Celebrity Inventors: Peta Murgatroyd of Peta Jane Beauty On How To Go From Idea To Store Shelf

An Interview With Edward Sylvan

I think to translate any idea into a business, you have to first research your competitors and work out how your products are going to be different, better, more effective, less time-consuming, what is it about your product that will set it apart from the others, etc.

As a part of our series called “Celebrity Inventors”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Peta Murgatroyd. She is a world-renowned professional dancer best known for 14 seasons of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, along with an accomplished actress, businesswoman, creative producer, artistic choreographer and most importantly, a full-time mother. Born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, and now a naturalized American Citizen in Los Angeles, Peta is the epitome of the modern woman.

Peta Murgatroyd’s latest entrepreneur adventure is with her self-tanning collection — Peta Jane Beauty (www.PetaJaneBeauty.com). Peta set out to create an organically derived tanning mousse along with an application mitt that fuels women’s confidence, by sharing the tools to achieve that beach bronzed skin without leaving home or jumping in the tanning bed, leaving women feeling powerful, bold and self-assured.

Peta Jane is in partnership with South Seas Skincare, an authentic relationship that blossomed after meeting on set during Season 13 of Dancing With The Stars. Peta found herself with instant gratification and professional results, week after week using the tanning range. This is the second collection of Peta Jane, after a successful collection in 2019, where Peta joined QVC and successfully sold out the Peta Jane range. The dynamic duo reunited for a second collection, featuring a lightweight tanning mousse and a luxurious, velvety application mitt.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Birds of a feather flock together” and “you are the company you keep”…. My parents shared these with me as I navigated my way through school in Australia. The meanings are related and simple, whoever you surround yourself with, this is the company you will be judged by. I think these quotes have been super useful in my life throughout my 20’s and into my 30’s. Ever since I was a little girl I saw the good in everyone. I think this is actually a great trait to have, however, there are times where I was naive and let people take advantage of my kindness. Standing my ground and realizing that not all people have good intentions took time but I learned my lessons very fast. Living in Los Angeles in my early 20’s until now, I’m 34, I’ve come across such a wide variety of people. Mostly people who over promise and under deliver. It sounds harsh but it’s true. Gosh there have been so many broken promises and trust placed in people who never should’ve had that responsibility. Another phrase, “A leopard never changes its spots!” This is another perfect phrase I used to remind myself when I thought about giving people 2nd and 3rd chances. You live and you learn and I do believe I am wiser, I know my limits and I know my worth more than ever before.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I have loved the book and podcast “The 5 Second Rule” and when I began reading the book I realised I had been doing what Mel Robbins preaches by myself all my life. The 5 Second Rule is to get people moving and up off the couch. It helps you catapult yourself into a productive space. So essentially, if you’re feeling useless, unproductive, unmotivated, if you’re procrastinating and not following through with what you said you would accomplish, count down from 5. 5,4,3,2,1….and this gives your brain enough time to change its mind and switch to a more ‘doing’ attitude. It has worked for me since I was little. I give myself 5 seconds (sure I have failed at times) to get up and go do that thing I was thinking about….it could be as simple as finally cleaning the oven or it could be something big like finally filming myself singing for a big audition. Whatever it is you can change your thought process and change your path for that day! I love it.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. What was the catalyst that inspired you to invent your product? Can you share the story of your “ah ha” moment with us?

Well, I decided to take the bull by the horns!! This February 2021 during the most unprecedented time, a pandemic, I released my new Tanning Mousse under my name Peta Jane. I honestly thought it’s now or never, JUST DO IT! I had the vision to recreate my brand and I went for it. Our dancing tours got canceled, our live shows got canceled, the entertainment business as a whole was only slowly getting back on its feet, so it felt bold and exciting to bring something new to the table for my fans and my brand.

Getting into the creative side, I knew I wanted to add warmth into my color palette and embrace the nude pastels I was in love with. I wanted our bottle to almost look like skin. I knew people loved tanning mousses but I knew they would’ve never tried something that dries so fast with no fake tan odor. I think the best part is that I was so confident with my products. The velvet glove is the game-changer that no one knew they needed. The color, texture, smell, drying ability was tested for months and months until we had it in the perfect ratio. So, I guess my “ah ha” moment was me looking at my career/industry shutting down and falling apart during the pandemic and thinking what have I got to lose. I then put all my energy and creativity into Peta Jane and I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished.

There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. How did you overcome this challenge?

This is definitely a challenge many face…however, I was lucky enough to partner with my good friend Julie Nostrand who is a skincare/tanning genius of South Seas Skin Care. She is our chief spray tanner on Dancing With The Stars and has been for many years. She and I joined forces to create the Peta Jane Beauty brand. I knew what I wanted my products to represent, I had a clear vision and she helped me put it on paper and then take it to a lab.

I think to translate any idea into a business, you have to first research your competitors and work out how your products are going to be different, better, more effective, less time-consuming, what is it about your product that will set it apart from the others, etc. There are plenty of tanning mousses on the market but I knew I wanted mine to dry faster, stay longer, not be orange, with no tanning odor. Setting small goals for my business helped me stay confident and on track, because it’s so easy to get swept up in the hoopla and feel like you should be doing more. It felt amazing when I conquered my fears and smashed my goals.

Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?

I would say go out, walk around, shop around, go see these competitors. Heck, I bought a lot of mine, so I could test them and see if they lived up to the hype and see how I could make mine better. Read reviews and blogs and see what customers are saying. Research is absolutely necessary in order to evaluate your market and marketing strategy. This is the only way.

Did you have a role model or a person who inspired you to persevere despite the hardships involved in taking the risk of selling a new product?

My greatest inspiration is my husband Maks. He has always been my biggest cheerleader for every aspect of my life. No matter what career path I would be embarking on he will be there every step of the way, raising me up when I’m at my lowest, enforcing positivity and faith in all my projects, and never letting my light be diminished even if it’s about body image. I love running my ideas by him, he is a brutally honest guy so he will give it to me straight. I know I can count on him to give me the pros and cons of my new ideas. With Peta Jane, he thought it was a home run when he tried it. He’s obsessed with the mitt because now he can’t get tan on his hands from doing my back haha! He said the mitt is genius!

For the benefit of our readers, can you share the story, and outline the steps that you went through, from when you thought of the idea, until it finally landed on the store shelves? In particular we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.

I met Julie on the set of Dancing With The Stars many seasons ago and fell in love with the South Seas Skin Care products. So it made absolute sense they were my partner in launching Peta Jane Beauty. We collaborated with their manufacturing channels whom they have had a successful working relationship for over 20 years to create our one-of-a-kind tanning mousse that works on every skin tone, dries instantly, doesn’t have developing odor and has my signature fragrance. We didn't file a patent, but we did file a trademark through an attorney several years ago. When it came to our retail partners, we have our own website so we are direct to consumers along with partnering with several key distribution channels of South Seas Skin Care. And as we live in 2021 and a world of social media, we viewed platforms like Instagram and TikTok as retail partners, so we partnered with several key influencers to share the news on their platforms to drive sales too.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I can’t really think of anything funny, but I can remember trying to figure out how we could achieve a matte skin-colored bottle with the tanning solution inside. Every time we would fill a bottle it would turn this awful mud gray/green color because it would show through the bottle. Then the bottle color wouldn’t match the neck of the bottle. Third time’s a charm though and we nailed it on the third try.

The early stages must have been challenging. Are you able to identify a “tipping point” after making your invention, when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

There were so many stages when creating the perfect tanning mousse. You might get the color right one try but the density is wrong and it takes too long to dry. Then you have to test how it leaves your skin, will it come off like leopard spots? Will it grab too much on the hands and feet? Will it change color in a week? All of these things took TIME but there was a point where we finally nailed it and it was the most incredible feeling.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Invented My Product” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. The wait times on bottles arriving from overseas, I had no idea this took so long. Don’t let logistics discourage your ideas.

2. The sheer amount of people who will look at you and say, “oh yeh we’ve tried something like that before” — keep your head down and work hard.

3. The wait time on trying to meet with the right people in the places you want your product in. There will be a ton of products before you that they’re interested in too, don’t think you’re the only one.

4. The investment. The money spent initially can sometimes be overwhelming, but you always have to look at the bigger picture. Ads cost money, photoshoots cost money, influencers cost money, a PR team costs money, you also might need a branding manager, they cost money. No risk, no reward.

5. Stay positive!

Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

I would say, take your thoughts and idea to paper. Write everything down, get every little detail out of your head. Then research the heck out of it (to check if there are any like products) and start asking your friends, co-workers, neighbours, any contacts you have to get these papers into the right hands and onto the next step.

There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

I believe in both. It truly depends on how much workload you can sustain. Having a consultant will ease up your to-do list and let you focus on specific things and they give you the tools to develop your product and organize your thoughts the most productive way possible.

What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?

Again I believe in both. But I think having initial investors will push your products out the door immediately, with no financial stress on your end. If your product is good and people believe in it, you won’t regret involving venture capital.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.

In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.

Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.

With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.

At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.

Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.

As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.

He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.

A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.

Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.