Daisy Jing is a YouTube vlogger and a mompreneur who founded and bootstrapped a now multi-million beauty product line named Banish. She has knowledge and experience in business and marketing. Her business is ranked #152nd fastest-growing company in INC500. She was also included in Forbes 30 under 30 in manufacturing. Just recently, she had an opportunity to share her passion for authenticity at a TEDxTalk.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I went to Med School because I was planning to take Pre-Med. Duke University has an outstanding Pre-Med program and so I studied there, hoping to be a dermatologist someday. I took the required courses like biology or chemistry but then I realized that I don’t want to spend 15 years in school anymore and I’d rather be hands-on with my career.

What inspired you to start your business?

I realized that many current skincare ingredients, such as fragrances or fillers, break out my skin, so I created my own skincare products in my kitchen. I documented my struggle on my YouTube channel, which now garners over 70M views. Eventually, my followers saw great results on my skin and encouraged me to launch my own business. Now we are a diverse team focused on inspiring confidence in others. Together with the Banish Warriors and Soldiers, we are here to join you in your skin journey.

Where is your business based?

Pasadena, California

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I have always suffered from skin issues and because I already tried a lot of skincare products, I became picky about what to apply next. I decided to make a skincare product for my personal consumption. My intention was never to start a company that sells the perfect formula of everything, I just need something that works and I want it to be different from the others. 

There was never really a moment when I decided to start a skincare business, I never read entrepreneurial books or made a business plan. It kind of just happened because I wanted to solve the problem for my own skin and I couldn't find the solution out there. I already built a dedicated following on YouTube, so it was fairly natural to start selling my own products.

I always say that if I haven’t had acne, my bad skin, if I didn't suffer from my appearance, then I would have never started Banish. It's a blessing in disguise. I've always suffered from my skin, even to this day. I became obsessed with researching every single ingredient and reading clinical trials and studies about ingredients and certain products. I have over 700 videos on YouTube with over 70 million views about skincare, so I know quite a bit about the beauty industry and skincare in general. 

My very first step was to look for help from plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and also read through a lot of clinical studies. We worked with chemists in labs and manufacturers for beauty and skincare. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

We had a hard time reaching influencers before - it's either they get too many requests and don't see our emails or their managers filter our requests. Last year, we put more effort into reaching micro-influencers with a big following, good content, and great marketing skills. This year, we are focusing on the real stories of our customers. We noticed that this kind of tactic actually works! Whether big or small - as long as we are authentic, we have a big impact! 

We don’t use people with perfect skin to advertise our brand. We share raw and inspiring stories instead, we don’t filter their photos - we show the reality of acne and the message that “They are not alone, their acne does not define them. We are here to relate to them.” We want people to know that our products are unique and made to its highest quality, but at the end of this all, the confidence should start from within - no skincare brand can give it to them.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

I would say my biggest challenges are the hiring procedure and managing people afterward. Learning how to work with people is challenging for me since people have different personality types and there are so many ways of how they can be managed better - it is a learning curve for me. Managing people is the hardest. I think in the beginning it’s all about getting things done and being productive but the next step in scaling the business is learning how to manage and lead people in the right direction. At first, I was in the ‘get things done’ mode but I’m trying to transition into a more strategic way of operating - to hire amazing people and be more strategic in managing them.

How do you stay focused?

I focus on really important tasks since I have a perfectionistic nature, but I have less time and yet so much to do. Eventually, I learned how to filter my tasks and spend time only on high-valued ones then from there delegate to my team who can do it faster and possibly better than me. No one can do my own personal tasks but me so I do not focus on small things anymore. Now I have more time and energy to do big things and make bigger decisions 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I just stay authentic, consistent, and transparent about my products, its ingredients, and quality instead of trying to create more “trending” products that everybody else is doing. I just stick to my own products and share the inspiring stories behind everything we do 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Find relatable and authentic influencers with the same values, mission, and vision as ours and stick with them. Our edge is my personal story that gave birth to Banish, we continuously amplify that then make it fitting for this generation’s trend and way of marketing (ex. Tiktok, YouTube, IG stories, lives, etc) 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Life is a marathon, not a sprint! Take time and invest in every little thing (people, business, products, service, marketing), wait patiently for the seed to grow. Take it day by day. Do not worry so much about tomorrow then hustle double time that you come to a point where you no longer enjoy nor see the small victories. Doing so much in a day will drain your energy, making you weak that will eventually make you quit the race. Focus on what you can do today and just be consistent, that’s the only way your first years of business will succeed. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

Tiktok - I have a short attention span and since Tiktok’s content is basically fast, random, relatable, and easy to use, staying in this app is just effortless for me. I learned to make a lot of things and know about interesting random stuff while having fun

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I have my own complete Google spreadsheet where I tally and note important stuff and everything I need related to my team’s efficiency, budget, marketing, tasks, payroll, etc. I keep it in one sheet to avoid having too many files. I consolidate spreadsheets of my company’s high-level info to make my decisions easier whenever I need to filter data, see results, and compare graphs. 

Who is your business role model? Why?

Oprah - she is authentic and true, not like anybody else. She doesn’t copy nor do what everyone’s doing. Oprah knows what she wants and she is bold enough to say and share it. I love her transparency and honesty. Because of her, I know I can do anything as long as I’m true to myself

How do you balance work and life?

Interesting question, I never thought that people should actually have a ratio or percentage of how much time or effort they should put into “work” and life. There should be no pressure to balance whatsoever - especially when work is actually a big part of your life. I do what I want to do on my own timeline without checking the  “balance.” As long as I’m happy, I don’t force myself to measure my time and effort accordingly. Whenever I do something, I make sure I’m 100% present and that’s why the ratio could never be measured for I do everything with pride and joy. I make everything count and my goal is to always do something fulfilling in my life.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Before COVID19 and having a baby, I do an intense workout. Now I just watch a lot of TikTok videos for creative inspiration, laugh, and good vibes. If I have time, I also make my own doable and relatable Tiktok contents

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I’m honestly not sure anymore because of COVID19. I believe we should always have general plans then a backup plan to anticipate things and be flexible. Our plans may be delayed or things may not work out so just be open and receptive in this strange time. 

How can our readers connect with you?

Article and website: microneedling and https://www.banish.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/daiserz89

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/banishbeauty

Instagram: https://instagram.com/daiserz89

Linkedin: https://il.linkedin.com/in/daisyjing

Twitter: https://twitter.com/banishacnescars