Cleaning Up the Soap Aisle with Kristine & Daniel Sperling of Makes 3 Organics
Companies are not legally obligated to get certified before they use the word ‘organic’ in their marketing, meaning they can charge more for products that are no less nasty to consumers.
Today we speak to Kristine and Daniel Sterling, Co-Founders of Makes 3 Organics, about their certified Organic, EWG verified skincare brand that customers don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to enjoy. We speak about the backstory of the company and how their ‘organic for everyone’ philosophy has driven them to make products that are not only the real deal but are also accessible in different ways. Kristen and Daniel weigh in on how pricing at a loss allowed them to scale fast enough to start turning a profit while keeping the cost of their product low.
We also get into the logistics behind running this business, hearing our guests weigh in on why they do their own packaging, challenges to the supply chain posed by the pandemic, and the centrality of agility in entrepreneurship. Tune in for insights into the process of starting a successful business selling healthy products today!
Key Points From This Episode:
The founding story behind Makes 3 Organics starting with their daughter’s allergies.
Understanding our guests’ ‘organic for everyone’ philosophy and how it came to be.
How our guests have structured their business to keep their products affordable.
The financial and legal backgrounds our guests have and how it helps their business.
Challenges of moving from institutional backgrounds to a more agile entrepreneurial approach.
Why our guests started manufacturing themselves and how it led to co-packing opportunities.
How being organic and EWG compliant have shaped our guests’ process.
Dealing with confusion in the industry around branding as organic without certifications.
Why our guests moved to California and how this has been for their business.
Whether there is any interest in joining Makes 3 Organics from our guests’ daughter.
What the future looks like for Makes 3: new products and a more efficient supply chain.
Tweetables:
“Our soap was the first thing we made ourselves and then it took off from there.” — Daniel Sperling [0:03:31]
“We cleared out a lot of products from the house including products that are very common for families to buy and then we started looking at what we could replace them with.” — Kristine Sperling [0:02:15]
“The business has had a number of stress tests along the way but we have learned from each one of those moments. You’ve got to be flexible enough to pivot, to learn and change, to seek out answers.” — Kristine Sperling [0:16:05]
“When we first started we thought certified organic was the most important thing. What we found was that people were more concerned with toxins and carcinogens in their products.” — Daniel Sperling [0:26:30]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
