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Fresh and Flawless – Banish’s Daisy Jing

As much as we may not want to judge a book by its cover, appearances can be really important.  I guess that’s why the beauty industry is so enormous! With so many products to choose from, brands really need to work hard to stand out from the competition and build trust with their customers. I wanted to highlight a small business story that really illustrated the importance of community, and I found a great one.

I interviewed Daisy Jing, the CEO and founder of Banish skin care, a line of products that uses natural ingredients to help users lose their blemishes and get that fantastic glow! Daisy started Banish when she was only in her early 20s and it’s already grown to a multi-million dollar company. Very impressive! Let’s check out Daisy’s thoughts on entrepreneurship, the importance of community, and how she exceeded everyone’s expectations.

image of banish skin care users

Tell us about your business in as much detail as you can. What is it that you do and who are your customers?

At Banish, we work to get your skin back to its natural state by emphasizing the use of fresh natural ingredients. I am in charge of PR, marketing, and new innovations for the company. My customers are those who want to “banish” skin blemishes and maintain their healthy, glowing skin with Banish.

What made you choose this path? Is it a family legacy or are you a pioneer? Did you go to school for it or are you learning as you go?

I graduated from Duke University and worked for awhile before starting my business. I launched my business with just my laptop! I have bad acne and tried everything to help clear it up. I tried hundreds of different beauty products and decided to review different brands to help others suffering from the same problem as me. In turn, I developed a following of over 50 million views on YouTube and became a trusted source of information in the realm of skin problems. Soon, I was able to make my own natural skin care line focused on combating skin blemishes. Eventually, my followers saw the great results on my face and encouraged me to launch my own business, Banish.

They say that to be successful you have to be passionate, so share what drives you every day? Why do you love what you do?

It is my dream to impact people’s lives. In the beginning, it was just something that I would love to do. I make YouTube videos about skin care products, know their ingredients, and find out if they’re worth trying. It was really something fun for me. I improved the quality of my videos and spent more time making them. It was a lot of hard work to make sure that I earned a lot of views and produced good content. I purchase new products and review them so that when people are searching for that new product, they can see my review. It was a non-stop effort of making sure that my video content is worth watching.

image of Daisy Jing at the Seaport Has it been smooth sailing or have you overcome adversity to get where you are?

Of course, I experienced adversities such as :

  1. Not getting enough support from family and friends. Our culture doesn’t really believe in women having a business. I went outside the norm and I didn’t listen to those who discouraged me.
  2. Team issues. Your team is your front-line and your priority should be how your customers are taken care of. With a ‘wrong employee’ on the team, customer service will be taken for granted and there’s a high chance that the business will be affected as well. My team should always be aligned with my company’s values and mission.
  3. Health issues. Getting sick is the worst, as it’s a loss of productivity. For example, on my flight back from Asia last year, I came down with the flu for 3 weeks. I presume it was because I booked my travel plans too tightly, didn’t take the time to sleep, didn’t eat healthy foods, and just forgot to relax because I was on ‘go, go, go’ mode constantly. Out for 3 weeks was a huge loss of money and productivity; so as much as possible now, I do my best to avoid getting sick at all cost. Keep your health a priority.

We all know that crazy happens. What’s the wildest thing that’s happened on the job?

Going to Asia to meet with my team.

What do you do with your time off? Are you familiar with that concept?

I understand that being an entrepreneur means being busy and many don’t spend as much time with family anymore. I, on the other hand, spend time with my family and friends. I just know when to stop and go home.

image of Daiy Jing at the pier

This is the age of the social network. How important is social media to your business and how do you make it work?

The only reason I was able to launch my product line is because I have a community of people who really trust me. It’s great because I never had perfect skin and I’ve been truthful with my followers about that. Because of that, people can relate to me and trust me, knowing that we’re in the same boat. In the end, it led them to trying my products because they worked on me! My followers know my imperfections and because of that, my customers who are also not perfect are attracted to my products knowing that my story is something they can relate to.

Put a lot of time into connecting with your community – make good content and respond to them. You have to do it right and give it your all because the starting phase is the hardest part. Through my YouTube channel, I educate my customers about skin issues, other skin care products, and any topic about my skin care line. I also look for influencers who can make more videos about my products and at the same time take care of my customers’ questions. Instagram helped me in posting before/after photos which made it easier for my followers to see the difference that my products make.

How are you involved in your community?

Community is all about engagement. In a community, the users are people who interact with other people. It’s not like the customers or subscribers who are just reading or subscribing to something but they’re actually sharing their response to other people. They’re following different forums and have a dialogue with other people in the community.

It’s a perfect way to bond over a certain topic and moment that engages other people in the community. If they see that you are vulnerable, people in the community will share their vulnerabilities too. To connect with real people, be a real person!

What does supporting local mean to you?

For me, it means supporting small local businesses – not just in sales but by giving them advice and helping in any way I can.

What does the future look like for you and your business?

My goals are :

  1. Company growth in the next 5 to 10 years and an expansion of our company in different states and countries.
  2. New product development in my skin care line.
  3. To see more women confident and happy through my business, YouTube videos, etc.
  4. Inspire others by sharing my story.

My first aspiration for this business is to make it an international brand like Kiehl’s or Lush. Another aspiration I have is to help people feel good about themselves; to empower them. Some customers who purchase our products are probably embarrassed about their skin and might not like the way they look. I can relate to these people and I know exactly how they feel – my mission is to encourage and motivate them. They might not look perfect like the celebrities or models on the covers of the magazines, but if they have confidence, then they can go out and change the world. Beyond having an internationally known beauty line, I want to create a brand that is motivational and inspires others. My company Banish will be known to spread confidence to others, and every time a customer uses Banish, they’re also reminded of their worth and will be able to “banish” all the negativity behind.

My personal aspiration is to have a family. I have noticed there are few young female entrepreneurs and fewer of them have families of their own. There’s been huge debate whether women can ‘have it all’. I think: Why can’t we? I hope to have a partner that will support me in running my business and help me in taking care of our family. I always want to be an inspiration to others, whether to my children or other young aspiring female entrepreneurs. I want others to know that they can do whatever it is they set their mind to.

Do you have any advice for aspiring business owners just starting out?

Learn constantly. When I first started, there wasn’t one person who showed me the ropes for every aspect of entrepreneurship. While I did get advice from many valuable leaders, I had to figure out a lot of it myself. Therefore, I was always googling, reading books, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, or attending conferences. I would play YouTube videos from Tony Robbins or David Allen while cleaning or doing laundry. I would listen to Millionaire Fastlane on long drives through LA. I kept a plethora of unread books in my Kindle app, so in any moments of downtime, I could always be learning. The biggest takeaway from learning is not necessarily in gaining a lot of technical knowledge, but that hearing the stories of many successful entrepreneurs was motivating. It gave me a kick in the butt to fuel myself in days where I could do nothing all day and no one would care.