Episode 88
January 11, 2022

Staying True to Clean Beauty

with Hillary Peterson, Founder of True Botanicals

About this episode

Hilary Peterson joins the show today to talk about her journey to becoming the Founder of True Botanicals, a luxurious, consciously crafted skincare brand on a mission to deliver clean, non-toxic, and sustainable products that are clinically proven to work with ethically sourced vegan ingredients. Hillary shares with us her story from growing up in Pasadena, California, to working in marketing at Levi's, to taking the leap into entrepreneurship.

This episode is sponsored by

Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors:

  • Get 30% off your first 3 months with Malomo by going to: https://gomalomo.com/stairwaytoceo
  • Use the promo code STAIRWAY200 for $200 off Outer furniture by shopping HERE
  • Get 2 months FREE with Gorgias by clicking HERE and mentioning the podcast

In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

  • What it was like growing up with three sisters and entrepreneurial parents in Pasadena, California and how living in an entrepreneurial household gave her the drive to start her own business
  • Why she believes her nurturing personality has helped the growth of True Botanicals 
  • What her time working in marketing at Levi’s taught her about marketing and communication
  • How following the death of her beloved mother led her to take the leap into entrepreneurship
  • What the grueling process of fundraising was like and how she continued to push through it and why she deems it important to be selective
  • What she’s learned about herself in the hiring process, and why managing optimism is important
  • What she believes makes a great leader, what she’s learned about hiring the right people, and why it’s important not to sweat the small stuff

To Find Out More:

https://truebotanicals.com/ 

Quotes:

“I really enjoyed connecting and I feel the power of marketing is to connect with potential customers.”

“There's no question to me that whole nutritive ingredients could make beautiful and extremely effective products.”

“My goal was to create products that were so beautiful and effective, that even if you did not care at all about using clean products, you would want to use our products.”

“Over the years, I've learned how to not think too much about the past or the future, and to really respond in the moment to the opportunities that are there and, what's the best path forward and each day sort of answering those questions.”

“The goal in the end is that this entire industry changes to better serve the health of people on the planet.”

“The key is to be incredibly selective about the people that ultimately invest in your company, because you will be interacting with them for a very long time”

“Just because you connect with somebody doesn't mean you necessarily have an aligned vision around how to grow the business.”
“I've learned that it's a lot easier to let go when you really trust somebody and you feel aligned with their vision around how to build the brand and grow the business.”

“Some founders are the founders who are meant to scale a business, and hire a team of a hundred people to run it. I am not that person. I am definitely more drawn to the creative process of researching, learning, and growing.”

“I would say productive, direct communication and not sweating the small things is incredibly valuable, and it's brave. It's brave to talk about things that are uncomfortable.”

“Just knowing that the challenges will come and keeping my knees bent, you know, meeting them with my best thought processes and problem solving skills is really the best you can do and, and rolling with it”

“The lesson I had to learn the hard way was knowing when it was the right time to make my transition from CEO to founder and bringing in the right person to help scale the business.”

“Hire someone amazing and then give them the room to do their amazing work.”

“Expecting some challenges and being ready to meet those with a lot of flexibility and determination is just part of it. So if, if you're up for both sides, you know, the freedom and the hard work and the challenges, then I can't think of a better career.”

Read the transcript

More Episodes

Episode 194

Widening the Wealth Circle for Women

with Allegra Moet Brantley, Founder and CEO of Factora
Listen
Episode 193

Turnarounds, Transformations, and Taking Charge

with Mary van Praag, Global CEO at Milani Cosmetics
Listen
Episode 192

Connection, Community and Conversation

with Julie Rice, Co-Founder and CEO of Peoplehood
Listen