated’ Markets With Bassima Mroue, Co-Founder & CEO Of SkinTē

When we were in the early days where we just had proof of concept, it was passion story and the why. That's what got me every investor to give me money because they believed in the dream. And if you don't speak to that dream passionately but authentically, not salesy, then it won't connect.

Welcome back to the show. You guys know I am all about the easiest ways to make the biggest impact.

Impact.

I want to make sure that I'm using my time and getting bang for my buck. And that is why I want to send you my free Power nine prompts. What the heck are they? They are a routine of things that you're going to do. It literally takes less than three minutes to do this, and it is going to be the fastest way that you will create and manifest the things that you desire in your life. Chris and I have been doing this for over 10 years. Every single morning when we're not together, we even text it to each other. If I'm with my girlfriends on a girls trip or something like that, we literally, I will do this with them. They love it. They've started doing it with their partners. And you guys, truly, it's such an easy ritual that's not only gonna change your mood every single day, but I promise you, you're gonna keep your dreams in the forefront and what you focus on is what you get. What you give attention is what moves. That's why this is so powerful, is we can think that we're thinking about our dreams daily, but do we actually think about it and say it out loud and in the Power 9? I'm also gonna give you some different opt. Want to journal some of these out? You're going to get some really cool prompts around doing that as well. And you can read exactly what the Power 9 has done from us in these prompts. So all you have to do is DM me the word power to my Instagram, and my Instagram handle is oriharder. So go to my Instagram and just DM me the word power and I'm going to send you all of this. It's going to take you like, literally five minutes to learn to read all the way through it. And then you'll be on your way to doing this ritual that's less than three minutes every single morning. And it's not just doing it. It's actually like it's brought my husband and I closer to each other beyond what I could ever imagine, because I get to hear what his dreams are every single day. As well, what he's excited about, what he's grateful for, all of those things. So you guys, please go and check it out from the people who are already doing it. I'm hearing such awesome stuff. So go DM me the word power on Instagram. And today I have a guest that from the first 10 minutes we were talking on the podcast, I was like, God, I don't know. Did I know you in another lifetime, or are you my new future bestie? Because our energy, we just had so much fun. It's so much fun in life meeting those people who you're like, oh, my God, I feel so seen by you right now. And today on the show, I have Basima Moore. She is the CEO and co founder of Skin Tea, which is the first ever collagen sparkling tea. Positioned at the intersection of beauty, food, and wellness. The brand is experiencing crazy rapid growth, and she was a finalist list for best ingestible two years in a row by IBE and has been recognized by media including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Inc. Allure, Goop, Us Weekly, Entrepreneur, popsugar, and wwd. You guys, I'm sure you've recognized this brand. So, you know, in the drink section, in the beverage section, in the refrigerator case, there is this stunning can that has all of these pastel rainbow colors around it. Literally spotted this can probably, I think it's been, like, two years ago. And I was like, what is that? I want to try it. And it really is an incredible product, you guys. And prior to Skin Tea, Bassima helped drive the ecosystem strategy for Spanx, the beloved brand that revolutionized shapewear. This woman is so smart. She is so kind and truly is so honest about what the journey has looked like creating something like this. Like, I think you're gonna be refreshingly excited about how honest this woman is. So, you guys, let's get started. Enjoy the podcast. Basuma, I am so excited to have you on the show. Thank you so much for coming on.

Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited as well.

Okay, so I just want to know what your sign is, your enneagram, and all the things, because I've already. You know when you just get this energy and I'm like, I've known her forever. We've already giggled about 10 times. We have so much in common. So you guys just missed it. We should have recorded it, but we actually can't record what we talked about yet because you just have too much good stuff going on. But I am so excited to have you not Only because I just got a crash course and learning about the fact that we are so passionate about a lot of the same topics, but also really, really helping people, helping women accomplish their dreams, no matter how big they are, no matter how many times you have to piv, no matter how challenging it looks, if you've never raised money or done all the things. So thank you for being here.

Thank you so much. I'm honored.

So for anybody listening who maybe has not heard your name, first of all, it's crazy. Where have you been? Second of all, I know that you've most likely 99% chance seen her product in stores and been attracted to her very sexy cans.

Can we say that?

I know your husband probably jokes about that all the time, because mine, we.

Are the sexiest can and we own it. So thank you.

So tell me about your business, what it is, and then tell me the beginning.

Why?

Why did this start?

Absolutely. So we're the first ever collagen sparkling tea. And the way it started is actually with three women who had major breakdowns in their lives. So a doctor, a chef, and myself. I'm on the business side. I was working at Nike headquarters in Portland, and I'd been working there for 10 years with a coup couple years in Europe as an expat, and the last two years, where my career was on a high. My health was shutting down. I had to get back surgery. But I also didn't realize it at the time, but I was on my way to stage four endometriosis.

Oh, my gosh.

So it was just, you know, I was in so much pain all the time. So those last two years, I finally decided I was going to do back surgery. I walked out of the company that I loved, and I decided to have my, you know, kind of early midlife health crisis that changed my life. And so during that time, my surgeon wanted me to take collagen before, during, and after the surgery. This was 2014, when there wasn't a lot of collagen options out there. So I was actually doing powders in my. In the morning or in my coffee, and they were kind of sticky and annoying. And I was like, well, I have to have a shake in order to have it. And then I was having pills, which annoyed me, because you have to wait before you could eat, and I don't necessarily want to wait. And then there was also, you know, the bone broth, which, you know, once in a while, I'm okay with bone broth, but not, like, all the time. So when my Nike colleagues saw me, they would be like, wow, you look like you were off to a spa. Like I wasn't wearing makeup, my hair was growing and I was like, it's unbelievable. The, the difference I've seen in my skin and my hair and overall mood, even from, from having so much collagen and herbs, which I didn't have before in my diet. So I went to Dr. Amy Bader, who's an amazing co founder of mine, she's a naturopathic doctor in Portland. And I complained and I said, look, I've got these wonderful products, I love the way my skin looks, but I don't like the taste. There's only so much of it I can do. And she was kind of like, hey, I just got divorced and I'm upping my game and I've been combining collagen with teas and herbs and you should do that. And it tastes so much better. And she said that her best friend Elizabeth, who tragically lost a child at 2 years old, horrific loss, they together because she was a culinary expert, were joining forces to create these recipes and giving them to patients like me because she noticed a lot of her patients were not consistently taking collagen, which she wanted them to. So long story short, I start sourcing all these different ingredients she wanted me to source and boiling them. And then I realized it takes too much time. So I went to her and said, could you just make it and I'll buy it? And that was kind of when she was like, no. And I said, I'll write you a business plan. I did this at Nike. So I took her to Starbucks, wrote her a plan and she was like, no, we're not doing this without you. So very intuitively, as women are, we went and signed papers and just decided we were going to make this because we wanted it so badly and we knew that other people would want it. And we kind of, when we were talking about it, said it's really self care in a can. That's what it is. So skin tea has a formula in it that is very synergistic. That's all about self care in a sense that you've got the collagen for your skin, hair and nails, you've got herbs for your mood, you've got 100% vitamin C for your immunity. So we really focused the formula on skin, mood and immunity. But most importantly, it needed to taste very light, very refreshing and want you to drink it every day. And it was for people that are tired of supplements, which we discovered tons of people are Tired of having to add yet another supplement in a pill or a powder.

Okay, I'm not being rude. I'm going to order on Amazon right now.

That is the most amazing rudeness.

I literally like, sometimes people come on and talk about their business or product and I'm like eating out of their hand. I'm like, I know why you're successful and I know why you like. It's always the people who create their product out of their own need, always. And they use it, they want to use it for themselves. So I'm super pumped about it because it's also everything that I need. And you just let me know it's ordered on Amazon too. Because girl, I don't go to the grocery store anymore. Like hardly ever.

I'm Instacart or Amazon. It's this, this culture of one click.

I know now I feel like everyone, I'm from the Midwest, so I know half my Midwest audience was just like what? But you guys can go to the grocery store and see it.

So we're in 6,500 stores, so we're definitely available nationwide.

Oh OK, real quick. 6,500 stores for anybody that doesn't like understand what kind of feat that is in this business. The scale that that is in the people required and the sales people required and the three PLs and the team and all of the things. What did that look like? Building that. With the holidays and the new year coming, you probably are looking around your house thinking that you would love to upgrade and freshen up your environment. And there is no easier way to do that then with your window treatments. Nobody covers windows better than Blinds.com. blinds.com brings your space to life in your way. They have free design help. Other retailers may claim to have experts, but blinds.com has spent nearly 30 years building an award winning team of over 100 design consultants that are ready to help you create your dream space. Always convenient, always tailored to you. Three ways to shop 1. Perfect fit. Whether you want a DIY, have it all done for you or you're somewhere in between, choose what works for you and rest easy knowing the fit is guaranteed. So the holidays come fast you guys, and you can freshen up your window treatments fast as well. And unlike some competitors, the price you see is the price you pay. No hidden fees and there's zero pressure. From blackout in motorized options to classic shutters. Blinds.com has window treatments for every room style and budget. Even shades for your outdoor space. The Black Friday deals@blinds.com are going strong. All month long. So don't miss your chance to save big. And as always, our listeners still get $50 off when you spend $500 or more. Just use code earn at checkout limited time offer rules and restrictions apply. See blinds.com for details. 2026 is the year that you launch your business. It's the year that you've become the boss. You become the leader. That idea that you have that has been eating at you forever that just will not leave you alone is going to come to life. Maybe it's something that someone tells you you should always sell or a store you've already head. And with Shopify, 2026 is when you finally make it happen. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made this leap from household name to first time business owners. Just getting started you guys. I use Shopify for glossy and I remember when they sent me my little shopping bag celebrating my 10,000 sales and I literally cried because I was so scared to take the leap. And I'm so glad that I did and that I use Shopify. It gives all the tools to easily build your dream store. You can choose from hundreds of beautiful templates that you can customize to match. Your brand setup is fast with Shopify's built in AI tools that write product descriptions and headlines and help you edit photos. So marketing is built in too. You can create email and social campaigns that reach customers wherever they scroll. So as you grow, Shopify grows with you. You can handle more orders, expand to new markets and do it all from the same dashboard. In 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com happy go to shopify.com happy that's shopify.com happy. Hear your first cha ching this new year with Shopify by your side.

Yeah, great question. You know we've done it pretty differently Skin tea compared to a lot of other beverage brands. There was just recently an article that came out which talks about how it used to be growth at all costs and so brands would spend so much money, so much capital and VCs were okay with it just to show top line growth. We've actually been a lot more methodical. So in year one we were truly a beauty product and we were the first ever product that carbonated collagen first one and I still would say we're still the best tasting one out there because our formula is a trade secret. So. So the beauty industry, they Embraced us. Indie Beauty Expo was wonderful to us in Dallas, Texas and la. We got out there, we focused on premium hotels and spas and we also did direct to consumer online. Then Covid hit. So it's funny, when were talking earlier, pivots is like my middle name right now because the only way we've survived is by pivoting consistently. The only constant has been the pivots. Yeah. And so when Covid hit, you know, we pivoted and decided, okay, we have to go into grocery because, you know, all of the hospitality shut down. So we were really lucky and honored that Sprouts took a chance on us and put us nationwide immediately. We adore sprouts. And it's like when you get one, you're asking kind of, how do you build it? It's. You build it one by one, really. We started at Erewhon, of course, the Bougie Wonderful store in la, but then we launched nationwide in Sprouts and then started getting into other accounts because we got our distributors, which as you know, is very intensive. Getting khe, getting unfi, getting all of that set up. For those who don't know about those, those are like industry nationwide distributors that are really critical to be able to distribute your products to all these different stores that you can't distribute directly to.

So were they taking people right away or did you have to convince them or did you.

Oh, no. Skin tea, luckily Skin tea, because it's the sexiest can on the market, does have an appeal. Okay, good. What's great about the brand is they're always interested. What has been a bit of the issue is when the price point's too high, depending on the account, they would want a little bit of a lower price. And what we did is we slowly lowered our price while we lowered our cogs, which not many people do. They just go straight to that price reduction. But we did it carefully because otherwise you run out of cash really fast. So we were really careful with that. But the 6500 source came when, you know, in. In year two when we got sprouts. Then in year three, we expanded to H E D in Texas and we got Myers and we got all these other ones, but we got 1300 stores in Walmart. And the Walmart buyer reached out to me on LinkedIn. I love her. And that's rare as well. You don't always have buyers reaching out. So it was really an honor. And we made the decision to go into 1300 stores and then CVS took us on 1500 stores. So it starts to add up. And these aren't even nationwide. These are in certain regions of the country because with Walmart, there's 5,000 stores alone in that one account. So we did the premium and the natural specialty, but we were also able to get into conventional and drug, which is something that we're really excited about because it shows that we are able to play in all these different categories including. And that was a really important one for us as a brand that we.

Have that appeal just from a product perspective. Did you plan that from the beginning?

No.

You said you were, you were thinking of strictly beauty. Like you didn't know that you could do this different play on everything that.

Just kind of came we 100%. My original vision, which is now still back in place since COVID came up, is I wanted to be in every single premium resort, spa and hotel and then I wanted to be delivered directly to your door. That was always the way it was. And I wanted to show up where our consumer was. And so whether, and it's ironic because we have a huge male base. We were originally focused on women, but men just love the brand. So fitness studios, entertainment at different, you know, corporations, that was originally the strategy, but now we're really honored. And we love our grocery partners who embraced us. And people can find we're one of the fastest growing brands on Instacart. We were last year the 17 or 17 or 18 fastest growing brand on Instacart emerging. And so that was a huge honor from Instacart. And then we were also one of the brands to look for in food and beverage magazine. But that was really all us being really mindful around where is our consumer? And what we learned is the consumer. There is a better for you consumer at all of these different retailers. It was like, what's the best way to reach them? And we learned that there were these new kind of functional, they call them or better for you beverage sets being formed. So we targeted that in terms of placement.

Okay, let's take one second because I want you to just think of everything that you just said and how much you know at this point in the game and think of your beginning self. Like, if you would have just heard yourself say that, would you have even believed it?

No. I was the most naive person when I launched this. And sometimes that is a blessing because I don't know if I would have done this if I really knew. You know, early on we were three women with a dream. And sometimes like it's ignorance is a little bit bliss. We Had a lot of people say to us, this is the toughest industry. The beverage is a monster. We kind of just took offense. Like, what, you don't think we can do this? But now I have to really stop myself from telling other people it's really hard because it really is. It's one of the tougher, this low margin, capital intensive industries. Once you take off, you take off, but that's a very small percentage. So, you know, it's a very crowded market. How do you stand out from all the other ones? So when I look at my former self, there's a bit of a gratitude there for me coming into it blind with just a dream. And that's something I always tell entrepreneurs is you gotta believe more than anyone and you gotta put the noise away because if you keep listening to people who say it's so hard, that's never been done. That's what you'll think. And you won't think of like creative ways to disrupt the industry or just do it differently and disrupt the industry. It's such, you know, corporate talk. But more like do something different that you know is going to help people that you don't have to do it the standard way. So we launched very differently. You know, no one at the time had ever been a finalist for best ingestible at a beauty expo the way we they were like, you're the first can ever to show up as a top three. Because usually ingestible or skincare was seen as a pill or seen as a gummy that you might eat, but they'd never had it in the form of a can. And so that was something very new to the beauty industry. And now people are very used to saying, I'll drink something that's good for my health, for my gut health. But there aren't a lot of brands that scream, drink me and your skin will get better. And that's our positioning.

What are you really, really good at? Like, you just know this is what you bring to the table. And did you know that before you started?

This I'm good at is I think, connecting with people. I've been told that that's like my superpower is confirmed. Confirmed because there's an authenticity when you go through enough things in life and you're able to connect with people and tell the story. That's something that I didn't realize was a skill. It's just something I naturally and passionately speak about. So I would say that's maybe my strength. And I really focused on hiring people that were my Weaknesses when I was growing the company.

Okay, so building your team. So it was the three of you?

Yes.

And then what did that look, did you. You raised money in the beginning?

Yeah, we. So in the beginning actually we put our own money in. In the beginning it was really important to show that we had skin in the game. I put my savings into it, my partners put some money in. And so for us it was important to go to investors especially because Beverage capital intensive. Yeah. You know, but investors want to see that you have skin in the game. Otherwise, you know, if you can't put your money at risk, do you really believe in it? So we did. And that paid, you know, a lot of dividends. We didn't pay ourselves for the first couple years at all. And so we were very focused on getting a proof of concept, proving it to investors, showing them that we had skin in the game. So we self funded a little bit. But we quickly needed to raise money because it is a capital intensive. So our first 1.2 million was a really like new experience for me. To take other people's money that was, that was mind boggling for me, especially as a woman.

Okay, let's talk about that. So it's crazy. I actually took a lot of the same path. We put in a lot of money in the beginning myself so that we could go to investors and say that. And then that was almost two years ago, one and a half. But haven't paid myself. Obviously don't plan on doing it for a while. But I also. Okay, that's interesting. I'm going to stop there though real quick because for people, I don't know if that was an empowering statement from me. Just because some people can't afford to not pay themselves.

No, that's really a fantastic. So here's what I did and I can be really real about this. I was earning wonderful salaries in corporate America. Then I went into a tiny little studio in LA, not the safest street, with a little, you know, 600 square feet with a little bit of a warehouse inside for sale samples. And I like started just spending from my savings for two years straight and then I couldn't go on anymore at that rate. And that's when I did start paying myself. It was a very modest, modest salary. Like investors were quite impressed that we didn't take a lot. It showed that we were just doing enough. And it was also a very spiritual experience because you go from like I can spend money to you know what, like oh wow, I can do without a lot of those other Things that I thought I couldn't do with. So my journey with skinty has been spiritual because, you know, I know that I can do a lot with very little, but it doesn't mean I don't want a lot and do a lot with that either. I mean, part of like having income is. Is honestly comfort, right? And being able to do things for people you love and healthcare and being able to do that, that is something that, you know, I did miss. But, you know, for a while, I couldn't spend on others the way I would, on my family and help out the way I would. So I think it was a really great experience in that sense. But then you do have to honor yourself and say, you know, at some point I've put in this much into the company. I am playing a formal role now as a founder. You never get paid market rates, hardly. I fail, you know, like with CEO, I'm not going to get paid what I would bring. Someone from the outside would get paid because I have equity. And that's understandable. So, you know, I think it's important to also, you know, honor that. But I do feel those that kind of give themselves salaries right off the bat, that's very difficult. So my recommendation is usually find a side hustle and say, well, you know, because the reality is it gets really.

Tough, you know, for anyone listening who doesn't know. Because I literally did not know this until I raised money and learned it. A lot of people will raise money and some of that money will be raised to also, like pay themselves because maybe they don't have a job, they give up their jobs to go and do this next thing that they're doing. So I was like, oh, did not know that before that. Let's talk about raising money because, you know, I think people are listening right now and I really believe so I'm in a lot of rooms with a lot of entrepreneurs and I find the women cap themselves at opportunities. It's a lot of they consider their opportunities the things that are already in their circle of influence or that they already only they have to know it well or understand it. And so a lot of the things like investing in other companies or especially starting a product because it does require typically more money. Like you said, those are not things they even think about. Like they don't even let themselves dream about it or think about it or go there. And so I think the topic of raising money, what does that look like? Anyone can do it, truly. I mean, I am terrible with math. I never graduated high school. And I learned how to raise money. So anyone can do it. People, y' all can do it. So can we talk about your experience though? Because I just wish I would have had women to talk to during this because it got real, real dark for about a year of my life. Too many people finish their workday feeling frustrated, drained and unfulfilled. I know that I have experienced that myself. And the good news is it doesn't have to be this way and you don't need a new job to fix it. Patrick Lencioni, author of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and more than a dozen other bestsellers, created the Working Genius Assessment to help you pinpoint the kind of work that gives you energy, the kind that lights you up up, and it also shares the kind that drains it. So over a million people, including me, have taken it and completely changed how I lead and show up every day. If you're a CEO, an entrepreneur, or someone who just wants to level up in business and in life, Working Genius is going to give you the clarity and confidence to operate in your strengths and find greater joy in what you do. Because confidence isn't pretending to be good at everything, it's knowing where you're truly gifted. Take the Working Genius assessment today and get 20 off with code earn@workinggenius.com that's working genius.com you'll be glad you did it. There are so many challenges to business that I don't want starting to be one of them for you and when you want more. When you're starting a business, you need Northwest Registered Agent because you get access to thousands of free guides, tools and legal forms to help you launch and protect your business. And it's all in one place. You can build your complete business identity with Northwest today. Northwest Registered Agent has been helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow business for nearly 30 years. They're the largest registered agent and LLC service in the US with over 1500 corporate guides. Real people who know your local laws and can help you and your business business every step of the way. You can sign up for free account to begin managing your business hub with lawyer drafted operating agreements, bylaws, resolutions, membership certificates, bills of sale and more at no cost. Northwest makes life easy for business owners. They don't just help you form your business, they give you the free tools you need after you form it like operating agreements, meeting minutes and thousands of how to guides that explain the complicated ins and outs of running a business. And let me tell you, this is life changing because I had no idea how much went into this. So don't wait. Protect your privacy, build your brand, and get your complete business Identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Visit www.northwestregisteredagent.com, earn free and start building something amazing. Get more with Northwest registered agent@@www.northwestregisteredagent.com Earnfree.

Oh, I hear you. So we've raised 13 and a half million dollars, and it is no joke. It's probably what has pushed me the most emotionally and spiritually. And that's why you have to kind of separate when you go into this. Having things that keep you grounded is probably the most important thing. So the first time I asked for money was, you know, for a $1.2 million kind of friends and family round. So suddenly, as a woman, you're kind of going, I don't know why women were so like this. Oh, my God, that's a burden. Oh, my God, they gave me $50,000. I don't want to lose this firm. So you started to kind of panic and stress myself out because I'm taking this money instead of, you know, and men helped me because I would talk to them instead of being like, but it's an opportunity for them. What are you talking about? And I'm like, oh, to change that point of view to, this is an opportunity for you, dear investor, and it may or may not work out. If you're an investor, you know, there's a chance this will not work out. So changing that frame, I have to still say I still work on it because I pride myself on being an independent woman. And it took a lot. Like, my mom was married at 14, my grandma at 16. So for me, like, you know, being able to sustain myself was kind of something I was proud of. So suddenly I felt like now I'm kind of on the other side asking for money all the time. And that felt very intimidating. And, you know, the way you talk and all the no's that you get, you get a thousand no's before you get a yes, but that one yes, it's just, you know, that can cause a ripple effect. And sometimes it doesn't. You get this incredible yes, and you're like, oh, my God, I got that yes. I'm going to get all the others. And then you don't. So, like, it's a really funny experience. And what you have to realize, and I started realizing is you need to understand the game. It's not personal. Something may be going on in that person's life or they may have had some sort of an experience with another brand, or you do not look like them. You don't look like the guys they normally talk to or the women. And so there's a reason why they said no, it doesn't need to be a reflection necessarily on you. I think it's important you continuously think about what connects in the early days is a little bit different about what connects in, you know, when you're at 3 million plus, let's say, or then 10 million. So when we were in the early days where we just had proof of concept, it was passion story. And the why. That's what got me every investor to give me money, because they believed in the dream. And if you don't speak to that dream passionately but authentically, not salesy, then it won't connect. So I think it's important to just be yourself if you're not a hyper passionate person normally, but you can at least speak to it in your version of passion. That's all that really matters. But you need to share that story. So because they're putting money down based on a vision and a dream, and that's a really fun period of time. Like when I showed up with a silver can, I'll never forget it, and a photo of what the branding is going to be like. And they looked at me like I was nuts, but they loved it. And so. So that was how we started in the beginning. Then a couple years later, it becomes, where are your proof points? What are your financials? What does that look like? You still have to talk about the story, but if you don't have proof points to back it up, it becomes harder and harder. And the other thing about fundraising is making sure that you're getting money from people that in the tough times are going to be in it with you. And I would hear that and it didn't register until I experienced it. I would hear from a board member saying, say, like, not all money is equal money. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, I need the money, I'm going to take it. And then you're like, and luckily, I haven't had one investor that's been, you know, horrible. But I've had kind of experiences where I saw what that could look like.

Yes.

When things are difficult and, you know, you have to really understand kind of who you're bringing into your family because you want the people that are in it with you for, you know, all the ups and downs that you will for sure have.

You're freaking me out. Like, we have so much of the same story. It's uncanny. No, no pun intended.

No pun intended.

From the cans to, like, we printed it out on paper and just, like, taped them, like, so crazy, too. I talked to some men who are just. They're angels in my life who literally said the same thing. They said, this is an opportunity for them. And they pumped me up so much with that that it's the only thing that, like, at that point got me to get through. So I would have, you know, my husband's friends, we. We'd be like, okay, we gotta book a dinner with these people, because I gotta go sit and listen to the confidence that they talk with about their companies. And I literally probably had, like, four different dinners with these same people. Like, pour into me, please. And that's truly what got me through so many. Like, even from. From languaging. Like, how about for you, with. When you first pitched, like, I had someone kind of write me out a bit of a script, and I created something called a freedom phrase for myself. That was just one sentence that if I didn't know the answer to the question, I would say, you know what? I don't know that yet, but I'll get it for you tomorrow. I love that question. Thank you.

Yeah. Yeah. That's fantastic. You know what I learned more than anything is women underplay themselves and men. I'm not trying to say all men or say, there's a huge, huge. I learned a lot from men, and some of my biggest investors are men. I am beyond grateful. But I think, you know, I started to observe, like, I don't necessarily want to be, you know, act a certain way. I want to be myself. But you start to kind of learn the language of the game, and they're depending on your audience. You kind of need to understand, like, what's in it for them. What do they need to hear? It took me a minute to get there, because for some people, it is the story, and for other people, it's the numbers. And if you can't speak that language, get someone who can. I found I was better when I could bring a CFO next to me who could speak to the financials, and I can speak to the numbers, but, I mean, sorry to the vision, but what was really interesting is I could say the same thing. My CFO said a guy, and it would be like, go over people's head. Like, I didn't say anything. And then the other. The guy would say it, and it would be like, oh, yeah. Like, suddenly there's a conversation around it. They understand it. That's probably one of my biggest aha. Moments around. All this is, is it's really fascinating because we start to beat ourselves up as women, and we start to say things like, I wasn't good enough. I got the no, because I did this. And then I was talking to a male founder, and he's like, yeah, they're freaking lost. When someone wouldn't invest in them, he was like, they're freaking lost. And I was like, I've never really said that before. I want to say that if someone says no to me, I want to say they're lost. Let me show you. Instead of being like, I wonder if I could have done the pitch better, if I should have done this better, if I should have done that better, better. So I think that's the big learning I've had, especially when you raise that much money, is you really just need to play the game a little bit and just acknowledge that some people are going to scream at you, be condescending to you, mansplain to you, or think you're just some fluffy girl who doesn't understand anything, and you're just product and branding. And I've had all of those stereotypical judgments, for sure. And it's hard. You have to build the muscle. I will still say I'm a very sensitive person. So it took me four full years where now I might get sensitive, but I have a muscle now where I recover from that sensitivity really fast. Like, I'm like, oh, that go. Like, you know, the way he spoke with me was quite condescending. Like, I didn't know my stuff, but I did. But it's okay. It's. It's not necessarily about me. And then that same person is still interested to invest, still wants to talk to you, but it's just the way they communicate, you know, can come off a certain way. So I've had to really build. I guess the reason I'm explaining all this is I've had to build really thick skin. I don't take it personal. That's a journey that continues.

I believe that's one of the biggest reasons women quit is in the beginning. It's hard. And you need to have your people that you can go to that pull you back from it, right? Like that conversation with your friend who's like, his loss. You're like, oh, and your comeback rate is so much faster, right? So what would you say to somebody who's like, yeah, but I'm really sensitive. I can't handle it. That's too much. Do you Think they're lacking their support system. And where would you focus?

I think sensitive people are amazing people. I think first honor, that sensitivity is actually a wonderful thing. Someone that was an amazing mentor of mine at Nike said that. She said, do not devalue your sensitivity. Use that actually to your power. Right. So. So one is, don't see that as like a bad thing. Two is see how that sensitivity to what people are saying, what they might want to hear, how you can pivot around that. I don't think there's any certain only type of person that, that can be an entrepreneur. But I do believe you have to be a risk taker. That's the only thing I will say is if you want to be an entrepreneur, you gotta be comfortable with risk. And if that's just not a part of your personality, you're just going to suffer and it's torture. But sensitive, not sensitive, that's no problem. I think you can totally deal with that. Learn how to harness it for. In a positive way versus seeing it as a negative. I think sensitivity also helps you. You enter up kind of channeling what that investor body language and understanding those things to your advantage. So.

Oh, man, I love that. I've never heard it put that way, but you are. I think you're absolutely correct. It is a superpower being able to read the room, see what people need, tweak your language, pick up on things. See, you even. You even pick up on things. I'm a sensitive person too. So we're just bragging about our. We're bragging about ourselves right now, which is hilarious. And I love it because we need to do it more. But really, it is a story superpower in terms of even running team. Like, you really think of it holistically, I feel like, because you can't not think of everyone.

Yeah. I had one investor say to me once, I think you're too nice to be a CEO. And he's like my biggest fan right now and so proud of me. But I was like, oh, wow. Like, I was so hurt. I was like I said. And then I think I said something like, well, I'm nice to you out of respect right now. And you know, but I can be nice and be a great CEO. Like, I can still treat people well. Why is kindness not valued? Why do I need to be a jerk to come off like I'm competent? And so we ended up bringing, I'll never forget this, someone on the team that was so aggressive that two people wanted to quit, you know, on the team. So I think it's kind of when you hear those things, like, you're either. I don't want to say, you know, you're either the B word as a woman or you're the nice girl. And those are just typecasts. And I think it's important that as women who are going after their dreams, like, you need to just. Just kind of go, okay, that's his problem, putting me in that box. And sometimes Sarah Blakely would always say, I'll never forget that being underestimated is actually your biggest power. So just don't take it so personal and realize, like, they're underestimating me. That means I'm going to be able to impress them really soon, you know?

Yeah, they're. Set that bar low so we can go high.

It's going to be great.

Exactly what is something that you have learned about yourself that has surprised you through building this business?

Business? I've always known I'm resilient, like, just from a young age, but I had no idea I was this resilient because it's. And when people tell you I knew in my heart I would never quit. Not true. There's many times I was like, this is so hard. And quitting is your choice. And quitting doesn't mean quitting in the. In the sense of like, you gave up. It's a decision at some point, right, to say, my path is here or my path is there. And you learn so much from that experience. So I just didn't realize I would have the stomach to raise 13 and a half million dollars and deal with this who investor world that is really an animal of its own. I just didn't think I had it in me because I was, quote, unquote, too sensitive. And that's why when you asked that question, it was kind of perfect for someone like me. And I also didn't realize how much.

I would love it.

It kind of sounds strange, but, like, I would never trade this experience of. I always joke there's two emotions. You're either in the fetal position, bawling your eyes out, or you're pinching yourself because you can't believe, like, what just happened. I never thought I would. Yeah, it's. It's really my DNA to love the journey and the ups and downs of it. I am someone who's competitive, and I. The outcome is so important. I never thought I would fully understand what it meant when people said, it's about the process, not the outcome, because that sounded so lame to me. It is about the journey it really is about the journey. Process is a different thing. That the journey is what really this is about. And I never thought I would understand it to my core until now. Hmm.

I love that I talk a lot about challenge. Challenge being such an important part of our daily life, and a lot of people don't incorporate it. Like, if you don't naturally have it in your life, you have to go and seek it, or there's just. You're not fully fulfilled. So how do you perceive. If you could say, what your relationship with Challenge is, what would you say that is?

I have a really healthy relationship with challenge, I would say, because since COVID hit and do and I'm writing this, but it's been one disaster after another, and a pivot, and then we thrived, and then another pivot, it becomes a muscle. So for me, when I think about my relationship with it, I feel like I've been not physically lifting weights, but mentally lifting weights. By hitting one challenge after another, I feel like I recover from it better. It doesn't mean I don't feel like complete and utter crap. Don't sit on the floor and ball my owls out and want to quit and feel horrible. That all happens. It's just a much smaller amount of time. Time than it used to be. So I think it's a very healthy relationship. And I do have a perspective that it's those challenges. And it sounds so cliche that every time it's been a horrible challenge, we have come out stronger every single time. Still doesn't mean that when you're in it, you don't want to knock your head on the wall. But that goes back to what you said about your network. I feel like the luckiest person in the world because I have cultivated true friendships, friendships that are truly meaningful and deep, and those are the people I go to when I hit rock bottom, and they lift me right back, back up. And I think it's important to have that as an entrepreneur. It is so critical whether it's one person or five that you go to for different reasons. Don't underestimate that. Just being able to talk to someone who's also been there. Just today, I spoke to a gentleman that has had massive success, and he just looked to me and was so humble about what the journey was like for him. So it's good to talk to people who you're kind of like, oh, they're so much better than me. They've been there. They just went through the exact same thing. That's helpful because that helps you understand that they all went through that journey, including some of the best companies in the world right now, which is why I love watching documentaries about companies that blew up, then crashed and then didn't. It sounds mean, but it's like, oh, that makes me feel great right now.

We were watching the same ones and I was going, I love this and I hate this and this is exactly it. Like, oh, my gosh. I'm guessing you're talking about, like, I think I watched the Uber one and.

Then I watched and we were. Yeah, all of them. I watched all of them.

Oh, and that was during a really hard time. And I just loved watching the We Work one. I was like, I just.

Everyone needs to see this right now. It's just. It's so helpful to know that, like, it looks so exciting and sexy. Just like Instagram. I think everybody tries to show their happy side. We just do it naturally because no one wants to post the miserable stuff. But the truth that Instagram isn't real life, it's not what people are really living. The entrepreneurial journey is brutal, but then what you learn from it and the highs are so beautiful that, you know, I wouldn't trade it for anything else. For stability. I wouldn't trade it for that.

I think the most beautiful journeys are that no matter what I think about when I think of athletes, Olympians, masters in their craft, it's a brutal journey because you have to push yourself to edges that you've never been to before. All the time.

Time.

All of the time. But what is on the other side is. Is literally indescribable. Like, you actually don't understand. You can't even explain it to someone who hasn't been there before because it's a.

It's.

It's like a. A different world opens. So I would love for you, if you just take a minute to think about, like, one of your. Probably will be real easy to access because you're a great entrepreneur. One of your on the floor fetal position moments, like, a real bad one where it was like dark and you just didn't even know what to do. What would the you now go back and say to that woman about why she has to continue on with the dream even if it fails?

That's an amazing question. I have to use Covid because I had to let go the entire team and I was bawling my eyes out. I was in Canada when my mom's health kind of took a really deep turn. So everything was converging where went to Canada. My mom Was hit with severe Lewy Body Dementia. So my mom's health's crashing. My dream is crashing because we thought we had to shut down for 60 days. We laid off the team, bawled our eyes out. And then it sounds miraculously, but miraculously, 60 days later, back in business. Grew 300% that year. I think for me, I have had so many of those moments, and they continue. I don't want to sugarcoat this. This is not like. And that's what I don't like the most, is when people act like it's just unicorns everywhere. It's not even the unicorns are on the floor bawling. It's so hard at every single stage. Even when you reach 50 million, then you've got the challenges of a $50 million brand. And then when you reach 100 million, you could. There's a challenge at every stage. And so when I look back, I think what I've started saying is, that's part of the Netflix story. I think of, like, all those stories I watch that make me feel better. You know, you watch Joy and you watch this. I'm like, oh, that's her moment when she was freaking out, and then she had her QVC moment turned around. Then I think of Leslie Blodgett. I think it's so. I'm lucky in the sense that I have real mentors and then I have virtual mentors, people that I just learn or read about, and I channel them, and I go, oh, that's that scene in the movie where she freaking crashed. And then 60 days later, this happened. Whether it's the brand continued or the brand shut down, but she did something else in her life that was better for her, or the learning from that resulted in something else. So I started this thing now about, like, oh, that's that Netflix movie moment. It. Okay, it needs to be in the movie. I joked with Mitch, my husband, the other day. I said, oh, that's good that happened. And it's really hard, and I'm crying, but, like, that's the moment in the Netflix movie where it gets tense, and then it's gonna turn around. So what goes down goes up in some way. So you just look at the cycle of life and you go, it's just not worth being like that. Like, my mom's facing to this day severe Lewy Body dementia, and I think her disease has taught me that. But life's really too short if you don't take these chances. What's life about? Do you want to stay scared? And so I Think you can take calculated risks, you can figure out what your level of comfort is with risk, but to not move forward is a bigger regret to me. So I think that's kind of where I look at all those incidents and think that's just the journey.

I was just reading the top three deathbed regrets, and one of them is that they didn't risk more to be the person they knew they were meant to be.

I can't kind of like you said, I didn't have. I didn't know I had that in me. And then that, that builds a new confidence in you, whether it's the business you're currently in or something else you're going to do.

And I think what people don't realize is it goes exponentially faster the more that you do this, meaning your growth does and what you can tolerate. Because in the beginning, from that first ask, it's like moving kind of slow. You get the one thing and it's like there's a lot of time in between there and you're like, I'm never going to get to where. Where they are because it's just they're doing all these things so quickly. And the capacity, but your capacity ends up being so big. And the other day I had a day where I was like, literally said to my husband, I'm like, what I did today in the asks, in the emails and the very brave things, and I did a talk today podcast all in one day. I go, this is what I would have done in a year, like, like six years ago. Like the things I did today. So it's mind blowing. What you can handle.

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. I feel like who I am today is so different than back then. And also part of it is my reaction to things, which I never thought I'd finally get there. As the deeply sensitive Lebanese woman that I am, I know most of us, I am able now to hear someone give me all this feedback and to just go, okay, like, I don't have to be right. I don't have to. To kind of defend my side or explain it anymore. I'm just kind of like, I'm going to take this in. And there's maybe a nugget in that feedback, but I also pay attention to who the person is. Like, do I want to listen to them? Do I care to listen to them? Because we as women take everything so personal. At least I did. And that actually wastes time. That's why you're getting so much done. Because back then I was so Consumed with how everybody felt and how I looked and blah, blah, blah. And by looks, I don't mean physically, like, how am I being perceived? And when you stop caring that much and you just focus on your goal and you start to really study what's out there and realize that some of the most successful people on the planet were made fun of. Nobody thought they would succeed, fell flat on their faces. It empowers you. It empowers you. And you start to go, okay, no different than what I'm going through. So that's why I'm able to do more. I think I'm less emotionally attached to every little thing that that is taking place. Like, like cryptocurrency. And, and I don't lie about it. Every year we have gone down and conserved cash for 60 days because we are born in. We launched only a year before COVID It's the year of one crisis after another. First it was that, then it was all the freight issues, then it was cryptocurrency, now it was the banking crisis. Like I said, the pivot is the only constant. So all that, it becomes kind of a game too. Like, oh, how can I recover from this? How can I? You know, and if you do, you do, and if you don't, you don't. And, and you have enough history and you, you go back and channel the times in life when things were hard and whether it was a week later or a month later or a year later, you know that there was a light and you know that you got back up and what went down, went up. And that's really where my strength comes from, is knowing that for me and others.

So good. Would you, let's say this had failed three years ago or two years ago ago, do you think you'd be doing something again already?

Yeah.

Would you be create. Okay, you already know what you'd be creating. You know what?

Last year we thought like, like, I'm laughing because there's a couple times we were like, this is gonna shut down for real. Like, we're not gonna raise the money. It's capital intensive. So I would absolutely be. I'm not afraid of it. That's the thing that's weird is, is I would still do it. I, I would probably do, based on my learnings, a few things differently, but I would do it. Once you've kind of had the entrepreneurial bug, it's hard to kind of get rid of that.

Yeah, it's so interesting because the more that I, I think part of why I'm starting To not be afraid no matter what happens. And I think that that's the freedom where the real creativity to really make the company work is. So it's a very. It's like such a weird dance where you almost want this healthy fear so that you run through a wall for anything. But you also don't want it because it keeps you from taking the risks that actually get you to the places this. It's the weirdest dance, man.

It's the weirdest dance because you know, it's true when they say when you're hit up against a wall. I was just talking to a friend of mine about this. That's when you do get more most creative. You know, companies sometimes create a crisis. Not going to be who, but some companies will create like a mini crisis because if you just sit and you get. What's the word?

Complacent.

Yeah, too complacent. Complacency is what leads to killing innovation. Right. So in many ways I feel like I've been though in like probably you too, right? In this Covid. It's like we need a little complacency. Yeah.

Like just for a minute, just for.

Like half a second, I'd be like, we cherish that. But I think that's the thing is like, that's what I'm trying to say is even when you achieve that great success now, you're fighting against keeping market share. When you're early on, you're just excited to disrupt a category, be a first mover. How do you, you know, get that out there and how do you like, edge your way in? But then when you're at a certain number, it's like, how do I stay number one? And I don't want to be like brought down to number two. There's a problem at every single stage and if people can realize that, then they'll realize, oh, okay. So this is really about the muscle. The muscle to keep pushing through one. It's like people who work out, like, no one wants to hear it, but they're like, hey, once you've reached this many reps, you need to increase your weight. And I'm like, that is. I just, just made the goal. When your trainer's like, now we're going to increase it. And I'm like, oh, so it's always going to be this hard. And they're like, yeah, it's always going to be this hard. And I'm like, that's sucks, but that's like how you grow.

Always going to be hard. But somehow the, it's like the habit. The actual willingness to do it and to get there and to follow through is so much easier. It's like the weight is always the same, but you're. This is what it is for me, it's the resistance before doing the hard thing goes away. So it's like I don't live with that all day.

You know, I love that, that. I love that.

I spent a couple years in the gym, so.

And also it leads to self care like we were talking about before. Because yeah, you want to push and keep going, but I think the most brilliant thing is recognizing it's not necessarily about balance, it's about what matters to you at that point in your life. But how do you inject micro self care like we talked about? So, you know, a big part for me is I do sleep eight hours a night. I had stage four endometriosis and my mom has memory issues. And the number one thing you need is you need to freaking sleep. Because when you sleep is when you're. Everyone knows, right? And so for me, like that's, I don't compromise on that. I used to pride myself on putting all nighters at Nike and now with my own business, I have not pulled off one all nighter. No one believes me. They're like, you must just work. I'm like, no, I work really hard, but I sleep eight hours a day. I take as many. I'm not drowning in liquidity at all right now. For all those listening, like, I'm actually. Liquidity is not there right now, but that's okay because I've learned the micro things. Like I'll invest in a bag of Epsom salt and I'm like, okay, that's going to last me. I can take a 20 minute Epsom salt bath in my own home. And that's going to help me so much emotionally. Just that little thing, you know, little micro acts of taking a moment for yourself. I have like a small vibration plate machine and I just stand 10 minutes on that and I'm like, yeah, I worked out. Like, I don't, I don't put the pressure on me like I used to. And it's because you have to understand what stage you are in life and in your career and can't just push on all cylinders all the time. And that's my biggest learning. So I will take like a full day off when I can. And it makes a world of difference for me.

That has been so important for me to hear. Honestly, before I started this company, I almost didn't start it because this is going to sound crazy, but because I need to sleep, and I was so worried because I can't not sleep. Like, it's. I have tried to be the person who can have, like, four to six hours. I get so crabby, I eat my face off. I'm a different person. I'm literally like a psychopath. And I don't. I end up not doing anything when I'm tired. So I'm like, no, it's. It's actually worse if I sleep eight hours. I'll get done what I would get done when I'm tired. Like, it just. It doesn't work for me. So I needed to hear from different people and women that they're building it different. So I love that you shared that. I think it's really important for people to know because I do think sleepers are very afraid of hearing that they're gonna get burnt out or not sleep because you're not your best. You can't do anything if you're like me. So thank you.

Talks a lot about that. And I. I love that, like, entrepreneurship needs to be redefined. It's not the person in 20 years old, only in the garage all night. You know, it's a different stamina, you know? You know, so I feel like that piece is so critical, and you just work smarter, not harder. And that's. That's really what I believe in.

Oh, I totally agree. I've become, like, the most amazing delegator. And also, I don't waste time. I just am like, what's the biggest needle mover I could do today? That's what's happening. And your business moves faster. So I'm like, maybe I don't have to work as hard as other people because I kind of just look at those big things and then find the people for the other things. So. Okay. I love this. I could talk to you all day. I have, like, five questions on here. We didn't even touch. So that's a great sign that we had a great conversation. Anything that you want to leave anyone with that came up for you.

You. I feel like it's a really tough few years for everyone, and I can't iterate enough. Like, people's lives look shinier than they are. Whether you're reading about an article about another entrepreneur on Forbes, the reality behind the curtain is a very different story. And I just want people to not judge themselves based on what they read. And the reason this is so deeply personal to me is because I have sisters and I have younger female women that I love and mentor, and they're comparing themselves to people on Instagram. And then I, as an entrepreneur, have been comparing myself to other brands and going, wow, they did this, they just did that. And it all came together this year where I realized, oh, wow. The journey I've been on is a journey that investors are really valuing now. They're valuing that. That really methodical growth. They're valuing the focus on profitability versus growth at all costs. I didn't raise as much money as the others. That's not a knock on me. That's actually pretty good. Like, it all kind of comes. It doesn't mean I'm better than those other brands. It just means that I. I need to trust my intuition on the journey that I took, and it's only my journey. And so not comparing myself to the sexy article that came out is really important, you know, because there's a lot behind the scenes that you don't know about. So I think it's important that people just be authentic and follow your path. And one thing we say with skin tea is, you know, beauty comes in all stripes. And the other thing we say is that different is refreshing, which a wonderful marketer, Melissa Hibbert, had said to me at one point when she was working with us. And she's incredible. And when she said different is refreshing, that's really was something that resonated with me. And beauty comes in all stripes because we need to really stop worrying about being like other people and just really focus on being ourselves. And it's when we are that I think the great things happen.

So good. Okay, where can we get it? I know we can order on Amazon, but where else can we look for it? And you guys, if you haven't picked up on it, her can is beautiful. It is striped. It stands out. I don't even have to tell you where it is. Go to the can. What section is this in?

So it's definitely. They can order it online on skinty.com it's usually in the better for you functional beverage section, which is a fancy word for just drinks that are good for you. It's usually in that section. But yeah, whether it's, you know, HCB or sprouts, we do have a store locator on our website. If you put in your zip code, you'll find out immediately where you can find it in store. We have a lot of people that love the Amazon. Amazon route or just directly on our website on subscriptions. So there's a lot of different ways. And we. And please follow us at Skin Tea, because we're constantly updating there as well.

Okay, amazing. I am so grateful for this conversation with you. You need to go on all of the podcasts if you haven't been on all of them already. Truly, it's. It's so refreshing. Pun intended. Again, about how you're willing to share so openly about what it really looks like and just how important the journey is. And it gets me even more excited to do what I'm doing. And I feel so empowered right now, truly. So I'm beyond grateful and excited for you. Anything you ever need, literally, I am here. My social page can be yours, but just beyond grateful. So, you guys, one of the biggest things that we can do for our guests is to let her know what your biggest takeaway was like. What did you learn from this? What was your aha moment? What gave you chills? I know I had them multiple times and tears in my eyes once. You around your mother. So let her know what your biggest takeaway was. And do we tag Skin Tea or do we tag you?

Please tag Skin Tea. And then I usually repost it. So my. My Instagram is just at my first name and last name.

Okay, amazing. But tag Skin Tea. You guys let her know what the biggest takeaway was. And we're so grateful for you. Until next time, earn your happy.

Sam.