Ep 287 | Melissa Palmer

Written By Yasmin Nouri

OSEA Founder on What It Truly Takes to Build & Bootstrap a Natural Skincare Empire

Listen on

 
 

Melissa Palmer is the CEO and co-founder of OSEA, a heritage skincare brand with nearly 30 years of history, known for its use of seaweed as a signature ingredient in its products.

Melissa grew up surrounded by women who were deeply inspired by the sea, and OSEA is the result of four generations of Palmer women. From a young age, she was taught the importance of wellness and the power of natural foods and beauty. Her mother and co-founder, Jenefer, spent decades perfecting her formulas, often filling their bathtub with seaweed and experimenting with various concoctions in their kitchen. Through these experiences, Melissa learned the value of hard work, passion, and what it takes to become an entrepreneur by watching her mother build these formulas from the ground up. Twenty years later, this mother-daughter duo continues to run a successful business, achieving profitability every year since its inception.

In this week’s episode, we speak with Melissa about the importance of authenticity, storytelling, and staying true to your roots when building a strong, sustainable brand. She reflects on her unique upbringing and the visionary legacy of her great-grandmother, which inspired the creation of OSEA. Melissa discusses the early days of building the business from her home, her evolving relationship with perfectionism, and how failures with another business fueled her determination to elevate OSEA. She delves into the challenges of scaling in the clean beauty industry, the transition from a spa brand to a direct-to-consumer business, and how they built awareness and a loyal customer base before clean beauty became mainstream. Melissa also shares insights on the benefits of growing a business "slowly," why they turned down certain opportunities, their future expansion plans, and much more.

Show Notes:

  • Melissa’s relationship with perfectionism and control. [03:38]

  • The impact Melissa’s great-grandmother had on her and the business. [09:41]

  • Melissa’s childhood and early entrepreneurial spirit. [12:46]

  • Starting OSEA with her mom. [15:30]

  • Melissa’s entrepreneurial passion and OSEA’s early days shipping from their garage. [17:41]

  • Lessons learned from her venture, a hula hoop business. [19:11]

  • The importance of failure in entrepreneurship. [20:52]

  • Melissa’s growing self-confidence. [21:30]

  • Being early in the clean beauty space and OSEA’s growth. [23:08]

  • The reality of entrepreneurship: there is no instant success. [25:34]

  • How Melissa manages business growth. [29:10]

  • The value of being in a diverse peer group. [32:12]

  • What it’s like working in a family business. [34:50]

  • The significant role of a family coach and therapist in Melissa and her mom’s lives. [37:24]

  • OSEA during the COVID-19 pandemic and their decision to bring an investor on board. [39:14]

  • Melissa’s relationship with her business partners. [44:09]

  • Future plans for OSEA. [45:26]

  • Melissa’s constant evolution of workflow. [47:50]

This episode is brought to you by Beeya:

  • If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.

  • Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10

Follow Yasmin:

Follow Melissa:

Yasmin Nouri
Previous

Ep 288 | Kimberly Snyder
Next

Ep 286 | Kat Hantas