Sometimes two is better than one. We’re spotlighting three Beauty Duets – catching up with six businesswomen that run natural skin care brands. What it is like to cofound a company? From how they met to their top tips for starting a business as a duo, we spoke to two sets of friends — Dominika Minarovic & Elsie Rutterford of Hero Beauty by Clean Beauty Co and Mariah Mansvelt Beck & Wendelien Hebly of Yoni — as well as mother-daughter pair Tanya and Esme Hawkes of Therapi Honey Skincare. These are a snapshot of the full interviews so make sure you click through to read more about working as a team from these incredible women at the helm of organic businesses.
Dominika Minarovic & Elsie Rutterford | Friends & founders of Hero Beauty
What has been one of the best things about working in partnership with a close friend?
It’s great to have someone to bounce ideas off, share the workload but most importantly, we are each other’s motivators. If one of us is feeling stressed or tired, we can be sure the other is there to uplift us and encourage us to keep going.
Top tip for those interested in starting a business as a duo?
We trusted each other’s work ethic because we spent two years working alongside one another, and knowing you are going to work with a good business partner and not just a friend is so important! Make sure you go into business with someone that you can rely on to get the job done, as well as someone you get along with.
——— Read the full interview ———
Tanya and Esme Hawkes | Mother & daughter and founders of Therapi Honey Skincare
You are a mother-daughter team – how did you come to work together?
E: Mum started developing Therapi whilst I was at university. I studied Biology and was fascinated by how interconnected natural systems are and the role humans play within these systems. I’ve always seen organic farming as a pivotal piece to the puzzle to maintaining the fine-tuned balance of these systems so when I left university, I began helping Mum with Therapi and completely fell in love with natural skin care brands.
T: The beautiful thing is that Therapi now feels like it is an entity with its own spirit; it needed both of us to bring it together because we each bring quite different things to the table. Underlying this though is our shared love of nature – it guides everything we do.
——— Read the full interview ———
Mariah Mansvelt Beck & Wendelien Hebly | Friends & founders of Yoni
Wendelien and I have been friends for over 16 years. We met each other at university doing our bachelors. After our bachelor program, both of us studied and worked abroad but whenever we were both back in the Netherlands, we made sure we saw each other. About 4 years ago, both of us were working in the Netherlands again, and that’s when we ended up talking about tampons, pads and panty liners on a Sunday morning.
What has been one of the best things about working in partnership with a close friend?
That you get to spend so much time with one of your best friends! And that you get to share an unique experience with someone already close to you.
Top tip for those interested in starting a business as a duo?
It’s important to make sure both people share the same goal and work ethic. I definitely would not start natural skin care brands with most of my friends. And as the company evolves, and your roles change it’s important to keep checking in whether you both are happy – we always say it’s important that things are going well for you personally, for us as a business duo as well as for our company. All three are interlinked.
——— Read the full interview ———
SHOP THE NATURAL SKIN CARE BRANDS
HERO BEAUTY | THERAPI | YONI
