How Supergoop! Became the Go-to Sunscreen & Disrupted an Industry with Holly Thaggard, Founder of Supergoop!

Holly Thaggard is the founder of Supergoop!, the first and only skincare brand that is 100% dedicated to UV protection. In 2005, Holly’s life and career path completely changed when a good friend of hers was diagnosed with skin cancer. It was at this point, she realized that people weren’t taking sunscreen seriously. Holly realized that it was important for someone to make sunscreen “cool” in order to stop the epidemic of skin cancer. 

Leaving her career as an elementary school teacher, Holly decided to jump into the very unfamiliar world of SPF. After having a tough start by trying to sell her sunscreen into elementary schools (since that was a market she knew), Holly pivoted to retail and eventually got her product into big retailers like Sephora and Nordstrom after years of building her brand and perfecting her product. Fast forward to today, Supergoop! Is a must-have product by skincare gurus everywhere and is over $40 million in revenue. 

We’ll chat with Holly about what it takes to disrupt an entire category, how her musical talents helped fund her business when she had very little money, finding the right partners to support your mission, and the lessons she learned as a first-time entrepreneur. 

In this episode, we’ll talk to Holly about: 

* How growing up in an entrepreneurial family impacted Holly as an entrepreneur. [2:23]

* Why Holly entered education and her experience as an elementary school teacher. [4:58]

* How education is still at the core of what Holly does with Supergoop! [7:56]

* How Holly’s career took a turn when her teaching contract wasn’t renewed [10:02]

* Hear how the idea for Supergoop! came about, when a good friend of Holly’s was diagnosed with skin cancer. [12:14]

* Learn about Holly’s love for solving problems using creativity and innovation. [14:38]

* When Holly saw this opportunity to educate about sunscreen, she explains the next steps in developing her product. [16:19]

* Even with no expertise in this category, Holly started asking the right questions. [18:06]

* What Holly’s distribution strategy was for Supergoop!, starting with private schools. [19:41]

* Learning about the business of scaling and going from trade shows to big retail. [24:54]

* From meeting Roxanne Quimby of Burt’s Bees to getting product on the shelves at Sephora. [30:50]

* Holly knew she was onto something when she was contacted by Elon Musk’s team. [37:26]

* Holly talks about her fundraising techniques and supporting the growth of her brand. [39:25]

* How Holly’s relationships with both Sephora and Nordstrom started with an impromptu trip to San Francisco. [43:19]

* Holly emphasizes that it took 16 years to build the reputation Supergoop! has today. [53:09]

* The importance of finding the “right” retail partners that will embrace your vision. [54:25]

* Holly’s tip for entrepreneurs looking to disrupt an industry: have something unique. [55:55]

* Advice for those trying to juggle family life and entrepreneurship: relish the everyday moments with your family. [58:03]

Follow Holly:

* Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollythaggard/

* Supergoop! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supergoop/

* Supergoop! Website: https://supergoop.com/

Follow Yasmin:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/

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