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Two unique entrepreneurs with different professional experiences — Eva and Vera — were able to build the largest “sugaring empire.” Sugaring Factory is a leading manufacturer of sugar pastes in the United States; its products can be found in almost every second beauty salon across America. The company provides quality products not only to institutions that offer cosmetic services but also to educational organizations and other brands. In this interview, Vera and Eva will tell us what it’s like to run a business together, reveal some production secrets, and share their plans for the future.
Eva and Vera, good afternoon! What is the most important thing when running such a large business together? Do disagreements arise? What advice can you give to other business partners?
Eva: Hello! One of the most important principles we adhere to is listening and hearing each other. Above all, do not look for contradictions, but, on the contrary, take each other’s ideas into account, find an interesting and powerful thought in them, and then develop them. It is important to focus on development and not stumble over contradictions.
Vera: Good afternoon! The most important thing in doing business together is trust, respect for your area of responsibility, and, at the same time, interchangeability on current issues and awareness of all partners’ current state of affairs. It is important to listen not only to ideas and thoughts but also to consider each other’s professional biases since we are competent in completely diametric areas — I am a chemical technologist, and Eva is an IT specialist.
However, at the same time, we have also had similar experiences: at one point, I was the manager of five beauty salons, and Eva was actively involved in her own business. We have these entrepreneurial spirits that help us look in the same direction, coupled with common goals and plans for the future.
You complement each other perfectly! Can you share how you came to create a joint business and why you chose the field of sugaring?
Eva: If Vera doesn’t mind, I would like to answer this question. As I have a wealth of experience in running a business, I never had any doubts about creating and promoting my life’s work, in which I would see great potential and feel incredible interest. In the past, I owned a local network security company. I studied business as a “living, constantly changing organism” inside and out. I can read and draw up contracts, I understand how all business processes in a company operate, I can draw up a development strategy, and much more. Gradually, I realized the need to enter undeveloped markets where there is no competition at all. This was the sugaring market. In truth, 20 years ago, it practically did not exist. Together with Vera, I decided to build this market, popularize sugaring, and create the best product of its kind — which, in fact, we can all see now.
Vera: Yes, besides this, we also focused on the prospects for the development and demand for sugaring. We understood that this direction would be relevant even in 20 years. Having become the largest player in the sugaring market, we still have the opportunity to grow and develop. Sugaring Factory is a never-ending source of new ideas, products, and ways to scale. This is a huge plus.
Were you originally based in America?
Eva: Yes, moreover, our journey began in Silicon Valley, in Mountain View. This is a very interesting story. We arrived there to try our luck in the IT field. However, very soon, we became interested in producing goods, and we delved into the beauty business. For three whole years, we were developing in the world’s center of IT technologies — and very successfully. Although we were told that the “IT capital” was not for our business, we continued to build ourselves and our business there. The main thing we took away from there is that anything is possible — you just need to want it and make an effort. We have seen stories of ambitious entrepreneurs coming to the valley with empty pockets but good ideas. As a result, these people created serious businesses with the help of investors. As people who have been involved in business for a long time, we had the great pleasure of plunging into this frantic atmosphere with strong entrepreneurial energy.
Vera: Our great pride is also that we did not take a penny from Silicon Valley. We did not have the goal of “dividing” our own promising business into shares with different investors. We understood that years later, the company would become a “cosmetic giant” with large profits and overall costs. Therefore, each new offer from investors came and went like successive trains. We were waiting for a profitable offer while investors were offering conditions that were ridiculous to agree to. As a result, we successfully implemented ourselves, following our own strategy, and three years later, we moved to LA to scale and improve our business further.
Have you made any innovative decisions in your practice that have had a major impact on the company’s success?
Eva: Yes, such a turning point many years ago was our decision to sell sugar paste in America to everyone! At that time, this was a revolutionary decision as the beauty industry in America lagged far behind the same industry in Europe. Not everyone could afford to buy this or that product in the volume they wanted. This is because, in addition, it was necessary to conclude some contracts, buy a certain “package,” etc. The beauty industry depended on the old sales scheme of the ‘60s, where a client was “tied” to a specific manufacturer or supplier. We didn’t understand why they would want to tie people’s hands and feet. Why can’t people be allowed to develop and buy goods from sellers they want, not those they “need?” After all, according to the law, we can sell and buy goods to anyone and everyone on a legal basis. The restrictions are artificial.
Vera: By the way, we still sometimes receive requests with the following request: “Do you need to send me my license number?” Old-school people still cannot understand how no confirmation is required. So, we expanded the range of “wants.” Everyone, from the smallest companies to large enterprises, began to buy our products.
Sugaring Factory is the only major player in the sugaring market in the United States, and what goals and missions does such a “cosmetic giant” pursue?
Vera: The company’s mission is to help young entrepreneurs and experienced business people start their own businesses in a promising industry where the products and services will always be in demand. We are able to produce huge volumes of high-quality certified products, thereby supplying them to brands with established names and good reputations, as well as brands that are just entering the market. Both of them are united by the inability to produce a quality product due to a lack of resources or production capacity, a lack of time and effort, and a reluctance to deal with bureaucracy. We are currently dealing with many similar brands. Sugaring Factory produces and supplies them with sugar paste, and the brands, in turn, do not lose their customers, prestige, and names.
Eva: An undoubted advantage for such brands is also the fact that we, having our own chemical laboratory, as well as qualified technologists, can create a product according to their original formula! Often, people come to us with the request to preserve the consistency, color, aroma, and other physical characteristics of their sugaring. We meet every client halfway, considering all their wishes and needs.
Vera, you mentioned that the Sugaring Factory is capable of producing huge volumes of products. Can you give a specific figure?
Vera: Yes, of course. Our production capacity is sufficient to produce 35,000 pounds of sugaring per day. No other company in the USA can afford such volumes!
Eva: I would also like to add why other companies do not undertake large-scale production. Firstly, it’s finances. To produce volumes that match ours, it is necessary to have a stable income to cover the costs of energy, the purchase of quality materials, development, as well as regular testing of each ingredient. Secondly, it is necessary to have special equipment. And thirdly, there are bureaucratic hassles: certification, licensing, etc. Not everyone wants to deal with this in business.
The number is truly incredible! What about quality? You mentioned ingredient testing. How is this done?
Vera: That’s right. At the Sugaring Factory laboratory, we test every component that makes up the sugar paste. We determine what physical properties it has and whether it contains substances harmful to the skin and humans as a whole. We also conduct testing to determine the adhesion of a paste, specifically to hair, eliminating the possibility of injuring the skin. There are actually many aspects to consider! This is what the Sugaring Factory’s chemists do. We vouch for the quality of our products as we ourselves have studied all the factors relating to the production and use of sugaring. I, as a qualified chemical technologist, personally control these processes.
Can you share your plans for the future development of the company? What milestones do you plan to achieve? Is there anything interesting in the development process?
Eva: I have a global vision for the company. Among my ambitious plans is to turn Sugaring Factory into a large aggregator of cosmetic products! I think we will soon decide to produce other cosmetic products, we will become not just a “conglomerate” of essential cosmetics but also a brand of sought-after luxury products.
In addition, we plan to launch the Sugaring Factory mobile application for both iPhone and Android very soon. We try our best to make life easier for our clients, so we have collected all the most important things in one application. The platform will allow you to select goods more quickly, save and not lose your favorite items, and track the movement of goods quickly and easily. The mobile application is designed to simplify communication between us and clients and diversify bonus programs to make it more attractive for consumers to use our product.
Vera: We also have some good news for customers. This season, we have prepared equipment to launch a new production line. This means that we will be fully prepared to accept new clients for a private label contract by spring.
