Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and beauty but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Peter Lee, co-founder, and CEO of Orora Skin Science, located in Toronto, Canada. Peter is an engineer by trade.

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

We are at the forefront in bringing bio-engineered, sustainable, plant-based active ingredients into skincare. Orora is the first in North America to offer HumaColl21, a bio-identical, vegan human collagen type 21. Our customers are 'skintellectuals' who are on the leading edge of beauty innovation.

Tell us about yourself

My background is in engineering, so I find myself excited by projects that look to solve significant and exciting problems. It is obvious to me that the current supply chain in beauty is wasteful and unsustainable. We can do better. We believe Orora with HumaColl21 is a step in the right direction. Continuous learning is my primary motivator. I enjoy tinkering and trying new things, especially if the subject of my project can help make someone else's life slightly better. My goal is to be a wiser, perhaps a better person every day.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Through proper planning and careful execution, we successfully managed explosive YOY growth (+3,500%) during the early years of my first beauty brand Saranghae. Those were exciting and scary times.

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

It is without a doubt letting people go. It never gets easier, even if it is the best course of action for both parties.

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

  1. Definitely start with a project that you truly enjoy working on.
  2. Don't waver from your vision, but be fluid in execution. (Test, learn, pivot, repeat)
  3. Don't hire until you absolutely need to. In the early years, cash flow is king, and a bad hire could destroy a culture.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If there's one key piece of advice I'd like to share from the mistakes I've made, it's this. Try not to chase the money, stay true to your vision and let money be a representation of clarity of your vision. I know it's hard when you're three months away from not meeting payroll, and you wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats but chasing money for money's sake just wastes valuable resources. In my past, I've pivoted projects just for money, and they've always led to disastrous outcomes.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://ororaskin.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ororaskin/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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