Eco Friendly Beauty Products - Meet Joanna Cruickshanks from Puresha

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

My guest today is Joanna Cruickshanks from Puresha. Joanna, by her own admission is a beauty junkie. She doesn’t however like the chemical laden beauty products. She has always been interested only in eco-friendly beauty products. It was this interest that gave her the idea of an online beauty shop - an online shop dedicated to bringing together the best and most luxury eco-brands from around the world. Puresha.com is a very well designed website - easy to use and navigate - makes the online shopping process very pleasant. The website has won industry awards.

Read and Be Inspired….

When you decided to convert your love for organic and natural products into a business what were some of the first steps you took to converting your dream into a reality?

Once I had the idea and the inspiration, there was a lot of research to be done. Looking at the market as a whole, the opportunity, the threats, etc and basically gaining as much insight into the organic and natural beauty sector to see whether the idea was worth making a reality! Once I confirmed that there was an opportunity, then I worked on creating the business plan, the brand, the name and setting the foundations for the whole business. I believe that by planning properly and taking the time to do your homework, the rest happens fairly easily.

What set of criteria a product has to meet before it gets the tick from you?

What makes puresha different I think is that a brand must meet my demands on ingredients, but also on look, appeal and feel of the product. I have worked in the industry for years and I know only too well that the joy of beauty buying is in the chase: lusting over packaging, swooning over a scent, caressing a bottle…etc. My criteria takes this AND the ingredients into account. Simply making products that don’t contain nasty chemicals isn’t enough for me. If a woman chooses a healthier approach to beauty, I think she should be rewarded with a wonderful experience of using that product. That’s what we deliver.

You have an absolutely gorgeous website. My understanding is that it was even picked by Marie Claire as one of the best beauty websites in the cyberworld. Congratulations…A lot of moms struggle to get a good website up and running. What was your trick? How involved were you in the whole process of creating this website?

Thankyou! Yes, it is a bit of a labour of love. Again, I have created many sites for other people before, it’s something I’ve always loved. Again my advice to anyone wanting to start is to do your research. I must have spent 6 months at least looking at site designs, thinking about functionality, etc. Always get the brief absolutely clear before you go ahead with any company, get more than one quote and make sure the quote covers everything you want.

What is your number one stress relief tactic?

Yoga! I’ve been doing it for about 15 years and have my teachers qualification, so I’m happy to take myself off for a practice.

You are in a highly competitive industry….What are some of the ways in which you promote your company?

We focus on search marketing and getting PR in the mags, that’s key to the awareness of the site.

If you had your time again is there anything in your business you would do differently?

Well, I still have so many things I want to add to the site functionality and with hindsight, these could have been added in, so perhaps I could have managed that differently. But, I think it’s a waste of energy thinking about the past! All business ventures are massive learning curves and that’s part of the enjoyment!

Finally, your five keys to success?

Always do your research
Don’t succumb to fear. Everyone who ever started a business took risks and didn’t let their fear stop them doing what they wanted. To actually get things moving and make things work, you have to overcome your fear and push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Learn to let go when things go wrong. It’s happened, move on!
Take responsibility. When you have your own business, the buck stops with you and it’s an interesting and liberating experience to take full responsibily for things that happen, whether good or bad!
Have integrity in all your relationships. If you say you’re going to deliver something, deliver it. Integrity is the key to any relationship working, whether that’s with a customer, a supplier, or an employee. Having integrity also helps with making time for fun and enjoyment with your family and friends.

Sites Of Interest

http://www.puresha.com

This interview was published on 18th August 2008

Visit Jo’s website to get more information about her business….

To read more stories about women in hair and beauty products business click Natural Hair Products