Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anastacia Yefimenko. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anastacia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Coming up with the idea for my company, Elcove, was one thing, but creating it was a whole different story. Elcove is a line of sustainable and nontoxic home care products and the journey began when I was a freshman in college, immersed in the world of entrepreneurship but far from a chemistry expert. In fact, the closest I had come to chemistry was struggling to remember the periodic table in my high school chemistry class! I realized early on that to bring my vision to life, I needed someone with expertise in natural product formulation. That’s when I found my chemist, a professional with over 30 years of experience.

Creating the perfect formulation took over a year and we went through 10 different versions. Now, it’s safe to say I have an honorary chemistry degree and know my formulations inside and out.

For the rest of the product, I had to dive deep into research. Honestly, a lot of the time from ideation to execution was spent in this phase. I researched everything: suppliers, photography, website creation, design—you name it. I dedicated an entire winter break during my sophomore year just to learn how to build a website once the products were manufactured.

When it came to design, with limited resources, I had to get creative. For two months, I immersed myself in learning about high-converting packaging. I watched countless YouTube videos, spent hours in retail stores studying designs, got on calls with graphic designers, and asked for a lot of feedback. After all that research, I ended up making a custom design on Canva myself and sent it to my manufacturer to start production! This low-cost, hands-on approach allowed me to be part of the creative process of my company.

In fact- even the name “Elcove” itself was born out of a spontaneous doodling session, rearranging “eco love” on a napkin in a restaurant.

From ideation in 2021 to finally launching the products in 2023, it was a long and challenging process. However, at the core of every step was patience and a strong belief that I could do it. The internet is an incredible resource. While you can’t believe everything you read, with enough time and research, you can become an expert—or at least know enough—to launch a business.

Anastacia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Absolutely! I’m a current senior at Babson College and the founder of Elcove, a line of zero-waste home care products. Our mission is to make a sustainable and toxic-free lifestyle affordable and accessible for everyone. We offer reusable glass bottles that you purchase just once, along with compostable refill pouches containing all the ingredients needed to make the product of your choice at home by simply mixing it with water.

The idea for Elcove came from my personal struggles with allergies and asthma, conditions I’ve dealt with my entire life. I discovered that the toxic chemicals in cleaning products were a major trigger. Once I eliminated these chemicals, I felt significantly better. During my research, I also learned about the environmental impact of traditonal home care products. They are composed of 90-95% water, making them heavy and increasing their carbon footprint. On top of that, they are typically packaged in single-use plastic bottles that are discarded after one use.

During my initial research, I noticed that many companies were either focused on offering non-toxic products or sustainable products, but not both. That’s where Elcove comes in—we committed to offering the best of both worlds with zero-waste packaging and non-toxic ingredients. Our compostable refills ensure minimal environmental impact, and our products are formulated with two to three times as many active ingredients as other refillable options, ensuring they work just as well as traditional products.

One of the things I’m most proud of is that eco-love is at the core of everything we do at Elcove. I was raised to love our planet and all its inhabitants, and I believe it’s our responsibility to respect everything on it. Not only are our products better for the planet, but they’re also better for the people on it. We collaborate with various organizations worldwide, such as the Turtleman Foundation, which aids in turtle conservation, and an organization in Myanmar that is dedicated to replanting mangroves to combat climate change. Every action we take at Elcove is centered around this ethos of eco-love.

In essence, what sets Elcove apart is our unwavering commitment to sustainability without compromise. Our products are designed to be both effective and eco-friendly, ensuring that our customers don’t have to choose between a clean home and a clean planet.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Funding your first business can be tricky, especially as a young student founder who might not know where to begin. However, I quickly learned that being a student founder comes with access to incredibly unique resources that you must take advantage of while in school.

My initial step into fundraising involved participating in pitch competitions. This became a significant source of funding for Elcove. By traveling all over the country and even to Canada, I competed in various pitch competitions hosted by universities and conferences aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs. These competitions provided a variety of check sizes that helped fund my business endeavors. There are plenty of opportunities; you just need to actively search for them.

In addition to pitch competitions, I also ran a crowdfunding campaign. This allowed me to raise additional funds necessary for growing the business. Crowdfunding was a fantastic way to get support from people who believed in Elcove’s mission, and it also helped build a community around the brand.

Raising money is a complex and ongoing process, especially as you continue to scale your business. However, there are numerous ways to secure funding that don’t necessarily involve traditional routes like angel investors or venture capital. By tapping into resources available to students and exploring alternative funding options, you can successfully raise the capital needed to launch and grow your business, just like I did with Elcove.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

Elcove offers our products directly to consumers via our own website on Shopify, as well as on Amazon. Each platform has its unique benefits and challenges, which I’ve had to navigate along the way.

Starting with Shopify, having our own website gives us complete control over our brand identity. We can share our brand story, create custom product listings, and highlight information we want potential customers to see. This control allows us to craft a unique and engaging experience for our visitors. However, this also means that our messaging and branding need to be strong and consistent—something I’m continually working to improve. Additionally, having our own website means we have access to our customers’ information, which allows us to engage with them directly, offer free products or discounts, and thank them for supporting our small business.

The main challenge with having our own website is driving traffic to it. We need to focus heavily on SEO and possibly run ads, which can be a challenge for small businesses with limited budgets.

On the other hand, Amazon provides a different set of advantages. Instead of trying to attract visitors to our website, Amazon allows us to place our products in front of consumers who are already looking for similar items. For example, if someone is searching for eco-friendly cleaning products, our items can appear in their search results. This increases our visibility to a targeted audience.

However, Amazon comes with its own set of challenges. The platform has specific requirements for product listings, including how the cover photo should look, which can limit how we present our brand. Additionally, while using Amazon’s FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) program makes shipping easier and faster for customers, it means we don’t have access to the customers’ information, limiting our ability to communicate with them directly in the future.

I believe it’s essential to have a presence on multiple platforms. This approach increases our chances of reaching different segments of potential customers, whether they are browsing Amazon or exploring niche brands directly through our website. By diversifying our Ecommerce strategy, we ensure that Elcove is accessible to as many people as possible, wherever they choose to shop.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elcove.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elcove.co/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastaciayefimenko/