2018 Recap + 2019 Mission

Last year, around this time, we launched this indie skin care brand known as No B.S. Skin Care and made some amazing things happen, like:

• We hit 2018 hard, adding product after product to our launch collection: Purifying Toner, Charcoal Peel-Off Mask, Moisturizer with SPF 20, and the Day + Night Hyaluronic Cream.
• International Shipping gave global shoppers access to No B.S. products.
• Brick and Mortar debuts: The Market at Macy’s in Atlanta; Bulletin Co and Ricky’s in NYC; Nomad Tribe in Wynwood, Miami; and Neiman Marcus from coast to coast!
• Consistent charity contributions included over 5,000 product donations, cash donations and volunteer time. This also led to lasting connections with incredible organizations like  She Recovers, Lotus House, Project Glimmer, and more!
• We saw unparalleled industry recognition, which we couldn’t be more grateful for.
• New e-commerce partnerships gave skin care junkies even more places to shop No B.S.: Anthropologie, Amazon, FabFitFun, ShopHush, ipsy, Neiman Marcus, and Feel Unique.
• Speaking of Feel Unique, we got a taste of Europe, courtesy of their Spark Beauty program.
• We ended 2018 with a bang by releasing our very first and very awesome video campaign which ties into the first-ever trial box of its kind in the beauty industry!

Of course, we're not perfect. We definitely faced a few challenges along the way.

Like what? I'm glad you asked.

WHERE WE SCREWED UP IN 2018

That’s right, we screwed up. We had to learn some things the hard way and experience lows in order to really appreciate the highs. Here’s what went wrong in 2018.

What The SPF?

We launched with a limited collection before adding on as the year progressed. One of those initial products should have been the Moisturizer with SPF 20 but it didn't make the cut because the fragrance didn't match up to our standards. It was funky- but not the “it’s natural” kinda funky.

A certain essential oil wasn’t added to the formulas as planned and we ended up not being able to launch for months and lost an entire shipment of SPF.

Ouch, that one hurt.

We finally launched the new formula in September of 2018 and it's been doing skin care fanatics good ever since!

Our Struggle With “Free”

The best way to get our new products in front of skin care lovers was with free samples. The idea seemed foolproof and we were ready to share our sample packets with anyone willing.

Then came the coupon websites. You see, offering "free" items got our samples picked up by coupon sites and the frenzy began. It wasn’t one or two sites, either, but DOZENS! We were bombarded with sample requests and it caused inventory issues like you wouldn’t believe. It also resulted in some pretty unnecessarily nasty emails to our customer service team (they’re the real MVPs, people!).

Sure, it was a disaster we couldn’t have predicted but we bypassed the free coupon sites by adding a $3 shipping cost. This helped us filter out the people who were serious about skin care products and avoid those who were aimlessly searching for free stuff.

Familial Recruits

Our launching of the NOBS Box late last year received amazing feedback and introduced No B.S. to so many skin care lovers we weren’t reaching before (#blessed). Being such a small team, we were ready for the volume… or so we thought.

The orders started coming in and the team got to work, balancing NOBS Box orders and the usual daily operations. When things were getting a bit hectic, we recruited family members to help us pick, pack, and ship our amazing NOBS Boxes.

At the time of writing this post, we still have family members coming in to lend a hand as we continue this incredibly successful campaign.

Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea

There are plenty of people who vibe with No B.S. but we quickly realized we’re just not for everyone. We pitched our products to some big-name retailers in the hopes of rubbing elbows with well-known brands but it didn't go so smoothly.

The profanity in our name and our taglines rubbed some people the wrong way, so we were rejected by a number of retailers who could have otherwise carried our products in their stores.

Luckily, for every “no” we got, there were plenty more saying “yes.”

Manual Labor

Mistakes happen. What we learned is that when they do, it can take a team of people to get things back on track.

That’s what happened when our packaging was printed with an error and we had to reprint and manually repack an entire shipment of product. This was not only an expensive mistake but also a time-consuming one and it’s a lesson we’re taking with us as we move into 2019 and beyond.

We tripped up quite a bit last year but it was still an incredible ride and we’re more than ready to grab 2019 by the horns and kick some skin care ass!

HERE'S WHAT WE HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU IN 2019:

• To celebrate our first anniversary, we’re planning something golden that’ll knock your cozy socks off! Stay tuned on our Instagram for can’t-miss details!
• We’re ramping up on content, meaning you’ll see more blogs like this on a regular basis.
• We still have a way to go with reducing our impact on the planet, which is why we’re staying diligent about producing more eco-friendly packaging.
• In order to make our products even more accessible, we’re introducing new ways to enjoy No B.S. now and pay later!
• We’re continuing our Brick and Mortar takeover with launches planned for Urban Outfitters and expanding our e-commerce availability to include macys.com!
• Now that No B.S. is worldwide, we’re going after the European market- in the best way possible! Our latest mission is EU compliance and jumping through all the hoops to make it happen.

WHEW!

It’s gonna be one hell of a year and we’re so excited to have your support throughout it all. Make sure you’re following us on our social channels and let us know what you want to see from us in 2019.

Stay tuned and always #LiveNoBS!

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