OSEA Founder on What It Truly Takes to Build & Bootstrap a Natural Skincare Empire - Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer is the CEO and co-founder of OSEA, a heritage
skincare brand with nearly 30 years of history, known for its use
of seaweed as a signature ingredient in its products.


Melissa grew up surrounded by women who were deeply inspired by
the sea, and OSEA is the result of four generations of Palmer
women. From a young age, she was taught the importance of
wellness and the power of natural foods and beauty. Her mother
and co-founder, Jenefer, spent decades perfecting her formulas,
often filling their bathtub with seaweed and experimenting with
various concoctions in their kitchen. Through these experiences,
Melissa learned the value of hard work, passion, and what it
takes to become an entrepreneur by watching her mother build
these formulas from the ground up. Twenty years later, this
mother-daughter duo continues to run a successful business,
achieving profitability every year since its inception.


In this week’s episode, we speak with Melissa about the
importance of authenticity, storytelling, and staying true to
your roots when building a strong, sustainable brand. She
reflects on her unique upbringing and the visionary legacy of her
great-grandmother, which inspired the creation of OSEA. Melissa
discusses the early days of building the business from her home,
her evolving relationship with perfectionism, and how failures
with another business fueled her determination to elevate OSEA.
She delves into the challenges of scaling in the clean beauty
industry, the transition from a spa brand to a direct-to-consumer
business, and how they built awareness and a loyal customer base
before clean beauty became mainstream. Melissa also shares
insights on the benefits of growing a business "slowly," why they
turned down certain opportunities, their future expansion plans,
and much more.


In this episode, we’ll talk to Melissa about:


* Melissa’s relationship with perfectionism and control. [03:38]


* The impact Melissa’s great-grandmother had on her and the
business. [09:41]


* Melissa’s childhood and early entrepreneurial spirit. [12:46]


* OSEA’s early days shipping from their garage. [17:41]


* Lessons learned from hula hoop business. [19:11]


* Melissa’s growing self-confidence. [21:30]


* Being early in the clean beauty space and OSEA’s growth.
[23:07]


* What it’s like working in a family business. [34:50]


* The significant role of a family coach and a therapist. [37:24]


* OSEA during the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually bringing an
investor on board. [39:14]


* Melissa’s relationship with her business partners. [44:09]


* Melissa’s constant evolution of workflow. [47:50]


This episode is brought to you by Beeya:


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Follow Yasmin:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/


Follow Melissa:


* Website: https://oseamalibu.com/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oseamalibu/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happypalmer/


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