Tell us about Samson & Charlie.
Samson & Charlie is where the daily routine becomes a ritual to restore and renew your confidence and release your inner joy. We offer modern, results-driven skincare; powered by nature that delights all the senses.
Every ingredient is carefully curated in our handcrafted formulations which balance high performance with the sensorial experience. We aim for our products to work flexibly with the rhythm of your busy life and your skin’s unique requirements.
I have great affinity for craftsmanship and while I have so much pride in what we have created, and it’s important for me to let the products stand on their own and speak for themselves – the reception has been breathtaking.
What inspired you to start Samson & Charlie?
The inspiration wasn’t a singular moment but a compilation of events over years, and I’m so grateful I paid attention to these moments. It took me over 6 years of formulating, studying and researching before taking the leap to officially start the brand.
For the better part of 10 years I worked in highly stressful senior positions within the telecommunications industry. The job really took a toll on my health. While on forced bed rest in 2012, I researched “how to make a body scrub.” That opened up a whole new world to me. I began making body scrubs and oils but quickly started to research the ins and outs of formulations and preservation.
By the end of 2012, I was properly formulating cleansers and moisturisers. Aaron, my husband, built me my own lab: My happy place. I even managed to drag him into the mad scientist sessions of formulating. I learned there is something very real about creating a product from natural pure ingredients. At the time I was the face of a company I was running and having clear, smooth skin was everything. I didn’t have a lot of time for a fussing around, so through my corporate years I relied on a 2 in 1 exfoliating cleanser and deeply hydrating moisturiser. These would go on to become Samson & Charlie’s flagship products.
I had hoped to start my new business while I was working full-time but my roles were always far too demanding. Then six months later, my corporate division was restructured. I was given an option of a generous redundancy or redeployment onto another project. It was my chance, and I took it as a sign to start my dream. We had decided to name this dream after our two fur babies who have been a huge part of our lives. We wanted them to have a legacy. Samson & Charlie, the company, was born. I got home that day to find Aaron had set up my home office. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. We never looked back.
I really wanted to create something unique that gave back to the world in a positive, meaningful way. While researching, I noticed something at this time natural products tended to have a medicinal smell in brown bottles or shrouded packaging. I sat out to create natural high performing skincare that was visually stunning and a scent you would look forward to using again and again. I was inspired by the way Michelin Star Chef Heston Blumenthal refined the art of delighting all the senses in the culinary space, and I wanted to bring some of that to skincare.
Tell us about your career and background.
My background in business development, general management and deployment, and as CEO have aided in building our unique perspective in skincare. My previous career centred on business development and project delivery excellence in the construction of telecommunications infrastructure. I started in the mining environment of Western Australia where strict safety and quality regulations forged a deep understanding of how these two principles drive better performance outcomes.
These ingrained principles of continual process improvement, centred around the customer, is the foundation we built Samson & Charlie on.
My father taught me to never stop learning and encouraged my creative curiosity. As a Pisces, it has taken some time for me to embrace my creative side. I’m very proud of my academic achievements too: I have a Bachelors of International Business Majoring in Marketing and Management, Master of Business Administration and MIT Certificate in Business Process Design. Also studying, Post Graduate diploma of Information Systems and a Diploma of Organic Formulation.
I am a huge supporter of higher education and believe the foundation has opened so many opportunities for me. I don’t think I am finished yet; a doctorate is definitely on the horizon.
Our co-Founder Aaron, my husband, is the operational master of precision at Samson & Charlie and has a background as a mining surveyor and in operational management. He balances the skill requirements to exceed our customers’ expectations. Precision, diligence and consistency are critical disciplines to have when you take on makers’ responsibility. Aaron is so committed to ensuring consistency and perfection of our batches and the pride he takes is inspiring.
We both have a strong commitment to delivering the highest quality in everything we do and every day we consider what we could do better.
Describe a typical (if there is such a thing) workday for you.
Ok, this is honestly what a typical day looks like for me. I wake up late as I stay up very late.
9:30 Bad habit checking my emails first thing.
9:30-10am If I’m rustling around my Aaron Charlie and Samson greet me in bed with a Nespresso coffee every single day since I can remember (I don’t need roses this is as romantic as it gets)
10:30 After we chat about the boys, the news etc and I respond to social media comments or messages I jump in the shower to start the day.
11:00-1200 I check in with website, Google ads, and Facebook ads, finish any design work there is always something that requires design work
12:30 We have lunch on the picnic table with our furry friends trying to get in on the action. We give them carrots so they feel like they are a part of the team.
1:00-3:00 We pick and pack orders, we have gotten so much faster at it.
3:15 Once orders are packed Aaron takes them in a converted Pram (it’s soo cute) to our local post office – we are thrilled our growth helps their business too.
3:45 We then sit down together for my favourite part of the day; 2nd Nespresso coffee break
4:30 -7pm we try to be off the clock and prepare dinner. Thank god Aaron cooks or we would starve. I’m a special occasion cook.
7-9pm Aaron typically makes formulations at night and bottles them in the morning in our dedicated lab a couple of times a week.
6-7pm Admin planning ordering
7-10pm We have a dedicated photography studio where I will work my way through my shoot list to create 15 -20 assets for social media and ad campaigns per month.
10pm The boys curl up on their spots of the bed I however do the following
Head back to the office and :
- Review social channels reply to messages and comments if I didn’t have a chance earlier
- Work on Content for Social and Campaigns
- Work on ideas for future formulations and packaging design
- Read several trade journals on topics that relate to our business
2:30 -3:30am Fall Asleep
- I usually wake up to 10 new things to action
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
Never lose sight of the customer perspective in your business. Make the customer experience the focal point. I have been a consumer a lot longer than I have been a brand owner, so I try to harness this daily.
Think about a time a company got it right and delighted you. Conversely, think of a time you were disappointed by a company, a product or experience. Those experiences sit at the forefront of my mind when I’m shaping our customers’ journey, which doesn’t end when you complete the sale. It is just the beginning; the presentation and delivery of your product or service seeds the expectation of your offering.
Consider how helpful and easy it is to understand and use your product or service. Be gracious and thank them for their business; this also tempers buyer’s regret which creeps in after purchase.
Post purchase communication should be at the same level and frequency you would like yourself from a brand. Spamming customers with offers can destroy your credibility and relationship with a customer, no matter how great the product is. Make a great impression at every touch point. Make every interaction their best interaction with a company. Adopting a customer focus doesn’t have to cost you anything but getting this aspect wrong can cost you everything.
Has COVID-19 affected the way you are currently managing your business? If so, how?
Our biggest impact from COVID was with our supply chains: Soaring demand meant our local suppliers sold out of key ingredients which led to price increases and shipping delays.
The delivery times domestically and internationally are still unpredictable which is challenging for a small operation like ours that does not hold inventory for lengthy periods. From the customer side, we also have the ongoing shipping delays due to the large volume of parcels being delivered. Luckily, most of our customers are incredibly kind and were patient through the worst of it. Now things have calmed down a bit, shipping is a bit more regular. Our supply chain is still a bit disrupted, but making products in Melbourne makes this slightly more manageable.
In 2020 we also pulled back our retail strategy in favour of focusing on Direct to Consumer (DTC) This was triggered by COVID which meant holding off on any plans for scaling the business for the next couple of years. We have been fortunate enough to self-fund this business. The rolling lockdowns from state to state absolutely has affected the landscape and how we invest in our growth, so it’s been an interesting year for us, as for everyone.
What’s next for you, and Samson & Charlie?
Our next moves will be focused on how we can innovate and further enhance our customers’ experience in choosing the right solutions and engagement. I feel like we have the best customers in the world that deserve the best and we are committed to delivering that for them.
For more info on Samson & Charlie, please click here.
