Tell us a little bit about your background.
[I’ve] been in the Beauty industry for 17 years. [I] started while living in Sydney Australia and co-founded natural skincare brand Yes To (www.yesto.com). After the brand sold, [I] started an innovation incubation group called Trendsformers – just now relaunching under a new name in time for Jan 2022 called: ‘Klar & Co’. We own 12 different CLEAN and Natural beauty brands mainly in skincare and distributed in over 30,000 stores across the US and internationally. Offices are based in NYC and Miami.
Why did you decide to start your own company?
Through my initial experience with Yes To and other brands we’ve built, I became increasingly passionate about pioneering innovations in beauty and skincare that fill a real need in the Market at accessible prices for all (our newest Fortify brand being a good example of this). I decided to start my own Ccompanyompany focused on that for that reason and because I realized that it’s the small indie companies that truly have the power to create positive change – quickly and effectively.
You are officially on Target and Walmart shelves! How did you get there and can you provide any advice for a budding entrepreneur?
(note: we’re in Walmart stores nationally but Target is still .com with the store rollout being worked on now for 2022. However Fortify is already in Bed Bath & Beyond stores nationally, UNFI and Kehe nationally, Wholefoods Northeast, Walgreens nationally as of March 2022 and much more expansion in progress)
We got here by building key relationships, credibility and a proven track record over time. Retail buyers generally don’t like risk. They need to know that you know your business, can handle key responsibilities like complex supply chain matters, will deliver for them and have done so elsewhere already. This does not happen overnight. We were committed to this over years and years of trial, error and sacrifice – which ultimately gave major retailers the confidence to give us a shot when we come to them with a new compelling, value-adding opportunity.
Advice to budding entrepreneurs:
- FOCUS – go all in with your passion and what you do best and relentlessly focus on that. Getting distracted with too many projects and directions can be counter productive.
- NEVER GIVE UP.
- Finding a balance that merges innovation with what’s already proven and in demand. Being too innovative means you must now spend possibly years educating the market
Describe your brand in three words.
Natural Germ-Fighting Skincare!
What is the best piece of advice someone gave you?
As a younger entrepreneur, I wanted to conquer the world and was afraid to “limit” myself and my company to just one main product/business area. This resulted in managing 15 different factories, hundreds of different major retail buyers across many categories of products, tradeshows throughout most of the year across multiple industries and so on. My Mentor emphasized FOCUS (as explained above). Focusing on our core area of expertise and ‘owning’ it allows you to be so much more efficient and effective. It also allows for much greater peace of mind and satisfaction in your own life and for the people you work with.
How would you describe your Cosmoprof North America 2021 experience?
A breath of fresh air! The 1st in-person industry event we participated in for about 2 years and was so incredibly wonderful to be in the magic and energy of it all once again. Everyone else we encountered said they felt the same way and we were pleasantly surprised by how well attended and dynamic it was, despite initial concerns. I am so appreciative to Cosmoprof for going to such effort to make this happen for all of us.
What are some bucket lists items you’d like to complete before the year’s end?
Eat.. Relax.. Sleep.. Spend time with family over the Holidays and all the things I haven’t had enough time to do properly while in full throttle high growth mode for the entire 2021 since launching Fortify in January.
About Fortify+
Fortify+ Natural Germ-Fighting Skincare was developed in response to the pandemic. Powered by Zeolite (a volcanic mineral that naturally fights germs and bacteria), Fortify+ is first of its kind skincare that nourishes your skin, while also acting as a barrier of protection for your overall health and wellness.
To find out more about Fortify+, click here.
CEO of Fortify+, David Klar
Categorized in: Spotlights