The incredible success story of Julia Veer and Randy Feliz
Running a business, being successful, having more than a nine to five destination in life; that they wanted that was clear for Randy and Julia (partners in love and founders of Clay and Glow) but in what? ‘Only when you look back now, does it all make sense, but you don't see that when you're in the middle of it.’
The beginning
‘We have, unintentionally, a lot of flight hours that help us with the business we are running now. We used to have all kinds of small ventures. We bought our first URL for five euros and we really thought a lot about it. We even made a list of pros and cons before we bought the name of that website. When we had that, we really felt like real entrepreneurs. I find that almost cute now.’
Grateful for acne
‘I had very bad skin. I really had severe acne. It affected my whole being. I didn't want to stand out, I felt bad when people looked at me. My skin really hindered my development. We decided to look for a remedy to combat acne, because if it worked for me, then we could help many more people with it.’
Different and good, that had to be it
‘What are we going to add to the existing range? It had to work, be vegan, but above all look nice. Fortunately, we eventually found everything we needed for the process in the Netherlands. That way we really know what is happening, we can visit all the facilities. We found a biochemist who had more than 17 years of experience and with his expertise we developed very nice products. I was the perfect test subject because if I could handle it, then it was good.’
Packages on the ironing board
‘Initially, we only worked from home. Our ironing board was our packing station and we almost slept on the boxes. At one point we couldn't turn around without a package falling and we decided to get an office. And staff. Because that way you can grow further.’
In this we are different
‘We try to keep everything under forty euros and maintain a luxurious appearance. Unique about Clay and Glow is that we bundle, so depending on the problem we offer a bundle of products along with the order of use because many people find that difficult.’
Working and living together
‘My sister is in a relationship with someone who has a different job than she does. What do you talk about then, I sometimes think. It can go both ways: sometimes we can really clash and sometimes it's really nice when the other understands your thoughts. We often brainstorm at night, then one has an idea and we write down our plans in the middle of the night.’
Grateful
‘Every evening I think about what I am grateful for. When I am really down, I look at customer reviews and I can go on again.’
Goals
‘Our goal was to be sold at ICI Paris XL and win a beauty award. That prize is in. Now we really want to shine during the holidays and work even more on the team. I always have the idea that only I can do it. I need to let that go and let others fly too so I can move forward. Since last month we have been available at ICI Paris Belgium and there I saw how well they can do it themselves.
Our sales always go so fast that we almost have no stock, that's why we want to have more stock. New products, tapping into new markets. And also introducing mothers and grandmothers to Clay and Glow. Because acne is not something that stops when you are twenty, and besides the mask (which works very well against acne) we also have other products that are very good for the slightly more mature skin, such as the vitamin C serum, the toner, and the moisturizer. And we are vegan, affordable, and we look nice, so I think we can make many more people happy with Clay and Glow.’
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