Jeremy Weisz 3:29
So talk to us about some of the products you may
Anthony Standifer 3:34
so we make a bunch of beauty products. haircare skincare, many of my clients are people who are working other jobs. Many of my clients are people who are women, African American, a woman of color. I’ve worked with over 250 brands at this point, at various stages, most brands, you know, launch their brand and launch their products, and then I don’t see them again. But then I have other brands that come back and do five figures, some six figure, some seven figure businesses. One of my best case scenarios is 50. She was 55. At the time, maybe 56. She’s a healthcare administrator here in Houston, Texas. She’s making body products at the time, but she has this really, really brilliant gray hair. And she says I go to talk about my body products. And people always ask me about my hair and what I put in my hair. And so we’re like, well, you should be selling hair products. We can help you with that. And so we formulated a line of haircare products for her that’s specifically designed for women who want to maintain Brilliantly beautiful gray hair. And literally a year after that. She then says I think I’m going to quit my job. And people tell me that I’m crazy because in my late 50s I shouldn’t be thinking about my retirement. And I’m not going to go start a business with my adult son. And I’m gonna bet on myself. And I can only do that because I got a manufacturer who believes in me and is willing to support my business and provide small batches and give me quality manufacture shining, and to see this woman like soar in the marketplace on QVC. Online, doing amazing things is like the greatest feeling because I know that our services were a part of making that vision happen.
Jeremy Weisz 5:13
In today’s world of logistics, it’s tough to find dependable supply chain. So people must love you, Anthony, because you know, it’s difficult.
Anthony Standifer 5:23
Yeah, it’s hard. It’s difficult for us. I mean, literally since COVID, we have battled every supply chain issue. So at the time sign that people were stocking up on toilet paper in their homes and 2020. I then had a shortage of bottles and caps and closures, that has subsided, but it’s 2022. Now, and I’m still dealing with raw materials shortages and erratic changes. So things go out of stock, just because it’s Tuesday. And so we then have to pivot and adjust. But part of our model as a small manufacturer, is to be agile, and just as agile was our customers, so we, you know, we do our best. And so we’ve come up with conventional solutions of alternative sources. And then we come up with unconventional sources that says, like, Listen, you may have to change the color of your packaging, or we may have to do a substantive a substitution on your formulation that won’t impact performance. But there’s going to be a noticeable difference, but we’ll get you back in stock. And so those are the beauties. And the beautiful thing about being a small business and working with other small businesses is that we can be agile and reactive in ways that big companies can.
Jeremy Weisz 6:28
You mentioned, Anthony, people come at different points in their journey to you who is an ideal person, we’re like, if you like, Okay, here’s the best person in their journey that here’s where they’re at, in their business, to come to who’s an ideal client,
Anthony Standifer 6:42
it really anybody who’s really ready to do business, like I don’t shy away from first time entrepreneurs, because many of our customers or people who are doing this for the first time, what I really recommend to folks is be prepared to do the work hard work consistently. Whenever a problem comes, be prepared to pivot and adjust no matter what. And so for us, the people who have been most successful, are the people who have a tenacity that says, yeah, it was a really crazy situation the last three months, but I’m committed to showing up and doing the work. And so those are the people who do really, really well in our environment. Sometimes, it’s hard to pinpoint, like, I’ve had people with brilliant ideas, and they’re super successful, and they have the alphabet soup behind their name. And the first heart challenge that comes along, they go, I can’t do this, I’m gonna go back and sit at my cushy job and do something else. And I go, Okay, well, no problem. And so those are not necessarily people that are always long term successful and building their beauty brand. And so becoming a seven figure, multinational beauty brand is not something that happens with ease, it is something that is a grind, and there’s always going to be a friction point. And so how do we handle as entrepreneurs and even myself as a manufacturer, how I handle those friction points, is really what ultimately determines my success. Yeah.
Jeremy Weisz 8:01
I mean, when I hear your story, I think Anthony is not a manufacturer. He’s like, business advisor meets manufacturing, because you’re really helping these people be successful in business, not just like, hey, we can just produce your product. Here it is, it sounds like
Anthony Standifer 8:16
Absolutely. And that’s part of what we want it as a core ethos when we started, there’s other manufacturers that are out there. But literally, they take your order, they should be your product. And it’s like I see you when I see you. And that’s not what a new business owner or an emerging, oftentimes underfunded under resource business owner needs. And so our goal has always been to, in some way occupy and operate as an accelerator incubator for the smaller brands so that they do get additional resources that are so desperately needed, and not readily offered. So yeah, that’s, it’s totally what we do.
Jeremy Weisz 8:48
So let’s talk about your shirt for a second and tell me about it.
Anthony Standifer 8:53
Yeah, today we’re representing Rosa Parks. And the whole idea that no or not just means not today. And I think that there’s tremendous tenacity and being able to say, Nah,
Jeremy Weisz 9:04
we were just at the museum last night, and there was a whole section around that.
Anthony Standifer 9:08
Yeah, it’s amazing. I mean, called our American culture. And American history is rich with people and people of color who have said no, and meant it and taken the extraordinary steps of dealing with the repercussions of what no means. And sometimes notice, just Okay, great. We’re gonna go and move on to the next thing. And sometimes no means I got to stand here and deal with a bunch of crap that is going to come along with my no today. But I’m willing to give that and so like, when I see these shirts, I’m always like, yes, give this to me, because in many ways, I want to take on a bit of that spirit myself. When things come along, and I’m just like, Nah, no, not today.
Jeremy Weisz 9:44
Anthony, thank you. Where should people find you online? Where should we point people to your website?
Anthony Standifer 9:49
So my company website is mSeedgroup.com. I am available on social media at mSEED Anthony. That’s Instagram. That’s Twitter. That’s Facebook. And Anthony Standifer on LinkedIn.
Jeremy Weisz 10:03
Thanks everyone. Thanks Anthony.
