Ep 304 | April Gargiulo

Written By Yasmin Nouri

Tapping into Your Intuition to Scale Your Business

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In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with April Gargiulo, the Founder and CEO of Vintner's Daughter, a cult favorite nutrient-powered skincare brand. 

Vintner’s Daughter was founded on the principles of unparalleled quality and efficacy, inspired by April’s background in the world of fine winemaking and its uncompromising standards.

Admittedly, she knew very little about the skincare industry when she first founded the brand in 2013, but one thing she knew well was how to extract the finest ingredients from plants. After suffering from cystic acne and hyperpigmentation her whole life, April discovered the products she was using were actually made from cheap synthetics, and it was then that she decided to create her own all-natural, multi-beneficial skincare. She launched the Vintner’s Daughter brand with just one product: the Active Botanical Serum, which famously attracted the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, Hailey Bieber, and others who swear by its skin-clearing benefits.

In our conversation, April offers some insight into the process of starting her business from her living room with absolutely no knowledge of the beauty industry and she explains how throwing out the rulebook allowed her to stand out in a highly saturated market. We also discuss how she grew into a multimillion-dollar business with only one product and zero investors, the power of meditation and staying true to yourself, and so much more! 

Show Notes:

  • Why April calls herself risk-averse and how she overcame it. [03:18]

  • How two entrepreneurial parents shaped April. [04:50]

  • Life before Vintner's Daughter: from design to winemaking. [05:56]

  • The story of the sabbatical April took, the apothecary she visited, and how it inspired her first product, the Active Botanical Serum. [12:37]

  • Other ideas April explored before launching Vintner's Daughter. [15:23]

  • The early days of product development and launch. [16:58]

  • Moments of doubt and the motivation to keep going. [19:58]

  • Growing brand awareness with minimal marketing funds. [23:33]

  • Scaling, running a business from her living room, working mom hours, and more! [25:20]

  • Committing to a single SKU over trends. [27:13]

  • Staying vision-aligned and impact-focused. [29:54]

  • Her approach to funding and building without investors. [32:02]

  • The value of a supportive advisory community. [35:50]

  • The transformative power of meditation and authenticity. [37:18]

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Ep 303 | Dr. Gabrielle Lyon