Meg Baillie of Soultime Skincare has been a student of ours for several years. As a registered nurse and certified aromatherapist, she founded Soultime Skincare with the philosophy of “nourishment for the soul as well as the skin.” Her small-batch products are crafted with love, care, and as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. Meg is now in her fifth year of business, and has returned again and again to learn with us and grow her business and formulation knowledge.
Here’s how she leveraged the School of Natural Skincare to grow her hobby into a business, develop multiple income streams, and blossom into an international market.
Where It All Started
Meg had always loved cooking and creating, but it wasn’t until she was made redundant from her job that her dreams of developing a skincare business really seemed like something she was being led to do. Like many of our students, her work began as a hobby, but it quickly became clear that there was a business idea just waiting to be born.
“I’d tried a few “recipes” on pinterest, then very quickly decided that I wanted to learn how to create products in a professional manner.”
When Meg decided to pursue formulating more seriously, she began looking online for courses—eventually finding us! She began with our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation, and continued her education in the years that followed with our Advanced Certificate in Natural High Performance Serum Formulation and Build your Beauty Brand courses as well. Here’s what she had to say about her experience with us:
“I’ve done courses since with other schools but none really compare to School of Natural Skincare. The courses are so well researched and thorough and in an easy-to-learn format.”
With her new knowledge from the Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation in mind, Meg was ready to take her hobby to the next level, and launch her business into the world.
Growing Strong
When Meg initially began Soultime Skincare, she struggled with maintaining confidence. However, she knew that it was worth the investment. “One of the things on my wish list from when I was younger was to create a brand from scratch and see it become successful,” she told us. Her brand, in the beginning, was like her baby, but as she developed it and remained open to new possibilities and new areas of growth, fresh opportunities began to emerge. She realized that there were areas of excellence that she hadn’t even imagined could be possible.
“I had started my business, but I was lacking confidence and felt the course would help me push through the barriers. I like the fact that Gareth and Gail are Life Coaches, and came from a different, almost spiritual perspective, one which resonated with me.”
After completing the Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation, Meg felt that she could create formulas with confidence. She gained a better understanding of the usage and function of both essential and carrier oils, as well as other active ingredients. And, she was able to formulate her products with confidence, knowing that they were based on good manufacturing processes.
The diploma course also gave Meg the confidence and knowledge of a professional formulator, which allows her to provide products that resolve specific solutions. For example, her Calm Skin Balm, for treating irritated skin, and her Pomegranate and Borage serum and moisturizer, for the anti-aging market. This training and specificity really allows her to formulate with her customers in mind, developing wholly unique and customized products that no one else offers.
Now, after five years in business, Meg’s business model for Soultime Skincare looks different from when she first started. She’s added in a baby range as well as a home fragrance range, which have become some of her top-selling items! As well as selling products from her online shop, she has created an income stream through custom product creation for other businesses. Blending her professional background in nursing, particularly in the age care industry, she has formed a partnership with a leading aged care provider to sell her products in their online shop. Soultime Skincare products can also be found internationally, with her baby range being exported to Hong Kong.
“The biggest obstacles for me were (and still are) maintaining my confidence and vision. Perseverance is the key, and fortunately, I am tenacious. It is slow progress but I would rather move forward in small increments than borrow money and go all out.”
These results weren’t even something Meg imagined when she first started creating her products. But with training, dedication, and a continued commitment to her company’s goals and values, Soultime Skincare’s horizons has expanded, and will continue to grow in the coming years.
Looking to the Future
Where to go from here? Well, for Meg, her next goals are keeping things local, and continuing to expand into the international market she’s already established. With the combination of her native New Zealand’s green, clean image, and the inroads to the Asian market, Soultime Skincare is preparing for some big things.
But at the heart of it all is the vision that drives Meg, that has been there from the very start:
“I’ve always been interested in complementary medicines, and believe the mind plays such an important part in our health. I hope when someone uses our products, as well as nourishing their skin, they benefit from the essential oils emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.”
To new beauty entrepreneurs, or those looking to develop their own brands, Meg has some solid advice, based on her own experiences so far:
“Very much the advice Gail and Gareth gave us in the course: Start with a few really good products that you are really happy with. (I wasted a fortune originally on labels and then discontinued many of the products!)
Don’t expect an overnight success (although this may happen for some!) Be prepared to persevere and not give up at the first rejection. Be prepared to work hard! I still work at a “day” job, as anything I earn from the business I want to re-invest; this often means working 7 days a week (although I love what I do so it’s not really work!) Be open to income streams you have never thought of. Enjoy, and put your heart and soul into what you create.”
For Meg, this kind of growth might not have been possible without the training provided by the School of Natural Skincare, and our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation.
“The courses are so well researched; they are presented in a professional, easy to understand format. I refer back to the course often.”
We are truly honored to hear that our courses could make such an impact with Meg, and with many other beauty entrepreneurs. We truly believe that our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation is perfect for you if you are going to be creating or growing a natural beauty business. It features:
- Bite-sized lessons and self-paced learning that you can fit around a busy schedule.
- Formulation templates and guides that take away the guesswork and save you time.
- Branding and business essentials to give you a head start in creating an awesome brand.
- A supportive community of other beauty entrepreneurs, brand owners, and formulation experts.
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- What formulating is and why you need to be doing it!
- The difference between following recipes and formulating your own products.
- How to formulate like a pro! Seven top tips for becoming a confident skincare formulator.
- Our step-by-step process to designing products people love.
- Four easy ways to personalize your skincare products.
- Choosing the right carrier oils for your beauty products.
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