Tips for Starting Your Own Beauty Line from Circcell Founder Maya Crothers
“If I can tell you all the reasons why not to start a beauty line, and you still want to do it, do it. It’s a lifestyle, not a hobby.”
When Maya Crothers–a Wharton School MBA and Engineer–found herself living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, she also found that her skin was not a fan of her new location.
A bit of a skin care junkie, Maya had plenty of luxurious options in her arsenal–but nothing worked in the harsh Jackson Hole weather. And nothing offered her the clean options that she was so passionate about. So, she put her frustration, and her engineering mind, to work. Her goal was to produce clean skin care with a real dedication to performance, loaded with dermatologist grade performance ingredients and combined with elements of nature–clays, essential oils, herbal extracts and marine-based elements.
The result was Cirrcell®–a hybrid of Circle, meaning whole and balanced, and Cellular indicating real change. It’s a performance-based, environmentally-sensitive, unparalleled experience that performs elegantly in any climate, adjusting to your needs.
We caught up with Maya for an Instagram Live interview to talk about what she’s learned from launching her own beauty line and tips for artists who dream of one day doing the same.
Below, we’ve compiled the top takeaways from our chat.
Figure out how much money you need to float the business for a year, then double it.
Go raise the funds you need. If you can’t, you need to work on your story. If people can’t get behind funding your story, you have a fundamental brand problem.
Prototype first. It’s expensive to make small runs of products (labs will require 1000-5000+ minimum runs), but it’s worth it. You’ll be able to gauge buyer interest, get consumer feedback and work out packaging kinks prior to making a major inventory investment.
Find a mentor. You’ll need an ally who’s already been through the trenches and can help you keep your eyes on the horizon.
Fake it ‘til you make it. Everyone has to do something for the first time once. Own your story, embrace the uncertainty and, at some point, you’ll realize you’ve had what you needed all along.
Maya offers a wealth of insight and knowledge. She opened the door for any Beauty Scripts users with questions about starting their own line. Shoot her a DM via @circcell on Instagram.