SDH 164: Launching a Successful Business on $400 with Victoria Fantauzzi Co-Founder of La Bella Figura
When you decided to become an entrepreneur, was your market nonexistent? Did you have to educate consumers on your market, then pitch your product? Did it ever occur to you to help other small businesses in your market flourish as well, and grow together?
As the co-founders of La Bella Figura, Victoria Fantauzzi and Karen King, began their natural and organic skin care line, they found that their consumers didn't know that they needed simple and green ingredients in their cosmetics products. In fact, Victoria and Karen didn't know they needed these qualities in their cosmetics either, until Victoria took a trip to Spain.
While there, she was exposed to an enormous amount of organic and handmade cosmetics that reminded her of the products her grandmother's and great-aunt's swore by.
Upon returning home, she asked Karen, her fellow coworker as a teacher, if she wanted to start a skin care line. With Karen settling on the fact that Victoria was crazy because they knew nothing about the cosmetics industry, Victoria took the opportunity to educate herself on the market.
After doing her research, she was shocked by the long list of horrible ingredients that brands were using in their cosmetics. After sharing her findings with Karen, the two decided to launch their first product with $400 and a single ingredient.
However, they faced a couple of challenges. One being that a lot of women and men didn't see the need for their product at the time so they had to educate consumers about what was in other cosmetic brand's products, and how it affected their skin. Only then could they introduce their product , and explain how they were different, and their product's health benefits. With this process in line, they then needed to figure out how to present this information to their customer clearly and succinctly without overwhelming them.
Their second problem was that their singular ingredient was extremely rare and expensive. With a limited budget, they decided to produce a small amount, and look for an effective platform to get the word about their new product to get their business rolling.
By connecting with a writer for Refinery29 and landing a review in the online women's lifestyle publication , they were able to turn a profit so they could reinvest in their business and expand their product.
As their La Bella Figura took off slowly but surely, Victoria had the idea of collaborating with other green cosmetic brands, so they could help one another promote their market. A lot of brands and retailers were hesitant about promoting their competitors, but Victoria convinced them that it was an opportunity to grow, and help their niche and other consumers live a healthier lives, and strengthen their market and get their foot in the mainstream cosmetic door.
So they organized they started A Night for Green Beauty in New York in August of 2012. With the promotion efforts of their friends, they invited editors from green beauty magazines, like EcoSalon, beauty bloggers, and the public to highlight and showcase brands in the organic beauty industry. The event was a hit and the following year, it was held in LA and was even more successful. The event ran annually for three years and during that time raised over $75,000 in donations for charities and nonprofits.
Tune in to learn more about this wonderful company and their desire to educate!
In this episode you will...
Know how to create an edge for your brand by educating your audience about your market and explaining the benefits and difference of your product
Figure out what business ventures are worth your company time and energy
Find ways to grow your business based off of customer feedback
Learn how to grow with your competitors that have the same values and cross promote each other
Know how to create brand and market awareness for your business and other similar brands
Discover whether connecting with your customer through a PR team or a directly to you is the most effective
INSIGHTS
"There's nothing more powerful than being in the process of knowledge. Just soaking it in and wanting more." - Victoria Fantauzzi
"It's okay that you juggle so many things because you're the mom to your business...you're juggling a whole bunch of things... just breath and figure out today." -Victoria Fantauzzi
"Sometimes I think I can do anything...it's a crazy thought, but the fun part about having that thought is actually trying to do these crazy things." -Victoria Fantauzzi
RESOURCES
