Mistakes Make Magic

028: Ashley Sievert – Creating and Launching a Product Line

January 24, 2018

I’m Catherine.
A New Orleans based wedding photographer and educator. We are excited you are here and cannot wait to connect with you!.
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On the podcast today we have a fabulous New Orleans makeup artist and owner of her own Beauty brand. She is a self-taught makeup artist that used her own insecurities about skin due to acne to create a beauty line focused on shade selections and lightweight, but excellent coverage. In addition to having serviced thousands for wedding makeup, her company now has customers residing in over 550 cities across the world! So, welcome to the podcast Ashley Sievert!

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS PODCAST: 

  • How to create your own product line
  • How to choose the source for product packaging
  • How to respond to negative comments
  • Lessons learned throughout the process
  • What should consumers change about their makeup?
  • A few pieces of advices for those building their brand


How do you create your own product line:
Ashley’s makeup line has been on the market for almost 5 years now. When creating a product line, the first place to start is finding the right lab to produce the product. Finding out the different steps for creating the product and the minimum product amounts are a few of the key points to know as well. Ashley went to Esthetician School, so she knew the type of product that she desired to make from her experience with makeup over the years. Hours of research, trial and error, and testing different products are all necessary parts of the process to finding the right lab. After meticulous research, Ashley now uses multiple labs to create the different products in her line. Through trial and error, she has found that some labs are better at creating certain products, and therefore made the decision to use different labs.

How to decide the source for product packaging:
Ashley’s packaging is so beautiful and modern, complete with black, white and gold! When designing her packaging, the process was very similar to creating her product line. She researched different companies and almost every single part of her packaging comes from a different company. Sticking to one theme, and making sure everything comes together to really WOW the customer are also important to remember.

How to respond to negative comments:
In every business, no matter what industry, negative comments can be inevitable. Ashley takes negative comments head on, and stands behind her products no matter what. It is important to address all comments, especially the negative ones. Responding to these comments from a customer service standpoint, is the key to smoothing over the complaint. Great customer service speaks volumes to consumers! With so much competition in every industry, being personal with customers about your products will enhance your customer service. For example, Ashley shipped out 40-50 bronzers last year, and when they arrived to the customer, there was actually no bronzer inside. Once customers began to call and complain, Ashley realized her mistake. She responded immediately by sending out new products via expedited shipping along with an apology note. The customer service she showed in this situation eased the situation as best as possible and she was able to recover from the mistake.

Lessons learned throughout the process:
Sometimes things will not go as you had hoped or planned, and you just have to do the best you can to fix it. Ashley is a glass half full type of person, who deals with an issue immediately to find a solution as quickly as possible. Also, it is important to be grateful for all of the success that comes from hard work. Ashley feels as if she is finally, 13 years later, reaping the benefits of all of her hard work. This goes to show that if you work hard, eventually it will pay off!

What should consumers change about their makeup?
Ashley feels as if consumers, do not put enough makeup on. People have the fear of looking like the have too much makeup on, but in reality they are not putting enough on to get the full benefit of the product. Certain areas need extra makeup in order to make them pop!

Advice to others building their brand?
There are no rules and no script for how things should happen. Let your business grow organically and be open to what business comes your way, because one idea can turn into something else. Always remember, you do not have to say yes to everything. Start small and do not have a timeline of when you think things should happen! “May your day be as flawless as your makeup!”

CONNECTING:
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SPONSORS:
Showit – User-Friendly Web Design Platform: Use code MAGIC for 10% off your subscription!
Black River Imaging High Quality Online Print Site: Use code MAGIC for 20% off your order!

If you enjoy the content that we are putting out here at Mistakes Make Magic, please take just a few minutes to SUBSCRIBE to the podcast and leave a review! We appreciate and value you!!

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