Ep 68: Inside Rochelle Humes' Skincare Brand Launch: The Journey Starts Now

0:12So I thought I would give you a little bit of a bonus ep this week. It was just my birthday, which is very nice, not that that's what this is about, but I just thought it feels like a really good time to tell you what I've been up to. Another year around the sun and I've been working on something since last year. I'm still very much in there working on it right now. But it feels like a really good time to bring you on the journey. And when we did our first ever solo app on Uyah's Day, I told you that I would. And I'm ready now. I'm ready for opinion. I'm ready for notes. I'm a little bit about what I've been doing and what I plan to do with you along the ride with me.

1:00A lot of you guessed it. I mean, am I that obvious? But I am building a skincare brand, which I am so, so excited about. I mean, if you've followed me for some time, you'll know just how passionate I am about skincare and just how many products I have, own, try, buy. this is like a dream come true it really is we started working on it probably in about October November last year or like I was floating the idea with the team and getting everyone's feedback and seeing how that could look but we're here we're doing it I've committed and my goal is to bring premium skincare to the high street and you might have heard me say this before because that's exactly what I did with My Little Coco.

1:53I wanted to bring premium baby skincare to the high street. But this time I want to do it for myself, not just for my children. So I am so excited to develop and continue to develop. I've got a lot of things are nailed on. A lot of things are up for discussion. And it's, you know, it's a sort of open stream of communication between me, the team, everyone that I've asked advice from. And yeah, the goal is to build a skincare brand that doesn't compete with your facialist, that is essential, that is kind of really balancing, restoring, but feels like you've really treated yourself. But it's purse friendly.

2:46I want it to feel like a real lifestyle I want you to feel like you're part of something there's a lot I want but the question is can we afford to do it on the budget that we've set out and for what I want it to retail at and that's where I think this journey could be a little bit difficult. I have a plan and it's just whether or not I can execute it. So we are in really early stages at the minute. I'm calling it the skincare project. I mean, that isn't the name. That's just what I'm referring to as at the minute. The final SKUs and the final products are just about locked in. I started it at the end of last year and we've already been on a journey with how that looks in terms of formulations and the components and the names and you know how really streamlining what's necessary how many cleansers are important how many moisturizers does one girl actually need but we're there now we're locked in this is why I wanted to bring you in now because I kind of I'm really making sort of important decisions I'm just about to start having conversations with retailers I've been on research trips.

4:09I've had a trip to Paris. I'm going to have a trip to Korea, which I'm very, very excited about. And the goal is, just so you know, the goal is to secure a retailer that will enable us to have mass volume so that I can then retail it for an affordable price because, and we have these conversations a lot on the podcast, when you're formulating something, when you are building something, those initial orders can be so, so costly. And obviously the larger the MOQ, so the minimum order quantity, the less that you pay for each unit. And we know that, but that's kind of, it's a hard position to be able to be in when you're a startup because you need the cash flow to be able to place that big order, which in turn means you can retail it for less.

5:08So the goal is that I secure a big retailer that will give us lots of volume, lots of stores that we have to fulfill, which means I can place that big order and hopefully be able to bring it to you for an affordable price. Because I want it premium, the packaging, the formula, everything I want to be at a certain level. I just feel like at the minute skincare is just outpricing everybody. And of course I understand, you know, certain ingredients cost more, et cetera, et cetera. But we all want to feel like we're part of that conversation. Actually we have to pick it at the minute, right? We, we want to be able to afford it and I understand that you know I am talking from a place of privilege that I do enjoy those skincare lines and I can afford them I also am very lucky that which I mean is one of those weird situations where the more that you earn and the better you do you get gifted a lot of stuff for free which is ironic but I'm also lucky that people send me some gorgeous brands and I get to try all these products but I know how hard it is and that we still want to feel that we're having a nice moment for ourselves.

6:21So the goal is to get a retailer on board that will give us the store count. And I'm talking like we need a lot of stores. I was having a meeting the other day with my business partner and he was saying we need to really try and secure anything from 800 storefronts above. So I've really got to get my sort of hustle on and try and get retailers to jump on board and really be able to understand what I'm doing and back the journey. I want it to retail somewhere between like 10 and 12 pounds, eight and 12 pounds maybe, but I want the standard that I want. So can we do it? Who bloody knows, but I am determined.

7:14I'm excited. And I do feel this is the year of the firehose. So I do feel like it's going to happen. I just need to make it happen. So it's a lot of excitement for me. I'm really, really chuffed to bits about, you know, my little Coco's a brand that I'm extremely passionate about, but I'm also not a child so I live through my children and I love it but I can't wait to have something that really sits in my routine too and that they're going to complement each other really really nicely the goal is that I see it in the store in the same places that I've got my little cocoa can you imagine being in like both sides of the store that'd be incredible so that's the goal I don't think it's any easier to start something new again I actually think on one side it is because I've learned so oh my gosh the learnings like anyone will know my little cocoa was my first sort of taster of what the world of business is what the retail space looks like you know the skincare market obviously I'm in the baby category it was my first taster of that and building a community of people that trust your products that you know I suppose it was my first taster of that world altogether.

8:34I'd only ever been a face of, or sort of part of the shiny side of everything. So I've learned so much from like trademarking to, you know, who is necessary on the team and how that looks, particularly at the start, you know, what we need to retail for, to be able to make a profit, everything else in between. So I've got lots of positive learnings, which is great and great to be able to put that into something new. But equally, I do feel like I've got a lot more pressure because I have a very successful business and I have to, for myself, make sure that this sits in that same vein. And of course, I want it to be successful.

9:15Of course, I know that I'm entering a category that is booming, that is probably full. There's probably more skincare brands than anyone can wrap their head around. But I don't see that as a negative. I see that as a positive because I do think that that space has got, I've seen it, I've seen it on this podcast alone, the potential for that category, the potential for that market, the fact that it's booming, the fact that it's kind of at its peak is exciting to me. And I can't help what I'm passionate about. And I only ever go into business when I feel like I'm so, so excited. And so it feels so authentic to me.

9:55And then we sit in meetings and we sort of brainstorm and I'm like, it just always comes back to skincare. It does. And I'm forever have been that girl that will, my friends will come to and say, what should I use for this? Or have you tried this brand? I've normally always tried it, own it. My bathroom cabinets are a joke. It's not aesthetic. It's just a big problem because it's too much. So for me, I see it as something I'm really, really excited about. I don't see that as a, you know, what are you going to bring to this market? I'm going to bring what I think is missing and what I think is missing is a brand that isn't pricing people out.

10:36And it still feels like that same story and you're still getting that same quality. We're just the way the strategy behind it and the way that we're going to be able to do this. is if we get the backing of a retailer that's going to be able to help us place those large orders, which mean that I can bring it to store and to shelf and online for the price point that I want. So I've definitely got my work out. And as I said, there's always that thing of when you've got something that is successful, people expect big things. It's like when we launched a podcast, people are like, okay, you know, what's this going to be?

11:12And there's a lot of pressure to get everything right from the first go. So that I'm always a little bit apprehensive about. But what I am excited about is the formula and the formulas of the products are so brilliant, like so incredible. I'm such a fusspot. I've been probably way more opinionated than the team would like, but hello, this is Rochelle Humes. I'm actually going to start a page for the brand and we'll just call it something like skincare project or whatever for now but I'm gonna just I want to bring you along for the ride I want you to help me choose between pantones choose between you know names or sort of tone of voice and how you think it should land I'm really heavily inspired by the Korean skincare market I think it's so interesting and I love it so much so the formulas are really sort of skewed to being like Korean inspired formulas because I just think they do it so so brilliantly I want to go I'm going to go very soon on a research trip um I also love the way that the sort of Parisian brands make us feel that kind of real sense of luxury and you know a bit I said not opulent because I want it to feel very everyday, but have that sort of aesthetic.

12:35And I'm really, yeah, I'm inspired by lots of brands, the way that like, I suppose Summer Fridays have made it feel like a real lifestyle. There are so many, I'm inspired by clothing brands. I'm inspired, there is so much that I want to bring to this, but I want it to tell a real story, be purpose-driven. I mean, can you hear me? I'm not after a lot, am I? For eight to 12 pounds. So I know I've got a big task ahead of me. You might listen to this or watch this and laugh and be like, girl, can't wait to see how this ends up. I think I'm also a little bit like that too, but I just, surely it can be done.

13:12Surely it can be done. And I'm going to give it a good bloody go. And hopefully the plan is, don't hold me to it. I want to launch this in October or definitely pre-Christmas. that's the plan I'm being very honest about this so there's no hiding now so if it happens we're all going to celebrate together and offer our party not an influencer party something that we can all celebrate but yeah sometimes I feel like it's good to sort of set a say the say your mission out loud and almost set yourself a date and hold yourself to it because I think that's how things then happen. So there you go. You can be my accountability partner.

13:58You've heard it here first. We're in this together and I'm so bloody excited. So I'll make an Instagram or something where I share everything every step of the way. And I want your feedback. I also, as soon as I've got enough samples, I've only got like three sets at the minute. One is in like a safe in the office. one is in my house and one is kind of like one that we use every day in the office so I've got three but as soon as I've got some mini things to send out I'm going to send them to you so reach out to me message me what what do you think's missing what are you after and let's do it let's try and put premium affordable skincare on the high street

14:48Thank you.