Gina Fredrickson: “To develop Grit, after every day, good or bad, I just have to remind myself that this is what I’ve always wanted”
After every day, good or bad, I just have to remind myself that this is what I’ve always wanted. I’ve dreamed of having my own company, being my own business and having something that I can call my own. With that comes ups and downs but it’s always good to have a mentality or dream that you can come home to.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Gina Fredrickson. Fredrickson serves as the co-founder and President of JuvaLips, LLC. After years of wanting to find a consistent and natural way to get plump lips, Gina developed JuvaLips two years ago. Gina began her interest in beauty while attending the Aveda Institute, a beauty institute emphasizing personal well-being and environmental responsibility in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That love for beauty, specifically natural techniques, drove her to start her own company to be the go-to solution for plump lips. The beauty device is the natural way to fuller, plumper lips through a patented technology that provides a consistent vacuum to the lip area. Prior to starting her entrepreneurial journey, Gina had a successful career in real estate.
Thank you for joining us Gina. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
My career started in beauty at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, MN. The Aveda Institute is rooted in cosmetology learnings that are all-natural. My time there has only strengthened my passion for the beauty world and cosmetics. I eventually found my way to a career in real estate but couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to go back to beauty. Meanwhile, I was looking for a beauty tool that would be a cost-effective and safe way to get plump lips. Through not being able to find the perfect fix for plump lips I decided to launch JuvaLips and be the answer to that need.
Can you share your story of Grit and Success? First can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
Reaching the consumer and getting on their radar has been a sticky challenge for our team since our start. With so many different tactics out there and such a large potential audience for the product it’s about finding the right balance to getting that solid strategy.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
After every day, good or bad, I just have to remind myself that this is what I’ve always wanted. I’ve dreamed of having my own company, being my own business and having something that I can call my own. With that comes ups and downs but it’s always good to have a mentality or dream that you can come home to.
So how did Grit lead to your eventual success? How did Grit turn things around?
Something even today I’m in the middle of having to remind myself of. By setting goals and having clear steps, one after another, you can keep taking steps to move forward — even on those tough days.
So, how are things going today? :-)
Right now we’re in the midst of planning for the year and setting out what our strategies will be across the company. Planning can always be a lot but we’re excited about what we have in store for 2019!
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?
Spending more money than you have. It’s taught my team to get more creative and strategic to make sure we’re making the impact we know we can.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
My background and commitment to natural beauty has gotten us where we are and will continue to position us for future success. We believe beauty can be natural and also at a price point that allows anyone to feel beautiful — truly in their own skin.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Set goals. Work at them, meet them and keep setting more goals. It will serve as a reminder on the days that everything doesn’t seem worth it that it really is it.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My business partner Brett has been that person for me. We were originally connected back in my real estate days and he was the one that when I was thinking about starting my own business not only encouraged me to do so but came alongside me to push things along.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I believe natural beauty is the answer for not only sustainability but is also at the root of why people have such an interest in the beauty industry — people want to feel good in their own skin. That’s a feeling you can’t put a price tag on and something I’m honored to have a hand in.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me before I started my company” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1.Marketing mix: there are so many aspects to marketing, more than you honestly can imagine. Being able to break it down so it is not only impactful but profitable is something our team is currently working on.
2. Travel: between having a remote team, events and other meetings I feel like I am constantly on the go.
3. The people you meet: I’ve been able to meet so many people from users of the product, business connections, etc. Definitely, a huge benefit to the job that I didn’t realize was going to have the magnitude that it does!
4. How hard things would be. Having that real talk of what would be ahead.
5. Working from home: I work from home and my team is all remote which is not exactly what I thought it would. It takes a different approach to getting things done!
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
In some capacity, I am doing it — I want people to truly feel comfortable in their own skin — from beauty to just their own thoughts and feelings.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
@myjuvalips
