Advice Line with Susan Griffin-Black of EO Products
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello and welcome to the advice line on how I built this lab. I'm Guy Raz. This is the place where we help try to solve your business challenges. Each week, I'm joined by a legendary founder, a former guest on the show who will help me try to help you. And if you're building something and you need advice, give us a call and you just might be the next guest on the show. Our number is 1-800-433-1298. Leave us a one minute message that tells us about your business and the issues or questions that you'd like help with. All right, let's get to it. Joining me this week is Susan Griffin-Black, founder of the personal care brand EO Products. Susan, welcome back to the show.
Thank you so much for having me. So good to see you, Guy.
It is great to see you. We're first on the show back in 2019. You came on to tell us the origin story of EO products and how you grew it from a 10-gallon pot in a garage into a major natural personal care brand. And we will put a link to that episode, of course, as we always do, in the show notes. You should go check it out. It's really – especially if you're interested not just in skincare products but in learning how to take a brand from basically a farmer's market to a massive national brand. This is the story that you got to listen to. Susan, I know that, you know, today you're focused on leading EO products and continue to grow the brand. Can you kind of tell us a little bit about what, you know, we left off in 2019?
We've, of course, kept in touch. You kept in touch with our team. But for people who don't really know what's going on with EO, tell us a little bit about where you guys are today.
Well, when we spoke in 2019, we had a pretty clear growth plan and strategy. And then, surprise, COVID. I was on my way to our annual Natural Products Expo trade show in Anaheim. And As I was driving there, the trade show was canceled. And my sister called me, whose partner is an ER doc, and said, everybody's got to come home now. And I remember it was like a Friday night. I woke up Saturday morning. We had a little retail store in downtown Mill Valley. And people were lined up around the block because they wanted hand sanitizer.
I mean, from what I understand, I mean, you saw like a 10x surge, right, in hand sanitizer demand during COVID. And thank you for sending some, too.
What advice does Susan Griffin-Black offer for distribution channels?
You did. That was so nice. But, of course, as the demand fell, you know, you saw like a 50% drop in sales. And this was, of course, a challenge, probably one of the most challenging things you had to deal with.
It really was. Because we'd been around for 25 years, I think people cut us as much slack as they could and we worked together. It was very relationship-based. A packaging company that we did maybe $30,000 worth of business prior to COVID. We were on the hook for $2 million. Wow. And I had to link in with the CEO and just explain our story and see if he would give us a promissory note for the next two years and work our way out of that, which they did. But it was that and dealing with the problem of just... Three times as much, five times as much inventory as we should have. And then also layoffs for the first time, you know, that was— In your entire history. Major, yeah.
Yeah. I often come back to your episode because it really—and we've had versions of this on the show now, but it's so remarkable, and for people who haven't heard it, is that you started this company with your then-husband, Brad. Mm-hmm. You divorced in the middle of building this company, and the two of you decided to stay running the business despite being divorced and despite going on and having new relationships. And it's a remarkable story because you together said, this is the best thing for the company. We're going to scale it together. I remember when I interviewed you just thinking, what an adult decision, like what a smart – But smart decision that you and Brad made, you know, because often you've got partner founder partners breakups that they're not married.
They're just they just are falling out.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:06–2:33
2
What advice does Susan Griffin-Black offer for distribution channels?
2:33–6:30
3
How did COVID-19 impact EO Products' business strategy?
6:30–12:09
4
What challenges did Susan face in managing relationships during the pandemic?
12:09–22:41
5
How did Ruchi from Chicago seek advice for her probiotic skincare line?
22:41–43:30
Speakers
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