Alexis Kemp is the 23-year-old CEO and genius behind the handcrafted skincare line, My Sister’s Scrub. She recently sat down with TLC to share some insights on how she was able to start and maintain her business while also going to school and working full-time. 

Tell us a little about yourself.

Alexis: I was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. My dad is a Bishop, so I grew up in church and was heavily active in my community. I love family time, traveling, shopping, and of course, self-care and skincare. I’m currently in a master’s program, focusing on psychology while emphasizing licensed marriage and family therapy. While juggling my business and working full time, I graduated from Cal State Bakersfield with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with two minors in philosophy and sociology.

Wow! So you work full time and run your own business. That’s a lot!

Alexis: It’s very interesting. Ever since I started working, I've always had a job. Not because I necessarily needed anything, but I’ve always been independent. I’ve liked having my own things. Since starting working, I’ve always had more than one job. And that’s just the kind of work ethic I have. 

It takes a lot of organization to keep up with my work ethic. I have several planner calendars, and I set a daily schedule. I also create a to-do list right when I wake up and make sure I try to finish the to-do list before going to sleep. 

But I like how you said that organization is key. So what advice would you give to somebody that is extremely busy?

Alexis: I would say create ways and concepts that you could be organized within yourself. When I was living at home, my mom would say everyone had their own type of organization. Some people may find your way messy. Some people may say it's not organized, but you have to get to a point where you find your type of organization. And also, give yourself grace because being a busy entrepreneur can get crazy, and you might feel overwhelmed. Some days, you may not be motivated, and that’s okay. I feel like that's the primary concept of entrepreneurship, working, and juggling different types of things. Some days, you just can’t. And it’s okay to give yourself that grace for that day. You can be unmotivated, but just don’t stay there. So that’s what I’ve taught myself. I’ll give myself a cut-off time during that day. 

That’s excellent advice! And we keep talking about entrepreneurship, so tell us a bit about your business, what it is, and when you got started?

Alexis: Okay, I love talking about it. So my business is called My Sister’s Scrub. In 2018 during undergrad, I was in Bio Psych at CSUB, and I started thinking that I wanted to start my own business. I knew I wanted it to be natural skincare, and I wanted to start with body scrubs. Then the name, My Sister’s Scrub, clicked right away because I'm big on sisterhood and valuing sisterhood. My mom has a sisterhood. It's about seven of them, and they've been friends for over 40 years, so I've always been taught to value sisterhood. Every product is named after a sister, whether they’re a blood relative or a close friend. So you’ll notice initials on the jar or corresponding sisterly names. And, if you buy from me, it’s more like a sisterhood, so I call everyone scrub sisters. We are all about natural skincare, and we have body scrubs, bath bombs, natural soaps, facial serum, and body butter now.

Okay, what made you think I want to start my own business and do it? Most people think about it but don’t start it.

Alexis: I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I think it was bound to happen. But when I took it to my parents, my dad said, “Okay, if you’re going to do this, we’re going to do it. We’re going to perfect the labels. We’re going to perfect the ingredients. We’re not just going to throw something together. Because it’s about longevity, and if this is something you’re passionate about, we’re going to invest, do research, and take our time and do it.” So from that day in September 2018 to December 15, 2018, I worked on perfecting formulas, getting labels, designing my logo, finding jars, and things like that.

That’s a quick turnaround. That sounds like you were in a deep dive for those few months. I saw a meme once that said you quit your job to work for yourself but end up working more and longer hours.

Alexis: That’s the perfect meme. You work all day, every day. And it’s not just about, of course, fulfilling orders but also keeping up your brand. I wouldn’t say nobody told me this because I have mentors and people around me, but most people don’t realize it’s often just you behind your business. It’s you responding to emails. You have to have a good attitude. You have to have customer service and good turnaround time and things like that. So it takes more time than people think.

That's a really good point because if there are back orders or a delay, that all reflect on your name and will be in the reviews and such. So what would you say was the most challenging part about starting My Sister’s Scrub? 

Alexis: I would say during the time while trying to launch it, keeping motivated because I had to perfect formulas and research. And making this scrub is more challenging than people think. I thought it would be easy, but that first batch was horrible. It was horrible. I was so shaken. There was a point when I had to determine if this was worth it, and I decided that it was.

And it’s also hard for a younger entrepreneur in my hometown because it’s super tiny. I think what affected me was the lack of support from my peers. That was very hard for me because I support everyone else, and that hurt my feelings. 

What was that like? Why do you think that was?

Alexis: I would say more so because many people didn’t understand the concept. I think Bakersfield is a very small town, and we don’t have a lot of things for young entrepreneurs. I feel like we either have super young entrepreneurs like little kids, and then they jump to like my mom’s age. But we don’t have anyone in the middle. So when it came to me, many people didn’t understand what I was trying to do. I did have my support system, my sisterhood, but people outside of that, that I thought would support me were not there. I’m like the lover friend, the supportive friend rooting for others. And I didn’t get a lot of people rooting for me.

How does that affect your relationships with people if you feel like they didn't support you?

Alexis: I wouldn’t say I left it where it was, but I left that part of the relationship where it was. I hate to use the word jealousy, but of course, sometimes things come down to that. And I’m not boastful; I’m a pretty humble person. I think there’s room for everybody. So I just met people where they were, and I didn’t let that set in my heart.

So what advice would you give to somebody who feels like they’re not getting support as they start their business? Because it is hard sometimes when people don’t catch their vision. It can be hurtful, but it’s also not always intentional.

Alexis: I would just tell someone to keep going and to stay motivated. A lot of times, we expect ourselves from people, and we’re not the same person. We project what we would do for somebody as to what they should do for us. Growing up, my mom had to teach me that everyone doesn’t have the same heart as me. But that’s not a bad thing. So, although starting off, I didn’t get a lot of support, I have close friends who are way more supportive now because now they see the vision.

And I didn’t let that burden my relationship like, “Oh, so now you want to because you see me doing things.”  I didn’t let that affect that. Because it’s okay, you’re late, but it’s okay. I did have a brunch for my three-year anniversary and invited my peers, some that I was close to and some that I wasn’t close to. And after that, they were shook like, “Wow, I’m just honored that you invited me to this. And we’re proud of you.” So that was a good feeling as well.

I think that's a really important message. You sometimes want to take everybody with you on that journey, but you can’t. You may have to lead the way and let them catch up. I want to shift gears a little bit and ask how your business has grown over the past three years?

Alexis: I feel like my business grows every day. It’s been a very exciting journey. Of course, with the pandemic, a lot of people say that it negatively affected their business. I feel like the pandemic helped grow mine. Online shopping was a major thing for me. Of course, I launched in December 2018, so I didn't really get started till about 2019. I didn’t even have a website until about May 2019. And like I was saying, people didn’t take it seriously. So I launched at one of my mom’s events, and people supported me because of my connection with her. In my head, I thought you could support me because you know my mom, but at the same time, this is a good product, and I know you’re gonna love it. So either way, it's okay. It didn’t affect me. And then after that, I just started growing, and it grows every year. So far, I believe I’ve shipped to 30 out of 50 states. I’ve had over 2000 online orders just from online. And that’s not including pop-up shops and things. So I feel like it’s growing every year. This year, I’m focusing on my social media. So I’ve been into content and marketing as well. I feel like it is a great database and foundation for small businesses like mine to get the word out and reach different types of people. I love the networking aspect of the pop-up shops. But I’ve kind of limited back on pop-ups, because of COVID. I’ve just been wanting to focus on social media and then my website to make it grow more.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and wisdom. So how can people support My Sister’s Scrub?

Alexis: People can support in many ways. You can follow My Sister’s Scrub on Instagram, subscribe to the website, share a post, or tag someone in a post. Of course, shopping on the website and spreading the word about it. And just keep My Sister’s Scrub in your prayers and your thoughts. 

Great! Is there any last parting advice that you want to give anybody who's maybe starting out or has their own business?

Alexis: Yes. So due to the pandemic, there are a lot of businesses that kicked off and went viral right during the pandemic. I would tell people to stay true to themselves. Be authentic. Stay motivated, keep going, and always remember that everyone’s story is different.