066 Success Against The Odds! One Woman’s Journey

I love stories about people who come up with seemingly crazy ideas and despite all the odds being stacked against them, eventually, they still manage to come out the other end of it as a success.  And then people say that they “were lucky” or “right place right time”, but it’s not about ‘luck or right place right time’. It’s about courage, grit, determination and self-belief… and maybe with a sprinkling of being a little bit crazy in the nicest possible way! People like this always have great stories about how they got there, whether it’s about what they had to sacrifice in life to make it happen, or how they put everything on the line and could have lost it all more than once.  These are the stories of real entrepreneurs, they don’t listen when people say “you should give up” or  “it will never work", or “it’s not possible” or “you’re being unrealistic”… they just blindly carry on and do whatever it takes until they succeed.   My guest on today's Podcast is one of those people her name is Jose Bryce Smith and she is the CEO and Co-Founder of Original & Mineral or abbreviated to O&M, a hair color product line that she co-founded in Australia 10 years ago and now has a rapidly expanding product portfolio and global presence.  I really enjoyed talking with her as she is so open, vulnerable, humble and honest about what it takes to succeed. In today’s podcast we will discuss: Why she thought the world needed another color line The financial risks that she has taken Partnerships… and  The challenges of being a woman in business.   And lots more! In This Episode: [02:24] Welcome to the show, Jose! [03:09] Jose shares her background and what her company is about. [05:00] What brought you to Australia? [08:01] Jose discusses creating a hair color line because she didn’t like the fumes of color products. [10:50] Jose speaks about people wanting PPD free color and the journey to making this happen. [12:43] Jose talks about the five-year journey in creating her color line. [15:43] Could you have done this had you still be living in the U.K? [19:02] Jose discusses the mentors that have helped her along the way. [22:07] Jose shares her father died of cancer, and it was the catalyst for developing a chemical-free color. [24:11] How involved are you in the research around different dyes and formulation products? [28:33] Jose believes that her background in sales in marketing has helped her grow and market her company. [32:28] Listen as Jose talks about how she got the exposure and credibility she wanted the product to have. [35:16] In their first year of business, their salon did over a million dollars and was noted as Sydney’s First Organic Salon. [37:49] The business quadrupled between 2017 to 2019, and the order was so big she had to re-mortgage her house to pay for the manufacturing. [39:10] Jose shares a story of someone backing her when she had a cash flow issue. [43:13] What were some challenges you had to make personally to get this company going? [44:15] Jose talks about renting her house out on Airbnb to get the money she needed to keep her company going. [47:53] If you have a dream and you want it bad enough, you will find a way! [48:44] Jose believes that there is no such thing as luck; it is about timing and being ready when the time comes. [49:42] Jose shares that they have over 200 products now. [51:15] Jose speaks about having their own factory in Australia for hair care and how that came about. [54:27] How many countries are you in now? [55:29] Jose discusses their direct to the consumer online store for hair care products. [58:14] Jose talks about the direct to consumer color trend and whether she would ever consider putting her color products out for home use. [1:00:39] Did you buy out all of your partners, so you own the company completely? [1:01:46] Jose talks about the risk that entrepreneurs take when it comes to financing their startups. [1:03:55] Jose discusses how her company has been funded over the years. [1:06:29] Her life changed completely last year when the deal closed with a new global investment firm. [1:09:19] Jose shares the challenges she had building her company, especially trying to be taken seriously because she was a woman. [1:12:30] How do you balance running this empire as the mom of two children? [1:14:20] Jose shares the story behind the phrase, well done, Jose. [1:16:51] Jose talks about why she has the nickname of Queenie. [1:18:07] Thank you so much for being on the show!   Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business  Find Jose Bryce Smith O&M Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter