When Air Force veteran Tisha Ayers was pregnant, she searched for a skincare solution with clean ingredients. Dissatisfied with the options, she created her own. And Cashmere Moon was born. Read about this unique founder’s story and what sets her business apart in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Offers clean body care products.
The company’s product line currently includes body creams and body oils made with quality, vegan ingredients.
Business Niche
Using clean, eco-friendly, vegan, and pure ingredients.
How the Business Got Started
To solve a specific problem.
While Ayers was pregnant, she and her husband searched for solutions for dry skin that included clean, safe ingredients. With no suitable products on the market, they decided to make their own. They perfected a formula, shared it with friends and family, and then decided to open a business.
Biggest Win
Partnering with 13L and JC Penney.
Ayers told Small Business Trends, “After reaching out to business owners for months, we were able to get in contact with 13L and pitch our products to them. They decided to take a chance on our business. And it means the world to us! We are able to expand our reach and share our products with more people all over the nation. We will be in 600 JCPenney stores nationwide!”
Biggest Risk
Taking on that big partnership early on.
Ayers explains, “??We needed to get the raw materials and send them over 10,000 products! That was a lot for our small business and we didn’t have the funds for it initially. We were finally able to get funding. But our creditors needed the money before we could get paid. We were having to figure out how to keep up day-to-day expenses and were falling behind.
“We had to release some of our employees because we couldn’t pay, among other things. And we were unable to get another loan because we exhausted those efforts earlier. We were able to stay afloat because the owners invested more money in the business. When we were finally paid, we were able to learn from those mistakes and push forward.”
Lesson Learned
Pay for professional help instead of trying to DIY everything.
Specifically, Ayers says she has struggled with tasks like labeling and bookkeeping.
She adds, “We ended up paying twice as much to fix mistakes.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Handling several important tasks.
Specifically, she says, “Paying off some of our debts, expanding our product line, hiring more employees.”
Fun Fact
They’re a family-owned AND family-funded business.
Ayers says, “Our business is currently family-funded and family-operated! We were able to secure some loans from family members to stay afloat and family members to keep us afloat even though some days we were unable to pay.”
Favorite Quote
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”
* * * * *
Image: Cashmere Moon, Tisha Ayers
Read More
It was a long-held dream of Air Force veteran and mother of two Kayla McKay to launch her own beauty business, and the launch of Cashmere Moon is the realization of that dream.
McKay, a Michigan native, served in the Air Force for 7 years in locations around the world including Guam and Sasebo, Japan. After leaving the military, she moved to Chicago, where she currently lives.
The company, Cashmere Moon, is a “clean beauty” brand offering luxury bath and body products, as well as skincare products for men, women and children. The products are all-natural, cruelty-free and made without harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances. McKay wanted to create a line of products that would be beneficial to all types of skin, as well as being safe to use and environmentally responsible.
As a veteran and mother, creating a brand was an important way for McKay to honor her family and her military accomplishments. Her vision is to not only create a luxury beauty line, but to support and empower other veterans and mothers, by providing them with the tools to be successful entrepreneurs.
Before launching the brand, McKay used her blog to spread the message about her products and connect with other veterans and mothers. On the blog, she shared beauty tips, stories about her experiences in the military, and information about Cashmere Moon.
Through her hard work and determination, McKay has been able to create a brand that not only honors her family and military service, but also meets the clean beauty and safety standards she set out to achieve. Cashmere Moon is a testament to McKay’s ability to turn her dreams into reality, and she hopes to inspire other veterans and mothers to do the same.
