Name of Business: Skin & Co
Location: South Shields
Line of Business: Online retailer of skin and hair care products
Director(s): Carol Beaney
How long have you been established?
Since September 2007
Where did you go for business advice?
TEDCO
How did you decide which line of business to enter?
Since I was very young, I’ve always had a passion for toiletries. I love anything to do with pampering! Having worked in I.T. since finishing University, I thought I would put my skills to good use by designing and developing my own web site and selling a product that interests me.
Based upon my experience with internet shopping, I found a lot of web sites to be either over-whelming or quite impersonal so I wanted to change that. I also wanted a site that was easy to use and appealing to both men and women.
I have always been excited when the post-man has a parcel for me and instead of receiving products rattling around in a standard brown box, I put mine in a lovely black gift bag or box with tissue and a card signed by the person who has packed it – just for that personal touch and the feeling of self-indulgence!
How did you come up with the company name?
There is a very limited choice of ‘dotcom’ domain names so I picked this as it was quite short. It could also have a broader meaning so will be useful when I expand into other areas.
What’s the best thing about running your own business?
I just love toiletries and my storage area smells amazing! Each time I get a delivery of new stock, I love opening it to see what it is and how it will look on my shelf!
I also really enjoy gift-wrapping each order and hope my customers get the same pleasure when they come to open them. I find it very rewarding to get good feedback from customers about a product or the web site.
What is the worst thing about running your own business?
Not being able to buy everything all at once!
I find it hard to relax these days as my head is so full of things I need to do like updating the site or creating newsletter campaigns. Before, I used to love reading magazines from cover to cover but now I find I just flick through them or just go straight to the Beauty section.
What advice would you give to anyone starting out?
Research the product as much as possible to see how difficult it is going to be to sell it. Research research research!
No matter how tough it seems, believe in yourself and hope that one day, all these long hours will pay off!
