Do good things really come to those who wait? Lauching a new brand into the cosmetics industry

Hello!

Another week is drawing to an end - has anybody else noticed the days gradually getting longer? It's making us really excited for Spring.

As another year begins to get comfortable, it's gotten us thinking about how far Vivien Kondor London has come, about where we want to be and how realistic and achievable our goals as a brand are.

Spring is the best time of the year for a fresh take on things, and a great time to think about where it is you are going. The madness of Christmas and New Year are over, and you are beginning to settle back into a routine and accept the arrival of a new year. What better time to reflect and set yourself new goals then the arrival of springtime?

We all know that nothing really worth achieving comes easy. It is a lesson that parents, siblings, grandparents and teachers alike have drilled into us our whole lives. Fitness goals, academic goals, working towards a promotion at work, working on building friendships and relationships... the list goes on. These are all perfectly reasonable and manageable goals, but they all require a significant amount of work. It is unreasonable to sit back and expect things to happen around you as you wait patiently. We've all heard the saying 'good things come to those who wait', but when we're chasing dreams, does that really cut it?

The cosmetics industry is competitive and over-crowded, with new brands emerging regularly and trying to fight their way through the competition and up to the top level with the established brands.

The 'big names' dominate, and hog the attention of customers, leaving very little opportunity for new brands to be heard. Nobody wants to waste money on products that will not last or they will not enjoy, therefore people find comfort in the familiar, remaining with brands and products that they are either already using or are already aware of (be it from advertising or a recommendation they have seen online or heard from a friend). 

It is absolutely crucial here, to bear in mind that the dominating brands are those that have earned their right to be where they are. All cosmetics brands started in the same place, and we have all had to gradually climb up the ladder, gaining and losing customers on a regular basis and learning from mistakes made at the beginning.

Those that seem to receive the most attention from the public, do so because people know who they are as a brand; they are recognisable. Whether the brand has done this due to many years gaining a reputation, or one genius marketing campaign that launched them into the mainstream, is irrelevant. Once a customer recognises a brand or product, there is no way they are going to be the only one out of their friendship group who hasn't tried it.

It is crucial when launching into the cosmetics market to be prepared to face criticism. This is true of almost any situation that involves trying something new. 

With billions of people on the planet, you've got absolutely no chance of pleasing every single one of them. Don't focus on that. Take criticism well and learn from it, but take it as a good sign when you find somebody who likes your products. It only takes one good review for other people to gain interest.

Lack-of-interest and a slow start is almost inevitable. If you're expecting to launch a brand and be the top seller on Amazon in a fortnight, you're going to be disappointed.

In terms of blogging, social media outreach and general word-of-month, it is most definitely about quality, rather than quantity. The volume of people you reach out to is not so important. It goes without saying to reach out and speak to as many people as possible, there is absolutely nothing bad about getting your name around, however it is much better to reach 10 people who are actually interested in your brand, your products and what you have to say, rather than 100 who really aren't interested or even listening to you.

Although it is important to recognise that the quantity of people you are reaching out too means nothing if they are not the people you need to be targeting, the way you are searching for and approaching possible interest is something to think about.

Explore every avenue available to you; social media, blogs, exhibitions, seminars. Go to as many meetings as you can cram into your day and meet as many people as possible.

It is extremely important to not just talk to people. Particularly talking at people. Don't constantly attempt to force your products, your ideas or your views onto them. Say what you have to say, but don't overdo it.

Remember to listen. Really listen to what another person has to say. Paying attention will go a really long way, you never know how useful it will be one day that you paid attention to what breed their family dog is. It is always a positive you will notice in somebody else, that they paid attention to you, so why not do it yourself?

Possibly the most important and easiest thing to do when launching a new brand or starting a new business; always reply. Emails, texts, missed calls with or without voice mail messages - reply to them all. Always get back to the people who have tried to get hold of you - not only is it common courtesy (and you wouldn't want your parents to know you were being impolite would you?), you never know what opportunity could arise from taking five minutes between meetings to to return somebody's call.

When you really begin to think about it, there are a million situations where you could quite easily take a step back and hope things will happen if you think about them for long enough, but is that really what you want? Do you want to leave it to fate or do you want to be able to say that you really worked hard in order to achieve something? 

There are probably some times where it is best to not make a move and to stay where you are. And surely the saying 'good things come to those who wait' didn't spring from thin air, there will be a reason behind it.

That being said, we don't really like waiting around at Vivien Kondor London, we dream huge dreams and we run after them as fast as we can, good things have come to us and we certainly didn't wait around for them.

Photo credit: La Chic Boutique

We're very interested in this topic here at VKHQ, and we have been discussing our views all week. 

What do you think, do good things come to those who wait or do you have to go out and chase them? What experiences have you been through and how have they helped to shape your opinion of this?

We'd love to know what you think, don't forget you can reach us by heading to our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. And in the meantime, have a great weekend!

Love,

The Vivien Kondor London Team