Last week, when we left off, I had just come up with the idea for Huge Lips Skinny Hips lip gloss at a party, my husband encouraged me to launch my own company -- and I bit!

Had I known every minute detail of what it would take to run a successful beauty business then, I may not have done it. I cannot get over how difficult it is to start your own business. And yet, I am so glad I did, and I wouldn't change a thing -- not the missteps, the financial impact, the frustration, the anxiety, or the fear -- because the excitement, creative energy and passion I have put into it makes it all worth while.

That said, I'm going to take you back to the beginning, showing every step it took to get this going.

Here we go...


I left the fashion party on a kind of high – I was going to get a product made! Maybe I would end up like the woman who thought of those little flower things you stick in the holes of Crocs and make a gazillion dollars! QVC/HSN visions swirled through my brain, along with a dozens of ideas -- my mission would be double duty beauty, and everything would have to have multiple benefits. I had dreams of multitasking creams, potions, and lotions from head to toe. And it would all start with Huge Lips Skinny Hips.

One problem: I had NO CLUE what to do first!

First step: Frantic phone calls and emails. I reached out to everyone I could think of in the beauty industry – PR girls, my former editors, writers, marketing peeps, consultants, Facebook shoutouts, friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends ... you get the picture. My head was spinning as they said things like "you need to go into R&D." (R&D? Road and driver? Oh, that would be research and development.)

Apparently, I needed a lab. And not the kind with four legs.

Chemists, white coats, test tubes, the whole shebang. The more I dug, the more the same few names popped up. I started Googling, researching, dialing, and suffering from severe anxiety. It was beyond overwhelming. Finally, I caught wind of an innovative lab that has developed some of my favorite things -- products for Bliss and Freeze 24/7. I got on the phone with the head mad scientist and the minute I started talking about my idea, he began naming ingredients to make it work. "I don't want the plumper to sting," I told him. (I can't stand the feeling of burning lips -- it makes me want to tear my mouth off.) He mentioned something about vasodilator technology and micro circulatory stimulation to promote blood flow to the lips.

Uhhhh, what?

My thoughts exactly.

But the longer we spoke, the more I felt like he "got" my idea. He cracked up when I told him the name of the product. "No one is doing this," he said. "Genius." What can I say? I'm a sucker for anyone who calls me genius!

For the appetite suppressant, I wanted to use Hoodia. It's all-natural, from a cactus-like plant indigenous to South Africa (a.k.a. birthplace of Shiloh!) and it has been used for centuries for its appetite suppressing qualities. The stuff -- in capsule form -- sells out at my health food store all the time! And I loved that it's a natural ingredient.

Sidebar: I think you should know my theory on both appetite suppressants and this gloss.

I don't really believe any appetite suppressant works unless you really want it to. I mean, how many times have you been completely full and found yourself double fisting dessert (don't tell me I'm alone in that!). So to me, this gloss – with Hoodia – was about creating an intention-setter, something to keep us girls mindful about our eating so that we don't leave a party with ring-around-the-waist or beat ourselves up for eating things that don't make us feel good. It's NOT about starving. It's NOT about being skinny. It's about being who you are and having a fun, sexy, glamorous lip gloss that makes you feel good and aware.

The more I talked to this chemist, who is this kind of crazy Russian guy who created an empire based on his chemical reactions, the more I thought that he would be the perfect fit for me. Especially when he promised me a sample in two weeks! Woo hoo! I was on my way.

Interesting in starting your own brand? Here's the lab process:

1. You tell a chemist/lab about your "product profile," what you want your claims to be, how you want to market the product, what it should feel like, what you don't want it to be like (i.e. no parabens!), etc. The more details the better.

2. They send back a "paper formula," which is a list of ingredients and actives that they feel would fit the bill. We discuss ingredients, blah blah blah.

3. They send a sample. I give feedback – it's not thick enough, the color doesn't "pay off" (industry jargon for "show up/stay on") enough ... etc.

4. They send new sample based on feedback until approved.

For that, there is a fee – a few thousand dollars, which is put towards the eventual order of the full run. A few grand ... wasn't bad. I could afford that.

The next step: Testing. Many kinds of testing.

Tune in next time and I'll take you through the step-by-step of Phase II (testing, more manufacturing, compliancy and regulatory issues, and -- oh yeah -- setting up a company, trademarking everything, branding, imaging, distribution, presentation to retailers, marketing, PR ... the list is endlessly exhausting).

Until then... Mwah!

Karen
Purple Lab Creatrix