We were lucky to catch up with Erin Elizabeth recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Erin, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.
There is so much trending on social media at every minute of the day. Often it can be intimidating to keep up with who, or what, inspires you. All while keeping true to your own brand’s voice. When my creative juices are running low, the best thing for me is to just unplug it. Delete the app! Maybe just for a few days. Get out in nature, do something you like to do, or go for a walk. It’s amazing what a little carved out self care time can do for your mojo.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m a double water astrological sign, the ocean is in my veins. Maui, Hawai’i is my home where I love to free dive and swim. I grew tired and sad seeing so much plastic wash up on the shorelines and in the water. I’ve seen a huge decline in schools of fish and coral reefs across the Hawaiian Islands over the years. I began to research how chemical sunscreen has been a negative factor for marine life growth. I knew I didn’t want to put those types of ingredients on my body, or in the waterways. There has already been a ban of three harmful sunscreen chemicals, and several more are currently up for a reef safe review.
I started making my own body care recipes in my kitchen in plastic-free containers–from natural deodorants, to lip balms, essential oil blends, and a mineral sunscreen formula. I dove deep with learning about plant-based ingredients and how to source them from reputable local and organic farms. Soon my friends were interested to try my yummy smelling natural products. I listened to their feedback and changed the recipes many times! They enjoyed how rich and effective the formulas were on their skin. Some told me I should start selling on Etsy, so I did! I called the product line One Love Body Soul, after that came my website build – onelovebodysoul.com. I quickly learned that a website is always a work in progress! Your baby.
The mineral-only sunscreen formula was a hit because most tourists and locals want to preserve the fragile coral reefs they like to enjoy, and not add to pollution with harmful chemicals–maybe you’ve seen here the handmade painted signs on local beaches telling you not to go swimming with certain sunscreen ingredients. Word got out that my natural products worked excellent for all skin types and the positive reviews started flowing in online. I started selling my products to a handful of small boutiques on consignment in Paia. After I was in about 20 stores I hit a road block. The larger retail stores would not sell my sunscreen because it wasn’t FDA approved. News flash, sunscreen is considered a drug! I took a HUGE leap with a large business loan to go the FDA certification. The whole manufacturing process was insane to me at first, it took two years to get my formula tested and approved.
While this process was happening, I obtained the Leaping Bunny cruelty-free ingredients certification and became a member of 1% for the Planet. I knew these organizations aligned with my brand and I wanted my products to show that I cared about your skin and the environment. I was now a small business owner and CEO! And here were are; OLOVE® skin is trademarked and has been in the making since 2014, we sell the products wholesale in over 200 retail stores and are always on the lookout for new partnerships.
As a creative, this small business journey has been my most challenging and rewarding. The last couple years the brand steered me into more of a political stand point as an ocean advocate. I took part in helping pass the Hawai’i and Maui County Sunscreen Law Bill, now you must wear a mineral-only formula while in the ocean here. My hopes is that someday this goes nationwide to preserve our fragile marine ecosystem.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. How to price your product so you are making the money you deserve. 2. Learn how to bookkeep your business closely. 3. Get used to being told no, over and over.
There are guidelines out there on how to best price your goods. Research that, ask a successful friend, and listen to small business podcasts on this topic. I started early out bookkeeping on Quickbooks and have reached out for help to tax advisors to develop these skills. It’s ok if you don’t know it all, but start somewhere and grow. Seeing the overall picture of my expenses and money coming in has always been helpful, and eyeopening. Some customers or buyers aren’t going to like your stuff, it sucks, but when you can move on quickly from that, and go back to your purpose, being told no gets easier. Because something else better is yet to come!
What are your current struggles?
I’m still experiencing a large economic impact from the Maui wildfires that happened on Aug 8th, 2023. Several of the retail stores we sold in burned down, and many more are closing due to business being slow. It’s heartbreaking to me because I’ve had partnerships with these people for years, and many of them have lost everything, including family.
Unfortunately, we are not selling our products near as well as we did in 2022 due to this natural disaster. It has been truly sad and devastating to the entire Maui community in some way or another. We are all trying to help one another out in our own ways, yet still take care of ourselves and our businesses. OLOVE® is continuing to donate a portion of every order to the survivors through a trusted relief aid. This is the first time I have felt some days like I just to want to quit, but we are taking it day by day here, and trying to hold strong.
Contact Info:
- Website: onelovebodysoul.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelovebodysoul/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onelovebodysoul
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olovemaui/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelovebodysoul
