BEACHED. 365 days in.
April 30, 2020
The Beached Founder series with Meg Gordon
We’re 1! And what are birthdays for, if not to look back on the year that was. Has it been plain sailing? Far from it. Have there been more woes than wins? Probably. Are we more excited about BEACHED than ever before? You betcha.
Like all new businesses, the first 365 days never go to plan. From navigating an even more saturated market than anticipated, to rolling with the pandemic punches, but there’s one thing that’s kept us firing, and that’s our fans and their genuine love for the brand and our products. So, here’s what I’ve learnt, one year in.
Are you onto a winner?
Let’s start with the good stuff: amazing 5-star reviews, customers coming back for more, awesome press, social reviews that give you goose bumps. It’s the feedback we receive every day that lets us know we’re onto a winner. Use this as fuel to stay motivated and keep going because often sales are tricky when going from a standing start.
We’re also lining up our launch into some big-name retailers after having unprecedented feedback for a brand as new as ours. This is something we’re really proud of as these retailers have SO many brands come across their desk. Another reason we know there’s something special about BEACHED.
Selling is hard. Like, really hard
I mistakenly thought it would be easy to sell product at a masstige price point, especially with all the great reviews and press coverage we were getting. Boy, was I wrong. The need for brand awareness, coupled with an incredibly crowded market make it really tricky for new brands to cut through with minimal marketing budget. Don’t be disheartened if you’re not selling at the rate you had hoped for, you need to give it time so customers know you’re the real deal.
Go off piste
You don’t need to stick with your business plan. In fact, don’t. A good entrepreneur will pivot fast, pivot often because that’s one of the key advantages of being a start-up.
We’ve pivoted numerous times – we changed our entire marketing strategy soon after launch when we weren’t getting the cost per acquisition we were hoping for. We pulled back on marketing spend altogether following Summer 2019 when consumers were seeing seasonality in our products. We were switching to a retail-led model when the pandemic hit, and now we’re pivoting back to a D2C model again. So, don’t be afraid to go off piste – you can’t plan for what the real world throws at you, so you need to adapt.
Iterate your brand
In a crowded market (sorry for mentioning this for the umpteenth time), branding is the only thing to make you stand out. Having a red and blue colour palette instead of the usual millennial pink, has undoubtedly helped us get noticed. And over the past year, we’ve really used this time to listen to how customers describe us – what do they latch on to, what words appear over and over? – and used this to tighten and hone our brand positioning. We now have a clear proposition as a “no fuss” beauty brand and the fact that we’re natural, is merely a hygiene factor.
Sustainability isn’t going anywhere
IWhether you’re running a business or you’re planning to launch one, don’t bury your head in the sand when it comes to sustainability. It’s a real issue and we must do our bit. Customers love the fact we use recycled plastic and don’t use unnecessary outer packaging. I’m so pleased we prioritised this when launching BEACHED and it’s great to see other brands follow suit. But we must continue to push the boat out on this. Customers increasingly expect it of brands, but soon they’ll be demanding it. And I personally think it’s a great thing.
I’ll leave it there, but I hope this is helpful advice for any budding entrepreneurs out there because if there’s one thing you need in abundance in the first year of business, it’s perseverance. Stick with it, back yourself and enjoy the ride – remember, you’re doing what many would only dream of!
Want to be part of the A-beauty movement? Check out the Beached bundle to get you started.