DIY Cosmetics LLC

This article is taken from an E-Book Published several years ago but still holds true today.

StyleCareer.com eGuide – Mineral Cosmetics Business Owner 

2007© StyleCareer.com - Afton Institute, LLC   

DIYCosmetics
Rebecca Midkiff, Owner
http://www.diycosmetics.com 
Image © Rebecca Midkiff

StyleCareer.com eGuide – Mineral Cosmetics Business Owner 

2007© StyleCareer.com - Afton Institute, LLC   

DIYCosmetics 
Rebecca Midkiff, Owner 
http://www.diycosmetics.com  
Image © Rebecca Midkiff 
Rebecca first entered the cosmetics industry via the first business she owned, Aromatics & More Ltd.(http://aromaticsandmore.com), which she opened in 1998in New Zealand and still operates today. It began as a hobby, but evolved into a full-time job with overtime: "I worked in hospitals for over 20 years at the patient and management level. When I retired from that industry I was looking for something that was relaxing and enjoyable to do in my free time. It started with soap-making and slowly took over just about every aspect of my day and evening... I now work just as many hours in the day as when I seemed to be on 24-hour call."

The extra hours came about partially because of her passion for the business ("I am slowly learning not to micro-manage all the aspects of the business!") and partially because the business soon expanded. Says Rebecca, "My customers kept asking if I would ever get into the color side of cosmetics."  This demand for safe, natural make-up among her existing customer base, combined with a scarcity of competition in the U.S. at the time--"There were still only a handful of companies that were supplying ingredients and packaging for making color cosmetics, and even less with instruction"--made opening a mineral make-up business seem a sound decision upon Rebecca's return to the States. 

Rebecca didn't let her lack of background in the industry get in her way; the drive to learn was more than sufficient. "Many people ask me if you have to be a cosmetic chemist to do what I do," says Rebecca. "You don’t, but you need have enough interest in it to learn about it." There's no actual end-point to the research, and Rebecca warns prospective mineral make-up business owners 
that this comes with the territory. "I spend at least twice as much time on researching ingredients and reading as the actual daily nuts and bolts of the business." Customers will have questions; the mineral make-up creator needs to be able to answer them. It's a craft that changes all the time; new studies on, for instance, the possible harm caused by nano-particles, can change the face of 
the industry when you're not looking. Keeping current with recent research and reading all the trade journals is one of Rebecca's constant challenges. It's time-consuming, but it's worth it--without it, a mineral cosmetics business could never get off the ground. "Do your research and know exactly what you want to sell before you spend a dime," is her advice.

Another caveat she offers newbie cosmeticians is, "Find your niche. Everyone and their Auntie is selling minerals. You must find a special niche to supply something they want and don’t have." Rebecca practices what she preaches 
here. She's constantly brainstorming new ideas for the industry based on her customers' as-yet unmet needs, resulting in a products catalog that offers more than those of her competitors. For instance, DIY Cosmetics sells several variants of a hand-operated powder press for compressing eye shadows, blush, and other powder-based make-ups into their containers.  "The competition is fierce and other companies have much more money to work with... I know that there is always someone waiting to copy and take my ideas so I need to be ready with the next."

The product line isn't the only place where Rebecca finds ways to give her customers more. She also strives to be a source of information for them, whether it's showing the end-user how best to apply the product or teaching another cosmetics business owner how to make it and where to find the ingredients.  "If I cannot help a customer with a raw material I always let them know where they can find it. I don’t believe in hoarding information or not sharing for fear     that I will lose business," she says. On the contrary, "most of my customers come back and are very loyal." Rebecca's openess, and her commitment to informing and educating her customers is a very big reason for that. Another reason is the quality of her customer service. With DIY Cosmetics there's no preferential treatment for big spenders: "Every customer is important whether they purchase something for $1.00 or $1,000." All of them get the same care and consideration from Rebecca. And a big part of that consideration is in the simple things: being available on the phone to answer questions; honestly saying "I don't know" where appropriate and following up with "...but I'll find out and get back to you"; returning missed calls in a timely manner. Rebecca's willingness to do these things earns her a great deal of 
appreciation.

Rebecca lists three different ways to make people aware of her business, to attract new customers, and to hold on to existing ones. You may be surprised to know that traditional advertising is not among them. You won't see a TV commercial for DIY Cosmetics, for instance. But if you ask around, you'll hear good reports; word of mouth is her primary promotion strategy. "Over the years I have associated myself with a circle of good ethical suppliers, handcrafters, writers of books, and sales people," Rebecca says. "We work together and support each other."

Some say a satisfied customer is the best advertisement, and Rebecca would doubtless be inclined to agree. Being "fair, ethical, transparent, and honest" is a big part of keeping customers happy with DIY Cosmetics. Being fair and ethical means keeping prices "rock bottom all year around" instead of trying to dupe customers into buying sprees during seasonal "sales." Being transparent and 
honest means, as she says on the DIY Cosmetics web site, "I supply the chemical nomenclature and as much information as I can 
with our products and how they should be used. When I label a product or base I include everything that product has in it no matter how minute... I feel our consumers should know exactly what they are using and how to use it. This also gives you the option of researching an ingredient on your own. "She also mentions the importance of not annoying her customers with constant emails the point of them wanting nothing more to do with her: "I do send out the occasional email newsletter when there is a good reason to. I find some companies send out way too many... As a people we are on overload already!"

When it comes to word-of-mouth effects, customers aren't the only population to consider. Employees are important, too. When employees are happy and well taken care of, that's good ethically and financially for a business. Says 
Rebecca, "What is important is to make a good living for myself, a good living for my employees and keep the overhead low so we can maintain our competitive advantage against the bigger companies. I have a phantom share scheme and share my profits with my employees."

The Internet has only increased the efficacy of word-of-mouth promotion, and it's only natural to want to see what people are saying about you. Rebecca recommends joining a few chat groups online for this purpose. But, she warns, "Don’t chat just to sell, chat to help the other 'newbies' and if you are lucky you will get a sale. It is always obvious when one is on a list solely for themselves." 
And, whatever you do, don't jump into a fight! "I have heard that suppliers sign up on lists under assumed names just so they can rip other suppliers apart," Rebecca says. The best response to such underhanded tactics is to simply shrug it off and continue doing your best for your business, your employees, and your customers. "You need a thick skin and a stiff upper lip."