Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Barker.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kelly. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The idea came to us in August of 2013 when we realized there was a huge gap in the marketplace in skincare for girls. Both Carole and I have daughters, so after searching with no luck for safe products that would be fun for our daughters to use, we decided we should develop our own products. After some extensive market research, we decided to move forward and in January 2014, PREP Cosmetics was officially born. There were many, many pieces to the puzzle over an 18 month period and in February 2015, we launched our products via our e-commerce platform.
The first few years were all about brand awareness and we tried so many different things and failed at most of them. In 2016, we opened a retail store in a high traffic area to promote the brand and be more accessible to our customers. In 2017, we were able to launch into Target stores nationwide for our holiday collection which really helped us grow to the next level. We currently have our bath salt collection in Target’s newly renovated beauty blowout stores and our e-commerce business is thriving. Needless to say, we have learned a lot over the last 4 and a half years and we continue to learn every single day!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There hasn’t been one week where it has been a smooth road. I think entrepreneurship is much like a roller coaster… put on your seatbelt and get ready for a wild ride! There are so many ups and down and twist and turns along the way, that you can’t even predict what is going to happen in the first few (or several) years of your business.
We have had so many struggles: everything from formulating to manufacturing to supply chain to logistics to technology. You name it and we probably have a war story about it. We are very good about learning from our mistakes, not repeating mistakes and knowing when to change direction.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about PREP Cosmetics – what should we know?
We believe in the power of girls, education and safe ingredients. Oh, and we just so happen to be the first and only dermatologist founded skincare line for girls. Yep, our co-founder is a board certified dermatologist so science, coupled with ingredients that are safe, tried and true, is at the core of our business.
Our mission is to teach girls the importance of a healthy skincare routine with an emphasis on daily sun protection. We know healthy habits are best started at an early age and we want everyone to understand that wearing sunscreen is a daily preventative measure just like brushing your teeth. All of our products are paraben free, sulfate free, phthalate free, mineral oil free, oxybenzone free and cruelty free.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Perseverance – you have to be able to push through the dark times, no matter how tough it gets.
Contact Info:
- Website: prepyourskin.com
- Phone: 800-401-6031
- Email: hello@prepyourskin.com
- Instagram: prepyourskin
- Facebook: prepyourskin
- Twitter: prepyourskin
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