We’re thrilled to present the latest addition to Afluencer’s content lineup – our podcast series featuring insightful conversations with influential brand owners. In this inaugural article, we have the privilege of introducing Janice Simpson, the visionary founder of Viva Illustrious, as our esteemed guest.
Meet Janice Simpson: The Mind Behind Viva Illustrious
Janice Simpson, the innovative mind driving Viva Illustrious, takes center stage in the Afluencer podcast series. With a wealth of experience in the world of influencer marketing, Janice shares captivating insights, challenges, and triumphs that have shaped her brand’s journey.
Podcast Premiere: Delving into the Viva Illustrious Universe
Join us in exploring the enchanting world of Viva Illustrious through the eyes of Janice Simpson herself. We’ve embedded the riveting YouTube podcast video below, offering an exclusive glimpse into the transformative power of influencer marketing.
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Key Takeaways
00:00 💄 Introduction to Janice Simpson and Viva Illustrious
– Janice Simpson’s background as an entrepreneur in various industries.
– Transition from nursing to the beauty industry.
– The rewarding aspect of the beauty industry in boosting confidence and well-being.
03:02 💼 The importance of self-care and appearance
– Discussion on the significance of self-care, especially when working from home.
– The impact of personal appearance on productivity and self-esteem.
05:59 🌟 Finding purpose and relaunching Viva Illustrious
– Janice’s journey in rediscovering her purpose and relaunching Viva Illustrious.
– Emphasis on the brand’s attitude-focused approach to beauty.
10:13 🌿 Trends in the beauty and cosmetics industry
– The importance of gluten-free and paraben-free products for health and allergies.
– Upcoming trends, including CBD-infused cosmetics for anti-aging and skincare.
13:40 🚀 Influencer marketing and collaboration with Viva Illustrious
– Janice’s positive response to influencer collaboration.
– The need for more inventory due to high influencer interest.
– The type of influencers Viva Illustrious is looking for – those who resonate with the brand’s purpose and attitude-focused approach.
Transcription Insight: A Peek into the Conversation
Gain an insider’s perspective as we burrow into the transcription of our engaging conversation with Janice Simpson. Discover the strategies, anecdotes, and wisdom that have fueled Viva Illustrious success, all captured in this in-depth transcription.
In Conversation with Janice Simpson, Founder of Viva Illustrious:
Brett:
Welcome to our Influencer podcast. Special treat. Today for our cosmetics influencers, we have Janice Simpson, the founder and owner of Veeva Illustrious Beauty, going to talk about her company, her background, and then also the collab opportunities that we have for cosmetics influencers today. So Janice, welcome and can we start at the start here? Give us a little bit of your background before you founded Vivo illustrious.
Janice:
Okay. So my background has been as an entrepreneur in different industries. I grew up with the family of entrepreneurs, worked the family business until I was about oh, 2021, and then I became co-owner of a TaeKwonDo studio and did that for eight or nine years while I was in nursing school. Transitioned from that into being a critical care open heart recovery nurse for 10 years. And then I started looking for ways to get back into entrepreneurship, have more control or power over my life. I realized I was living in the hospital and while the job was rewarding, I wanted something more. So I got into medical aesthetics, doing Botox injections, dermal fillers, chemical pills, opened a medical spa, began selling cosmetics at that time, loved it. It was a big transition from working in the hospital and taking care of people who were ill and having surgery into the wellness side of the industry, which I found even as fulfilling if not more, because people would come in, they wouldn’t be feeling good about themselves, life just wasn’t going the way they wanted it to go.
They needed a little pick me up, and with some cosmetics and with a couple of treatments, you could see the changes happening with people. You would see ’em two, three weeks later, a month later, they were happier, even lost some weight off a couple of their medications. And then I began to really appreciate how the beauty industry contributed to the quality of life of these individuals. So with that, I did a little research too into beauty and the scientific studies that have been done, that have proven, and I can cite my sources if needed, that cosmetics in particular is good for depression. It helps with body image, self-esteem, confidence. It can contribute to weight loss because psychologically the people feel better now, while it’s not a medical treatment for any type of illness, the psychology behind it has been proven to make a difference in people’s lives, and I just found that so rewarding. So I’ve been in the beauty industry ever since.
Brett:
That’s great. That’s interesting. It makes sense to you. Look, you feel better, feel better about yourself, and then you naturally get better. You took me back to when I started my first company, which is forever ago now, 15 years ago, and it may be like you starting your company where I’m working from home and it’s cool. I don’t have to get dressed. So you throw on some sweatpants and you go over to your computer and you start working and then it’s five o’clock and maybe you haven’t showered yet, you’re not sure if you’ve eaten, I’m shaving. And you do that for a while. And I start realizing I got to start acting like this is a real job. And then eventually it got to where I have to go to an office and actually see people, and this is before everyone was working from home, the Covid stuff, but it’s a big psychological thing to, Hey, I’m going to get dressed and be presentable today and go out of the house and be a real person, which you kind of take for granted. But now I think a lot of people are probably in that mode where a lot of us got thrust into that work from home 20 20, 20 21, and maybe we weren’t taking great care of ourselves during those years.
Janice:
No, and I’m so glad you mentioned it, because now more than ever with people working from home, there is the risk, I’ll call it a risk of not taking those steps for self-care. And I mean, I do it too. I have to be aware that I have it. Once you sit down at that computer, you get engulfed and you can’t find a good breakaway time. You’re in the zone, you’re getting things done, and before you know it, the day is gone and you’ve not done anything for yourself for self-care. So what I recommend from a makeup and cosmetic perspective is you don’t have to do a full face of makeup every single day to be feeling better about yourself for individuals that wear makeup to get up. And if you just plan on having a sweatpants day on the computer, at least take a moment to wash your face and put on a little mascara and lipstick and you’re good, you’re good. You’ll be surprised just how much difference that will make. And kind of like what you were saying, for you to take that step to just wash your face and put on clean clothes and all of that makes a difference in how you feel. And that message about how you feel about yourself actually comes out in whatever it is that you produce that day or whoever you interact with.
Brett:
Makes sense. You got to and you got to be Zoom ready these days. We got to be from, my equivalent was a collared shirt on up. But it makes total sense. If you’re going to get something together, it’s kind of like the upper body that comes on the zoom camera so we can get it going. So how was it starting your own company? You have the background, entrepreneurship, it was and kind of in the blood and the family line there. And then as you said, nursing of course, everything’s very structured, regimented, partly by necessity or design. What then motivated you to say, Hey, I got to get out of this and I’m going to go almost 180, start my own business?
Janice:
Oh, purpose. I remember distinctly, it was about two months ago, standing in the kitchen talking to my mother, and I was doing business consulting and medical aesthetics, how to increase sales, how to make more money. And while that was at times riveting, whenever I could help a practice achieve higher profitability and help the patients get the services they needed, it’s still, I told my mom, I was like, I have no purpose. So then I went back to the Viva illustrious brand from its original inception back in 2009, whenever I created a brand to help channel my energy, my creative energy, and a lot of what was going on at that time with the 2008 recession fallout, a lot of people had lost their savings, their investments, their businesses were closing, the luxury of paying for the services just wasn’t there anymore. So I created this newsletter, which turned into a small magazine, and it was about the Viva illustrious brand.
And at that time, the product was cosmetics that I sold in the spa and the services. So I remembered how good that made me feel to be able to do something for people. Now, this was at that time primarily, I’m going to say 90% women. I did have male clientele, but it was maybe like 10%. So I ended up posting a ladies night once a week, and through this community of people who love beauty and what it did for their lives, we created a way for us to get through some really tough times together. And I remembered how fulfilled that made me, and I said, you know what? Now it’s time for me to, for vivo illustrious to be reborn with a new product. I mean, I’m still cosmetics, but with take the brand and implement it with modern day resources and get this purpose and product out there to people who want to look and feel better about themselves. A little bit more powerful than that because I take a lot of personality and attitude and to the brand because sometimes we all feel kind of beaten up because of things that happened in our lives. So I put the tagline on there, lifestyle beauty with a touch of sas because it’s all about being empowered and resilient and courageous, and having the courage to get up and face whatever challenges we have that day. So if you got your mascara, your lipstick and your attitude, you’re off to a good start every day. That’s awesome.
Brett:
There we go. Mascara, lipstick, attitude. I’ve only got one of the three right now, Janice, so I need some be illustrious. Get me going tomorrow. Actually, I’ve got to flip seats with you. I got to do a podcast tomorrow myself. So I’ll try to complete the trifecta here. Purpose, purpose, purpose, right? So I’m getting the thread of vivo, illustrious beauty, and this is kind of what permeates, if you will, all the products. You find this as a nice competitive edge for you. This is why you use Veeva illustrious because you want this attitude. And yes, we’ve got paraben, gluten-free products, and yes, all natural, but more than that, it’s about that attitude, how you feel.
Janice:
Yes, absolutely. Yes. The products are fantastic, and I have been diligent about making sure the products are fantastic. Having worked with cosmetics for over 20 years. I know a good brand, not from just the ingredients, but from the wearability, from eyeshadows and blushes and things, what kind of mess they make with powder when you’re putting brushes in, people hate that stuff. When you’re putting eye makeup on, do you have a lot of fallout or that makeup does fall onto your face? People hate that. So I want to find products that are practical, that people love and that have the wearability, that have the clean cosmetic brand to it, but also while they’re putting it on, I want them to be thinking what all they’re going to accomplish in that day. What are they going to conquer in that day?
Brett:
That’s great. So let me look into Janice’s crystal ball here if we can. So we’ve got obviously a lot of these trends, gluten, paraben, cruelty-free, many vegan products that you’ve embraced with Veeva illustrious. Is that where you see the industry heading, or To me it feels like, yes, but then again, I know this stuff doesn’t come free, so there’s a cost to it. Is it worth it? Yes, for many people. But on the other hand, we do have inflation and the economy’s tight for people. So do you see that as being the dominant trend or kind of splitting off where you still, people are cost sensitive, but on the other hand, yes, the gluten, paraben, cruelty-free vegan, all of this stuff. Long story short, my ramblings, I guess, where do you see it all heading from here, especially with the bigger brands. I mean, you’re on the leading edge, but where do you see the bulk of the beauty in cosmetic industry going over the next five or 10 years?
Janice:
Well, when it comes to gluten and paraben, those two ingredients of, we want people to be healthy first and foremost, and a lot of people have allergies to these ingredients. So I always see gluten-free and paraben-free being important because allergies are cumulative. You can just suddenly develop an allergy to a product, and I certainly don’t want to sell anything to anyone that gives them a rash or something that they end up in the dermatology office for. Now, just like anything else, when you eat clean, it’s a little more costly than it is to do fast food. So the reality of it is, yes, I see the cosmetic trend leaning toward making sure they keep people healthy and safe first and foremost. There are brands out there that are extremely low cost that have wearability too. I’m not going to say anything negative about anybody else’s product because it’s all good.
It’s all good, but if you have an allergy or something, you have to be aware that you have to go para and free and, and then the next level of the cosmetics that we’re going to be looking into as well is the CBD, because that is anti-inflammatory. So it’s going to be good for the skin on many levels as far as, it’s more like a treatment makeup with treatment when you start adding CBD, because then you’re minimizing acne, you’re taking down the inflammation, and it gets a little bit more sexy when you start talking about anti-aging and makeup that treats acne. But that’s going to be on the higher end and of the cost spectrum. Eventually we will offer that, but not starting out for now. Perin free gluten-free, keeping people safe and healthy.
Brett:
Yeah, great. That’ll be interesting. I’ve done the CBD cream more as a treatment, like you said, anti-inflammatory, right? You get dinged up shoulder sore, right, C BD cream and it’s amazing. And then you sleep pretty well too. Yeah, it makes a difference. Haven’t seen it applied to the face. So that’ll be,
Janice:
That’s the next big thing, makes
Brett:
Innovation interesting. Very interesting. Cool. All right, well, speaking of the next big thing, Janice, we got to get into the influencers. We’ll get to who you’re looking for in a moment. But remind me, what have you done so far on the influencer marketing side of things?
Janice:
Well, I have to tell you, I have been so pleasantly surprised, if not blown away at the response that vivo illustrious beauty has gotten from the influencers. There’s been so many interests in my collaboration, and I have to beg forgiveness first and foremost. I did not anticipate that sort of response. I figured it would take maybe a month, and I would just have influencers trickle in that were interested. I mean, our goal, we’re going to try to make Black Friday. That’s the goal. I’m not pushing it. If we’re not ready, we’re not ready. But that’s the goal, is to be ready for Black Friday. So I’m, I’ve got two influencers now that have come from a influence, and I had another one reach out to me today through Instagram. Now, those that have emailed me directly or emailed or messaged me through Instagram have gotten my audience a lot faster than the ones that just sent the application in. But I will get to each and every one of those applications. How many influencers am I going to work with that remains to be seen. I can tell you right now from the number of influencers that I have wanting to come on board, I need more inventory. That’s great. That’s awesome.
Brett:
Just wait till this podcast drops. Just wait till the podcast drops. Right?
Janice:
I’m going to need more inventory. So I’ll, I mean, I’m thinking in terms of volume. I want to move a lot of volume of product, help a lot of people, and just get a real buzz going about empowerment and helping people look and feel better, have them get that trifecta going so that they get their sweatpants, their lipstick, and their attitude and mascara, and they’re good to go for the day and start making little differences at a time. But yes, it’s been a tremendous response on the influencer interest.
Brett:
That’s great. And we’ll keep the response going. We’ll get the link to the collab below the podcast wherever people are watching it so they can apply, get you out of here on this one, Janice. So on that influencer note, then, I know we’re obviously looking for skincare, beauty, cosmetics, influencers, any specifics there on really the types of people who should reach out to you and be honest, try to get one of those last partner spots while they’re open?
Janice:
Yes. I want people who are interested in the purpose that the cosmetics bring. I know they may already be representing some other products that they love, and they’re handy with all the makeup looks and all of that. I mean, that’s important, but it’s more about the purpose behind the brand that I’m interested in. So someone with high energy that cares about people, that is a little bit of a rebel spirit themselves, that will help inspire other people to take an extra step each day to look and feel their best and increase the amount of joy that they have in their life no matter what it takes.
Brett:
Excellent. Anything I forgot to ask you, Janice, that we need to? I don’t think so. Okay. We got it all. All right, cool. Let me get you out with the socials then. So how can our influencer friends find you on social media, on Instagram, TikTok, so on and so forth?
Janice:
Yep. At Veeva illustrious across the board, Instagram is Veeva illustrious beauty, but all the other channels is at Viva illustrious,
Brett:
Veeva illustrious. Good handle. It’s good to have that consistency. Yeah,
Janice:
That’s part.
Brett:
Alright, great. Thanks again, Janice.
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Reflecting on a Journey of Innovation and Influence
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