Cat Chen: Skylar Body

Customer trust and deep supplier relationships are the foundation for The Honest Company's former head of operations as she launches a new venture-backed company pioneering all natural fragrances sold online.  Scents online? I was curious to learn how she pitched VCs on that idea! We delve into her journey leading her first startup. We also get insights from her prior experience at The Honest Company, where she managed a complex supply chain of hundreds of contract manufacturers (CMs) that had to deliver on their promise of all-natural consumer products. Being a purpose-driven company that cares about its supply chain has unique challenges, and we discuss how to navigate them. We get her expert tips for working with CMs and raising capital.  She went a year and a half without a salary and invested $100,000 of her own money to turn her dream into reality. Meanwhile her dad, the successful Taiwanese tech entrepreneur who was her inspiration, did not always give her the encouragement she might have liked--mostly because he knew from personal experience how hard entrepreneurship can be. It hasn't seemed to slow her down.   The views expressed on The Art of Manufacturing podcast are those of the guests, and not our sponsors or partners. For more information, photos, and links, check out the show notes at http://makeitinla.org/catchen.