We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elise Tabin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elise, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When my then 12-year-old daughter, Madysen, began experiencing her first bout of breakouts, I felt for her, as I do every teenager dealing with skin that makes them uncomfortable about their appearance and diminishes self-confidence. Every product I reached for was either too harsh for her skin, formulated with unnecessary ingredients, or packaged unattractively to her. We could not find nor agree on an effective product that she wanted to use and that I felt comfortable with. Being a beauty editor with a deep understanding of skin and skincare, I left store after store empty-handed and unsatisfied with the options. That’s when the lightbulb went off, and I had my “A-HA moment” to create a line of skincare products for teens with effective but non-drying ingredients, which is how TWiiSH came to be.

Elise, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a beauty editor by trade, working and writing for some of the top beauty publications like NewBeauty, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar, Byrdie, Oprah Daily, Beauty Independent, and more. Even though I have access to the world’s leading experts and house a sample closet that rivals Sephora, I still battle with breakouts and have for as long as I can remember. I’ve spent years sifting through beauty products to uncover the best ones—those that work, the ones that are worth every penny, and the products that will be a staple in your routine for years to come.

When I could not find a skincare product for my teenager to help with her skin, I created one. I looked to one of my favorite skincare ingredients, colloidal silver, and paired it with salicylic acid. This is our hero combination that works wonders to clear up breakouts that teenagers often face.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Starting a beauty brand isn’t cheap. I did not raise any capital or do a friends and family fundraising round to get TWiiSH off the ground. Instead, I decided to take my earnings from my freelance writing career and use it to fund the brand.

I had an initial budget of $50,000, but I quickly exceeded that. Some bumps in the road set me back, but I knew that if I wanted to do this right, I would have to spend a little more. I’m proud that I was able to self-fun TWiiSH and continue to do so today.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I had a small following on Instagram for years and knew I wanted to tap into it for the launch of TWiiSH. About one year before the products debuted, I started teasing what was coming. I created more content about teenage skincare, brand building, and tidbits of my relationship with my daughter. If I could get my community (many who are moms) on board with the idea of TWiiSH, I knew they would be more inclined to follow the brand and share it with people they knew, and that’s exactly what happened. While TWiiSH’s social media accounts are still small, they are well-engaged and 100% organic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://twiishskin.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twiishskin + https://www.instagram.com/elisetabin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/checkpoint/challengesV2/AQGWTw17xfbJsAAAAY_FRGYfGLrtaZ3pKZewPB_89AZuFggryd9ADbhpFNlO8sYN0Dq1qK7cwaKthKlH00Pg5D6r0WGxbkfQ-A?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F