February 23, 2018

Q&A WITH MAYA CROTHERS

Q&A WITH MAYA CROTHERS

EG: What were you like as a girl?

MC: I was pretty introverted. Always had my head in a book​, ​but also had a pretty inquisitive and adventurous spirit. Questioned everything and was probably too curious for my own good. I’m not wired to connect to tradition. What’s next interested me more than the past. Always knew I would have some type of ambitious career​,​ but never really considered owning my own business. The path I followed was generally corporate. I had some successes​,​ but have to admit that it never felt fully rewarding or inspiring. ​Now that I am an entrepreneur, I realize where my corporate discomfort came from. I’m so much more comfortable in a small, entrepreneurial environment where there are no territorial issues, decisions are made quickly, the organization is truly a meritocracy and there is exposure to many areas and learning curves. Small entrepreneurial companies also lack the internal politics that come in a corporate environment. I never felt comfortable with the political side of corporate life. It was a big morale killer for me.
EG: Describe the journey you took to get to where you are now.

MC: Circuitous for sure! My parents valued education and pushed us all (I have four sisters and one brother) to work hard and get an education. So I did that. In this order – Engineering undergrad. Worked for a tech company. Got an MBA. Worked for Bain and Company. Did some work in operations. Retired when I was pregnant with my second child. Moved to Jackson Hole with my husband and two children.

Really was done with working and the corporate world. After a lifetime of trying to be an over achiever, I decided goals were over rated and was happy being a PTA mom. That lasted for two years. I met someone in the skincare business. For some reason I decided to go into business with her but truly saw it as more of a hobby. Some of the struggles I was having keeping my skin in good shape in a cold, dry, mountain environment really peaked my interest in product performance which drove in interest in this business channel. We literally started with nothing – not a business plan, product idea, nothing! We built it all from scratch. The skincare professional had stumbled across a mineral that could have been interesting in a skincare product but the supplier of the mineral would not disclose where it was mined…and he eventually disclosed that the only way to get the mineral was to sneak it out of Mongolia or China (or something like that) in a suitcase – this was his plan to import the mineral. There was also a psychic involved who was the person who connected my partner to the strange man who would be the source of the mineral….seriously, I am not making this up!! Clearly, none of this was going to work for an engineer with an MBA. So I killed the unknown mineral idea and began a path to build a real company. One thing led to another and I was in deep. The skincare specialist I started with resigned early on and somehow I ended up with this company. I always had a plan in my life. Knew where I wanted to go…..except for this company. It truly was an unplanned and accidental path. But truly an extremely rewarding path and in some ways it all feels like a bit of fate was involved.

EG: Describe a day in your life.

MC: Up early to get ​my two kids to school. I work from home in a small mountain town so I have the ability to stay in my PJ’s for longer than most people…but armed with coffee I am still pretty productive in my robe and slippers. I work this way for about two hours. The rest of the day is a combination of working in between meeting friends to ski/hike/lunch. Typically, my husband makes dinner (he’s a great cook!) while I’m on duty for all of the pick ups and drop offs for our children’s after school activities. I’ll get another hour or two of work done in between all of this. Then finally dinner​ and ​a little more work ​before bed.

EG: Where do you see yourself in five years?

MC: Running a much bigger company. We traditionally have been placed in the luxury spa and high end boutique channel…and we have focused primarily on domestic business. Some of our customers include a Four Seasons Hotel, an Aman resort, Stein Erikson in Park City, etc., and we have strong relationships with three of the country’s most respected (and real, not hype) celebrity estheticians. Looking ahead we are working with larger, national and regional partners (currently working with Neiman Marcus) and will focus on international markets. These strategic moves came as a natural growth extension as our reputation and brand awareness grew.

EG: What is the best advice that you have ever received?

MC: Never give up. Wake up and keep fighting. Building a company is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. Things do not happen quickly. Every day can be a struggle for a long time. Everyone has heard stories of overnight sensations but I have yet to meet one of these entrepreneurs in person. Most of the beauty entrepreneurs I know, even extremely successful ones, worked long and hard before the overnight success came.
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Follow CircCell Skincare & Maya Crothers here: @circcell

Next: ERIN KLEINBERG CO-CREATOR OF THE COVETEUR AND MÉTIER CREATIVE

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