Jill Scalisi - Ladies Who Launch Blog Posts

Outrageous Marketing Claims and Kitchen Sink products may be a thing of the past in cosmetics.

The FDA released a white paper on Friday regarding regulating the safety and marketing statements of cosmetic products. You can read it here: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/ucm300886.htm?source=govdelivery

Our response is the same as when they regulated sunscreen – we welcome it. Currently, companies both big and small are making the most outrageous statements and they are largely going unchecked. As it relates to safety: Here is an example I saw on Sunday at the International Beauty Show at the Javits Center in NY. A company was literally making a moisturizer by adding ingredients to a kitchen aid blender and then putting it in a jar. Any preservatives? Nope au natural. Labeling – eh whatever, details…. Disgusting, not safe and yes should be illegal.

Currently, the regulation is: ”It is the responsibility of the manufacturer of a cosmetic product to ensure that the product is not misbranded or adulterated. Although the FD&C Act does not require the approval of FDA prior to marketing a cosmetic product, manufacturers or distributors should have obtained all data and information needed to substantiate the safety of the product before marketing.”

However, from my experience, ‘self regulated’ industries are not the ideal situation.

Initial thoughts on this – it should give clearer definition as to the requirements and guidelines for testing. I believe our testing standards are at the highest level possible and once the new regulations are in place we will then retest at the new requirements as necessary.

We would be interested in your thoughts. Please send us a note.

Press Release of our Launch

Scalisi Skincare – Anti-Aging Science and Powerful Sun Protection Combine Forces – Science Never Felt So Good™

NEW YORK CITY, March 2012 – Consider what the average woman’s skin goes through on a daily basis – drying winds, environmental pollutants, not to mention the natural aging process. Now add the sun’s damaging UV rays into the equation, and the very real threat of skin cancer. Well, Jill Scalisi has waged a full on war against them all.

Upon being diagnosed with skin cancer, Jill immediately began the search for a scientifically proven anti-aging product with SPF 30. To her surprise, it did not exist – so she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Introducing Scalisi Skincare. After more than 10 years of research and development, working with some of the top skincare experts in the world, Jill Scalisi is proud to launch her line of ground-breaking products that deliver youthful, healthy, protected skin backed by scientific results. The full line shows results where they count thanks to a rigorous clinical trial and consumer testing period, yielding an impressive bottom line: daily use has shown a 45% reduction in visible wrinkles in only eight weeks.

Boasting four powerful products, the introductory Scalisi Skincare line includes a super-lightweight Anti-Aging Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30, moisturize-rich Advanced Wrinkle Cream, dual-action Eye Cream – all with patented peptide infusions – as well as a rejuvenating daily Cleanser & Exfoliator.

While the proven reduction of wrinkles is enough to convince anyone of the products’ superior benefits, it’s simply the icing on the cake. Scalisi Skincare’s SPF 30 product is a revelation in the fight against skin cancer – incredibly light yet amazingly powerful. Jill Scalisi also shows further dedication in her fight against skin cancer by donating $5 of each Anti-Aging Moisturizer sale to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Now there is no need to sacrifice health for beauty’s sake – the Scalisi Skincare product line does it all.

To find out more about the science behind Scalisi Skincare and its benefits, visit www.ScalisiSkincare.com or contact press@ScalisiSkincare.com.

An Inside Look at Manufacturing

Last Monday and Friday were the 3rd and 4th happiest days of my life as I watched the first products of Scalisi Skincare come off the manufacturing line. I'm not going to lie - I could not contain how excited I was - when the head of Quality Control wasn't looking I literally started jumping up and down. The grin didn't leave my face all week- and I think the excitement was contagious because when I returned on Friday more people wanted to meet me and hear my story.

I had no idea what to expect in a manufacturing facility - the only thing I could think of was when Laverne put the glove on the bottle and when Lucille Ball couldn't eat the chocolates fast enough. You may scoff at the references but you would be surprised at how much is still done by hand when it comes to cosmetics.

The production line consists of a machine filler and the process is meticulous to make sure there is no contamination. The product is tested twice before it reaches the line (a Micro Challenge is done on the original formula and then each batch is individually tested to make sure it meets the standards prior to production) then a random sample of the finished product is sent to the lab to be tested again - to ensure there has been no contamination.

Once the product is filled it goes down a 6 inch conveyor belt. Then a production line of about 15 women wearing hair nets and delicate white gloves start to assemble the product. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would watch my purple bottles go down an assembly line while some of the largest brands in the industry were being assembled 10 feet away. It had been 3 very long years in the making and all I wanted to do was say thank you, so that's what I did. I met everyone I possibly could, I introduced myself and said this was a huge day for me and thank you so much; and for the women who were on the other side of the line I smiled and said thank you. They all understood. As I watched the line progress I saw they took as much pride in their work as I did in mine. If a bottle didn't look perfect, they pulled it. If a box was bent, they pulled it. If the cello was wrinkled, they redid it. I was there because I spent years creating this product and I wanted the finished goods to reflect that - but I was in better hands than I could have imagined.

On Monday I was so over whelmed all I could do was smile; by Friday I kept thinking about how thankful I was for all the people that had helped me get there that I started to tear up. I have ended up places where I swear I had no idea how I got there....Georgetown to start .... then Wall Street.... and now in a manufacturing facility where my name was on every product.

The first two happiest days of my life were the days my children were born. It isn't a cliche....I remember both times thinking how incredibly thankful and lucky I was that I had done something that seemed completely impossible.

Darkest Before the Dawn

Being an Entrepreneur takes years off your life. I welcome anyone to prove me wrong. It takes guts, courage, determination, unrivaled will, hard work and sometimes none of this matters if you don't have luck. There is the proverbial 20-nothing year old who eats noodles and works out of his garage - and then there is the rare executive no one ever imagines - who chooses to toss their career to follow a dream. Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes....

I almost wonder if I would have been better served if I quit my job to join an ashram.

Uncertainty is terrible. I remember being pregnant on bed rest and praying - please I just want healthy, happy children - and thankfully that prayer was answered. But I kinda feel like it's not appropriate to ask again - dear God, I know you have a lot going on but could you please watch over my company??

that sounds a little Republican.

The closer we get to launch the scarier it gets. It's 2:45am and I'm awake thinking about what I should be doing. Sounds absolutely stupid but I wish I could go to bed. The list is long has subsets and really most of it can't be delegated. I prioritize with "does completing this task create a higher probability of sales". Everything else gets put on another list. The "I know you need to get done and you will at some point but today isn't the day" list.

I find myself using "we" and "us" a lot when referring to the company. Because there are so many people and partnerships that are working to bring this together. But sometimes I give the visual image of the one man band. You know the one where the harmonica is around the neck? Because that is what it feels like on most days.

When you're a start up - everything is new. The good news is it is new once. After that you have history. Yesterday someone asked me if my company had a policy on lot coding. My immediate thought was - there is a higher probability that my company has a no red wine in the livingroom policy.....but let's discuss this. Turns out I do have an opinion - not a surprise = and a strong one at that as it relates to how lots should be coded so yes we now have a lot coding policy.

Here's one amazing thing that continues to astound and encourage me in the beauty business: Having been in business for just under 3 years - when I am on the phone with a vendor and I remind them that we are a start up and the responses are:

1. Doesn't matter if you're $1mm or $100MM we have the same quality assurance

2. We are on the same team; I'm not worried about the money your word is good enough when I want money I will let you know.

3. Doesn't matter your size now I remember when Bobbie Brown started out of her apartment.

There have been so many successful indie brands born out of beauty and thankfully people recognize this. But this didn't happen immediately - it did take them realizing who I was and how I operated . But what is imperative - you must deal with top of the line vendors for 2 reasons: 1) you get what you pay for in terms of quality and 2) if you have a ridiculous growth trajectory they can meet those demands easily.

I have said from the beginning. You take a superior product and you build a company around it. You partner with the biggest and the smartest. Because your biggest risk isn't failure it's incredible success. Finally, it takes you years to build a career or brand and a second to lose it. So don't cut costs where it can effect the consumer.

Let's just hope this works.

Entrepreneurial 911

There are some days where I wish I could call an entrepreneurial hotline. "911 what is your emergency". Those words alone would make me feel better. It means someone is on the other end of the phone and is going to direct me to conduct the equivalent CPR as necessary on my business crisis. Why doesn't this exist? Because in business there are so many facets that one can't advise on one event...Or can they... - objective, smart people can assess situations in a short period of time and give great advise...

The hardest part about being an entrepreneur is making the decisions all by yourself. The smartest thing you can do is ask for help. I'm not beyond asking people for advise on how to resolve certain problems. It is annoying how humbling it is - I sometimes think gosh they must think I'm so darn dumb. But what I'm finding is people really want to help you; especially if it is in their area of expertise.

Hi my name is jill scalisi and my X just failed. X could be anything... as serious as a clinical trial or an e-commerce platform to a marketing strategy or a sales pitch. Surrounding yourself with smart people is an established business strategy in traditional business and adopting it in an entrepreneurial situation is paramount. Creating an advisory board is not so much to impress potential investors - it's to create the sounding board that you need to make critical decisions. Not having to answer to anyone is worse than having to answer to many ......but it is easily fixable.

Start to think about who you want to be on the other end of your 911 call and start to build either your team or your board of advisors accordingly.

The Case for Retail

I went to a department store today with 3 empty color cosmetics in hand to replace. With minimal time to waste, I approached the "Brand" counter. I needed new ones; I had no questions; no changes; no nothing. The first woman worked for the "Brand" and not the store ..... so she had no idea which draws the products were in. When I told the second woman (who was working the same counter) I was in a big rush and could she please ring me up while they were finding it; she said she didn't work for the "Brand". The first woman finally found the products for me but since she didn't work for the store, she couldn't ring me up. The third woman was in charge of ringing up; but it was my unfortunate luck because she was on the phone. Or was it their unfortunate luck. Because I walked out. That was after I told them it was absolutely ridiculous that between three people they couldn't ring up $100+ order in under 10 minutes. Remember they didn't need to sell me anything; they just needed to complete an order.

I love my color cosmetics. I don't need to be swayed on the merits of anything. And these people could not complete a sale. I have many fears about what could detract this company off course and retail is one of them. However, Retail is like many things in life. You can't live with them; and you can't live without them. So what do you do when you know you have to be in retail but you know it makes your brand vulnerable.

This is all new and I'm certain a year from now I may be rewriting this entry. However, for now I'm sticking to the following: Brands need retail. Consumers need to touch and feel a product and many of them need to interact with a person as they do it. So you could have a great product but it could be misrepresented by the service received at the counter or if the salesperson is ill-informed.

I have always thought the restaurant business was a crazy bad business. You could have an amazing chef; but if the parking sucks; the hostess is rude; the bar is too crowded; the waitstaff is slow; or the silverware is dirty....you get my point - you are not going back. There are so many interactions that a customer could be displeased. No wonder many restaurants fail. On the flip side there is Apple. Yes, it's not a restaurant, but they have just as many points if interaction - maybe more as technology can be very frustrating. And Apple is a dream. Why? They overstaff their departments with intelligent people. And they are not shy about replacing a product for free if it's defected. Ok so here we go....Plagiarism is the highest form of flattery.

The case for retail is profound, especially in the development of the brand. But there are a few things that are paramount in protecting the message and the experience of the consumer:

1. Careful selection of a retail partner - a small boutique retailer may be ideal. 2. In store teaching of the product and providing short information cheat sheets for sales. 3. Bigger is not better. Perfect the experience in one store and then replicate what works. 4. Hire well and Overstaff 5. Encourage and track customer suggestions. 6. Frequent visits. Kick those damn tires often. And most important, 7. Alignment of interests: Commission aligns sales with increasing revenue.

Once the "Brand" has been established you become fractionally insulated. For example, I'm still going to replace my color cosmetics - I'll just go someplace else. But you need to have a solid Brand for customers to overlook a poor experience... once - and you better hope it doesn't happen again. What's unfortunate is this "Brand" is paying for a "bricks and mortars" strategy and I would be happier if I could avoid all this and order it on line. Hopefully my strategy of marrying traditional retail with internet retail will be well received....

Playing with the Big Kids....UPC Codes

It occurs to me there really is no manual for starting a company. We have "What to Expect when you're Expecting". But where the heck is the "What to Expect when Starting a Company". There are a ton of rah rah seize the day books (which honestly, really annoy the shit out of me) - and some super cool books that teach you to iterate and fast (Eric Ries) - but where the heck are the books that have steps 1 - 1000.....? Being an entrepreneur requires blazing new trails - but isn't it our responsibility to make it easier for the next guy? Share the knowledge.

So here's how we start playing with the big kids in retail. Major retailers require UPC codes. UPC codes are unique to companies similar to social security numbers are to people. The code is made up of a prefix which represents your company; and a suffix which represents your products. Like a social security number, there is only one place that you can get one - go to www.gs1us.org. There you can apply on-line; the fees are based on the number of UPC codes needed and the expected company revenue. The fee is not cheap, they start at $750 and there is an annual renewal fee of ~ $150. You can code everything from the widget level; to the boxes; to the pallet; or all of them.

If you google UPC codes you will find a ton of companies professing to sell super cheap UPC Codes. What they are selling is a UPC that is THEIR companies prefix - and your product will be the suffix. This may be ok for smaller companies with small budgets, however, most major retailers will reject this. Once you apply on line, you will receive an email and password and you can register your products directly on their web application. They have a tutorial on how to get started and I highly recommend viewing first. http://www.gs1us.org/gs1_us/data_driver. Very Easy. You have your UPC Codes.

There is a really good WSJ article which discusses this:

http://guides.wsj.com/small-business/starting-a-business/how-to-get-upc-codes-for-your-products-2/

So UPC codes fall in the "I have no idea what the hell they are so they intimidate me" category. As such, I did what I normally do - avoid until it was absolutely necessary. Today it was necessary and honestly figuring this out was a breeze. Even more surprising, my conversations with others in the retail industry really illuminated the lack of information on the subject.

This falls in the "Nothing's Ever as Good or as Bad as it Seems" slogan that sits on my desk.

So You Want to be an Entrepreneur - The Beginning

http://abeautyfullthing.com/2010/11/14/hello-world/

Finding Your True Passion

http://abeautyfullthing.com/2010/11/18/finding-your-true-passion/

Starting a Company is Like Falling In Love

http://abeautyfullthing.com/2010/11/20/starting-a-company-is-like-falling-in-love/