As we’ve all seen through out this recession, tough times can breed new business. That is no different for Natalja Millsap, who found herself unemployed and looking for something different.
Natalja was pregnant with her first child and unable to find the products she wanted, when inspiration struck her. As a woman who loved her beauty creams, she was disappointed to find that there just weren’t any products that filled her personal needs. This is one pregnancy dilemma that eventually bloomed into a beautiful business.
Sweetsation Therapy offers a line of pregnancy and baby safe organic skin care products, as well as the Clip ‘n’ Sleep sling. At just one year old, they continue to grow with the promise of more products to come.
What was the first product that you ever sold under Sweetsation Therapy?
The first product we sold was Ellasti*Belly Stretch Mark Miracle Caviar. This is our stretch mark preventing product that we’ve worked the longest time on. It contains 30 elasticity boosting essential oils and extracts to aid in stretch mark prevention. After that we’ve created Ellasti*Belly Stretch Mark Miracle Oil which is a variation of the Caviar but in the oil form. Both products can safely be used for wrinkle prevention; hence boosting elasticity and skin cell regeneration which is important for maintaining a youthful appearance.
What product trends as the most popular among your customers?
Natural and Organic products have become the most requested products. Parents are turning to: natural, safe, and chemical-free alternatives for their homes and family. Sweetsation Therapy offers a smooth transition from pregnancy products to baby products. Babies skin is the most delicate and sensitive, therefore; deserves the purest natural care. Our baby products are formulated with the purest natural ingredients that are designed to hydrate, moisturize, and pamper the delicate skin of babies as well as assist in the healing of minor irritations.
Chemical-free products are getting higher attention. The “Green Movement” is getting larger and current, so our skin care does not contain: Parabens, Artificial Fragrance, Phthalates, Formaldehyde, Mineral Oil, Artificial Colorants, Retinoids, Petrolatum, Sulfates, or Allergens. We do not test on animals and our products are proudly made in USA.
Since your launch about one year ago, how many products would you say have been added to your shop?
We started off with our Pregnancy skin care line and then realized that it made sense to add a baby line as well. This allowed our customers to have a greater choice of natural products, and convenience of one stop shopping. We currently have 17 skin care products for sale and another 4 will be added shortly. We are scheduled to complete our Pregnancy and Baby line by the end of this year. Our Clip’n’Sleep Sling line contains 17 color choices of slings made of luxury Dupioni silk and more will be added. We have taken our Organic commitment further and are currently completing our line of Organic Clip’n’Sleep slings. Initially there will be about 5 color choices offered at it’s product launch.
What are some interesting things we can expect to see within the next year or two?
We can not comment on specifics on future formulas and ideas, but we are working on a few innovative Organic skin care products for both Pregnancy and Babies. We also have some very unique problem solving innovations for our Baby accessories we are finalizing to bring to market very soon.
What has been most effective in getting the word out about your company?
In this challenging economy it is hard to tell what approach works the best. Advertising dollars no longer guarantees a return on investment like it used too. We’ve decided to try alternative marketing strategies. This allows us to keep our products at reasonable prices, especially during harder economic times. Word of mouth advertising, customer referrals, independent reviews, and giveaways are a few ways we are getting the word out.
Would you mind telling us a little about your Recycle and be Rewarded program?
Our “Recycle and be Rewarded” program goes hand in hand with the Green movement. The idea of preserving our world and health. Our packaging is 100% recyclable, and we encourage our customers to collect 5 used empty packages from our products and just mail them to us for recycling. For being environmentally conscious they will be rewarded. They may choose one product, value of up to $20.00 as a gift. In addition, we try to use minimal packaging to eliminate unnecessary parts, like boxes, and the chance that any of it will end up in the landfills. Our customers now are rewarded for taking a few moments to help save our planet. We hope to inspire one environmentally conscious customer at a time.
Have you always seen yourself as an entrepreneur?
No. I have worked in the corporate world for a long time. I became frustrated when products could have been improved, but were not due to the increase of costs. Shortly after I became pregnant, I decided it was time to make a positive change. I removed the barriers of the “large corporation”. Now I set my own goals, make products safer and better, and set my own schedule. A large part of why I choose skin care is that I have an extensive background in cosmetic world and because I could not find good quality Pregnancy products for myself. That is how Sweetsation Therapy was born, and keeps growing every day.
What has Sweetsation Therapy taught you?
I am having a lot of fun doing what I enjoy. Being successful is very rewarding. I love when my customers find our products as great as I designed them to be. Being your own boss requires lots of dedication and hard work. Not wanting to become dependant on other people, I’ve become my own web designer, blogger, label designer, content writer, advertisement designer, product designer, PR person, researcher and consultant. All that consumes enormous amounts of time, and it takes discipline to balance it all with family life without feeling exhausted, overworked and overwhelmed.
Do you have any tips or tricks that have helped you balance parenthood and your business?
The main advice I would give is the importance of making a schedule, and sticking to it. All business decisions and actions can not be done in one day. Prioritize the importance of things to be done. Scheduling a play time with my family is one of them. You also need to have time for yourself. Balance is the key.