Founder, Bask and Bloom Essentials
In which sector is your company most closely aligned?
E-commerce / Direct to Consumer
What does your company do?
Bask & Bloom Essentials provides science-backed, efficacious hair care formulas to help women who have experienced postpartum shedding/breakage, hair damage and loss bounce back to stronger, flourishing hair. Founded by a mother of three, Candera Thompson suffered from severe postpartum shedding and hair loss after the birth of each child. Her journey in haircare started with wanting a remedy to allow her tresses to thrive again, and help others who were having similar issues. The end result is a full line of science-backed formulas that focuses on bouncing back to healthy, flourishing hair.
How long has your company had a presence in St. Louis?
We registered the business in Missouri in 2015 and launched in 2017
What makes the St. Louis region an ideal home for your company/organization? Why do you choose to operate your business here?
I’m not a fan of super big cities. I grew up on small island where everyone knows each other and having access to local resources is quicker. Saint Louis gives that small island feel (minus the weather), and it’s less stressful to build relationships and make connections in the community that can help us grow as a whole. We truly have all that we need here, we can keep our operating costs down while having lots or room to expand, the use of innovative technology needed is a 20 minute drive away, the partnerships with local business and universities is priceless because people remember who you are and the startup space is only getting bigger and better in Saint Louis.
What has been the most valuable resource (person, tool, organization) for helping your company grow? How did you find it? How do you utilize it?
Klaviyo. We attending their conference in 2019 to learn how to use it to its full potential. Email marketing keeps our cost down, increases our customer retention rate and average order value, which is huge for the growth of our business.
What advice would you give new tech companies that are trying to navigate the current market?
It can get pretty noisy and most time it causes a founder to move away from their “why”. It is important to remain focus on why you started, and who your product/service is for. Lean into building strong customer loyalty with those people instead to reach any and everyone when times get tough.
What new practice or policy did you put into place over the pandemic that has positively impacted your company?
We worked even harder to strengthen our local partnerships, and find new vendors/suppliers in driving distance that we can make purchases from and pick up on demand. In a time of crazy uncertainty it became more important to dig deeper and find local gems to keep their businesses going, get the product/services we need and give referrals to anyone else in need. We now have a local contract manufacturer, printing company, packaging manufacturer, financial advisor, chemist and other service-based businesses that are working together to build up the community in Saint Louis.
Tell us about the next big thing in your technology sector. How will this affect your business?
We are heavily focused on an important trend called the “skinification of hair”…it’s actually more than a trend but when working with professionals like dermatologists and trichologists there has been a rise in scalp issues that cause hair thinning/loss. Most of it stems from using formulas not meant for the scalp and do not give the hair follicles the boost needed to stay healthy. Using AR and AI technology to help understand each individual needs when it comes to their scalp will save time and money when shopping for products. We are already catering to most of the known causes of scalp issues and these type of technology will be key in formulas of our new products.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud to share from 2022?
2022 was the year of telling our story and creating more brand awareness on a global scale. We have gained so much support and key partnerships from pitching and attending networking events that are needed to execute new campaigns in 2023. This was a crucial step for us to “re-introduce” ourselves after having to lean on everything virtual and digital the last two years, it’s easy for a beauty brand to get lost in the sauce, but we garnered the attention need to support our growth.
What exciting development is on the horizon for your company in 2023?
We are launching additional products to our Super Bloom Collection. We started using biotechnology back in 2020 to work on new formulas that will focus on scalp care and hair growth.
How can people learn more about your company or get involved in what you are doing?
We are very active on Instagram (@baskandbloom) and will be using LinkedIn more in 2023 as another resource for brand updates.
