Kayla Fioravanti, Essential Wholesale
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Name:
Kayla Fioravanti
Hometown:
I moved around and grew up in Dallas, Texas; Japan; California; Desoto,Texas; Munich, Germany; Duncanville, Texas and finally leaving home from San Antonio, Texas for college.
Current Residence (City, State):
Happy Valley, Oregon (suburb of Portland)
Education:
B.A. from Lewis and Clark College.
Professional Background (brief, please):
I worked in outside sales until starting my own company.
What you wanted to be when you grew up:
A famous poet
What you are:
Cosmetic Formulator and Registered Aromatherapist
Brief Summary of your Start Up:
We started by way of personal trial. My son had ringworm that would not respond to treatment. I read about Tea Tree essential oil and it worked within a matter of days. I became fascinated by aromatherapy and became certified as an aromatherapist. I needed cosmetic bases to put the essential oils in but all the bases on the market were filled with chemicals. I am chemically sensitive so I researched and experimented until I discovered how to make safe and stable cosmetic bases.
Company Website?
Parent company: www.Essentialwholesale.com and www.EssentialLabs.com
Retail line: www.vonNatur.com
What inspired you?
A need for chemical free cosmetics and a desire to work with my husband in a business with our kids with us.
How long have you been in business?
Started in 1998, officially in business 2002
How did you fund it?
We spent $50 to buy the minimum order from our supplier and made our cosmetics, then we sold it, turned around the profit and bought more. ..and did that over and over and over again.
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)?
No
Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups?
Indie Beauty Network, National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists.
Current Business Challenge?
We have run out of room again and are looking for a new location to build a new facility. We currently are housed in a 25, 000 square foot building and need to at least double our space.
What are you doing about it?
Searching the area for land and working with counties to find the best fit for our business.
Favorite motivational quote:
Put eat chocolate at the top of your to do list, that way you will always accomplish something each day (something like that)
Family?
I have a husband and three kids, a brother, both of my parents and in laws.
If so, how do you balance family and business?
In the early years we kept the kids with us all the time. We homeschooled our oldest child until we got to busy to do a good job of it. We raised our two youngest at the office with us while the older one went to school during the day. We worked long long long hours and just lived our family life while working. Now I only work during the hours that our three kids are at school. I work from home on my computer once they are in bed.
