We recently connected with Savannah Phillips and have shared our conversation below.
Savannah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Idea suggests this proper noun, singular thing that was thought of and then brought to fruition. For Deux Skin, it was more like a million different tiny ideas came together over the course of 7 years to finally be presented as an online esthetic and retail endeavor. I graduated college and moved in with my now husband, who is a career military guy, and got a “real job”. I knew pretty quickly I was not meant to work in an office like that. (Crying in my car to and from work everyday gave it away.) I so badly wanted to be running around a makeup counter in a department store, talking to people and playing with whatever new eyeshadow palette just came out. Even back then, though, I knew makeup couldn’t be my forever job because the work schedule didn’t align well with my ultimate goal of being a mother. From there, I moved literally 5 times with my husband, and ended up in Hawaii. We didn’t have kids yet, so I decided if I was every going to take the makeup dream one step further, that was the time. I enrolled in esthetician school in January, and BOOM got pregnant in March and then BOOM again- COVID started. My makeup appointments dried up instantly, and I was so sick from the pregnancy I could barely move. That’s when I got the idea to do something online. I wasn’t sure what, exactly, but I knew that there were people out there that wanted skincare advice, but didn’t have a spa locally to go to. Fast forward another year, and I was pregnant again with another debilitating complication, and was gearing up for a move to North Carolina. I arrived in North Carolina not knowing a single person, wondering yet again how I was going to make money. I spent the next few months talking to my sister, who is a nurse and also a mom, about how I could change people’s skin without leaving my house. Those conversations ebbed and flowed until finally, Deux Skin was born.
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?
When I was in college at Florida State University, I got hired to work at the MAC Cosmetics counter in Dillard’s- which basically made me rich with social currency at the time. I loved working with girlies, going through the creative problem solving process of fixing makeup mishaps clients were experiencing, and making women look in the mirror with a surprised smile on their face. It was a glimmer into the kind of person I wanted to be when I grew up. As the owner and esthetician at Deux Skin, I still get to do all those same things, and it’s truly a dream job. I created Deux for myself, really. I was a stay-at-home mom with no childcare that desperately wanted to feel like she was still fabulous and cared for. There was no way I could go in and get a facial, but I could spare 2.5 minutes in the morning and at night to make my face look healthy and glowy. So, I started speaking to women that were in the same predicament as me. As it turns out, almost every woman is interested in improving her health through the look of her skin; she just might have hurdles that keep her out of a traditional spa, be it time, money, or location. We take those hurdles away, giving her access to a professionally curated skincare routine and an esthetician to text whenever she has a question.
From there, I added a nutrition side where Dr. Alison teaches clients how to heal the skin from the inside out, and brought on a baby skincare line, after having kids and realizing that the way children’s skin has been treated the past 50 years is all wrong. (A very interesting topic for another day!) I also really needed to get out of the house a few times a month, so I started doing in-person facials in the back of a hair salon and champagne bar I jokingly call “girl heaven” (better known in Southern Pines as Retro Studio Bar).
We want to show people that no matter what stage of life you’re in, being intentional about taking care of yourself will over time improve your life significantly. People can get max 12 facials a year, but they do their skincare routine 700+ times. They have to eat over 1,000 meals each year, so let’s load up on antioxidant rich foods and combat the sun damage collected from too many Spring Breaks with no SPF from the inside out. Let’s do what we can to add some easy luxury to the things you already have to do. Simple additions, like skincare that actually works and food that nourishes, over time improves your mood and overall health.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
As an avid reader, I can literally point to different books I’ve read and reflect on the shift that happened in my life for the better thereafter. The first book that changed my life was Untamed by Glennon Doyle. The lesson I took from this book was about motherhood and martyrdom. I physically could not run a successful business AND have a happy family without this lesson. I had to learn to ask for what I needed from my husband and children, and how needing things as a mom is NOT selfish. The second book was by Entrepreneural extraordinaire, Jen Atkin, Blowing My Way To The Top. (Cheeky title, but she’s a hairstylist so it works.) She reflected on lessons she had learned in the past 20 years in the industry. From this book I took the advice to keep it simple. If you’re lucky like me and her, your parents taught you all the lessons you really need in life. Treat people like gold, don’t gossip, save money, and do the morally right thing, always. The third book I want to give credit to is Super Attractor by Gabby Bernstein. I repeat the line, “Find the joy in the work” to myself regularly, whether it be while actually working or parenting. Using all the energy inside your body to attract the things you want for your business and yourself is so wildly powerful.
Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
From our first month in business, Deux Skin has been profitable. I’ve always just spent what money I had, and then reinvested the profits. It’s important to mention how I’m actually able to do this and still continue to eat 3 meals a day, though. Here’s my big secret: my husband has been paying my bills since I moved in with him. And on top of that, my parents paid for my college and bought me a car, so I wasn’t under any loans. Because of my incredibly generous family, I have been able to personally fund Deux Skin from day 1. Not being under loans or having to answer to someone has given me the space and creative freedom to try new things, mess up, and try again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deuxskin.co
- Instagram: @deux.skin
- Facebook: Deux.skin
