Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Sarkissian.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alex. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there. Can you tell us a little bit about Pete’s Naturals and how you got inspired to launch the business?
Yes but first I would like to thank you and the staff at Voyage LA for this opportunity.
Pete’s Naturals is a family-owned wellness company that creates extraordinary self-care and relaxation products inspired by plants. All Pete’s Naturals formulations include natural, plant-based ingredients and are designed to hydrate your skin as well as relax your body. Our professional CBD products are used in luxury spas across the country, servicing the needs of spa and salon professionals as well as aestheticians. Pete’s Naturals retail line is designed for at-home wellness, which is now more important than ever with many spas being closed due to the Covid-19 virus.
My story is quite simple. I come from humble beginnings. My parents struggled to put my sister and I through private schools. They did so to instill in us the value of hard work and having a quality education. I wouldn’t have been able to build Pete’s Naturals without their support. My extended family is also filled with entrepreneurs, business owners and creative artists, which have inspired me to carve out my own path in life.
After attending college at USC, I went on to earn my Masters in Business Administration at Pepperdine University with an emphasis in marketing. Post graduation, I was offered a position at my aunt’s cosmetic company, which is based here in Los Angeles. As a child I would travel to trade shows with my parents who also had senior positions at the company, so it seemed like a natural fit. I was always surrounded with the knowledge of what was needed in the business and the value your customers gain by offering a very high quality, professional product.
I spent a few years at the company focusing on growing the international book of business as well as new product development… particularly the new seasonal collections, which involved a whole assortment of collateral marketing materials that needed to be created and then distributed around the globe. As I spent more time in the industry and began developing relationships with beauty distributors, I really enjoyed the process of designing a product from scratch and then distributing it to markets around the world. The beauty industry simply blew me away…. I found myself especially supportive of the spa and salon professionals who make their clientele look and feel beautiful day in and day out. I cannot explain to you enough how a simple manicure, a blow dry or a massage treatment can alter a person’s mood in a positive way. When you look good, you feel good… and when you feel good positivity shines through in your life… and that can have a strong positive impact on those around your and throughout your community. At that time, I had an awakening of sorts and decided it was time to be in control of my own destiny… that’s when I decided to launch Pete’s Naturals Wellness Company.
As one who enjoys a good massage treatment and a day at the spa, I’ve experienced how older generations still associate a negative stigma with self-care and relaxation. With Pete’s Naturals I wanted to break that stigma because I believe caring for your body is the most fundamental daily tasks we have. I’m proud that my generation has created a movement towards health and wellness…. It is this generation that is taking care of their bodies and making an effort to live balanced lives. Many people are now starting to understand that stress is not sustainable and that a go-go-go lifestyle drains your body, which ultimately can affect the appearance of your skin. This generation understands that the food you eat and the products you put on your body affects your overall health and wellness… It is this generation that is concentrating more and more attention to the products they choose to include in their daily self-care routines.
So the journey began in 2015 when I set out to create a line of skin + body wellness products that would transform a simple daily routine into pure pleasure. I wanted to bring the spa experience to everyone at home…. particularly to break the stigma about men and self-care. The line consisted of 3 extraordinary handmade bar soaps which are still available on our website today. A raw honey bar, which includes a teaspoon of raw honey, a Dead Sea mud bar which includes a scoop of mud from the actual Dead Sea and a Himalayan salt bar with goats milk and raw blueberry seeds for natural exfoliation. From the start, I dreamed of developing a line of skincare products that harnessed the plant-based power of Cannabidiol (CBD), an ingredient of the future, but at that time, it was almost impossible because legal and quality CBD was not available on the market. When we finally had the regulatory breakthrough in 2018, I was able to find a sustainable supplier of pure CBD and a laboratory that matched my green philosophy. Many formulations later, Pete’s Naturals new CBD exclusive line had come to life! We are proud to say we developed a self-care line that helps people relax stress plus look and feel their best while also doing so with clean, plant-based, botanical formulations. Today Pete’s Naturals CBD line is growing exponentially in luxury spas, wellness centers and mass-market retailers. These are spa-trusted CBD products that you can use in your everyday skincare routine to give your skin and body a dose of wellness. I invite all of you to experience plant-based wellness with Pete’s Naturals!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. First and foremost starting a self-funded business is extremely difficult. Every penny is an ROI calculation and it’s emotionally and financially stressful. As a MBA graduate, there’s always that temptation during your 20’s to just go get a corporate job with financially stability and less responsibility. It’s truly a gut check on your dedication and commitment to your business. Running a small business is all YOU. YOU are all the departments. YOU handle product development, web development, sales calls, social media content, customer service, shipping and receiving just to name a few!
One of the biggest challenges is competing with larger, well-funded companies. There are many opportunities that well-funded companies are able to participate in which accelerate the growth process. As a small business, you simply can’t afford many of these opportunities without borrowing large sums of capital. For example, to participate in industry trade shows or events where buyers from large retailers come to see your products, these events cost $10,000+ and sadly that’s just not something many small business owners can afford. However, these events are the ones that open doors and can really push brand momentum forward. The hardest part is it takes patience and persistence. Pete’s Naturals was not an overnight success. It took many years but it finally seems to be paying off and rounding the corner.
I find this to be a very good question considering Pete’s Naturals products are infused with CBD. Let me just tell you, the struggle in this space is real! There has not been a single smooth month since we began developing the line. We had and continue to struggle with issues in all components of the business. Here are some examples:
- We had issues with laboratories who would not risk their license to manufacture our formulations until there was clear guidance from the federal government. We finally overcame this in 2018 with the Farm Bill combined with an awesome laboratory in California.
- We had obstacles with credit card processing and banking. We finally overcame this but are being charged a very high processing rate because we are considered “high-risk transactions.” Many CBD companies continue to struggle here and its common for CBD websites to get shut down without notice.
- We had obstacles with web hosting. A business without a website is not a business in 2020. We finally overcame this but were required to build out our site from scratch and host it ourselves.
- We have ongoing obstacles with advertising. We are still struggling with this today. Social media platforms across the board and all large search engines do not allow CBD advertising support, even though it is 100% legal and in compliance with federal laws. When asked how some of the larger, well-funded companies are able to advertise they simply turn their head.
- We have ongoing struggles differentiating with people making low-quality products in their garages and not using appropriate CBD dosages in their products to be effective. We outcompeted them and have showed Pete’s product superiority, although they are still hurting the credibility of the industry. For example, we have many companies who simply sprinkle tiny amounts of CBD into their products to use “CBD” as a marketing stunt because the industry is hot. These products typically do not have a strong enough dosage of CBD to be effective, so although the consumer is happy with the low price point of the item, they end up being unhappy with the results, leading to a bad product experience where the feedback is “CBD didn’t work for me.” Here at Pete’s Naturals we are fully transparent with our clean product ingredients and our extra strength CBD dosages. We only use the highest quality pure CBD and skin loving, plant-based raw ingredients in our formulas. You get what you pay for and if you want a quality product with effective dosages of CBD don’t buy low-priced low-quality brands, buy Pete’s Naturals. All Pete’s Naturals products are double third-party tested by an independent laboratory to confirm they meet our customer’s specifications as well as all local and federal laws.
- We have struggled with the stigma of marijuana. Many people still associate CBD with marijuana, although it’s not the case. Pete’s CBD is derived from USA grown hemp plants, a cousin of the marijuana plant. Rest assured, Pete’s CBD products do not have a pot smell, they will not have intoxicating effects mentally and you will not test positive on a drug test because all our products are infused with pure CBD with absolutely 0% THC. This was very important to us, as many of our customers are luxury spas, salons and hotels where marijuana simply doesn’t fly. Lab tests available for all customers.
In short, small businesses need support in this category and we cannot allow larger companies to take over the industry. We need government regulation and clear standards that will allow all the obstacles mentioned above to be clearly navigable for small businesses that create quality products in this space and truly care about their customers.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Pete’s Naturals – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Thank you! I’m most proud of the fact that our entire inspiration for the line was based on plants. We want to harness the plant-based power of CBD and we’ve done so by pairing it with other high quality natural ingredients. Let’s get away from the synthetic chemicals, toxins and improve our wellness with natural ingredients from earth.
Pete’s Naturals CBD differs from other CBD product offerings on the market in the following ways:
1- In our philosophy: While many other companies go after pain management by including cooling menthols, we decided to take a different approach and develop natural, skincare grade formulas that can be used to multi-task, caring for your skin while also providing your body a dose of wellness. We wanted to create a clean line of skincare products that can be used from head to toe including on the face! Pete’s Naturals formulations highlight CBD and other skin-loving ingredients. From the start, Pete’s CBD was founded on the philosophy of creating a self-care system with skincare-grade formulas that can be paired with massage rituals for skin and body wellness.
2- In our natural formulations: All Pete’s CBD Infused Skincare products are suitable to be used on all skin types. Pete’s CBD formulated a range of natural, plant-based and self-care products with blends of clean botanical ingredients, free of toxins, parabens or other harsh chemical and then infused with potent levels of pure CBD… left raw with no synthetic fragrances… and, of course, never tested on animals. We developed an oil-based serum and balm because unlike lotions that sit on top of your skin, Pete’s Naturals CBD infused skincare products are all oil-based… which means they deliver powerful and potent ingredients deep into your skin for targeted treatment.
3- In our ingredients: In order to create the most extraordinary CBD self-care and wellness products, you must start with the finest raw ingredients. Pete’s CBD sources different botanicals and essential oils from the most conscious and quality-focused growers around the world. We use the purest form of CBD available on the market that is not diluted and has absolutely no marijuana smell. Another bonus of using CBD isolate in our formulas is that it has no impurities such as extra plant material, pot smell, terpenes, waxes, chlorophyll as these are all removed during extraction. Discover all of the ingredient superpowers right there on our website, petesnaturals.com
4- In our CBD dosage: Pete’s CBD wellness products are unique because they are formulated with a very strong dosage of pure CBD so you get the full therapeutic effects. Pete’s CBD lets our hero ingredient, CBD, speak for itself with an extra strength dosage. Relaxer Calming Botanical Skin Serum is dosed at 377mg per fl oz and Rejuvenator Soothing Botanical Beauty Balm is dosed at 400mg per oz.
5- In our testing and transparency: We are rooted in a commitment to transparency. As a result, all of our products are produced with 100% USA grown hemp-derived CBD, produced at a world-class GMP cosmetic laboratory and double-tested by an independent, third-party laboratory to confirm our products meet the exact specifications that our customers expect. All our products are tested both during production (at the batch level) and during filling for microbial analysis and to confirm it meets our exact standards. Upon request, we can email you a copy of the test results for your product-specific batch!
6- In our quality focus: Everything we do at Pete’s CBD is centered around quality. We’re obsessed! Quality products, quality packaging, quality customer support and of course quality results. For example, all of our glass bottles and jars are imported through an Italian bottle company. Next, they go through a unique glass tinting and silk-screening processes to our specifications. We chose a deep olive green custom color to house our products because the tint has UV blocking characteristics, which ensures the products, remain in their original production state for extended periods and secondly, this specific color is the color of life, renewal, nature, and energy, is associated with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. Olive green evokes space, wisdom, and compassion for humanity. It is also associated with harmony, diplomacy, and self-love. Olive green represents the traditional color of peace.
Another example of our quality focus is how we spent a significant amount of time developing our custom-made box packaging design to display our products. Synonymous with our core philosophy of transparency, it was important for us to package our products in a manner that was as open and visible for customers. What you see is what you get!
7- Perhaps most importantly, in our Two Step Skin + Body Wellness System: We designed an at-home self-care and wellness system to help relax stress and care for your skin at the same time. Both of these multi-tasking skincare products can stand alone but for best results, we recommend you use them as a system. The system truly makes us stand out from the rest. It’s also a great wellness gifting item!
Here’s a sneak peek of how it works. Step 1: Pump Pete’s CBD Relaxer massage serum into the palms of your hands then rub palms together to activate the formula. Next, press and massage serum into cleansed skin. Use daily AM & PM. Can be applied to wet or dry skin. Step 2: Layer Rejuvenator balm on top. Pete’s CBD products are fantastic for beauty, stretching, muscle relaxation, body aches, skin nourishment and daily massage rituals.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plans for Pete’s Naturals is to continue to spread awareness about clean plant-based skincare products and the benefits of incorporating CBD into your daily self-care routine. There is still a tremendous amount of work to do educating customers and broadening our retailers. Due to the challenges we face with online advertising, we need to adapt to allow more people to experience Pete’s Naturals. Our hope for the future is to build on the current relationships we have in place with retail partners and to continue to grow awareness of Pete’s Naturals plant-based wellness products.
As far as product development and line extensions, we have a few goodies in the works. Hemp is just a single plant inspiration and we are actively looking for new plant inspirations for our next product line under Pete’s Naturals. We are laser focused on becoming the go to brand for at-home self-care and wellness. With many spas closed due to the pandemic, we must continue to spread the importance of self-care at-home and the effectiveness of natural, plant-based ingredients.
One of the main priorities for us in 2021 is to expand our educational blog with at-home massage rituals that help you relax stress while giving your skin a dose of wellness. Let me remind you Pete’s Naturals CBD infused massage oils are spa trusted and used by professionals in many luxury spa’s as a massage enhancement. We want to bring these massage techniques to our customers because we feel at home self-massaging rituals are a perfect anti-aging way in which we can help fight back against the toll stress takes on our skin and bodies. We will continue to work hard day in and day out to make Pete’s Naturals a ritual for skin + body wellness!
Pricing:
- Relaxer – Calming Botanical Skin Serum Roll on – $35
- Relaxer- Calming Botanical Skin Serum Pump – $85
- Rejuvenator- Soothing Botanical Balm Small – $45
- Rejuvenator- Soothing Botanical Balm Large- $65
- Two-Step Skin + Body Wellness Kit – $65
Contact Info:
- Address: Pete’s Naturals
12239 Montague Street
Pacoima, CA 91331 - Website: www.petesnaturals.com
- Phone: 818-850-7723
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petescbd/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/petescbd
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/petescbd
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