Maddie Booth is a 22 year old entrepreneur. She is the founder and director of Scrubbee, a new sustainable skin care business that focuses on repurposing by-products for it’s ingredients in a step towards creating a more circular cosmetic industry.
Where did the idea for Scrubbee come from?
I started Scrubbee in my final year of university, I struggled with my skin throughout my student years and could not find natural alternatives that fit my monthly budget. To solve this, I started making my own skincare products from accessible ingredients by researching and formulating using online guides. It wasn’t until I wondered if there could be another use for my cafetière full of used coffee grounds every morning, that the idea for Scrubbee began!
If this was going to waste, how much is going to waste from coffee shops and cafés every single day?
Just over a year later after a huge amount of testing and learning – Scrubbee launched and we are now partnered with two cafes to stop coffee grounds from going to landfill!
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
Every day is so varied, and that’s one of the main reasons I love running my own business. I always start my day (well since lockdown!) with either a 10 minute stretch youtube follow-along or a 10 minute walk, if I am feeling a little lazy I will have my morning coffee outside so I can get that vitamin D! Then I start work around 8:30am and run until 11 where I stop to have my next coffee (yes I do have a routine based around coffee). I always try to make my lunchtime 1pm and have a full 40 mins where I will zone out to watch a bit of Netflix whilst eating. I try to make sure I have a big lunch so that I can keep working until dinner!
The Scrubbee team use Trello board to keep us productive, we have one meeting per week where we set our goals/ tasks and that enables us to hold ourselves to account! I have this main to do list and then every single evening I will plan my next day with timings for lunch etc to make sure they are in my diary!
How do you bring ideas to life?
Honestly the amount of times I have an idea and then really think about it and realise oh no that won’t work, is unimaginable! On the very rare occasion that I do get a good idea however, the first thing I do is run it past my mum, she is a great mix of level headedness and an excitable puppy that can either shoot down the idea or buzz me even more to get going!
The next step I do is write down every single thing I can and really try to imagine it into life, getting down to the nitty gritty of HOW I can make it happen.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Since lockdown we have really seen a move towards more sustainable practices, and this is the most exciting thing to come out of the pandemic. So many people are finding innovative ways to fix our resource depleting actions and I love to see it!
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Enriching myself. I listen to a crazy amount of motivating, entrepreneurial podcasts, and read as much as I can on personal and professional development! I started doing this after I finished university and really wanted to make a go on my business and I can honestly say it has helped me a ridiculous amount. Just listening to someone that faces the same issues is so motivating as you realise you’re not alone!
What advice would you give your younger self?
Stop comparing yourself to others. Your success story will NEVER look the same as someone else’s!
That’s what makes you individual and allows you to tell your story, a story that hasn’t been told before!
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
Sustainability should mean that things are actually cheaper, down to its core it is all about reusing, repurposing and recycling!
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Get a mentor. I have a new mentor every 6 months and I could not recommend this enough. If you went to university, they should have some sort of graduate entrepreneurial support where you can get a mentor. If you’re more than recently graduated look at things like the Natwest accelerator or The Princes Trust! There are so many opportunities to help hold you to account and keep you motivated.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Investing time into social media. Really getting to know the platforms and what works and what doesn’t. I used to hate social media and not want to use it for my business, but I realised I need to jump on that train. Look at what others are doing well and not so well, but never copy, make your social media different because it is such a valuable space for brand development.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Not getting my business launched when I originally planned. Due to setbacks and issues with Covid, I actually ended up launching my business 3 months later than I had planned and missed out on Christmas, a big selling opportunity.
We had a reset as a team and worked on the positives of this, I completely changed my mindset from worrying what customers would think or letting people down, to thinking ‘this is good because…’. Now I look at every issue with this mindset, it helps to manage stress and keep a level head.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
We need someone to come up with an idea to deal with the huge amount of PPE that we have seen arise from the pandemic. There must be someway we can repurpose these disposable masks!
What can we turn them into to stop them being thrown away?
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Art supplies! I am a part-time nude artist and I have really been trying to push my art side-hustle, so I invested in a lot of supplies (hopefully manifesting its success into existence!). Art has been an escape for me, allowing me to really wind down and shut myself off from the outside world!
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Trello board. Honestly can’t recommend this enough. It allows for group collaboration, which is perfect for remote team working! It is basically an online group to do list.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“You are a Badass” by Jen Sincero. It is all about personal development and realizing how amazing you are. It really helped me understand myself and feel proud of myself.
What is your favorite quote?
“It’s a good day to have a good day”
Key Learnings:
• Stop comparing others success to your own, you’re all individual and have your own story to tell.
• Take time out for you, for personal development. Your business isn’t going to flourish if you’re struggling.
• Look at any ‘failure’ with a positive stance: “this is good because…”
• Learn, learn and learn again. You can never know enough, always be open to new opportunities and new ways of thinking and working.
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.