When her children started suffering from severe skin issues, Janell Stevens struggled to find safe, natural treatments that offered more than a temporary fix. So, the mother of five transformed her kitchen into a lab to experiment with solutions, mixing fresh fruits, herbs, and oils to create skincare and haircare products. In 2011, Janell launched the Camille Rose brand to share her products with the public. In this episode of Shopify Masters, Janell shares the challenges she faced in finding the perfect production partner, grassroots marketing, and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her business.
Inspired by her children’s skin issues
Schwang: Let’s go back to 2011 and tell us why you wanted to start experimenting as a kitchen chemist.
Janell: I embarked on a journey to find everything natural. My children started experiencing skin issues, and nothing from the products on the market helped them. All the doctors I took them to just wanted to prescribe different kinds of medications that I felt were only temporary solutions. I said, “You know what? I want to take responsibility for finding all the ingredients myself.” I needed to make sure that what I was using on my family, when absorbed by their skin and hair, was safe and didn’t cause any hidden health issues we didn’t know about. I consulted a specialist, a dermatologist for stars as he called himself, about the severe eczema my children were suffering from and the severe diaper rash.
He told me, “Just look at what you’re eating, of course,” and gave me a list of ingredients and products to avoid and what to use instead. And I did exactly that. Within two weeks, I saw a difference in their skin. It was noticeable and put me on the right path. Janell Stevens’ search for natural remedies to solve her children’s skin issues led to the creation of Camille Rose.
From home experiments to building a business and earning trust
Schwang: From these home experiments, how did you shift from finding remedies for your family to turning that into a business and gaining the trust of others to try your recipes?
Janell: I was obsessed with creating products in my kitchen, touching them, and smelling them. It became a hobby for me. Of course, I presented them to my friends and family and took their feedback. And when they started coming back to buy more, I thought, “Okay, they love it just as much as I do. So I’ll create a website and see how things go.” I started receiving orders.
Camille Rose grew organically through word of mouth. We didn’t have Instagram at that time, but we had Facebook, and we were posting there, and people would come and tell us about their results. Then we started traveling and participating in hair, body, and gift shows. The growth of the brand was truly organic.
Challenges in the next phase of business
Schwang: Was it scary to move to the next phase of the business? I assume you needed a larger production facility and understanding the legal aspects of becoming this beauty brand.
Janell: It was never scary because I loved it and believed in these products so much. It was exciting and fun, and that was the moment I realized, “This is my calling.” Fear never entered my mind. In fact, I believed in this brand so much that when I entered my first big store, Target, in 2013, I was still making these products myself. I did that for almost a year because I wanted to ensure that my formula didn’t change and that the ingredients were unaffected. I wanted to make sure that the customers who placed me on their shelves and those who were ordering products online initially were getting the same quality product. Not allowing existing industry standards to challenge your own beliefs.
Schwang: How did the relationship with Target happen?
Janell:
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On Consulting with Recognized Brands and Connecting with Other Business Owners
Shuang: How do you seek advice from recognized brands and connect with other business owners?
Janiel: I reach out to them and send them emails as if I know them. And if they help me, I thank them. If they don’t help me, that’s fine too. Most of them haven’t helped me, and that was okay. It didn’t stop me. I was going to gain knowledge and information in any other way. The internet was my best friend.
No matter what industry you work in, the more time you spend in it, the more your knowledge increases. Going to different jobs and events, people talk. You’ll hear information you might need. And then people will start to trust you as they get to know you. I was a newcomer in the field; no one knew who Janiel Stevens was, but if they kept seeing me and hearing about my brand and seeing people go to the shelves and choose Camille Rose products, and seeing my sales numbers rise behind the scenes, it got their attention.
Being a Disruptor in the Industry Through Inclusion
Shuang: There are only a few large global companies, and they dominate most of the beauty market. What is it like for you to be a disruptor in the industry and create the change you want to see in the beauty industry?
Janiel: I feel a lot of happiness, comfort, and joy when I know that Camille Rose offers the difference and products that people have been looking for. The big companies have been in business since before I was born. So, they’ve had enough time to listen to the consumer and get it right. And I was just a consumer myself; I had a need, and I solved it on my own. Listening to what my followers say, we focus a lot on social media to know what they need. If you miss something, if you have an issue, let us hear you, and let’s try to solve it. So, this is very important to me and my brand.
And the great thing is that I’m a recognized chemist. I specialize in blending. So, wherever I feel inspired, any ingredient that inspires me, I have the knowledge and ability to go to my lab and make it first. And I do that with every collection, all my products, before I say, “Okay, this is how I want it to work, this is what I want it to do,” I pass it on to my lab partners, tell them how to do it, and then they produce it for me on a larger scale.
I love cultural diversity. I love formulations. One of the things that sets Camille Rose products apart is that I blend honey and mint. Who doesn’t love that? We’re very focused on ingredients, and this is for everyone. I have products in my line for everyone. My deep treatments, if you’re a girl doing color treatments, please use the deep conditioner to help lock those bonds back together. My shampoos are packed with ginger. This is for everyone. I also have lightweight creams, and I have thicker creams for those with coarser hair. So, it’s exciting and fun, and I’m glad I can offer products for all hair types and textures.
How Do You Get Inspired and Start Implementing New Ideas?
Shuang: How do you get inspired, and how do you come up with those new ideas and start implementing them knowing this is the right way to go afterwards?
Janiel: I get my inspiration from the consumer. I get my inspiration from my followers. I get my inspiration from seeing people repost my products or style their hair using my products or cleanse their faces on their Instagram pages with Camille Rose products. I will never lose inspiration. I can get inspiration from being in a grocery store and seeing food in a certain container, and I love that container. That’s how my Leave-In collection was created. Honey Hydrate is one of our best-selling products, and I saw it in a vegan mayonnaise jar and thought, “I love that packaging. I’m going to make three Leave-Ins in the same container.” And they became top sellers, Honey Hydrate and Latte Leave-In and Herbal Tea. And simple things inspire me. I can see or hear about an ingredient and start doing my own research. And I’m inspired to bring that ingredient to life more and present it to my customers.
Dealing
With Growing Pains and the Search for the Best Talent
Shuang: How do you handle social media and traditional media?
Janelle: Initially, I couldn’t even go in those directions. Everything relied on the roots, as we had to depend on our followers and word of mouth. We also participated in product exchanges. I still talk to my followers like they’re my best friends. I think that’s important.
Then, when more sales and income started coming in for the brand, we said, “Okay, let’s hire someone who has experience in this area. If they’re in public relations and know how to increase media coverage and help us build brand awareness.” When we decided to do that, we started to see a change.
Dealing with Control at Every Stage of the Business and Hiring More People
Shuang: Was it difficult to let go of control at every stage of the business, as you hired more people?
Janelle: Yes. Because when you create something from scratch, it becomes your baby. I went through the same things everyone goes through. It was hard for me. Because I don’t know, a lot of people come in and tell you what they can do and a lot of the time it’s just talk. So, I had to sift through the bad people and keep the good ones and learn how to recognize who can actually deliver what they say; it’s a trial-and-error process.
I lost a lot of money just doing that. And I think it’s essential when a brand grows, no one gets it right the first time. And then I realized that I had to learn how to let go a little. That was difficult for me. Now, I know when I’m completely overwhelmed and need help after going through all those different stages in the growth of my brand and business.
Finding the Right Talent to Join Your Team
Shuang: Are there any specific questions or is there something specific you look for when you’re hiring and searching for people to join your team?
Janelle: I look at their work history. At first, I was hiring people based on their resumes and how they looked on paper, and that was a mistake in itself. I had to learn that I needed to hire them based on the synergy between us and what kind of energy they bring to me and my brand? Do I enjoy having them around? If I got stuck in an elevator with them, would we laugh until someone opens the door? Those are all important things because I believe that if you have good people, good energy, hard workers, people who are like you around you, you cannot lose in any way.
Dealing with “Out of Stock!” During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shuang: How did you adjust your business strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Janelle: We put our heads together and started thinking. Nobody knew what the shutdown meant; this hadn’t happened in my lifetime, so we didn’t know. We just said, “Okay, when retailers shut down, that means loss of income for your business. So what do you do?” I tell people all the time, anyone in business who sells a product, you must always focus on your e-commerce; that’s your seller. You should take that seriously. And let me thank Shopify for helping us during that time as well.
Our marketing plan for 2020 went completely out the window; it was supposed to be a time for us to do our standalone Camille Rose activations apart from the events we had already signed up to do. So we said, “Let’s take the 2020 plan, which was the world tour with Camille Rose Culinary Beauty Kitchen; we need to bring the beauty kitchen to our Instagram page. We had several live streams on our Instagram page. We brought the beauty kitchen to our page. We had our brand hairstylists on our page talking about styles and how to use our product. We had a dermatologist on our page. We even had yoga instructors, we brought in a DJ, we brought in a violinist to help soothe people’s anxiety. I had a psychologist on the page. My husband is an oncologist. I asked him to come and talk about COVID and how to stay safe and its impact. We said everything. We did everything. We collaborated with influencers. So, we allocated our marketing budget for 2021 into our e-commerce and social media pages.
Dealing with
With Stock Depletion During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shuang: It cost a price since all products were sold out. How did you deal with that amid shipping delays?
Janelle: When the COVID pandemic hit, we were just starting to get back on track with sourcing all our ingredients and components. There were ripple effects. Everyone felt it, everyone in business, suppliers, retailers. I think communicating with consumers and customers and informing them that due to COVID, this is the reason for your delay, and everyone understood that the world was in a different place.
Of course, there were people wanting their orders and so on, but if I talked to them, if I told them this is what is happening, we are a small company, we are doing our best to ensure you still receive your products on time, they were very understanding.
Balancing Being a Mother of Five and Family Life While Growing Your Business
Shuang: How is the balance of being a mother of five, having a family life, and experiencing this growth with your business?
Janelle: It’s tough but possible. The way I handle it is through prayer and taking time away from everything, work and even being a mom and wife and managing your home and your business. I have to step away from all of that and take time for myself. And that doesn’t mean you have to fly on a plane and take a long vacation, it can be having an hour a day to recharge and refresh your mind so that you can make sure you’re giving your best to everyone. It doesn’t mean you have to fly on a plane and take a long vacation, it can be having an hour a day to recharge and refresh your mind so that you can make sure you’re giving your best to everyone.
Women by nature, we nurture. And we often forget about ourselves. So, I have to remind myself every day that I need to step away and take at least an hour, take 30 minutes, walk on the track, run on the track, do some form of exercise, or sit in my car and drink coffee. And that recharges me. That’s all I need. Then I come back and say “Let’s go, I’m ready.”
Exciting Future Plans
Shuang: What are some future plans you’re excited about?
Janelle: I’m very excited about Camille Rose. I’m excited about our growth. In 2021, we’ll be in more retail stores. I’m excited about our new collections.
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/camille-rose-organic-marketing
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