July 31, 2024 • 10 mins
"What worked two years ago doesn't necessarily work now." Sylvia Brownlee talks about marketing her Cincinnati-based skincare clinic and product line, Skin by Brownlee and Co., which is helping clients achieve clear skin and confidence. Sylvia also talks about the beauty of mentorship and the MORTAR program, which have helped her during her first decade in business.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
My name is Michael Golson, your host of My SINSI
Small Business Stories. In this episode, I'll be talking with
Sylvia Brownlee, ceo esthetician of Scanned by Brownlee and Company.
We'll find out more about that, but first we'll be
right back after this message.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Did you know twice as many small businesses survive past
five years when they have the support from a mentor.
My sincey small Business Story is brought to you by
the volunteer mentors of Score Greater Cincinnati, a nonprofit organization
that helps launch hundreds of new small businesses and even
more jobs in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana every year.
Our vision is to give every person the support they
(00:44):
need to thrive as a small business owner. Visit score
dot org slash Greater Cincinnati to request a free business
mentor or share your own expertise. You can also listen
and subscribe for more stories about overcoming challenges, clearing obstacles,
and owning a successful small business.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Welcome, Sylvia, How are you today?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I'm doing well? Thank you? How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I'm doing well too, Such a beautiful day. We're both inside.
That doesn't seem fair.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I do have this great window though, so I can
see the sun is shining.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, Sylvia. Tell us about your company. What is it
that you do? When how you got started?
Speaker 1 (01:18):
All right? So, Skin by Browley and Co. Is a
skincare clinic that focuses on the prevention and treatment of
actian hyperpigmentation. We're based locally here in Cincinnati, Ohio, and
we work with people locally but also all over virtually
as well, helping them clear their skin. They can do
(01:38):
virtual consultations. We ship products all over the world. So
giving people the skin of their dreams, one face at
a time.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Very good. I understand that you are a mortar bread
and I'd like you to tell us a little bit
about that.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah. So, I actually had the honor to be a
part of a program they did with Kroger and P
and G. It was an awesome program teaching us about
branding and marketing. We did a really cool pitch night
where we got to pitch to some of the execs
at Kroger and P and G as well. It's a
great addition to my entrepreneurship journey for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So Moorder is an incubator for young startups and entrepreneurs,
mainly helping out women and particularly women of color. That's
my understanding.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Score has a long history with Mortar. Mortars in its
tenth year, and Score has provided mentors from the very
beginning to Mortar. Did you work with Score at all?
Speaker 1 (02:44):
You know, it was just very short lived. I only
had one conversation, I think, with a Score mentor.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So, Okay, how long have you been in business?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So I've been in business for nine years and I've
had my product line for the last seven.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Very good. So how'd you get into this? What made
you think, Hey, I'm going to go into skincare.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, So in my junior and senior year in high school,
I went to decided to do the vocational program of cosmetology.
I knew I wanted to be in the beauty industry.
I just wasn't sure which avenue I would take. I
decided to get license for everything. Shortly thereafter, I dabbled
in hair a little bit, very very little bit, and
(03:30):
decided quickly this was not the lame that I wanted
to go in.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
It was.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I wasn't passionate about it, nor did I enjoy it.
And then took a look at nails and you know,
just thought, eh, maybe, But once I did skincare, I
really felt passionate about what I could do to help
increase the confidence and self esteem of others because I
myself dealt with acnean hyperpigmentation and know how that impacted
(03:56):
me when my skin was clear versus broken out, and
so I wanted to be able to share that gift
with others.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
So how would someone find you? I mean, how would
if they wanted to contact you and find out more
about your products or your services. Do you have a
brick and mortar or use an online company? Tell us
a little bit about how we could get a hold
of you.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yeah, so I have a brick and mortar locally here
in Cincinnati, Ohio. And then I also have a e
comm website where you can find me at www dot
skin by browleiancode dot com.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You can purchase.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Products there, you can schedule your appointments to come in
house or your virtual appointment as well.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Where do you see yourself and your business, let's say
in three to five years?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Oh that question? So where I would like to see
skin by Browny and Co. Grow is to see it
in other salons and spots on the shelves of other
estheticians using it. I'm growing the brand that way. I
would love to be able to educate or estheticians on
hearing acne, working with skin melanated skin that has hyperpigmentation,
(05:05):
So that is a route of growth. And then also
we are expanding and moving to a new location within
the next month actually, so we'll be hiring other estheticians
to work under the Skin by brownlan Co brand to
really help them grow and understand acne and hyperpigmentation so
that we can help more people locally and virtually.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
You're an esthetician? Is that a license? And okay, tell
me a little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You do have to go to school to be a
licensed esthetician and then every two years you have to
do your continuing education to keep your license.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
So when you were talking about your brand, how do
you market yourself? Do you advertise as a word of mouth?
Is it through social media? How do you keep your
business growing?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah, so there's so many avenues when it comes to
marketing Skin by Brown line Co. We do to email campaigns,
we do SMS, we do events around the city and
outside of the city. I go to schools and promote
the brand as well, and then of course social media marketing,
there's ads, there's organic. So our primary focus when it
(06:17):
comes to social media is Instagram and Facebook. We're dabbling
with TikTok. We're not specialists at TikTok. I don't know
all the dance moves, so uh, you know, that keeps
me from doing all the latest and greatest TikTok. But honestly,
it's about a little bit. You're constantly changing your marketing
strategy and what worked two years ago doesn't necessarily work
(06:40):
this year. So I'll always be going back to grassroots
I think is important as well, even going back to
sending flyers in the mail. I think, is it the
thing so people can constantly see your face. I think
they say, what it takes seven times for someone to
see the brand and remember it. I think that's increased
so like eleven now. So just making sure that people
(07:01):
are consistently seeing Skinned by Brownlee and Co. So when
they are seeing it, they remember it, They recognize the logo,
they recognize the brand, the name. So that's the goal.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah. I spent my career in advertising and marketing, and
that was the old rule with seven touches before someone
would take an action. But I agree with you that
touch point is much higher now than what it used
to be. So can you give me your address, and
not just me, but our listeners your address and your
(07:32):
website address.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah. So we're located at seven three three seven Montumery
Roads in Tandy, Ohio. That's in Silverton, right across from
the post office. And our website is www dot skinned
by brownleiancode dot com. All of our social media channels
are skinned by Brownlieco.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
While you were getting started in your business, did you
have people who helped you, like mentors or somebody you
looked up to or an example? How did you start
in a business? Is not an easy thing to do.
There's just so many moving parts. Tell me how you
got started.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
You know, when I got started, I didn't have any
mentors in the industry, honestly. I mean it was just
kind of figuring it out as I go and I do.
I would not suggest someone do that now. I would
suggest getting a mentor so that you can kind of
avoid costly mistakes, especially when it comes to your branding
and what works and what doesn't work. I think that's important.
(08:31):
For example, with labels, we've gone through a rebrand and
we're doing a brand refresh now, so this will be
our third look. And the reason is in the beginning,
you kind of just are figuring it out, like I mentioned,
and so some things don't show up well on camera,
and so if no one's there to tell you, hey,
you might not want to use this color, you might
(08:51):
want to try this instead, this type of label, a
shiny versus a metallic versus a flat, you know, all
of those things play a huge role in how you're
product shows up on camera. And I didn't think think
about that. The only thing I thought was it looks
pretty to me. I like it, and it looks pretty
that there's so much more that goes into that. So
I think, you know, having mentors in different categories, you know,
(09:14):
like someone that works in branding, someone that works in marketing,
someone that's in finance, all those different areas are important
so that you don't make those costly mistakes and have
to change things once you've kind of figured it out.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Very good, Well, thank you, Sylvia. We've been talking with
Sylvia Brownlee, CEO and founder of skin By Brownlean Company.
And why don't you give us that web address one
more time? Please?
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Sure, it's www dot skin by brownleancode dot com.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Thank you. If you'd like to sign up with a
mentor or would like to become a mentor, go to
score dot org and link on the appropriate button. Please
subscribe to this podcast and share the link with others.
SCORE Greater Cincinnatis Confluence where connections, information and inspiration come
(10:03):
together has a date of September eighteenth of twenty four,
from eight thirty am to two pm at United Way.
The theme this year is Shine Online. You can go
to score dot org slash Greater Cincinnati and be able
(10:23):
to register for that event. Also, you can go to
that website and request a mentor or sign up to
be a volunteer. Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to
the podcast and share the link. Take care,
Hello.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
My name is Michael Golson, your host of My SINSI
Small Business Stories. In this episode, I'll be talking with
Sylvia Brownlee, ceo esthetician of Scanned by Brownlee and Company.
We'll find out more about that, but first we'll be
right back after this message.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Did you know twice as many small businesses survive past
five years when they have the support from a mentor.
My sincey small Business Story is brought to you by
the volunteer mentors of Score Greater Cincinnati, a nonprofit organization
that helps launch hundreds of new small businesses and even
more jobs in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana every year.
Our vision is to give every person the support they
(00:44):
need to thrive as a small business owner. Visit score
dot org slash Greater Cincinnati to request a free business
mentor or share your own expertise. You can also listen
and subscribe for more stories about overcoming challenges, clearing obstacles,
and owning a successful small business.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Welcome, Sylvia, How are you today?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I'm doing well? Thank you? How are you?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I'm doing well too, Such a beautiful day. We're both inside.
That doesn't seem fair.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I do have this great window though, so I can
see the sun is shining.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, Sylvia. Tell us about your company. What is it
that you do? When how you got started?
Speaker 1 (01:18):
All right? So, Skin by Browley and Co. Is a
skincare clinic that focuses on the prevention and treatment of
actian hyperpigmentation. We're based locally here in Cincinnati, Ohio, and
we work with people locally but also all over virtually
as well, helping them clear their skin. They can do
(01:38):
virtual consultations. We ship products all over the world. So
giving people the skin of their dreams, one face at
a time.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Very good. I understand that you are a mortar bread
and I'd like you to tell us a little bit
about that.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah. So, I actually had the honor to be a
part of a program they did with Kroger and P
and G. It was an awesome program teaching us about
branding and marketing. We did a really cool pitch night
where we got to pitch to some of the execs
at Kroger and P and G as well. It's a
great addition to my entrepreneurship journey for sure.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So Moorder is an incubator for young startups and entrepreneurs,
mainly helping out women and particularly women of color. That's
my understanding.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Score has a long history with Mortar. Mortars in its
tenth year, and Score has provided mentors from the very
beginning to Mortar. Did you work with Score at all?
Speaker 1 (02:44):
You know, it was just very short lived. I only
had one conversation, I think, with a Score mentor.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So, Okay, how long have you been in business?
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So I've been in business for nine years and I've
had my product line for the last seven.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Very good. So how'd you get into this? What made
you think, Hey, I'm going to go into skincare.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, So in my junior and senior year in high school,
I went to decided to do the vocational program of cosmetology.
I knew I wanted to be in the beauty industry.
I just wasn't sure which avenue I would take. I
decided to get license for everything. Shortly thereafter, I dabbled
in hair a little bit, very very little bit, and
(03:30):
decided quickly this was not the lame that I wanted
to go in.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
It was.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I wasn't passionate about it, nor did I enjoy it.
And then took a look at nails and you know,
just thought, eh, maybe, But once I did skincare, I
really felt passionate about what I could do to help
increase the confidence and self esteem of others because I
myself dealt with acnean hyperpigmentation and know how that impacted
(03:56):
me when my skin was clear versus broken out, and
so I wanted to be able to share that gift
with others.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
So how would someone find you? I mean, how would
if they wanted to contact you and find out more
about your products or your services. Do you have a
brick and mortar or use an online company? Tell us
a little bit about how we could get a hold
of you.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Yeah, so I have a brick and mortar locally here
in Cincinnati, Ohio. And then I also have a e
comm website where you can find me at www dot
skin by browleiancode dot com.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You can purchase.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Products there, you can schedule your appointments to come in
house or your virtual appointment as well.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Where do you see yourself and your business, let's say
in three to five years?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Oh that question? So where I would like to see
skin by Browny and Co. Grow is to see it
in other salons and spots on the shelves of other
estheticians using it. I'm growing the brand that way. I
would love to be able to educate or estheticians on
hearing acne, working with skin melanated skin that has hyperpigmentation,
(05:05):
So that is a route of growth. And then also
we are expanding and moving to a new location within
the next month actually, so we'll be hiring other estheticians
to work under the Skin by brownlan Co brand to
really help them grow and understand acne and hyperpigmentation so
that we can help more people locally and virtually.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
You're an esthetician? Is that a license? And okay, tell
me a little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You do have to go to school to be a
licensed esthetician and then every two years you have to
do your continuing education to keep your license.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
So when you were talking about your brand, how do
you market yourself? Do you advertise as a word of mouth?
Is it through social media? How do you keep your
business growing?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Yeah, so there's so many avenues when it comes to
marketing Skin by Brown line Co. We do to email campaigns,
we do SMS, we do events around the city and
outside of the city. I go to schools and promote
the brand as well, and then of course social media marketing,
there's ads, there's organic. So our primary focus when it
(06:17):
comes to social media is Instagram and Facebook. We're dabbling
with TikTok. We're not specialists at TikTok. I don't know
all the dance moves, so uh, you know, that keeps
me from doing all the latest and greatest TikTok. But honestly,
it's about a little bit. You're constantly changing your marketing
strategy and what worked two years ago doesn't necessarily work
(06:40):
this year. So I'll always be going back to grassroots
I think is important as well, even going back to
sending flyers in the mail. I think, is it the
thing so people can constantly see your face. I think
they say, what it takes seven times for someone to
see the brand and remember it. I think that's increased
so like eleven now. So just making sure that people
(07:01):
are consistently seeing Skinned by Brownlee and Co. So when
they are seeing it, they remember it, They recognize the logo,
they recognize the brand, the name. So that's the goal.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Yeah. I spent my career in advertising and marketing, and
that was the old rule with seven touches before someone
would take an action. But I agree with you that
touch point is much higher now than what it used
to be. So can you give me your address, and
not just me, but our listeners your address and your
(07:32):
website address.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah. So we're located at seven three three seven Montumery
Roads in Tandy, Ohio. That's in Silverton, right across from
the post office. And our website is www dot skinned
by brownleiancode dot com. All of our social media channels
are skinned by Brownlieco.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
While you were getting started in your business, did you
have people who helped you, like mentors or somebody you
looked up to or an example? How did you start
in a business? Is not an easy thing to do.
There's just so many moving parts. Tell me how you
got started.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
You know, when I got started, I didn't have any
mentors in the industry, honestly. I mean it was just
kind of figuring it out as I go and I do.
I would not suggest someone do that now. I would
suggest getting a mentor so that you can kind of
avoid costly mistakes, especially when it comes to your branding
and what works and what doesn't work. I think that's important.
(08:31):
For example, with labels, we've gone through a rebrand and
we're doing a brand refresh now, so this will be
our third look. And the reason is in the beginning,
you kind of just are figuring it out, like I mentioned,
and so some things don't show up well on camera,
and so if no one's there to tell you, hey,
you might not want to use this color, you might
(08:51):
want to try this instead, this type of label, a
shiny versus a metallic versus a flat, you know, all
of those things play a huge role in how you're
product shows up on camera. And I didn't think think
about that. The only thing I thought was it looks
pretty to me. I like it, and it looks pretty
that there's so much more that goes into that. So
I think, you know, having mentors in different categories, you know,
(09:14):
like someone that works in branding, someone that works in marketing,
someone that's in finance, all those different areas are important
so that you don't make those costly mistakes and have
to change things once you've kind of figured it out.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Very good, Well, thank you, Sylvia. We've been talking with
Sylvia Brownlee, CEO and founder of skin By Brownlean Company.
And why don't you give us that web address one
more time? Please?
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Sure, it's www dot skin by brownleancode dot com.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Thank you. If you'd like to sign up with a
mentor or would like to become a mentor, go to
score dot org and link on the appropriate button. Please
subscribe to this podcast and share the link with others.
SCORE Greater Cincinnatis Confluence where connections, information and inspiration come
(10:03):
together has a date of September eighteenth of twenty four,
from eight thirty am to two pm at United Way.
The theme this year is Shine Online. You can go
to score dot org slash Greater Cincinnati and be able
(10:23):
to register for that event. Also, you can go to
that website and request a mentor or sign up to
be a volunteer. Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to
the podcast and share the link. Take care,
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