If you’re building a skincare or beauty brand, one of the biggest early decisions you’ll face is how you’ll actually make your products. Do you manufacture in-house (in the early days this might mean literally, in your kitchen or repurposed garage)? Or do you partner with a contract manufacturer? If you start in-house, when (if ever) should you switch to a contract manufacturer?

I’ve done both.

When I started Zoe Organics in 2010, I didn’t have much of a business plan. There weren’t online organic skincare formulation courses or even labs that wanted to work with me. There was a budding indie beauty scene and natural products industry that was in its infancy. Retailers didn’t have “clean” or “natural” sections. I had identified a need, validated my idea and felt so passionately about it that I pioneered my vision to life.

I began in my kitchen with a few hundred dollars in ingredients and a vision far bigger than my experience. I learned by doing — and by failing, iterating, pivoting, growing.

I am deep into the total rebrand of Zoe Organics, which involves a complete overhaul of our visual identity and packaging, scrutinizing each SKU, re-evaluating our target market and their preferences and so much more. It is tedious and exciting and absolutely necessary for a strong re-launch planned for early 2026. When I first launched Zoe Organics in 2010, I went at it with a giant leap of naive faith and I proceeded to learn a million lessons (some very expensive ones) in the preceding 14 years. This time around, I have the benefit of all of these lessons, so I can take a much more intentional approach built upon some actual wisdom.

The idea for Zoe Organics came in 2008 and it took about two years to test it and bring it to market. If you have a product idea that you are contemplating bringing to market, you are in the right place—because I’m going to save you some time and money by helping you to validate your idea or know when it’s time to pivot.

Every product I have created comes with a story; but not all of them are as special as Dr. Shannon's Skin Balm. If you knew Dr. Michael Shannon, you know how lucky you are. If not, allow me a quick introduction. Dr. Michael Shannon was a beloved pediatrician in Orange County, California and partner at Sea View Pediatrics for much of his career. His confident, calm and caring nature put parents and kids at ease, and no question or concern was too big or small.

Last week, I was thinking a lot about how I have approached my goals in the past, and how some recent shifts in my mindset have produced some enormous benefits. I’m a work in progress, but change begins with a realization of thoughts or behavior that don’t serve us and then we have the opportunity and responsibility to take action.

Here is the background story. One of the things I have been focused on over the past 6 months has been building physical strength and endurance. For a few years leading up to this, I was healing from some pretty severe burnout and exhaustion, which required some deep work and lot’s of rest. Then last Fall, I started walking.

Entrepreneurs are a special breed of human. We see possibility. When we start out on a new business quest, we do so with energy and passion that some would call reckless. We believe in our cause and with our rose colored glasses, we forge ahead. We feel on top of the world, not terribly fazed by the relentless time demands; we wake up excited to tackle our goals and we feed off the energy of business growth. Closing sales is the best dopamine hit and we feel a little bit invincible. Until we don’t.

At some point, the early stage excitement wears off and reality sets in. You are wearing all the hats and you realize you might be in over your head. After all, many of these roles are brand new to you. You are met with supply chain issues, lack of human resources, paperwork and documentation deadlines, cash flow issues, miscommunication with vendors, struggles to keep inventory in stock. You feel inadequate, but you push through.

Most aspiring entrepreneurs I’ve met have a great business idea, but they feel intimidated by what they don’t know and stuck with regard to what steps to take to actually make their goal a reality. When they hear the words “business plan” they cringe or freeze, because the idea of being forced to write down all the nitty gritty of their business idea, especially if they don’t have a business background, feels overwhelming. Here’s the deal; you don’t have to have a polished 50-page document to start your business and you probably have a lot of it is already in your head or jotted down. Putting these pieces together into a business plan not only helps to organize the information, but it allows you to challenge your idea, make any adaptations, fill in the gaps and get really focused on your strategy BEFORE you invest your time and resources further. While mistakes are inevitable, doesn’t it make sense to have a roadmap to help keep you on track and avoid costly errors before it’s too late?

I began formulating with natural ingredients in my kitchen in 2008. Although, I had been cooking and baking since elementary school, skincare was a brand new challenge and one that would take a few years of trial and error before I would produce the first products in the Zoe Organics line. There were no natural skincare courses back then, and I was told by multiple labs that all-natural products wouldn’t work. I ordered a few hundred dollars worth of oils, butters, beeswax, herbs and essential oils and got to work; my heart leading the way.

After closing Zoe Organics, August of 2024, I booked a solo trip to Portugal to walk the Camino de Santiago Portuguese route from Portugal to Spain. I needed the space to process this huge transition, heal, seek answers and reconnect with my heart. Zoe Organics had been my passion, my work, my income and identity for 14 years. I wasn’t exactly sure who I was apart from it.

Over the past decade we have seen a significant increase in the number of beauty brands flooding the market. It’s no surprise; it’s an exciting industry! The barriers of entry are relatively low, profit margins are the highest of CPG brands, it’s creative and can have great impact. If the stars align, one could even score a lucrative exit. But statistically, a whopping 90% of startups fail, and a majority of them within the first 2-5 years of operation. To put that into perspective; only 1 in 10 startups will actually “succeed”. If you are considering starting a cosmetics brand or are in the startup stage, this is for you! Let’s take a look at what I would consider non-negotiables when creating your beauty business plan. 

As we enter the holiday season, which is arguably for beauty brands, the busiest season of the year, we’re also looking at the state of the industry and making predictions for 2025. As investors and beauty and CPG experts chime in with their observations and what they see to be the greatest opportunities and threats - I have some observations and predictions of my own to share based upon 14 years of brand building in the beauty industry and my passion for anticipating trends and innovating for customer needs and desires.