We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristy Alexander and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Apple Rose Beauty was birthed out of 2 passions: my desire to provide high-performance organic skincare for sensitive-skinned beauties, like me, and my heart to end human trafficking.

Growing up with an organic garden in Trinidad and Tobago, my parents had natural remedies for everything. I developed an appreciation for the power of nature to impact our skin and dreamed of starting my own cosmetic company one day.

After working in engineering for over a decade, I left my career to travel the world, volunteering for a year.

During this trip, I volunteered with an organization that helped rescue women from human trafficking. They also housed and employed them. I lived with these human trafficking survivors, held their babies and saw, up close, the horrific circumstances that led to being trafficked and the trauma that resulted from it.

My heart broke for the cause and I decided to create a company that would not only provide powerful beauty remedies but also provide options and opportunities for women coming out of human trafficking.

Our formulations are infused with clean, cruelty-free and vegan ingredients, inspired from my Caribbean upbringing and world travel, and every bottle purchased supports the fight to end human trafficking.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Apple Rose Beauty is an anti-human trafficking social enterprise that creates and delivers high-performance, luxurious, natural and organic face care and beauty products that work for the most sensitive skin. Discerning women with sensitive skin can indulge guilt-free knowing that our high-performing products are clean, cruelty-free, vegan and not-only perfect for the most sensitive skin, but formulated specifically with their skin in mind. I like to say that, we are more than just a skincare company. We challenge and inspire world changers. We support, speak life, build-up, restore, celebrate and encourage the beauty in all of us that is more than skin deep.

We’ve had our share of challenges as a business. I see challenges as opportunities to learn, make necessary changes, pivot, grow and just plain get better. I run my company with a forward-looking perspective. We do post-mortems to figure out what worked and what didn’t but solely with the intention of determining what to scale, what to change and what to let go. One example is, after 5 months in business, it became clear that margins were not where they needed to be to sustain the company long-term. I made the decision to increase retail prices by while focusing on providing increased value with improved packaging and upgraded product design that would appeal more to our target consumers. It was well received and revenue grew over 200% in the next 5 months following the price increase. Since then, our journey has continued to be one of learning, connecting with what our customers are asking for and pivoting.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For a good brunch I would take them to Murphy’s in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood. But I would also tell them about Home Grown and Thumbs Up Dinner for breakfast and brunch, as well.

For dinner we would pop by Eclipse de Luna for some Spanish flavor tapas or 10 Degrees South for South African fare. If she’s in the mood for really nice Latin/Afro Cuban spots for lunch or dinner I would opt for Papi’s or La Fonda’s in Midtown.

To get some nature, hiking, and views of the city in, I’d recommend Stone Mountain Park. I love the myriad of hiking trails and panoramic view of metro Atlanta from the top the mountain.

One of my favorite getaway-from-then city spots is Chateau Elan winery, a 40 minute drive from the city. We would tour the winery, do a wine tasting and relax on the lawn near the vineyard.

For some R&R I’d also recommend the Atlanta Botanical Garden, or hanging out at Piedmont Park. And if they come in the spring, I would definitely have them check out the Atlanta Jazz Festival at Piedmont Park.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So may people and organizations have truly walked alongside me in my journey as an entrepreneur. A few organizations really helped me build and strengthen the foundation of my company. They are the Jacksonville Women’s Center, Jacksonville Chamber’s Entrepreneurial Growth Division and the Traffic, Sales & Profit organization out of Atlanta, GA.

Website: https://www.applerosebeauty.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/applerosebeauty

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apple-rose-beauty

Twitter: @applerosebeauty

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwmWGNrPjUHmU9mvL4aIlCg

Image Credits
Photo by Julie Ryan Photography

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