I have given myself a lot of thought as to whether SMUK still has its rightful place on the huge cream market.
Maybe I've had too many hours of thinking in the last 16 months with the late effects of a bad concussion that has meant that I've had to pull the plug completely and later partially.
It has taught me a lot and it has definitely turned my world upside down, both good and bad. I've really had time to reflect on a lot of things :-)
In the 10 years I have basically been developing SMUK, I have had employees to help me with marketing and strategy as well as sales. I have hired countless specialists who had to come up with the golden words or strategic plans for how to conquer the large market in skin care.
Keep in mind I've learned a lot from it all, but where did I go?
THE START TO NOW
From the time I started thinking about making my own products to now, so much has happened within skin care and marketing in that industry.
From very few Danish brands on the market to today, where everyone makes their own line if they have a name or profile with a lot of followers. From very few organic brands and virtually no delicious organic brands to everyone now making organic and perfume-free products.
You have to please the dealers all the time, so as not to be replaced a few months later by yet another new brand, etc.
A SATURATED MARKET
Today, the market is somewhat saturated and it has become a huge jungle to navigate as a consumer, but also for us specialists.
SoMe has taken over and made insignificant brands famous despite the fact that in principle they really have nothing to offer in terms of skin care, but a lot of money is splashed in marketing on social media and on influencers. Everything is going incredibly fast and maybe we should just try to slow down a bit.
This is how the world has become and it is not something we can change, but we must deal with it and its truth or lack thereof to that extent.
STRESS AND WORRIES
All these parameters are of course something that stresses and worries me all the time. As an entrepreneur and self-employed person, you must always be on the cutting edge - at least you feel it.
That is why I also think that over the years it has been incredibly difficult to answer the absolutely essential questions that are asked time and time again by the specialists:
Where do you see your brand in 2-5 years?
What makes you unique compared to others in the market?
Why do you think your products can contribute something unique compared to the other brands?
Do your products have a justification in the market?
Etc. etc.
Good questions, but when we now have a market where there are already all types of products that are super good, it is actually difficult to answer and then you become unsure of yourself and what you are doing.
HOPE AND NEW ENERGY
Until I recently met someone who said some wise words and gave me renewed hope and energy.
She pointed out that the skin care industry is no more saturated than, for example, bag or the clothing industry is. People always want to be inspired and see new things. And we humans all have individual needs and finances. She is so right about that.
Then she asked me a different question than I have heard in the many years I have been in business.
Heidi, what can you contribute to your products so that they are different from the others, and here we are not talking about ingredients, because they are the same for everyone?
KEEP IT SIMPLE
It got me thinking, but not really for very long. Because since my early days, I have always wanted to pass on my expert knowledge in skin care and pass it on in a single skin care routine - keep it simple.
That's why I started making a very simple skincare range and still do. I just now have to focus much more on my expert knowledge and start conveying it to you.
I will follow my heart much more than I have done before and this will probably also show on social media, where I no longer want to please the algorithm, but only make content I think is funny.
WORKSHOPS
I am also starting to do some workshops together with Denmark's most talented yogi, where we start from the individual self and our entire nervous system, breathing and mental state. Then finally follow along under Workshops and subscribe to our newsletter so that you are constantly updated.