We recently connected with Lindsey Garcia and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I have been an esthetician for 15 years, and also have rosacea and sensitive skin. Even in my industry where I had access to any product, treatment, or educational class on skincare, I still couldn’t find a line that worked to calm my skin, while also giving me the anti-aging benefits I desired. My husband is an MD, has a degree in microbiology, and experience working in labs formulating skincare. When I complained about my issue, he said he could make me something. I was very skeptical, but he pulled it off. Within days of using the products I was already feeling a difference in my skin. We decided we needed to share this with the world. Fast-forward 4 years into the business, we had another great idea from where there is an unmet need in the skincare market. Every product that sits on the shelf longer than 3 months needs to have a preservative to keep it from growing mold and bacteria. If we offered a monthly service, where the customer gets fresh products delivered to them, there is no need for shelf-life. By making weekly fresh batches, the ingredients are always working at their maximum potency, without the added side effects from all the preservatives. It has been a total game changer, and our customers are loving it.

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 skincare industry can be very confusing and overwhelming for anyone, especially for someone not in the field. There are thousands of skincare brands, all promising amazing results. There are also multiple steps with multiple products, that can very expensive. Being an esthetician, I heard all of the complaints from my clients about the products they were using. Most people want clean and safe ingredients that are effective and easy to use. We have met all of those needs with our 4 piece skincare line. They are vegan, cruelty-free, sulfate and paraben free, pregnancy and breastfeeding safe. There are 3 steps in the morning, and 3 at night, that take less than 2 minutes. The packaging is glass and recyclable, and travel size due to getting new ones monthly. Skin at Peace is recommended for sensitive skin and rosacea, and great for all skin types and conditions. All of the formulas are freshly made within a week of receiving them, and have a 90 day shelf-life. We state all of these dates on the box. All of the plant ingredients are organic, and the vitamins are of the highest quality and efficacy. The monthly subscription takes out any work on the customers end, and we always provide free shipping.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

My husband and business partner is also our sole formulator. With his MD degree and experience working in labs, he is very well educated on how to formulate and improve skincare. Because we are a small business and he is our formulator, he is able to make fresh batches weekly in the lab. We have has to learn many lessons about packaging, and have upgraded them many times. The designs are always evolving, and we are always figuring out ways to be more sustainable. We have gone all the way up to having 10 products, back down to just the 4 we have now, seeing how unnecessary having so many products is. We have the core 4 that is a complete skincare routine.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

When we had 10 products, and were selling to third party retailers, we felt very dependent upon that party to produce sales. We were in a few small spas/salons, health stores, and retail boutiques. It was difficult to keep track of where all of our products were, and how much was being sold. We always love to talk directly to our customers and explain our products and ingredients and why they are so different. By having the products on a store shelf, they sometimes were lost in the crowd. Since switching our business model to subscription based, the customer buys direct from us with no third party. I am able to reach out to each customer and answer any questions and get feedback from them. It’s a more personalized service, and building relationships with our customers is where we thrive. We currently use squarespace, instagram and facebook to sell our products. There we can provide so much information and tutorials, making the experience much more understandable. We also travel a few times a month to many cities participating in expos so we can meet new customers organically. That has been our favorite part of owning Skin at Peace.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.skinatpeace.com
• Instagram: @skinatpeaceskincare
• Facebook: @skinatpeaceskincare

Image Credits
Photographer: Jhon Bolanos, Emerge Brand Consulting Co., emergebcco.com