Meet Lizzy Skelding

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lizzy Skelding. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lizzy below.

Lizzy, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Everything changed when my husband passed away. The career, relationships, and ambitions I had had built, and was building, with him by my side disappeared over night. I no longer had the life I was so excited to build, nor the drive to go build a new one. A lot of this, I realized in retrospect, was due to the all-consuming numbness of grief.

It was hard to think of anything other than my own grief, and what my husband and I had lost out on. For a while I felt useless. The idea of having a purpose felt laughable, impossible. But every day, no matter what, I had to get out of bed–our dog Helen had to go pee.

Helen literally got me out of bed every morning. It was clear she was grieving as well, and needed me as much as I needed her. My husband had adopted her close to the start of our own relationship. I got to play the role of spolier while he was the disciplinarian. But no treats or toys could buy away the clear affection she had for him first and foremost. When he got sick, she was his fiercest defender, guarding our room against visitors. After he passed away, she latched on to me. She doesn’t let me out of her sight if she can help it.

I realized that even if I could no longer take care of my husband, and of the family we were to build together, I could still take care of the creature that had shown me unconditional love. I took my expertise in cosmetic formulation and experience in brand building, and started a pet skincare company. I had always been frustrated by the low quality of current available options, and had had half a mind to make my own. One day I just realized that, for better or for worse, I don’t really have much else to loose in my life. I had already lost the thing I love most in this world. But I could take care of what I still had. Building a business isn’t easier, but it’s a lot easier than grief.

Everything I do for the business feels like an act of love to Helen, and to my husband’s memory. Even the unglamorous, boring, and challenging — it’s all in the name of building something that helps me take better care of Helen, and allows others to deepen their connections with their best friends, their beast beasts, their Beasties.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Beastie is all about nurturing the bond you have with your dog. Current shampoo and skincare options for dogs often serve a purely utilitarian function, and can lead to frustrating and uncomfortable moments between you and your dog. I work so hard to maintain the trust and love I have with my dog, but feel like I have to momentarily break our bond every time I give her a bath. I can’t calmly explain to her why she needs a bath, and why it takes so long for the bubbles to rinse out. The best I can do is muscle through, and try to buy back her love with treats afterwards, I realized that if, from a chemistry perspective, you simply stepped back and rethought what had to be true of a dog shampoo, you can come up with a formula that isn’t as destructive to your bond as are the alternate options. I’m launching with Beastie hero product, an innovative dog shampoo alternative, in the next few months. I’m early in my journey yet, but invite you to follow me and Helen in our journey building the Beastie brand @building_beastie (insta & tt)!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Never be Afraid of Experimentation: The advice to “just start” is always more intimidating and confusing than it is inspirational. I found I can trick myself into starting by reframing the task as experimentation or exploration. This is not to say you should procrastinate with an abundance of research, just that it’s always easier to start when you simply start trying. In a very real way, the vision I had had for a while of my dog shampoo changed as soon as the first trial on the bench. You can overthink and over plan, but you wont get anywhere until you start the experiment. (And know that the first few trials are only failures if you don’t learn something from them.)

2. Everyone you Meet Can Teach you Something: As founders you have to maintain a delicate balance of enough ego and confidence to know that you can and will make a difference vs. enough humility and empathy to know you can’t do it alone. Every one you interact with can help you, if only you listen. Listen to your customers, listen to kind strangers, listen to your gut. Not everyone has the right answers, but you can learn something from every one you meet.

3. Be Kind: Goes without saying, but just be kind. You never know what weights and troubles people are carrying with them. I’ve seen first hand how being kind and empathetic with suppliers and co-workers can reap dividends down the line. Business isn’t really about things, it’s about people.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Feeling overwhelmed is a natural part of the journey. Honestly, if you’re not overwhelmed, you’re probably on the wrong path, or need to set your sights even higher. When I get overwhelmed I focus on movement: movement to a different task, movement to a different spot, or even physical movement. The best thing to do is movement to a smaller or sub-task of the thing you’re trying to accomplish. That way you can still make progress, but it’s not as intimidating. You can’t always stop the negative mind chatter, but you can redirect it. So redirect it to something that feels less overwhelming.

When I’m really stuck in a mental cycle I can’t break, I stop actively trying to stop the cycle, and simply go for a walk with my dog or go for a run. Physical movement can often help get your mind out of a rut. At the very least, move outside or open a window. A few breaths of fresh air never hurts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.goodbeastie.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/building_beastie/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzy-skelding/