Conscious Conversations | Marie Arlet | Co-Founder, COO of Sheabrand
Conscious Conversations
Marie Arlet | Co-Founder, COO of Sheabrand
Sheabrand was founded by three friends – Marie, Austin, and Krystal. We came together from varying backgrounds to pursue a common goal: to build a self-care brand, backed by science, that combines the most potent and effective raw ingredients into life-enhancing products that look beautiful and are sustainably produced. With a strong focus on conscious living and our customers’ real needs, Sheabrand aims to redefine “beauty” in terms that build a positive connection between our health and well-being, our bodies, the city we live in, and the natural world.
We are not here to shame you into purchasing a product on the pretence that they will make you feel more perfect and complete, rather, we are here to support you for exactly who you are. Sheabrand appreciates bodies of all shapes, colours, ages, abilities, and sizes and we celebrate the brains, brawn, and beautiful souls inside of them, too. All of our products are made with minimal-plastic, 100% recyclable packaging, and we take care to asses all packaging-related requirements against their environmental and humanitarian impact. We look forward to telling you more in person, and we hope you like the ever-expanding array of Sheabrand products, the distinctive visual aesthetics, and the commitment to a unique customer experience that we have worked so hard to make real.
Tell us about you, you brand and the place that you call home?
I was born in Paris, France and grew up in Montreal, Canada. My family immigrated to the US in 2004 and I moved to New York City after graduating with a BFA in Fashion Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. I have a background in fashion and worked in the industry for several years before deciding to start my own company with my two best friends. I wanted to start a company that valued sustainability, ethical sourcing and that showcased and represented people from all walks of life. I left my corporate job as a designer in 2016 and began working with Krystal (CCO) and Austin (President) to develop Sheabrand. We eventually added a chemist who is part owner of the company. Sheabrand was born in Bushwick, Brooklyn and we now have our offices in Williamsburg. I feel lucky that Austin (also my life partner) and I bike to the office with our dog Milou on our backs. Brooklyn is a truly amazing place and we find inspiration there every single day.
2. Sheabrand appears to be a super cool take on CBD, with a very intentional lifestyle orientated product range. What was the inspiration behind that?
We have always called ourselves a lifestyle brand. We don't just sell CBD, we offer a wide array of beautiful and effective products (CBD and non-CBD) ranging from transdermal patches to face sprays; we also love educating and sharing our knowledge with our customers through our blogs and our Instagram (and in person via staff training in the many stores in which we are sold). Krystal, our Chief Creative Officer is an artistic visionary and is the person behind the beautiful unique packaging, website and instagram, and all other creative endeavours. We gather inspiration from New York City, botanicals and people's stories.
3. For those new to the overwhelming space of Cannabis, can you give us a little education?
Of course! If you are interested in getting into the Cannabis space than I would consider a few things. 1. There is lots of red tape and regulations vary from state to state. Many platforms such as Stripe do not accept companies that sell CBD. We pay higher rates for insurance do to the perceived risk of participating in this industry. The effect Cannabis-derived products can have on people’s lives can be truly life changing, but the journey towards serving these customers can be certainly rough.
For consumers, I would buy from brands that focus on education, like we do, and that are transparent about their sourcing and content of their formulations.
We actually have this amazing blog post that talks all about how CBD works with the endocannabinoid system- check it out here: https://sheabrand.com/blog-post/cbd-101-all-about-the- endocannabinoid-system/ (don't know if this is needed?)
4. It has been said to never work with your family or friends. With three friends as partners, how do you find balance in both the personal and professional?
The number of times we were each respectively told to be "cautious" or "careful" about starting a business with a friend is crazy! I will say this: don't do it unless you are ready to put in the work. Working with your best friend and significant other is amazing, you get to develop such incredible and deep relationships, you get to develop a level of respect and love I never knew was possible. My co-founders are my family but like all great things, it takes a lot of time, patience and willingness to make it work. This means prioritising each-others feelings as much as we prioritise work. We create hard rules and systems to hold each other accountable. We’ve gone to therapy together, have laughed and cried together and it's all so worth it!
5. You’ve chosen to do things from a far more ethical, sustainable and conscious space, why?
Because we care and because it would be irresponsible not too. Before starting Sheabrand I worked at a fast fashion company and was disgusted with the excess and the bad working condition of the factory workers. We wanted to create something were we weren’t just proud of the finished product but where we were proud of all of the steps that went into making it, from the sourcing of each ingredient to the way the products are manufactured and packaged. This planet is incredible and we are part of it due our part to respect it and nurture it.
6. Travel has a powerful way of inspiring, innovating and shifting something within all of us, was there a journey or destination that you visited/experienced that helped inspire you to cultivate your business in this way?
Totally! After quitting my corporate job and right before embracing my full time heabrand journey I traveled Japan and South East Asia for 5 weeks. I spent some solo time in Vietnam and loved the freedom and the thrill of being alone in a new country. It felt powerful being a solo female traveler. I constantly got asked my locals where my husband was and baffled so many when I told them I didn’t have one.
My favourite place I visited while in Asia was Cambodia, I was inspired by the people there who had all gone through incredible hardships. Cambodia’s tragic past was evident everywhere you would walk, the genocide left a huge mark on the country but instead of casting a bleak shadow on it’s people it in a way enriched them with a deep sense of compassion and value for life. With some of the nicest and kindest people I’ve ever met I was in awe of how such incredible hardships didn’t completely destroy the country or it’s people. This inspired me in so many ways; every time I have to miss a social event for work or have to work late [again] I remember that everything is relative and that I am incredibly privileged to be on the journey I am. I was also inspired to be kind to everyone and to always ask questions. People are fascinating and you can learn so much from others!
7. Let’s take it all the way back. When you sit and reflect, which points in your life do you feel conspired to bring you to this very moment?
I don’t believe it was one particular point but many. One moment that stands out to me thought is the meeting that pushed me to leave my comfortable corporate job where the VP joked about her trip to the company’s factories in India and how they were so hot she had to leave because she was afraid she going to faint. I knew I couldn’t keep working for a company I didn’t believe in and knew it was the right time to take that leap of faith.
8. We have a way of seeing the end product and thinking that the story and journey has been an easy one, what hurdles and obstacles have you faced along the way and what have they taught you not only about the business but about yourself?
SO MANY. Starting a business is the most taxing thing I’ve ever done. It’s taxing on your body, mind, relationships and health; it takes everything you have. The number of events I have missed because I had to work late or work on weekends. There’s this romanisation of entrepreneurship out there but starting a business is more like eating ramen for every meal because you don’t have time to cook. Lugging 150lb of boxes to the post office half a mile away every day. Having your whole entire living room covered from floor to ceiling in boxes (which we did for over a year). Being stressed every single day. It’s a wonderful thing but make no mistake, if it ain’t the hardest thing you’ve done you are probably doing something wrong. Starting a business has taught me that no matter how busy I am I need to take time for myself. I am the type of person who needs regular exercise so even on the busiest of weeks I make it a point to pencil in workouts in my calendar. This allows me to come back to work recharged and be more productive than if I had continued to sit at my desk and crank our work.
9. What are some of your daily rituals that help you connect to self, mind, body and soul?
My morning walk with my pup Milou followed by my morning coffee is my favourite routine. Every morning Milou and I go to the dog park for an hour. Starting the day surrounded by happy dogs is the BEST way to startle day.
10. What can we expect from you in the coming months?
We have an exciting new product coming out in the next couple of months- I can’t say much about it but let’s just say your best friend will love it!
11. A quote/mantra that you live by? ....and why?
I don't know where I heard this but I live by "the past aligns looking back". It's so easy to question everything that is happening to you in the moment and wonder about the consequences of life events but I always tell myself to trust the process. Things may not make sense now but when you look back five years from now you will be able to connect the dots. For example, when I first moved to New York I got an internship at Valentino in their wholesale department, even though I was looking for a design position I took the opportunity because it was a step in the door at an amazing couture house. But now, looking back, being in charge of wholesale I realise this position helped me get to the COO position I am in today.
12. A book that you can’t live without?.....and why?
Rage Becomes Her- this book has taught me so much about being a woman in today's world and how anger is an emotion that has been repressed in women. It takes a deep dive into prejudices and injustices in the world. I would recommend this book to anyone
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