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

Elvira, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I never planned on starting a business related to beauty or skincare. However, since college I struggled with oily/acne-problem skin. I tried a variety of products and worked with a dermatologist over the years, only to find myself in my late 30s still dealing with problem skin. When I was expecting my second child, a girl, I realized that I would be serving her as a female role model, including in the area of beauty. I felt an urge to focus on my own skincare issues in the only way i knew, by taking the matter into my own hands and starting researching the topic. I read, dug, researched, and took online classes on personal skincare and then i realized that there was a body of knowledge about the skincare that promoted a more natural , skin-friendly approach to skincare and beauty. At that point, I realized a couple of things. First, this approach really worked. Second, a lot of women didn’t know anything about it. Third, I discovered my passion for making skincare products myself and educating women about natural skincare.

The idea of starting a business didn’t come to me. It came to a close friend of mine who complimented my formulations and told me that many women would be glad to buy them. Initially, I rejected the very idea of selling my products. I had no idea how to run a business, plus I had a full-time job I was happy with. On top of that, I had a son with special needs who needed a lot of attention and a newborn daughter who also needed a lot of care. However, thanks to my nagging friend, I kept thinking about it. Several things came together to catapult me towards starting a business. My passion for skincare needed an outlet, I learned so much that I couldn’t contain anymore, I needed an organized away to share the knowledge and experience. Second, my daughter was ready to start a daycare and as a family we struggled financially to pay for two children’s daycare programs and continue to pay for my son’s therapies. I thought at that point that having extra bucks thru business would be helpful. Third, i was about to turn 40 years old. That time was filled with a lot of reflective thoughts about my life, accomplishments and the future. I was pleased thinking about my accomplishments in the pervious 20 years and i felt like I could exponentially increase my accomplishments in the next 20 years. I thought that I needed to take every opportunity to expand and grow personally and professionally. Starting a business as a continuation of something I really enjoyed and was passionate about started to look like a logical next step.

The unique approach I took in my skincare formulations was based on the principals of corneotherapy that stresses the importance of the skin barrier for the overall skin health and condition. A lot of skin disorders and concerns come from invasive skincare procedures and inadequate skincare routine that traumatize the skin barrier and lead to increasing skin’s irritation, inflammation, dryness, dehydration, sensitivity and premature aging. In my work, I focus on helping women over 30 to improve the quality of their skin naturally.

I launched my products in October 2017 at a local natural health expo. Women filled the room where i was presenting to the full capacity and afterwards lined up to talk to me one-on-one. I saw how much value I was bringing with what I did and was convinced it was the right thing to do for me.

With my products, I was able to improve the quality of my own skin and others. One of the things I heard repeatedly from my loyal clients was that my products were the only ones that helped. But I don’t consider this the highest compliment. The best thing for me is to hear my clients say: “I love my skin!” This is when I feel like my mission has been accomplished.

After being in business for four years, I left my full-time job and started homeschooling my three children and running my business full-time. Learning the ropes of running a business haven’t been easy. Many times I was frustrated and questioned whether I needed to continue. This is when I reminded myself about why I started it all in the first place, about the mission and the passion behind it and many women who came to love what I do. These thoughts warmed my heart and brought more wind under my wings.

Last month I celebrated my fifth anniversary of being in business. At this point, I realize that turning my passion into a business was a brave thing to do, considering the time, finances, and commitment it took to get to this point. I am happy because my children see not only a woman who enjoys her womanhood and natural beauty but also serves as an example of a person who is committed to personal growth, expansion and determination to follow the chosen path. I am glad that in five years I have not only helped a lot of women to feel beautiful but also showed them that it is possible to be a woman with fulfilling life and purpose regardless of many circumstances that make this journey difficult, but not impossible.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Elvira Muckelroy. I am 46 years old. I was born and raised in Russia, I never wanted or planned to live in the U.S. But i guess that was my destiny. I was chosen to participate in a grant-funded exchange program between my workplace at home and an American university. This is how i ended up coming to the states in 2001 for the first time. I really fell in love with the university (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), the area (southern Illinois) and the people I had met. I truly thought my short stay in the U.S. was going to be my first and last visit to this country, but I was wrong. During my stay here, the coordinator of the program on the American side left the position and they offered me to take it over. I was invited to come back as a graduate student and serve as a coordinator of this exchange program as my graduate assistantship. I agreed to this proposal, especially that it was just a one-year commitment. but then I met my husband and the rest is history. 21 years later I still live here raising three children with my husband.

I gave my university that changed my life so drastically 17 years of my life. 15 of them I worked at the university’s foundation as a prospect researcher, database manager and director of donor relations. I loved my job, although it was quite stressful and demanding. However, as I was getting older, I was thinking more and more about the lifestyle I really wanted to have for myself. This is when I had to be honest that I wanted to keep everything I already had in my life except for the job. I wanted to spend more time a mom to my three children and run my small business full time, having freedom over my schedule and activities. I took a risk by leaving a well-paid, state job with great benefits and cashing my retirement funds to invest in my business. But in my heart I believed it was the right move to me. And i am forever thankful for my husband who had supported this change.

Today, I am a skincare formulator and owner of the clean skincare brand for women over 30 years old called Sunflower Girl. I have created a line of face products that are gentle on the skin, helping restore the skin barrier, and improve quality of mature skin. All products are handcrafted in small batches and made to order to deliver most potency of natural ingredients to my clients. My products contain natural oils, potent herbal extracts, marine ingredients, vitamins, antioxidants, innovative products of biotechnology, and organic preservatives. I also love meeting new people at expos and one-on-one consultations that i offer for free at this time. i don’t have a storefront, but i am working with several wellness-oriented business to carry my products. I am very active in social media, Instagram and Facebook, which i use as venues to educate my followers about mature skin needs and care, adequate skincare routine, and so on. my pride and joy is to see my clients who have been able to transform their skin and are happier about their appearance.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I handcraft my products at home in small batches on a weekly basis. I collect orders throughout the week and then make them on a weekend. I ship my orders on Monday. This schedule allows me to spend my time wisely and efficiently. I educate my clients about my production schedule and they are prepared to wait a bit longer to receive their orders as they know i make them all fresh for them.

I learned about this weekly production schedule from a mentor. I am glad i had adopted this model as i spend most time promoting my products and collecting orders while the production part takes literally two days out of the week. At the same time, i don’t have the pressure to sell my products as all orders are prepaid.

Another advice is you don’t have to have all your products developed to launch your brand. i started with a few items and then used the money from proceeds to buy ingredients, containers and design labels for new products.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I think the best thing for me was finding a mentor, someone who has gone down the path you are going to before you. i think getting that first-hand experience from a person like this is priceless. In many cases, you’d need to pay to learn about that experience whether it is packaged as a consultation, online coaching program or video materials. But it is definitely worthwhile. I saved years of my time from trial and errors by learning from my mentor’s mistakes and experience about the equipment, ingredients that really work, effective formulations, production cycle, working with clients. The money i have invested in working with a mentor was my best single investment in my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: sunflowergirl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflowergirlskincare/

Image Credits
Nina Wilson