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

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

I started shaving my head back in 2010 and I used the normal name brand shaving products that you would get on a shelf at any local grocer or retail store. In 2017 I decided to start using shaving products that were more geared towards bald heads. Back then there was only one company that was solely catering to bald men, so I tried their products and was left a little disheartened. At that point I decided I would just DIY my own products at home over the summer. I had a lot of fun researching and adding ingredients together in different combinations, but after 3 months it hit me, and I decided to create my own company and brand.

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?

Growing up in the military, and then serving in the U.S. Air Force myself, I spent years surrounded by short haircuts, ‘high and tights,’ and bald skulls. As time went on and my own hair started to fade, the one thing I was certain of was that I was going to embrace my baldness. So when the time came, that’s exactly what I did – started shaving and never looked back.

After trying just about every different shaving product out there, I still hadn’t come across the shaving experience I was looking for – so I decided to formulate my own shaving products. Extensive research, repeated experimentation, and an eventual collaboration with a local manufacturer led to the development of my first product, an alcohol-free aftershave gel specifically formulated for skulls.

And in 2017, SKULLSKAPE was finally born, offering a complete line of products to meet all the unique
shaving needs of the bald man.

Our 100% cruelty-free SKULL SCRUB Pre-Shave Scrub and Wash, SKULL SHAVE Shave Gel, and AFTER
CHRōM After Shave Gel are made with ingredients that have anti-aging, antioxidant,
moisturizing, antiseptic, absorbing, and pore-cleansing properties.

I am most proud of the fact that I took the leap and started my own company. Many people see a need and never take the jump to fill that need. I never wanted to be that person!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I decided to take the leap and go all in on starting my own company and brand, I had lots to do. Some of those things included creating a website, LLC, handling sales registration, and opening a bank account to name a few; however, one of the most important things was getting my Trademark for the original name of my company, DōM CHRōM. For months I went through training documents and videos and researched the database to ensure that when I submitted for the 4–6-month trademark process that August, it would be approved. Then 3 months later in mid-November my younger sister suddenly passed away. Of course, this was devastating to me and my parents, but 2 weeks after that I received an email from the trademark office stating that my trademark application had been denied. Talk about bad timing! Apparently, another person had submitted for their trademark name just a few months before I did with too similar of a name and product description, but I had already manufactured product in my submitted trademark name, so what was I supposed to do now? This had me devastated on 2 fronts.

Initially I had to focus on taking care of my family, but after a few months I had to start figuring out what I was going to do about my trademark. I reached out to a couple of lawyers and researched my choices, but no matter what, I had to come up with a new name for my company. After months of creative thinking, reviewing, and revising I came up with my new brand name, SKULLSKAPE. I went back through the trademark process and submitted in October 2019 and was approved in March 2020.

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

In the beginning I had a difficult time finding a manufacturer. I was referred to a company that helped with startups but had the hardest time with communication. I would go weeks without any kind of a response, and I was just trying to get started. So, I started researching and calling companies on the fly. I would leave messages and only half of the time get a call back. I do remember getting a call back from a local company from a very nice person, and as I explained that I was a new startup they politely told me that they had a 1 million unit minimum. After a moment of silence, I started laughing and said thank you for your time, hope to order from you in the future.

In the end I found a local vendor who specializes in startups and have been working with them ever since. I will say that it took several months of meetings and product samplings just to get to my vision for the first product I offered but it was well worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://skullskape.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/skullskape
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/skullskape
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/81911749
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/skullskape
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrnwiLz5IAHZvWEft2BBacQ

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