Reflecting on 7 Years of Skin Ritual

Skin Ritual turns 7 this month. 

It feels strange to say that; it always does, each time another year passes. 

I was 20 years old and working in Canada when Skin Ritual began as an idea in my head. 

I was 21 when I decided I was going to make it happen. 

And 22, when finally - with trepidation - we opened our doors on November 15th, 2018. 

When Skin Ritual was just an idea, I asked a lot of people I knew for advice. I always do this - the more brains to work with, the better, right?  

To my surprise, quite a few of those people told me that business isn’t for everyone and to think long and hard before starting one. That being a founder is a difficult and often lonely road, that comes with a lot of sacrifices, hard work, and very little reward for a long time. 

I, an eternal optimist, brushed them off and barrelled on away, not quite grasping what they meant because I hadn’t experienced what they had. 

Seven years on, I understand. Starting a business feels a little like what I imagine having a baby feels like. 

It tests your ability to remain positive, optimistic, and energised, particularly in the early years when you’re in the trenches and every day brings a new challenge. 

You have no idea what you’re doing, and you just have to trust that you can and will continue to solve the endless problems this being that you’ve created is throwing at you. 

It teaches you patience - something that was never a strong skill of mine, but is a continual work in progress. 

It requires you to be adaptable, flexible, and open minded. Calm in the face of chaos. To weather every storm, because once you start, you really have no choice but to keep going. 

Someone said to me once that your business will also be a mirror. It reflects you - your strengths, your weaknesses, your values. It all shows up and it can be confronting. But if you welcome that confrontation, it can also be your best tool for personal growth; it certainly has been for me. 

At times, I have struggled with this journey. Resented this business I brought to life, and the burden of responsibility it placed upon me.

Other times - far outweighing the difficult times - I’ve been so filled with gratitude and love for this business, I could cry. For what Skin Ritual has taught me, for the people it’s connected me with, and most of all, for the enormous gift it has given me: the ability to change peoples lives for the better through skincare. And is there any greater gift than that? 

I spent the first four years of Skin Ritual haunted by the ever-present possibility of failure. A lot of small businesses don’t make it, particularly in the economic landscape of the last five years. I knew the stats, and I knew it was always possible. Once we made it past that first four years though, the thought process shifted from what if we don’t succeed, to what does success really mean? 

And to answer this question, I’ll refer to one of my all time favourite quotes:

“To know even one life has breathed easier, because you have lived - that is to have succeeded”.

And with this metric, I can say with immense happiness that Skin Ritual has indeed, been wildly successful. 

Our passionate, empathetic, intellectually curious, and heart-centred team have been able to help and change so many lives through the power of skincare and dermal therapy - and I couldn’t be prouder of that, or of them. 

Thank you, for being a part of this. Whether you’ve been with us for all seven years (a number of you have!), or whether you just discovered Skin Ritual last week - I’m so glad you’re here. I appreciate you being here. And most of all, thank you for trusting us to take care of your skin - it’s a responsibility and an honour that we never take lightly. 

I have a lot of exciting plans for Skin Ritual in the coming years, that I can’t wait to share with you - and I promise to never stop evolving Skin Ritual to be better for you.

Here’s to seven successful years, and many, many more.