Meet Naturally Tribal Skincare

Naturally Tribal Skincare was launched in February 2017 and is a proudly Milton Keynes based, natural skincare products company.

Shalom Lloyd, Founder & Managing Director, takes our Q&A session.

How and why did you start the business?

The company was born out of personal experience. Through the combination of my African heritage mixed with an English twist, I solved my child’s skincare problem naturally withour chemicals. My son Joshua, was covered in eczema from birth. I tapped into my African heritage exploring recipes used for generations for skincare and it miraculously took three days for Joshua’s skin to become what it should have been at birth. And this is how Naturally Tribal Skincare was born!.

How long have you been a GS1 member?

We have been GS1 members since 2016.

Do you trade with any partners/channels?

We currently do not trade with partners / channels however will be launching our products on Amazon in the next 6 weeks and continuously seeking opportunities to partner with like-minded companies who share similar values and ethos.

What's a typical day like for you?

There is no such thing as a typical day!

What are the main pros/cons to running your own business?

There are so many and different ones for all businesses. But my list would be;

Pros
Running my own business means we can make decisions quickly, we are flexible, nimble and agile - if it’s not working, we fix it right there and then. I get to be the one who puts pressure on myself knowing that my successes and failures are all down to me.

Cons
There is never enough time in a day! Of course running one’s business particular in the early stages means uncertainty and lack of a regular income stream.

What are currently your biggest challenges in the business? What keeps you up at night?

The two things that keep me awake at night are funding and pitching! 
Finance/ Funding is our biggest challenge to date. For any start up, Funding can be the difference between success and failure. Yes, we’ve had to raise funds to get to where we are but it has all been self-funded to date. 

The second challenge in getting ourselves in front of our target buyers and customers

What are your plans for the business for the next 12 months?

In the next 12 months we would achieve the following:

• Stocked by 2 key high end luxury retailers
• Stoked by 4 carefully selected independent stores
• Attracted investors who have bought into our vision
• Implemented and deployed our marketing/ brand awareness campaign

Tell us an interesting fact about you?

I was educated in the Former Soviet Union (Russia). I arrived Russia at the age of 16 with no knowledge of the language, no family or friends and graduated years later with a BSc and MSc in Pharmacy.

Who inspires you?

My children! They are the reason I keep going, my inspiration.

What top tip/piece of advice would you give to our other brands/sellers?

Maximise every opportunity, take a chance on the unique and differentiate yourself from mainstream. If you truly believe in your brand, don’t compromise!

Visit naturallytribalgroup.com or follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook