Theodora • Transforming illness into an organic skincare line
INTRODUCING
I'm a first-generation Greek woman born and living in Chicago. I lived in Brooklyn, NY for 13 years and attended graduate studied at Pratt Institute for Visual Communications. My first job in graphic design was at the age of 16 as a production artist and I stayed in the profession till mid-age becoming a creative director before starting YASOU skincare. Visual communications was a way for me to communicate and express myself without having to speak a lot, or so I thought.
5 THINGS ABOUT
MEDITATION. TECHNOLOGY ENTHUSIAST. LOVER OF SMALL TALK. NATURE ADMIRER. ODD THINGS
LEAP OF FAITH
“I WAS CRAVING TO WORK ON SOMETHING “BIGGER PICTURE” AND WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH THAT I COULD GROW AND NURTURE.”
I wasn't happy in my professional life after being in the field for over 20 years.
Not so coincidently I had a thyroid surgery that pushed me over the edge in my work. I got pushed and pushed to deliver work that I just simply didn’t want to do during my recovery period. And so I quit. Right after my surgery. It was in that period that I started to understand the importance of my own well-being and the purpose of actually chasing a carrot all the time.
At that point, I had no idea that right after that I would be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that had triggered thyroid cancer in the first place.
“IT IS BETTER TO HAVE LOVED AND LOST THAN NEVER TO HAVE LOVED AT ALL.” — ALFRED TENNYSON
YASOU SKINCARE
“YASOU IS AN ACCUMULATION OF ALL MY INTERESTS AND INSPIRED BY THE SMELLS I REMEMBERED BEING A LITTLE CHILD RUNNING IN THE GREEK VILLAGE OF MY GRANDPARENTS.”
I wanted to create a premium skincare line that not only was filled with really good, healthy ingredients but it had to also have an application experience that felt like the high-end products in the department store. I wanted my product line to be Greek-inspired celebrating my heritage and using aromas and ingredients I remember from my youth in Greece, with my grandparents.
My goal was to combine medicinal with luxury and change what luxury means in today's green beauty era by uniting old world quality with new world science. The next thing was the name (which is a story of its own) I knew right away it had to be YASOU because the original Greek meaning “ toasting to one's health”. It also is the way Greeks greet one another - meaning “Hello” and “Goodbye”.
YASOU is a premium wellness, Greek-inspired line that is natural contains certified organics, plant based, vegan, gluten-free. unisex, Leaping Bunny certified and I made in the USA/Chicago.
GETTING STARTED
When I got first diagnosed with cancer my entire focus was on my health, learning to make better choices for my body and for what I put in it and on it. In the meantime, I had this urge to reconnect with my Greek heritage. I distanced myself from it for a very long time as I couldn’t relate to the high pressure of the Greek society to do it all the “Greek way”. After years of abandoning this side of me, I had this deep longing to reconnect.
“AFTER GETTING MY HEALTH BACK ON TRACK IT TOOK ME ABOUT A YEAR OR SO TO PUT ALL MY IDEAS AND OBSERVATIONS INTO ONE CONCEPT TO FULFILL ALL OF MY WANTS AND NEEDS.”
My husband has been a great catalyst in this process when he saw me juggle different business ideas and one day just said “why don't you put everything together that you've been talking about for the past year and let me be your first investor". This was the start of YASOU skincare.
I started one step at a time and always listening to people I spoke with that were in this industry. The entire process took me about a year.
FINANCIALS
I started with $50,000 from two investors and have continued to need and put in more money. YASOU is growing every year but not to the point that it has gotten out of the red - I still have a long way to go before giving myself a salary. It can now pay its own bills and I freelance on the side as a visual communications consultant to make the money I need for a living until YASOU is strong enough to support itself and me.
“I’M LUCKY TO HAVE A VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS BACKGROUND WHICH HELPS ME SAVE MONEY ON MARKETING AND GROWING BRAND AWARENESS. ”
THE TOUGH TIMES
I created this hydrating skincare line and now realize I made it so hydrating because I was lacking hydration due to my own autoimmune disease called sjogren’s syndrome. There have not been a lot of struggles with the business setup but of course, have been with my own health.
I recently was confronted with the biggest pitfall since I created my company. My formulator who I started YASOU with told me he wanted to retire and sold his business and the next day my manufacturer told me she was going to close her doors.
These two people were with me from the beginning and I felt devastated. I hid in my bed under the covers for three days. Eventually, I took all my strength and said to myself “ I will keep going until I can’t anymore.”. Both of my partners helped me to turn around my manufacturing process and taught me how to do it in-house! I recently found a space and am presently buying equipment to manufacture my own products which in turn will save me a lot of money.
“DIFFICULTIES IN MY NEW LIFE TEACH ME HOW TO BE PATIENT AND TRUST THE PROCESS.”
“THE ONLY PERSON YOU ARE DESTINED TO BECOME IS THE PERSON YOU DECIDE TO BE.” — RALPH WALDO EMERSON
5 INSIDER TIPS
Make sure you are passionate about what you do.
Find yourself first and then find a really good lawyer! It’s been incremental in my business to have good contracts in place with suppliers and people I worked with.
Trust your instincts.
Surround yourself with people that share your vision.
Patience is a virtue. In the first months, I didn’t sell one cream for months! If I knew back then that patience is all I needed at the time – it would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights worrying.
