Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie DeVito.
Valerie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always been arts & crafty, and I’ve always loved soap. My grandmother told me stories of her mother, making soap in their little kitchen.
Growing up, I’d ask my mom to buy my favorite brand at the grocery store. And when I shopped with her, I’d spend time smelling all the different scents. The words ‘cocoa butter’ and the promise of silken skin always drew me in.
My grandmother’s stories stuck with me because, in 2011, I taught myself how to make my own soap.
It was fun and easy to sell since I was also a Licensed Massage Therapist. I worked out of my small studio and brought in my homemade soaps for sale. My clientele trusted me to make something that was good for their skin, and I loved choosing my own ingredients.
My small successes encouraged me enough to open a shop on Etsy in 2012, and in late 2018, I launched my own website, GildedOlive.com.
I’ve been selling online ever since. In business, the learning never ends. Thank goodness, I didn’t know any better back then, because if I tried to get things ‘perfect’ before I began, I would have never launched.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the most challenging aspects of brand development was having to give up control. For instance, working with others that were helping me with design, packaging, and photography.
Up until I launched my own website, I’d been doing these things on my own (or trying).
When it was time to level up, and delegate certain things to other people? How do I express my vision to someone else? Would I be able to give up control?
But each time I worked with someone new, it got easier. I now love that my soapboxes come pre-printed in the mail. And my photographer takes MUCH better photos than I ever could.
There are other people who do certain aspects of the business much better than me, and I’ve learned to move out of the way and trust in their help.
Please tell us about Gilded Olive Apothecary.
My brand makes vegan, cruelty-free bath & body products, with a distinct vintage aesthetic.
I’m proud of the quality of the products, and I make everything myself in small batches. This method allows for meticulous attention to detail. We also donate $1 from every jar of body cream sold, to support local pet rescue.
My packaging emulates the Art Deco style of The Roaring ’20s. I’ve been sweet on this particular decade for as long as I can remember. The beautiful style, the talented icons, and female rebellion!
It took us 100 years of strife, but in 1920, women finally won the right to vote.
This accomplishment began the liberation of women as we know it. We chopped our long hair and shortened our hemlines. The new fashions were much less restrictive as we moved away from boned corsets and high necklines.
The new ‘Flapper Girl’ went out dancing on her own, enjoying jazz music and drinking and smoking- right alongside the men. Judged wild and disgraceful by the older generation, when most declined a new experience, the new Flapper said yes!
We began to express ourselves in ways we had never done before.
Artisans, seekers and free spirits, we tap into this energy and celebrate those souls. We appreciate the beauty of yesterday, by infusing a little of it, into our everyday. This is Gilded Olive Apothecary
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have tried not to worry so much.
They always say, ‘enjoy the journey’ and sometimes that’s easier said than done, but that really is what it’s all about. The thing is, you don’t know what you don’t know until it happens- and then you figure it out!
Pricing:
- Products from $4-$22
- Gift Sets from $12-$42
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gildedolive.com/
- Phone: 631-627-6144
- Email: Valerie@GildedOlive.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gildedoliveapothecary/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GildedOlive/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/GildedOliveApothecary/
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