IAM1220 – CEO Helps Her Clients Build their Confidence through Her Skin Care Products

She realized that many current skincare ingredients, such as fragrances or fillers, break out her skin so she created her skincare products in her kitchen. She documented her struggle on her YouTube channel, which now garners over 70 million views. Eventually, her followers saw great results on her skin and encouraged her to launch her own business. Now she and her diverse team focus on inspiring confidence in others. Together with the Banish Warriors and Soldiers, Daisy joins the acne community in their skin journey.

• CEO Story: Daisy had Acne since 9 years old, tried different products but nothing worked for her. Documented her experience and she formulated her product. Trying to solve a problem personally and she realized it could help other people too. That’s where Banish was born.
• Business Service: Fresh to order, not selling on Amazon since their products have very few preservatives. Doesn’t contain fragrance, added color, mineral oil, or salt powder.
• Secret Sauce: The ability to change and the ability to adapt.
• CEO Hack: Having very precise communication during meetings.
• CEO Nugget: Making a decision is better than not making a decision. At times you may be wrong, but you just have to move forward.
• CEO Defined: Being able to create your universe and have a vision behind something and being able to lead the team in the most authentic version of yourself.

Website: banish.com

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3CfSIzI

Facebook: https://bit.ly/2VnTHwO

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3jbIzek

Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3CcaSCg

Twitter : https://bit.ly/3ynKIu0

Tiktok : https://bit.ly/3A18Qmo

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Transcription

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00:25 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:46- Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Daisy Jing of Banish. Daisy, it's great to have you on the show.

00:54- Daisy Jing

Thank you, great. I'm glad to be here.

00:56 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, super excited to have you on as well, too. Before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Daisy so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Daisy is a YouTube vlogger and a mompreneur who founded and bootstrapped a now multi-million dollar beauty brand beauty product line named Banished.

She has knowledge and experience in business and marketing, and her business is ranked 152nd fastest-growing company in the 8500. She was also included in Forbes 30 under 30 in manufacturing. And just recently, she had an opportunity to share her passion for authenticity at a TEDx talk. Daisy, super excited to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:35- Daisy Jing

Yes, I am. Thank you for that great introduction.

01:37 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, thank you for doing all the awesome things that you're doing. And what I wanted to do to kick us off was rewind the clock a little bit here, a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

01:46 – Daisy Jing

Yeah. So I had acne my entire life, starting when I was nine years old. And, you know, I tried to use every single product to get rid of my acne. I went to dermatologists, and natural pathway healers, tried drugstore products, everything. And nothing seemed to work for my skin. And when you have a skin condition like acne in your teenage years, you have mental health side effects from it. So I was very depressed and I decided to document my journey of treating my acne on my YouTube channel.

So during this time, I was studying premede and I was reading the ingredients in the labels and the skincare I was using. And I was asking myself, why are there so many ingredients in skincare? You know, why are there so many ingredients? I can't pronounce, what's the purpose of all these? And I realized that a lot of ingredients in skincare are there to make the products look good, smell good, feel good, but it doesn't provide any benefit for your skin. And my skin being very, very sensitive, I developed a lot of acne because it was sensitive to all those ingredients I was putting on.

So I formulated my product and I just use them on myself. I had no intention of starting a business, but people on my YouTube channel noticed the drastic change on my skin, and they were like Daisy, I want to buy whatever it is you're using. And that is how Banish was born. So it was truly organic. It started by accident, and I wanted to solve a problem that I had personally. And then I realized, hey, it helps other people, too.

03:17 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. As one of those people who in his teenage years struggled a lot with acne, I personally, unfortunately, you know, know that pain. But I love how you took that true entrepreneurial form and decided to create something because I think so many times we forget that as we solve our problems, we also are a lot of times solving other problems. And a lot of times, that's, you know, what entrepreneurs do and can kind of create some phenomenal products and services.

03:41 – Daisy Jing

Yeah, no, for sure. I think the biggest thing for entrepreneurs is being able to solve a pain point. Right. And if you have a pain point, most likely other people do, too.

03:50 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. So I wanted to drill down a little bit more. Could you tell us a little bit more on, you know, what we can find through banish what you do, and how you serve the clients you work with?

04:01 – Daisy Jing

Yeah. So our products are all made fresh to order, so we don't sell on Amazon or Sephora or whatnot because our products have as few ingredients and few preservatives as possible. So if you think of it almost like ordering fresh food versus packaged or canned food, it's much easier, and more gentle on the skin. And the active ingredients have a better time of working because they're not processed or, you know, have gone through the preservation process.

Our products do not contain, you know, any fragrance or added colors or mineral oil or silicones or, I mean, every single ingredient in the product is there for a reason, and it has a beneficial property to the skin. And if you order a product, for example, if you order them today, our team will go in either today or tomorrow and whip up the batch of products and send it to you right then and there. So you're getting fresh product. You're getting the most active ingredients. And that is why our skincare is the best, and it's been around for over eight years.

05:07 – Gresham Harkless

Nice. Well, I appreciate you so much. And Sharon, you know, about that process. And I almost think that you know, I always heard, and granted, I don't, you know, I don't know a lot about skincare, but I've always heard that, you know, the skin is like your biggest sell. So to put those natural, you know, products and, you know, that the care sounds like from the process you and your team work on is something that's big and it's something we should definitely, you know, appreciate that and use that as much as possible because it is our largest organ.

05:31- Daisy Jing

Yeah, it definitely is our largest organ. And, you know, when you're breaking out, when your skin doesn't look great, it's because it's signaling to you that there's something that it doesn't like. And so instead of trying to put more and more products on, which I think is what the skincare industry is selling us, it's really less is more. Right. So eliminating a lot of stuff that's going to irritate our skin will help us.

05:55 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And you start to hear that a lot more in all aspects of health where a lot of times, like you said, less is more. And sometimes the things that are added in and all the preservatives and all those things that I don't really know much about end up doing more harm than they do. Good that you've been able to kind of create that product that, that helps people at the end of the day.

06:13 – Daisy Jing

Thank you.

06:14 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. Absolutely. So I want to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself individually or the business or a combination of both. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you neat?

06:25 – Daisy Jing

You turn in the products or the business or you said any.

06:28- Gresham Harkless

Oh, anything like you from the business or yourself personally.

06:31 – Daisy Jing

I think one thing is, I'm very curious. I'm a very curious person, and I love learning for the sake of learning. And so because of that, I'm able to adapt and be flexible with change and things that are coming out. I think that's really important when you have a business, is the ability to change and also knowing when to adapt and be flexible. Right.

Because if you're always adapting, you're kind of all over the place. But you also can't be too stubborn. Right. Because the environment changes. And I really think being an entrepreneur is all about adaptation. So, yeah, I would say that's probably my secret weapon is, you know, being able to change with the times.

07:12 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I love how you mentioned that curiosity plays a big part in that. And I think, as you mentioned, you know, and said so well that, um, you know, the added adaptability, I can't even say that word that you have to have. And of course, being able to kind of pivot and change, like during times of change, during times that are, you know, sometimes less than ideal, is so important to be able to not just build a company for today, but build a company that continues to have, you know, legs in the, in the future. Continues to grow.

07:37 – Daisy Jing

Yeah, no, for sure. And I think it's important for entrepreneurs to realize, like, just because you have an amazing year, one year doesn't mean it's going to happen the next year and vice versa. Right. So it's constantly an evolution.

07:48 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. It is a journey, that's for sure. So. Absolutely. Appreciate that. And so I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, it could be a book, or it could be a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

08:05 – Daisy Jing

Oh, I love that. I think when I ask people to present information to me, I have a hard time following along when there's too much information. I think a lot of entrepreneurs are a little bit, you know, short attention span. So I ask people to tell me the conclusion first. Always, like, give me the one, the headline, right? The TLDR of what you're saying, and then break it down to pros and cons.

So I've devised that for meeting structure so that we can get through meetings quickly because otherwise, you know, someone will talk for like 15 minutes and I'll be like, okay, what was like, I got lost. Right. What you're saying. So I think just having very precise communications and meetings has really helped me.

08:47 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I love that. And I love, you know, the TLDR, of course, and then, you know, to break that down with the pros and cons as well too, because I think that's something obviously, like you said, you know, you can use in meetings. But I feel like that's a good kind of exercise to go through internally to make sure that you are actually being simplistic and being as effective as possible.

Whether we're talking about building a product or we're having a conversation or even sometimes pitching what we're doing, it's so important to be succinct and to the point about how we're making that impact happen.

09:14- Daisy Jing

Oh, yeah, for sure. I think, yeah, I definitely think having, using fewer words is always better. Also in the age of, like, you know, social media and stuff, just people get bombarded, right? With messages and captions and all that. So you just want to be as succinct and concise as possible.

09:31 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I think Steve Jobs has a quote where he talks about, like, to get to simplicity, actually, you have to work to get to simplicity. So it also shows that you really know what it is that you're doing if you're able to kind of break it down as simple as possible, which is kind of, you know, counterintuitive. So. Absolutely appreciate that hack. And I want to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this is a little bit more of a word of wisdom or piece of advice. It's something you might tell a client, or if you hop into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

09:59 – Daisy Jing

Yeah. So this is something I've actually realized now. I used to be very indecisive, and I think indecisive leaders are not the best leaders. Right. You don't want to be following somebody who's, like, not making a decision, blah, blah, blah. And for me, it was because I didn't want to make the wrong decision. But in reality, you're going to make the wrong decisions. But the thing is, you just have to make that decision with the information you have at that time and just move forward and not beat yourself up and understand that, like, a lot of decisions are not going to be the right decision, but you don't have the foresight, right to know what's going to happen.

So basically, making a decision is better than not making a decision because you really have to move the team and company forward, and that's part of the risk, right, of being an entrepreneur.

10:45 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. And, you know, definitely of leadership as well, too. And I think when you start to understand that, and I think one of the things I love, I love, and I realize, you know, as I told my young business self, is that a lot of the most successful people are those that did not make mistakes. They actually made mistakes, but they moved sometimes quickly. They were able to pivot and be like water as we kind of talked about before.

11:06 – Daisy Jing

Right? Yep.

11:08- Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So now, I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, and we kind of touched on this maybe a little bit, but it's the definition of what it means to be a CEO, and we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEO's on this show. So, Daisy, what does being a CEO mean to you?

11:21- Daisy Jing

Being a CEO means being able to create your own universe in a way that's most authentic to you and have a vision behind something and being able to lead a team behind that in the most authentic version of yourself.

11:42- Gresham Harkless

Nice. I love that definition and perspective. I often say, if you run your own race, you can't lose. But I feel like I should say, that if you could run your own universe, you can't lose. Because I think so many times we're looking at what other people say or what other people are doing, and we forget about the uniqueness and the authenticity, as you said, that's within us and the gifts that we have. So to be able to kind of lean into that and kind of create, you know, the world that we see and create products and services that help to serve, I think it's one of the most powerful things. So I love that, that definition.

12:10- Daisy Jing

Yeah. And for sure. And, like, you know, never compare yourself or, you know, think that, oh, I have to do this because this company did this or this competitor did this, blah, blah, blah, blah. Right. You can write your own narrative. You can write your own story. You can run your own business. Right. That's what being a CEO is. So it's really stemming from what is the most authentic version of yourself and having the leadership be able to communicate that.

12:37 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely. And I love how that kind of permeates through everything that you're doing, everything that you've been able to build and create. We often forget that we can create something new if something. All the ways that exist, all the things that are out there aren't serving us how we need them. That's our opportunity to run that race, to create our own universe and really create and be the narrative that so many others are trying to be.

So the best way we could do that is to lean into who we are and a lot of times our story and sometimes our pain points, as you said, so. Well, awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, Daisy, truly appreciate that definition. I appreciate your time as well. What I wanted to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know, and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find about all the awesome things you and team are working on.

13:24 – Daisy Jing

Ooh. Anything else that I should tell you? I would also say that you know, advice is out there, but be careful of whose advice you take. And, you know, just because somebody has a more successful business than you or is like, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, they don't necessarily know what is best for you.

13:47 – Gresham Harkless

Right.

13:47 – Daisy Jing

And I used to think that, oh, because, you know, they're a coach or a mentor or somebody more successful, they know what's best for me, and that's not always the case. So just understand that not everyone is on your journey. Right. And not everyone has had the same experiences, and not everyone is looking out into the future the same way you are.

So you really have to look deep within yourself and kind of figure. Figure it out. There's no. There's no blanket one right answer. Right, to being a sino. I think that's a. Probably the biggest challenge of being a CEO. Yeah. Making decisions and trying to figure out, like, what is the right thing for me, for my company to do. So listen to yourself, listen to your gut, and move forward.

14:30 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I absolutely love that. It's just so powerful because I think so many times, as you said, there's so much advice and information on what to do, what not to do, that we can kind of lose sight of our mission and lose sight of our goal and what we're trying to do, for sure.

14:42 – Daisy Jing

And the second part of your question was, where can I? Where can they find me?

14:45- Gresham Harkless

Yes, absolutely.

14:46 – Daisy Jing

Okay, so my product line is banishbanish.com, and our Instagram handle is vanishcar. And we have a secondary account at Banish. And my personal Instagram is Dazers 89, and that's my YouTube channel as well.

15:02 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And to make it even easier, we will have the links and information in the show notes so that everybody can get a hold of you, and find out about all the awesome things that you're doing. But I appreciate you so much and running your own race reminds us of how important that is, because I think so many times there's so much noise telling us to do a, B, and c or x, Y, and z, that we sometimes lose sight of our race and our voice and what we're ultimately trying to do. So thank you for staying true to that and reminding us of how important that is. And I hope you have a phenomenal day. Great.

15:26 – Daisy Jing

Thank you so much. Gresh.

15:29 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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