Episode Summary:
Vicki Engsall is the co-founder of The Jojoba Company, an Australian skincare company which produces a range of products which use jojoba oil, a liquid wax ester extracted from the seeds of the jojoba plant. Vicki’s father first started growing jojoba plants, which are native to the United States, after attending a farmers expo where the Department of Agriculture and the CSIRO encouraged Australian farmers to plant the drought resistant crop. In her conversation with guest host Will Tjo, Vicki discusses how she first agreed to go into business with her father to found the company, as well as how The Jojoba Company have benefited massively from growing their digital presence.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Day One Podcast
00:19 Special Interview Series on Australian Startups
00:29 Guest Host Introduction: Will Tjo
00:33 Meet Vicki Engsall
00:46 Vicki's Background and The Jojoba Company
01:39 What is Jojoba?
02:56 Vicki's First Exposure to the Australian Startup Community
03:11 Year of First Exposure
04:09 Support Structures in Early Days
04:56 Formation of The Jojoba Company
06:30 Jojoba Planting and Growing Process
08:10 Initial Plans for Jojoba
08:49 First Customer Acquisition
10:05 Transition to E-commerce
12:13 Split Between E-commerce and Distribution
16:05 Importance of Digital Presence
19:47 Advice for New Entrepreneurs
21:35 Future Plans for The Jojoba Company
22:25 Closing Remarks
