Everyone's starting a side business right now. A product, a brand, a little something on the side that might just take off. Acacia actually did it. She and her partner built PuraU, a natural skincare and gut brand, out of her own years of struggling with acne. And in this episode she tells the real story, not the highlight reel.

It started with her own skin. Years of the pill, antibiotics, Accutane, naturopaths she could barely afford, and nothing that lasted. So she set out to build the thing she wished she'd had. What she's honest about is everything that came after. They launched to crickets and didn't make a sale for two weeks. They cold called journalists themselves when the expensive PR agency did nothing. It took three years before the business turned a profit, and three years before they paid themselves a wage.

If you've ever sat on an idea waiting until you had enough money, or felt behind watching everyone else online look like an overnight success, this one will land. Acacia is proof that the unglamorous version is the real one, and that the people who make it are simply the ones who stick it out.

What we cover

• Building PuraU from Acacia's own years of acne and trying everything
• Launching the website and not making a single sale for two weeks
• Cold calling journalists herself instead of paying a PR agency
• Why a great product means nothing if nobody can find it
• Learning Facebook ads herself to stop relying on one off PR spikes
• The three years it took before breaking through, making a profit, or paying themselves
• Comparison, social media, and the false reality of replacing your income in four weeks
• Knowing your customer because you were your customer
• Pushing into chemists and skin clinics, and the setbacks that nearly broke them

She built it from nothing, on persistence not luck, and she's only just getting started.

You'll find the whole range at purau.com.au, plus there's a quick skin quiz to find your own starting point.

FAQs

How long does it really take to build a successful business?

For Acacia and PuraU it took three years before the business made a profit or paid them a wage. The overnight success stories you see online usually hide years of work that happened before the launch.

Do you need money and business experience to start a brand?

Acacia was a nurse with no business background and sold her car to help fund the brand. What carried them was resilience and a willingness to learn each part themselves rather than pay someone else to do it.

What is PuraU?

PuraU is an Australian made skincare and gut health brand, formulated with microbiologists to treat the root cause of acne rather than the surface. It was created by Acacia and her partner out of their own experience with skin and gut issues.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

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