Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronni Wilson.
Ronni, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started making skincare products out of a necessity. I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder back in 2005. After being on topical steroids for many years, I started to notice the effect it had on my skin. I began doing research and was astonished by the harsh ingredients. That took me down the rabbit hole of all the harmful products in my cabinets. I began to research how to make my own products. I made my first batch of soap in 2008. I was hooked! This batch of soap led to body butters, hair oils, and many other products that make up the bulk of Demosea’s product catalog today. I didn’t know it was a business right away, even though I was always entrepreneurial minded.
I began making products and giving them away for free. It wasn’t until I realized the demand for them that I began to make it an actual business. This was around the time when Etsy was just gaining traction. I began my first Ecom business on Etsy selling soaps, body butter, and hair products. I also sold at the Crenshaw Farmers Market for a couple of years. During this time I was in college majoring in Business Marketing. In my junior year of college, I ended up winning runner up in our college’s business plan competition and was afforded the opportunity to get advice from successful entrepreneurs from our local area. It was an amazing opportunity. One of the judges, told me out of all the businesses she saw presented that day, mine was the only one she would actually invest in. She said that my business had the opportunity to really scale and that I should think bigger. She was right.
Life and circumstances made me pick up and put down my business many times, but it was always my first love. After college, I entered corporate, but my heart was never really there. I was a great employee, but I always learned and stored information that I could use when I could be CEO of my own company. At the end of 2017, I took a leap and quit my full-time job to work on my business full-time. Since then, I have made and shipped thousands upon thousands of my products with a very very small team. It’s not always easy, but it is worth it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the biggest struggles I had was having to rebrand my business and changing my business name. When you are doing something great, there will be uncreative people who may want to get a piece of that. I dealt with many copycats and because I didn’t have the money to initially trademark my business name, it later became a problem. My old business name was much too common and it really wasn’t worth all of the struggle to trademark it (even though I was first in commerce.) I was heartbroken initially, but truthfully it was a blessing in disguise. My new name has opened many new doors and it is much more fitting. I encourage new entrepreneurs to make sure you handle your intellectual property as soon as possible. It is expensive to rebrand. Do things right the first time if you can.
Please tell us about Demosea.
Demosea (De-Mo-Sea) is the brand of the earth that speaks to those who love Mother Nature and know the power of her elements. Dedicated to clean beauty, I shaped the essence of Demosea with pure botanical oils and ethically and locally sourced delicacies from the deserts, mountains, and seas.
We strive to inspire others to live a balanced life through self-care and mindfulness. We believe that at the core of beauty is love, joy, and grace. Demosea commits to sharing the secrets to healthy skin, a happy soul, and holistic living with signature blends, eccentric collections, and trusted ingredients.
Demosea is known for to delivering happiness in every package. We promise fresh, all-natural essentials, beautiful bottles, and a pinch of pretty in each purchase. Our goal is to lead you from the good life to a grand life. Demosea commits to embracing every human being through kindness, compassion, and charity. At Demosea, we share our hearts through our products. All of these things is what sets Demosea apart from other companies.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would trademark my business name right away. I would sit down with a legal team and accountant to set my business up the correct way from the start. I would invest in quality branding up front. All of these things cost the most to clean up later on.
Contact Info:
- Website: demosea.com
- Email: ronni@demosea.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demoseabotanicals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/demoseabotanicals/
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