Business Q&A with Gaelle from Dust & Glow
Business Q&A with Gaelle Thieme
Today we will be sharing the story of how Dust & Glow began and how Gaelle is “l am learning to embrace the ups and downs of having a small business.” Gaelle has taken the time to answer all of our questions beautifully and I’m very excited to share them with you. Whether you’re only a few months into business or you’ve been at it for a while. There are definitely some epic pointers from us to take away from this article, and so I hope you enjoy the read.
What was your top highlight from last year?
Being nominated in the Rise up competition by Soda Inc amongst an amazing group of wahine and big women entrepreneurs like the Chia Sisters.
After being in business for only a few months, it was a real pinch-me moment.
What was the most valuable lesson your learnt in your first year of business?
Launching a business during a pandemic feels like a rollercoaster to say the least. I had a plan A, a plan B and I feel now I am working on plan Z.
I am learning to embrace the ups and downs of having a small business. It is all about celebrating the little wins along the way, learn & improve.
What challenges you?
Making a difference – even if it is 1 product at a time. While it might look small, every time 1 person converts to a powder based product, it is saving 3x plastic bottles & over 3L of water.
It is only the start of the journey but I am on a mission to give back 1M days of clean water by 2025 through charity:water
Why Bathroom & Body products?
It is estimated that over a lifetime a woman will use over 52,000 bathroom items! Unfortunately, 50% of these products end up in a landfill. And even then, each product can take hundreds of years to decompose, and easily surpasses our time on earth.
I also spent over 10 years working in the Beauty industry, so it seemed logical for me to start with what I know best (skin & hair) – at least for now.
Name some of your favourite instagram/brand accounts and why?
Tough question! So many brands or influencers doing an amazing job raising awareness about climate change & an eco lifestyle.
To name a few NZ companies I enjoy following @kowtowclothing @cali.woods @ethicallykate @chia.sisters
I also follow quite a few international ones like @timefortheplanet @theoceancleanup
I really enjoy tips & tricks to make sustainable living easy – like how to compost.
What is a goal you have for dust & glow this year?
I would like to expand the range. Consumers have been asking for some leave-on products and I have been working on a first-of-its kind formulation for the past year.
Fingers crossed it will launch this year.
I hope you enjoyed the read. I think this is such an amazing post for us to have in our journal considering it is International Women’s Week.
These ambassadorship partnerships are one of the best things that came out of our pledge me campaign back in 2021. I can’t wait to keep sharing these posts with you over this year and throughout 2022.
Love Annie // @ethicallyso
xxx
