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

Hi Julia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

I have had several customers who have had success in terms of seeing cleaner, clearer skin with my products. However, one story really stood out to me in particular. One of my customers told me that she had had clear skin all of her life up until getting an IUD. Her skin started breaking out a lot unexpectedly. On top of that, she had had a long-term disease that had caused her skin to be incredibly dry for the past several years. After trying the Pumpskin Evening Oil, her acne breakouts calmed down a lot and she felt like she finally found something that made her skin feel very hydrated. As a skincare founder, this story made my heart feel so full knowing that my product was able to help a customer to this extent.

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?

I am the founder of Pumpskin, a clean skincare brand. I provide facial oils that have a simple ingredient, organic list to serve as vitamins for your skin. I started this brand after going through my own skincare journey. I had struggled with acne for the past 10+ years and tried everything under the sun to treat it. One summer a few years ago, I had a particularly bad hormonal acne breakout. My dermatologist recommended I try pumpkin seed oil to clear it up. After using it twice daily for 2 months, my acne cleared up. I was shocked and realized that this ingredient was not all that prevalent in the skincare industry. Starting this brand has been my mission to help others realize the benefits of pumpkin seed oil and other carrier oils for the skin. The oils I use in my facial oils contain so many vitamins, including but not limited to Vitamin A (a derivative of retinol), Vitamin B (niacinamide), Vitamin C, Omegas (3, 6, and 9), Zinc, and antioxidants. I harp on transparency and education in my products, which I believe sets me apart from large skincare brands. I also emphasize the fact that you don’t need a lot of skincare products in order to clear your skin. I will advise customers to use the facial oil as a moisturizer (that’s what I do!) or add a few drops into your current moisturizer. I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to help people’s skin all over the country. My hope is that this product will appeal to both men and women and to simplify skincare routines everywhere.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have been building my audience on social media by providing free, valuable information. That has successfully brought attention to my content and allowed people to feel like they have gained new knowledge from what I put out there. I have noticed that videos (Reels, Shorts, or Tik Toks) tend to do better as they catch people’s eyes more often. The time it takes to come up with content ideas, record them, and post them can be a lot but there is also a lot to be learned in the process. I would advise sticking to either informational, controversial, or entertaining videos in the beginning and also to engage in collaborations with other business to increase your own brand awareness!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

As a new small business owner who is bootstrapping it, I have noticed that the best source of new clients has been doing pop-ups at local businesses (mainly boutique fitness studios) and giving out free samples. I have had several people order full sized bottles after giving out samples at pop-ups! It helps to engage them by providing free information and product and by making a personal connection with them when you first meet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thepumpskin.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepumpskin
• Other: Tik Tok: @thepumpskin

Image Credits
Product photography: Tinka Peterka