Q&A with Sarah Kugelman of Skyn ICELAND

IBC: OK, let’s get started. We’ve been watching your little business with interest. What’s Skyn all about?
Sarah: Skyn ICELAND is the first and only skincare line that addresses the effects of stress on skin. Since stressed skin is damaged skin, it needs to be soothed, healed, repaired and put back into balance. We create great skin from the outside in as well as the inside out.

IBC: You’re not a first-time entrepreneur. What key “lessons learned” did you bring to Skyn?
Sarah: Since this is my second company, I learned quite a lot. I learned not to sell a huge % of your company upfront to investors, as it diminishes your control and decision-making power. Try to fund as much as your business yourself or with friends and family money; in the long run, it will enable you to run your business as you see fit. I learned to start with a good strategic and financial plan in place. Don’t figure it out as you go. Know where you’re headed and how you are going to get there. Hire the very best people. You are only as good as your team. Don’t go into business with friends. Trust your instinct.

IBC: Spoken like a pro. Why did you start Skyn?
Sarah: I really wanted to start a business I felt passionate about, something that combined a personal interest with my professional background. I had a serious health crisis 12 years ago and it taught me to take better care of myself. I learned that there is a big difference between not being sick and being “well.” You only have one body and when it goes, that’s it. I became really interested in health and wellness (yoga, nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, etc) and it has become a way of life for me. I wanted to figure out how to combine that experience and knowledge with what I do for a living. I ended up spending a year and a half researching the connection between stress and skin. When I discovered that there was a distinct and direct link between the two and understood that I could treat that problem topically, I decided to create a skincare line that could make people look better, feel better and teach them about wellness.

IBC: I like that… I’m becoming a bit of a wellbeing nut myself. How do you find balance in your own life as an entrepreneur and a mother?
Sarah: It’s really hard. I used to work 24/7. Now, I go into my office three days a week and work the other days from home. It means squeezing a lot of meetings into three days and still working like crazy from home, but I get to see my daughter four days a week and that makes it all worthwhile. I also take a lot of time off in the summer. I have a house out at the beach and I spend a lot of time there in the summer regenerating. I do a lot of yoga, eat lots of organic food, bike to the beach, swim and sleep late. It is great for the body as well as the mind. I find that it gives me the energy I need to get through the rest of the year and it also gives me some time to think about my business and plan for the future (you can’t do that when you are sledging through the daily grind).

IBC: I see… walking the talk! Beauty keeps being redefined. How do you define it?
Sarah: A writer just asked me that question. This is how I answered: “Beauty is the perfect balance between inner and outer beauty. Inner beauty is a combination of good health, good intentions, integrity, intelligence, a sense of humor and kindness. Outer beauty is about making the most of what you have, taking care of your body through exercise and good nutrition and then projecting confidence and grace. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have flawless skin, captivating eyes and a contagious smile!”

IBC: How would you describe your management style?
Sarah: Informal, fair, strategic and creative. I am resourceful, I think out-of the box and I like to work as a team. I do bring good “big company” experience with me so even though we are a small start-up, we function in many ways like a big company (which gives us the best of both worlds). I think I bring that structure and process.

IBC: How do you feel about trading on the Iceland image? Is it authentic?
Sarah: It’s authentic because we never try to be anything we’re not. I never claim to be from Iceland and I would never claim that our products are made there. The story is that I went there and fell in love with it. I felt like it epitomized all of the things I was talking about with skyn ICELAND: a low stress, clean, healthy place. Somewhere we would all want to live if we could exist in a pure, stress-free environment. What’s also interesting is that the waters there are super nurturing and curative to the skin, so I decided to import them and incorporate them into all of our products. It’s become our “secret ingredient” in addition to various Icelandic botanicals and medicinal herbs. Because of the climate, they are super potent. So really Iceland is an image we convey and we are connected to Iceland through our ingredient story.

IBC: Your business is growing. What have you done well on the sales and marketing side?
Sarah: We have been backstage the past three seasons at NY Fashion Week. We have built great relationships with designers such as Charlotte Ronson and Susan Ciancolo. We also have a great group of makeup artists that now use our products. We’ve been asked to sample VIPs at some great celeb events because people just loved our products - i.e. Showtime VIP’s for the Golden Globes, Women in Film’s Crystal and Lucy Awards, George Lopez’s Kidney Foundation dinner, MTV Movie Awards and more… we’ve also aligned with a group of stress experts and Icelandic companies (as well as the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce). As for Sales, we built a great relationship with Sephora and they have nurtured us every step of the way. We’d be nowhere without them.

IBC: What keeps you up at night?
Sarah: Running out of money.

IBC: Yes, I know the feeling. OK, in addition to the “lessons learned” up above, any pointers for first-time beauty entrepreneurs?
Sarah: Don’t listen to naysayers and never give up.

IBC: Yes, I call that tenacity - a key ingredient for any successful indie. Thanks, Sarah. It’ll be exciting to watch Skyn evolve and grow. I’m curious to see what you have in store for ‘08.