Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in skin care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lance Hunter, Co-Founder of Little Oliver Skincare, located in Middletown, OH, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are Little Oliver Skincare, and we're in the business of helping your skin look and feel its absolute best with the nourishing benefits of tea, herbs, and aloe vera in skin care. We're all about taking skincare back to its roots by reintroducing the world to herbal ingredients found in nature that have phenomenal moisturizing, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits when applied to the skin. Our business is specially catered to women and moms who are looking to maintain youthful and healthy skin and who want to get the most out of their much-needed me time with the help of our soothing and nourishing bath tea and tea-infused self-care products.
Tell us about yourself
Hi, I'm Lance, and my wife's name is Gina. I've always had a passion for cooking and crafting things. After dropping out of firefighting school in 2019, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career that would give me an opportunity to best utilize my skills. I desperately wanted to do something with my life that would bring me peace of mind, independence, and, most importantly, happiness. My wife was also seeking an opportunity to use her talents after graduating with a degree in business management, so we were really on the same wavelength with the idea of starting a business. Our journey began in early 2020 when I picked up soap making as a hobby. My soap-making hobby quickly grew into a passion and expanded into a full-on bath and skin care formulation. We officially opened our business in November of 2020, and we've been striving to achieve our dreams ever since. Our business was named after my late pet rabbit Oliver. We love animals, and we wanted our branding to reflect that.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Just the fact that we were brave enough to even start our business and really stuck with it feels like a big accomplishment in and of itself. I personally am always so proud when the topic of skincare or business ownership comes up in conversation, and I'm able to tell someone that I run my own skincare business. I get so excited when I get to hand someone my business card. This entire business endeavor gives me a feeling of purpose. We've really put ourselves out there, and every time we get positive feedback from happy customers, it feels like a HUGE win.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For us, it's definitely been learning to have patience and trust the process. It's very easy to fall into the trap of getting discouraged and feeling like you're not doing good enough and you'll never find success. Seeing other businesses on Instagram that started around the same time as you and are growing faster than you can plant a seed of doubt in your mind, but we try to stay focused on our own path and celebrate the small victories. We trust that as long as we stay persistent, think positive, and always keep a sound strategy for growth; it'll only be a matter of time before we see our dreams come true.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
If you're looking to start a business, one major word of advice that we can tell you is that your pre-launch checklist is important. Make sure you have the foundation laid before you start building the house. Perfect your craft, and have a good idea of your brand identity and niche. Know your target market, your marketing and growth strategy, social media strategy, pricing and expenses, website design, and packaging and raw goods suppliers. Also, read up on search engine optimization (SEO); it's really important but also takes a while to understand. Lastly, there are a lot of things to learn in the first year and it can feel intimidating, but don't give up. I promise you it's worth it!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Check out our Instagram page and our blog section on our website to learn more about the amazing herbal ingredients we use in our products. Don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram or via email if you have any questions. If you've tried our products and you liked them, we encourage you to DM us on Instagram or Facebook messenger and share your experience. Nothing makes us happier than hearing positive feedback from happy customers.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://littleoliversoapco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littleoliversoapcompany
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littleoliverskincare/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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