We have a simple but important choice in life, to either ignore how products we use everyday affect our fury friends or take a stand against those that test on animals. Thankfully we’re increasingly waking up to the fact that many of the products you’ll find in your bathroom aren’t what we thought they were. And there’s no better way to be the voice of our fury friends than stop supporting the products that test. Kiwi girls Haley & Sam, discovered the awful truth behind many of the big name beauty products they used and thought there had to be a better way. And that’s what sparked the idea to start an online business called She Lives Cruelty Free that supports only cruelty free products from around the world to ensure you can look beautiful, peacefully.
Names
Haley Guildford + Sam Glasswell
Ages
27 + 26
Occupations
Directors of SLCF
Photographer + Teacher
What are both of your backgrounds?
Haley – I studied digital photography at uni so I freelance and it helps big time with the design side of SLCF. I am a bit of a mixed bag as well, Ive never really worked in one spot for longer than a year aside from an admin role a few years ago.
Sam – I have a super mixed background. I’ve studied and worked in marketing/advertising/media. I have also completed post grad study in teaching and currently do this.
[line][pullquote width=”600″ float=”left”]Being avid animal lovers, we vowed never to support companies and brands that test on animals. It is so unnecessary and this torture needs to stop.[/pullquote]
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How was SLCF born?
We realised what was involved in the creation of our most beloved beauty products. Being avid animal lovers, we vowed never to support companies and brands that test on animals. It is so unnecessary and this torture needs to stop. We travelled the world, and found that it was a lot easier to find cruelty free beauty products off shore and we wanted to create a hub where Kiwi’s were able to make ethical purchases and know that we have done the research to assure every product is 100% cruelty free.
Do you have pets of your own?
Haley – I have a family cat Zoe, but when I have the space I can’t wait to grow my animal family!
Sam – Yes, my two cats Link + Trigger, and my cockateil Bobo.
It’s not just about caring for our fury friends is it? It’s that it’s better for us too?
A lot of the time cruelty free products go hand in hand with vegan and or natural/organic products. So in a lot of cases, the products contain less chemicals and fillers than non-cruelty free products. But finding products that stood agsinst animal testing was definitely the main focus behind starting SLCF.
[line][pullquote width=”300″ float=”left”]We pride ourselves on being 100% cruelty free.[/pullquote][line]
What’s the criteria the products must meet before you sell?
We pride ourselves on being 100% cruelty free. This means that all ingredients and final products must no be tested. We also don’t support companies whose parent companies test. So there are a few different criteria that they must meet like ensuring the brands and products aren’t sold in China as their regulations mean that the product must be tested on animals.
What roles do you each play?
We are very intertwined as you can imagine, we make a lot of decisions together and we both are involved in each other’s roles. To break it down, Sam looks after numbers, marketing, PR + advertising & Haley looks after orders, imagery, social media + photography.
[line][pullquote width=”300″ float=”left”]We are working our butts off to create the best one-stop-shop for cruelty free goodies in NZ.[/pullquote][line]
What’s it like running your own business? Is it a full time commitment?
It is 24/7. As we currently both work full time elsewhere to pay the bills, SLCF takes up all of our spare time. We are SLCF all day, every day, and are working our butts off to create the best one-stop-shop for cruelty free goodies in NZ.
Have there been any set backs? What did you learn from them?
When we first started we underestimated how much time, money and energy it would take to get off the ground and running. So we have learned to be patient, prioritise and stay positive – Easier said than done when you are working around the clock! We are still learning every day, each week there is a ‘set back’ of some kind, just little things like ordering processes (on our end), but we are constantly bettering ourselves and putting new processes in place for things to move fluidly. Just teething problems really.
You’ve both been friends for yonks, has there been any moments where business got in the way of friendship?
Nope, and it never will. When we started this, we sat down and discussed the friendship/business aspect. We are pretty much sisters so are able to be honest and forgiving with each other. Of course we have our own separate feelings or intuitions about things but a healthy debate every now and again is what keeps things fresh.
How do you market your business? Is it mainly just social media channels like FB and Instagram?
We tap into all social media, word of mouth and lots of PR. You are able to engage with the consumer on a whole new level allowing you to fine tune your strategy and be super creative too.
[line][pullquote width=”600″ float=”left”]We built this site from the ground up and are super proud of it.[/pullquote]
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Do you write and produce all the content on your website?
Yes, everything. We built this site from the ground up and are super proud of it.
What’s in store for SLCF in 2015?
We have so many plans in store. We are going to continue to grow and will be bringing in more cruelty free beauty products from around the world and in NZ. We also have some amazing collaborations in store, working with charities and also something HUGE that I can’t even tell you about yet – It’s that secret. Watch this space.
Check out what these two amazing girls are doing over at SLCF. They’ve even offered a special discount just for our readers. Get 15% off your order by entering the code TUSLCF at the checkout. Valid until 20th October 2014, 11.59pm NZST. NZ/AU Only.
JB//
