This week in the guest chair we have Kristen Dunning, founder and CEO of Gently Soap – a bathing brand built on her self-developed herbal infusions.
An MBA grad, Kristen hails from a rare five generations of Black Alabama farmers, and she’s continuing the legacy by bringing joy back to bathing experiences for people with sensitive skin, using the medicinal properties of plants.
In this episode she shares:
- Her vigorous passion and research that landed her on Shark Tank
- Her secret sauce to having a rate of 78% repeat customers
- How she won over 300K in investment capital and has a trajectory of $1.2M in sales
Highlights Include:
- 00:00 Intro
- 03:24 Generations of Black farmers
- 06:38 Struggle with eczema
- 08:45 Studying horticulture and agriculture
- 14:10 Staring Gently Soaps
- 18:03 Transitioning to selling at markets
- 21:31 Importance of formulating for sensitive skin
- 28:56 Sales growth and Shark Tank impact
- 32:55 High margins and sales
- 39:49 Marketing strategies
- 44:03 Tips for entrepreneurs
Check out episode 459 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube
Links mentioned in this episode
- Gently Soap Website: https://gentlysoap.com/
- Gently Soap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gentlysoap/
- Kristen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professionalplantgirl/
- Kristen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristendunning/
- Shark Tank episode: https://gentlysoap.com/pages/shark-tank
- Aveeno start-up pitch competition: https://www.aveeno.com/startup-collective
- Thirteen Lune: https://thirteenlune.com/
- Tech Stars: https://www.techstars.com/
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Guest Social Media Info
- Gently Soap Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gentlysoap/
- Kristen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professionalplantgirl/
- Kristen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristendunning/
