Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jay Woller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jay , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
As a family, we’ve brainstormed business ideas for years. The dream of entrepreneurship was a hobby that passed the time on road trips and filled quiet spaces on family vacations. In 2020, while on vacation to Colorado, our entrepreneurial journey started amidst Covid-19 social distancing and personal job uncertainties. We felt it was time to take control of our career paths and embark on a serious search for business opportunities.
On this road trip, we decided to commit our ideas to paper. Gaining inspiration from our teenage boys, who struggled with their grooming, we recognized the need for high-quality, natural skincare products for guys that are easy to use and highly effective. We know active men expose their skin to the harshest elements while on outdoor adventures and need skincare products that leave them feeling fresh and invigorated. Not to mention, take our boys’ grooming habits to new heights!
The pristine mountain air and the beauty of nature also served as further inspiration. We were determined to capture the essence of adventure by using natural ingredients in all our products. If we could find the best natural and organic ingredients on the planet to use in our products, we’d be on our way.
While working full-time jobs, Jay as an elementary principal and Heidi as a product marketing manager, nights and weekends were a premium. We dedicated almost every free moment to building our brand and seeking valuable business partnerships. This came with many highs and lows. Good thing we enjoyed the process!
Who would have guessed that something as simple as finding the right brand name would be such a daunting task? We brainstormed over 200 options, sought feedback from focus groups, and ultimately settled on “Guy Lively.” We felt this name conveyed the vibrancy and health-consciousness of busy, active men ages 25-55.
As for branding, logos, and website design, we had a vision in mind but relied on creative experts to bring our ideas to life. We conducted graphic design contests to find viable graphic artists who understood our brand’s essence and helped us establish a captivating visual identity.
Despite the demands of our full-time jobs, we continued to push forward with Guy Lively. We sought guidance from a career coach and drew from the insights of friends and family who were experienced entrepreneurs.
Heidi’s marketing and product development expertise helped us find manufacturing partners who could deliver on our commitment to all-natural and organic ingredients. This proved challenging for a self-funded startup, as many partners had high mandatory minimums. Meanwhile, I focused on logistics and fulfillment. We had to learn a system for bottling, packaging, and labeling ourselves. Again, more nights and weekends!
After months of hard work and dedication, we finally launched Guy Lively in January 2022. The response from our customers has been very gratifying. We love hearing their feedback and appreciate their loyalty to the brand. We do our best to go the extra mile for our customers. We personalize each order, incorporate high-quality recyclable packaging, and include personalized notes of gratitude along with free samples of related products to show our appreciation.
We have found other small businesses and various media outlets to be beneficial in sharing our story. We are so grateful for the word-of-mouth advertising amongst our customers and the TV and print publications featuring our story and products. These features have boosted our brand’s credibility and helped us earn the trust of new customers.
After being in business for nearly a year and a half, we continue to find entrepreneurship invigorating and rewarding despite finding ourselves at a crossroads in our adventure. Do we aim at continuing steady growth as a self-funded company while maintaining full-time employment, or do we explore partnerships with investors to pursue a more aggressive scaling process? We will embark on this learning journey this summer. As always, we believe in the power of seeking advice from honest entrepreneurs and individuals with experience. We plan to approach this next phase with open minds and welcome the insights and input of those who have gone before us. Guy Lively has new paths to explore and opportunities to consider, much like the active guys we aim to serve.
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?
The idea of Guy Lively started on a road trip to Colorado with two stinky teenage boys in the back seat. We are very much into natural products, along with health and wellness, so we began researching the men’s skincare industry. We saw an opportunity to provide men with natural skincare – a growing, yet underserved market.
Today, we provide men with over 15 different natural skincare products, from bar soaps to grooming and an age-defying line. What sets our products apart is that we prioritize the use of natural and organic ingredients. This means that our products are free from harsh chemicals, making them gentler on the skin and perfect for men with sensitive skin. In addition to being natural, our products are also highly effective. We harness the power of nature by using ingredients that are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Further, we hold ourselves to the highest standards in all aspects of our business, including the sustainability of our ingredients and the environmental friendliness of our packaging. We partner with like-minded businesses exclusively in the United States to ensure that our products are of the highest quality, with environmental responsibility in mind.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
We are married, so it was pretty easy to meet! We’ve been married for over 20 years. Since the beginning of our marriage, we’ve talked about business ideas as a hobby and ways we can enter the world of entrepreneurship. We finally took the plunge and haven’t looked back. We have experienced some growing pains. We needed to identify roles within the business, learn to stay in our lane, set business meetings outside of family meetings, and more closely manage our time. Managing these moving parts with an active family with countless activities and carpooling commitments is incredibly challenging!
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
As a self-funded small business start-up, there have been countless close calls. We managed our initial start-up costs by tightening the family budget, scaling back Heidi’s full-time employment hours, seeking affordable partnerships, and leveraging our skill sets. At present, we are at a crossroads with the business. We are profitable, but to transition to account for Heidi’s time adequately, we need to scale up. We are exploring an effective advertising plan that reaps a strong return on investment and potential partnerships or investors to scale more effectively.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.guylively.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guylivelyskincare/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guylivelyskincare/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/guy-lively