 Think Tech Hawaii. Civil engagement lives here. Welcome to Adventures in Small Business. This broadcast is a collaboration between the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Hawaii Small Business Development Centers, the Mint Center for Business and Leadership, and the Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific. This series showcases stories of local entrepreneurs and small businesses, and builds awareness of the resources available to small businesses. So today we have Jenna Davis. She is the owner of Raw Love Sunscreen LLC, and is going to share her journey to success. I'm Wayne Wong. I'm the Maui Center Director for the Hawaii SBDC. So Jenna, thanks for coming. Thanks for having me. Hi. So let's start off by just introducing yourself. You know, tell me a little bit about your background, and then also introduce your company and the product that you have. Absolutely. So I started this company in 2015. It's called Raw Love Sunscreen, and we are a Reef Safe SPF-35 all-natural mineral sunscreen. We are one of the first FDA-approved sunscreens out of Hawaii, and I started this journey with the background of marine biology and chemistry and, you know, being a fair-skinned girl for the love of Hawaii. I like to be outside, but I also needed to protect my skin. So I started this company knowing that certain ingredients in sunscreen are harming the coral reef, and that's been brought to light recently because of the bill that just passed. And so I wanted to create a product that was free of toxic chemicals, free of parabens, preservatives, and I also wanted to stand by my value of having something that was plastic-free. So that is how Raw Love was born. And yeah, it's a reef-safe water-resistant. We're plant-based and cruelty-free, so no testing on the animals. Oh, great. I mean, one of the things that, you know, I really love about working with you as your SBDC advisor is that, you know, you came into this with a need which started as your own need, but, you know, you quickly figured out there's a lot of people that have this need. And the core fundamental of a business is that you are providing a solution to people's needs, and hence that makes them want to compensate you, right? Yeah. So the fact that you had a need, as opposed to thinking, hey, there's this really big opportunity, I'm just going to try to capitalize on that. You know, you actually, I think, started your business the right way, which is figuring out a need and how it's the best way to treat with that. So talk a little bit about how you sort of arrived at your product, you know, the iterations you had to go through, and so on. Yeah, so in 2015, there was a massive coral bleaching event that happened worldwide. And I've been teaching scuba on boats here in Maui and also in Oahu before that. I remember going underwater and seeing the coral bleached and it was white and it was dying and I knew that sunscreens were part of the problem. Now, it's not just sunscreen, it's the temperature rising, it's pollution, it's runoff, it's all these things, but I knew I wasn't going to add to those problems. So I got in my kitchen and used my chemistry background, my marine biology and my knowledge of natural products and made a batch for myself and brought it on the boat and people were like, what is that? And my neighbors are all semi-pro surfers at the time and they were interested in it and I was like, people wanted it. I was like, okay, well, it was expensive, so you have to buy it. And they were like, okay, cool. And it was a hit between my group and my friend circle and at work that I was like, maybe I have a thing here. And I started doing the farmer's markets and I knew that I couldn't just show up with the glass, mason jar of sunscreen. So I drew a logo and got some business cards and just got out there and started talking to people and people loved it. They kept coming back to me and I had no idea that this is going to be my everything now. And what's really great is, again, from a foundational business principle, you turn your kitchen into a lab but you didn't just sort of sit in there and say, this is what's going to be best for the customer. You actually went out, talked to people. You had various people use it. That's really awesome. And it changed too. I mean, my formula from day one, what I had thought it was great and bringing on the boat, I know that one thing that was important for us, people who work in the water, was that our masks didn't fall on our face. For people that sweat a lot, they wanted something that stayed on their face. The smell, we wanted something that smelled good. That's the first thing people do is smell it. And then also the science part of it, wanted to make sure they didn't have any ingredients that were harmful to us or the environment. So I evolved over time with everything but the actual product was getting in front of the people and asking, what do you want? What would be great for you? And then people said, oh, I don't want the glass mason jars. We would really like it in a tin and we'd like smaller sizes. And no plastic. And no plastic. Yeah. And people were always saying, why don't you have a pump? I mean, why don't you have a squeeze bottle? And I said, well, I haven't found an eco-friendly way. We have a great formula that we have in the boats even. We have a little bit less beeswax and more coconut oil and goes in the boats free for guests. But I don't offer those for individual sales because we don't want to use plastic. And my goal is never to make profit over integrity. So the tins are working great. Check them in your pocket. It's wonderful. Yeah. Very good. So you had already mentioned the recent legislation and for the audience, I thought I'd explained that Governor E. Gay signed SB 2571 Act 104 on July 3 of this year. And it prohibits the sale, the offer of sale and distribution of any sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octanoxate. That's good. Yeah. And so this is great news and timing for you because obviously that makes much more awareness that we should be looking for products that don't contain those chemicals. But in an interesting way, it also creates a frenzy of competition for you, right? And so talk a little bit about sunscreens in general and how you've in a sense took the right path or if that's the right word for it compared to a lot of the other products that have been rushed to market and we're starting to see now. Yeah, absolutely. I started this company having no idea that it might come to a bill. I mean, that's like my dream, you know? Right. And when I found out that it was coming forward, I was definitely part of that trying to push awareness and education. And as I go into stores now, a lot of times, and I just got back from the mainland, they're telling me, oh, we have sunscreen already and a lot of the larger companies are switching over to mineral sunscreens and I just have to stand by my values and say that we are the most eco-conscious product on the market. We are based out of Hawaii and I pay my taxes here and I'm not, you know, you're meeting the owner and it's a one-woman show and you're supporting a local business trying to help the environment and trying to help our community and also supporting Hawaii's economy and I think that that's what makes us stand out. We're also one of the only FDA approved sunscreen companies and there's others that have been popping up which is so great. I love to see more companies taking the path to rise up. So let's dig into that a little bit deeper because I think that's one of the major differentiations, at least at this stage, which is, and again, the audience might not realize, but the FDA considers sunscreen a drug. It's an OTC or over-the-counter drug, a drug that you can obtain without prescription. But with that, because of that, anyone who sells it in any of the major retail outlets, they have to get FDA oversight and certification and that involves SPF testing. How do you know that you're getting that degree of sun protection? There's good manufacturing practices, which includes inspections by the FDA of the lab and then labeling under a mumbo jumbo of 21 CFR 201 and so there's the drug facts labeling that needs to be on that because basically because sunscreen makes a drug claim and that claim is to help prevent sunburn and decrease the risk of skin cancer, it's considered a drug and hence to be sold in any of the major retailers, of which that was one of the things that you discovered in your research and some of the things that you've done and right now at this stage, you are one of the only ones of the manufacturers in Hawaii-based that is FDA certified. Yeah, it was definitely a journey. I actually got approached by Whole Foods a year and a half ago and they were like, we'd love to carry your product and then I got an FDA attorney who then kind of rocked my world and was like, great, so you've been making this in your kitchen and that's wonderful and I was like, well, I'm making it in a commercial kitchen now and they're like, great, that doesn't count. So there, you know, you have to be made in a lab and there are none in Hawaii. So being a made in Hawaii product is impossible right now to be FDA-approved and that is a tough thing, you know, because you want to be a made in Hawaii product or even made in Hawaii product. But we worked really hard and took out loans and got the testing done and we're made in a lab and yeah, it's crazy when you pick up 10,000 sunscreens made in a lab that are all tested, regulated and ready to go into Whole Foods and which we are, we're going on shelves to Whole Foods which was kind of my goal. I was like, okay, well, where in Hawaii is the big retail store that stands by using organic products and whatnot and I can get the word out there to everybody most importantly and yeah, we did it and it's happening. We're going on shelves next week and it was a process but well worth it, well worth it. I am confident now with my product and I know that I have a product that's tested and approved and it takes a brick off your shoulder, you know, it really does, you know, that the cakey are going to be protected and, you know, fair skin and whatnot. All right, so at this point we're going to take a break and we'll see you back here in about a minute. My name is Stephanie Mock and I'm one of three hosts of Think Tech Hawaii's Hawaii Food and Farmer series. Our other hosts are Matt Johnson and Pamai Weigert and we talked to those who are in the fields and behind the scenes of our local food system. We talked to farmers, chefs, restaurateurs and more to learn more about what goes into sustainable agriculture here in Hawaii. We are on on Thursdays at 4 p.m. and we hope we'll see you next time. Aloha, I am Howard Weig. I am the proud host of Cold Green for Think Tech Hawaii. I appear every other Monday at three and I have really, really exciting guests on the exciting topic of energy efficiency. Hope to see you there. Welcome back to Adventures in Small Business. Today we're talking to Jenna Davis who owns Raw Love Sunscreen LLC and we're learning what it takes to be a small business and the resources available that helped her be successful as she is today. So, I remember back in early 2016 you coming into the office and at that stage you were still very much in product development. You were doing swap meets and a lot of sales to friends and families. You were just starting to get some deals with snorkeling boats who are going to carry your product because they wanted a reef safe product. So, talk a little bit about how the SBDC has helped you in your journey. Yeah, absolutely. It's been really great. I don't have a business background. I have a chemistry background and marine biology background, a science, artsy person who's great at talking to people. And so, I changed my hobby and really making sunscreen was a hobby for me and sharing my passion and love into a business. And I had tried looking online and Googling things and it was terminology that didn't make sense to me. And so, when I came in there I needed help from... I was like a business one-on-one real quick. I needed to know how to make a hobby into a business. And you guys have been really helpful for that. Whether it be changing it... I started off as a sole proprietorship and then we talked about for tax purposes and how to kind of set things up so that I was legal and also supporting the economy. And, yeah, it was just it was a lot. So, it was really great to come in and give terms that I understood where you literally sat in front of me and were like, this is this and this is what you need to do. And I think it took me a couple times to say what? What was that? And it was really helpful. And along the journey, you know, when I was ready to change from that to an LLC and ready for some press releases, it's been really helpful just to have like a like a business business parent, you know, if I want to come in and do it. We need to start putting that on our advertising, you know, SBDC business parent. Yeah, absolutely. I don't know what to do. Help me. And it's just been nice to have someone there to kind of guide you and lead you. Right. Yeah. So, we had talked about this being a process and, you know, again, at least you had been working on it and when I finally met you, that was in early 2016. And fast forward, things are still evolving and everything else here in 2018. So, why don't you talk a little bit about different things evolving, like how you're, even your imagery and what your logo looks like and how that's progressed through the years. Yeah. So, actually, I brought this here. So, my image has started from, you know, I drew with a Sharpie and we went from that to black and white label to I think this one and then we tried different sizes and now we have this beautiful logo and a back label which is all FDA approved and it's been a cool journey. You know, so that's been one part of it. Our labels on our tins, you know, we changed from small tins to large tins, you know, and now we have the two sides of the two ounce and a four ounce and it's been a fun journey to grow and just fine tune everything. Nice. Even our packaging, you know, I have eco-friendly biodegradable packaging that that's another part of it of growing and evolving and standing by my values. Right. So, I want to talk to you now about your process and sort of how you deal with things and so I'm going to show a picture here. I don't know how well you can see this but essentially tell us what this picture is. So, that is like eight in the morning. I mean, coming home from my trip, I hadn't been home for more than a few hours and I went right to my whiteboard and I find it so important to make lists and goals because if you don't set goals, it's hard to stay focused and so I have a big calendar on my desk and that has, you know, my month goals are right on there and I have my long list and, you know, I go and buy cute ones and making excited about it and that has my daily goals and every day I'm crossing them off and I'll turn to the next one and that is my whiteboard of Rah Love Goals and that, some of those goals stayed on there for, you know, almost a year. I was just noticing, I mean, this was quite a ways back and I noticed it says on there, change to LLC and then loan and capital letters for this explanation point. Yeah, loan with like explanation marks and question marks like, uh, you know, I knew that I needed to get money somehow and I did it. I took me time at it, save up money, pay off debt, get my credit where it needs to be and that takes time and, you know, once I did that I took out a small business loan and did it in the way that any entrepreneur can do. And I remember having that discussion because when you're talking about financing even just the early broad strokes of do I go to a lender or do I get an investor? What does that mean? It's scary. And I think that helped you make a decision that you would rather go with a lender and have better control than if you had an investor that was maybe not having the same priority. Absolutely. It's still my baby and I really I want to take care of it and watch it grow and I want to have full control at the moment and, you know, as it grows bigger, you know, we'll have to have another meeting. You know, what the next steps will be for that because, you know, it grows with anything. Right. So how would you define success? I mean, you're really getting a lot of traction with your product. The legislation is excellent timing. You know, maybe a double-edged sword but excellent timing for your product. So do you feel with all the successes that you've already had, you know, what does success mean for you? It's like a question. For me, success would be to raise education and awareness. That's really what I've dedicated my life to. I've done a lot of ocean conservation and worked in aquariums and to have people be aware and make a conscious decision of the products that they choose to purchase, whether it be what's in the product itself or the packaging that it's in. That is my success. Yeah, making money is part of it. You know, it's expensive to live here and to not only have a passion but also make it your business is the ultimate goal and I'm doing it. Every day is a challenge with growth, but I'm happy. Every day I wake up happy and I'm, you know, able to share my love and passion and make a future of it too. So speaking of challenges, what are the next challenges or what's next for you? What are the next challenges? I just got back from the mainland and there's a lot of competition out there and I don't want to be seen as competition. I'd rather see it as give consumers the option. And so growing and finding the next step of okay, I'm a small business going into a little bit of a bigger business and figuring out how I can stand out from the rest, the values. You know, I really would like to be more of a sustainable company and so I vision when you go into a store you see a roll of sunscreen on a shelf and a little wooden shelf and on it maybe has some reusable straws and some reusable cups and things of that nature. So product expansion? Yeah and branding too. I haven't done a lot of marketing but that's something that is challenging to me because in a beneficial way and which way to grow organically and So we talked about a goal board but you also have a dream board and much of that is visual so how are you doing on that? The change is often sometimes my dreams change so I'm like we'll take that off but I my goal is to live by the ocean and travel and raise awareness and I just want to live by the beach with a pool that's my ultimate goal and be happy with any goal I think that we can all achieve whatever it is that we want if we put our mind to something and write goals and really work hard to achieve our goals we can accomplish whatever it is that we may want you just have to put the work towards it and you have to take risks I remember the day that I decided I got laid off from diving so much I was getting injured and I had another job lined up and I said no I'm not going to go I'm going to start my business and that was scary but we have to take risks in order to achieve our goals and see them with our dreams and I think that's the role that SBDC plays we are there to enable you you are the one that has to do the work but certainly having guidance, having somebody evaluate like where's the priorities and I remember one of the big things that we talked about was making sure sure there's a lot of tasks to do but it's working on your business not just working in your business and the tediousness of that absolutely and there's so much different parts to running a business your website, marketing tools your product, you have to make sure your product is ready to go boxes, going into the stores a lot of my time is just going in and talking to people and trying to get into stores and tour boats and the best thing is word of mouth so that's been really great meeting the community and that's something that I would like to do more of is doing more outreach whether it be with the kids and doing more beach cleanups and really reaching out to our community and say I'm here I have a product that's great for you and the environment and it smells great and it feels good and you know and how great is the validation you told me a story about how with the onset of more competitors coming on you've had certain customers switch and when you look at those products you sort of caution them that you don't think all of the claims that they had were really true and so on and so forth and as a confirmation many of those customers have come back to you saying you were right it's not what we wanted it's hard because there's companies out there that are you know claimed to be reef safe but that term isn't regulated or you know claim certain things and maybe not necessarily what it says it is and you have to look at the ingredients of your product and I know that I stand by with integrity and they come back and it shows you know the proof is in the work so well thank you so much Jenna it's been really great having you here sharing your experiences and doing you know sort of part of what you always want to do is sharing all the benefits and things that you know you've gone through so that other people can be successful as well so and thank you for tuning in this has been Adventures in Small Business thanks for watching and also you know we have other episodes as well they're all on thinktechhawaii.com and so thanks again for watching