This week, Jared talks with Annabel Mendez, founder of Aromalief Vegan Pain Relief Creams. Annabel discusses what innovation is to her, shifting from her 2005 problem-focused self into an outcome-focused 2020 Annabel, having support in running an 'emotional' business, and so much more.
Annabel Mendez, founder of Aromalief Vegan Pain Relief Creams, shares how to shift from a problem-focused self into an outcome-focused self.
More about our guest:
Annabel Mendez, Founder of Aromalief Vegan Pain Relief Creams.
Episode guide
1:17 - What is Innovation?
2:33 - Expanding the definition of Innovation
4:51 - What Isn't Innovation
8:04 - Innovation From A Scientific Standpoint
8:45 - Problem-focused and outcome-focused (A 2005 or 2020 Annabel)
13:31 - Uncertain vs. Unknowable
15:19 - Becoming An Entrepreneur
16:42 - Launching Her Business
24:21 - The importance of support In An "Emotional" Business
25:12 - Dealing With Business Problems
27:36 - Advice To Innovators
29:37 - Staying True To Oneself And Your Business
Featuring:
Annabel Mendez, Founder of Aromalief Vegan Pain Relief Creams.
Host:
Jared Simmons (@outlastllc), Founder and Principal at OUTLAST Consulting LLC
Thanks:
Theme: “This Must Be Heaven” by Buzz Amato
Editing and Production: Buzz Amato
Marketing and Visuals: Naomie Oplado
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Jared Simmons 00:05
Hello, and welcome to What Is Innovation. The podcast that explores the reality of a word that is in danger of losing its meaning altogether. This podcast is produced by OUTLAST Consulting, LLC, a boutique consultancy that helps companies use innovation principles to solve their toughest business problems. I'm your host, Jared Simmons. I'm so excited to have Annabel Mendez on the show today. Annabel Mendez is the founder of Aromalief Vegan Pain Relief creams, with a mission to bring pain relief to women suffering from chronic pain by combining nature with science. Annabel is a mechanical engineer, psychologist, MBA, and mother of two, that recently became a home school teacher due to the pandemic. That sounds like fun... Annabel thanks for joining us today.
Annabel Mendez 00:55
Thank you for having me, Jared.
Jared Simmons 00:58
I like to start off with the same question for everyone, which is, What Is Innovation?
Annabel Mendez 01:05
Okay, there are so many books on innovation, and people have so many ideas about it. I'm sure that you've already gotten some great answers from other guests. The way that I like to look at innovation is a little bit more from a human standpoint than necessarily a product or a machine. When I think of innovation, I think that a critical component of it is what is the intent of the new idea, the new product and the new philosophy. And I think that anything that is created new and different with the intent of helping somebody out other than yourself, in my opinion, is innovation. It's about moving humanity forward.
Jared Simmons 01:53
Well, that's great. I love that you have so many layers to that definition. It seems like it could almost fit any number of situations.
Annabel Mendez 02:04
Yeah, I mean, I don't think that innovation can just be limited to a physical product. I think a lot of people, by narrowing down the definition, it really hurts us as a whole. Because I've heard so many people say things like, I'm just not innovative, because maybe their profession is being a lawyer, or maybe there are a librarian but innovation can happen in so many other ways. If we don't expand the definition, I think it really puts us in a position of not moving forward in the multiple dimensions that it can exist. Because we can't just be innovative in technology, we can't just be innovative in the traditional realms, we need to innovate in all different angles, we need to innovate in education, we need to innovate in knowledge, in thought process, and plays, books. I mean, everything that really enriches our life.
Jared Simmons 03:08
Well said. I think it's a matter of domain, but it's also a matter of, you know, you and I, we grew up professionally in an in the same big company. I think sometimes in big companies, innovation gets siloed within the company. There are people responsible for innovation, and then people who aren't, which has always been strange to me.
Annabel Mendez 03:30
Yeah, and it puts a lot of pressure on the people that have the title of being innovative. I think that is also something that is negative. If you had everybody being in charge of innovation, imagine what can be possible. I mean, once you put the title on that one person, that one group, you have significantly limited what can be done in that organization.
Jared Simmons 03:57
I couldn't agree more as an innovation team and then there's a current business team. Tell me a bit, so we've talked about what innovation is, tell me what it isn't.
Annabel Mendez 04:08
So just thinking about the original idea of what I had about like positive intent, I think that when you create something intentionally to harm, it sets you back significantly. What do I mean by that? I mean, there are so many talented people that have a lot of creativity, and they use it for things that are to scam others. For example, I mean, the first person that created the "I'm going to call up older folks and I'm going to pretend like it's from the Social Security office to get them to give me their credit card." Pretty creative person, not innovative. It sets back to society. Anything that's setting back society is not innovative, for a new and novel as it might be. Innovation definitely has to have a component of moving us forward and not setting us back.
Jared Simmons 05:07
So new and different doesn't equal innovation in your act.
Annabel Mendez 05:12
No, not unless it's moving us forward as a society.
Jared Simmons 05:16
And what does forward look like?
Annabel Mendez 05:18
Great question. Great follow up question. I think that moving us forward means providing more opportunities for others. More opportunities for people at all levels of society, opportunities to make them whole, as people, to create jobs, to have education, to have healthcare, to have joy. I mean, sometimes I think that we forget those, those simpler things too. There has to be joy and happiness in life, as well as economic prosperity. That to me is where we're moving forward, where society as a whole is not destructive, but constructive. I think also, the environmental aspect of things is important too. Sometimes people do things that are harmful, out of desperation. The more innovative that we can be a society where people don't have to feel that desperation, I think the better off every person becomes, the better of the planet becomes, the better off, we can continue to sustain life in a meaningful way for years to come.
Jared Simmons 06:35
It's beautiful. Well said. I think the key is, what I'm taking from what you're saying, is that forward-looking view of society and people you know, and then the human race, for lack of a better term, but feels like your definition of innovation is one that involves more than just yourself.
Annabel Mendez 07:03
Yeah, I mean, it has to right? A lot of times, I feel like when people are trying to be innovative, right, and what is trying to be innovative means like? They are putting pressure on themselves to come up with something, if somebody's statement says, How do I come up with a million-dollar idea? You're not working towards innovation, you have to ask yourself, "how can I make life better for at least one other person than myself?" Then you can really get the ball rolling. That's important when you come at it from the standpoint of helping others, then the innovation really becomes bigger and better than when the motivation is, how can I make a million dollars?
Jared Simmons 07:51
Right, right. I would imagine, it also keeps you kind of in problem-solving mode versus, you know, focused on how to generate revenue from something.
Annabel Mendez 08:06
Yeah, because if you think about innovation from the standpoint of the scientific method, and your hypothesis and your background, and everything have to do with a million dollars, that's the problem that you're solving for, which is not really a problem, you're solving for an outcome. And unless you reframe the question and everything else that has to do with the scientific method in the very plane, then you're not really going to get to solving anything that will bring about innovation.
Jared Simmons 08:40
I love that. I wonder since I've known you for a while. I wonder how, if you know 2020 Annabel gave a beautiful, amazing answer. Would that have been 2005 / 2010 Annabel's answer?
Annabel Mendez 08:55
I don't think so. I think that my 2020 answer is based on just experience, and having gone through other cycles, you know, we've known each other since 2002. Which was a really, really long time. We worked in research and development. We had these titles that were innovative, create the next test method, the next whatever initiatives we were going to be working on, and I would say that I have definitely matured since then. Where I've always been curious. I've always been curious. I think curiosity is a key part of being an innovator because you're always trying. The fact that you have to go out and search and do various iterations of whatever you're doing. That's definitely key to innovation, but I think that the things that were important to me back then are not necessarily things that are important to me now, things like promotions and raises, so you don't do it. I guess at that point, I wasn't really doing it for the betterment of things, it was more about the recognition. As I've gotten older, I've really shifted that, that the definition. And I think it has also enhanced the quality of my work by being a problem solver to help others versus a problem solver for recognition.
Jared Simmons 10:36
Yeah, we, I think we all kind of growing up in that environment that kind of locked into, you need to do X, Y, and Z to get, you know, a. It's just really cool to see, you know, once you break out of that the cool things you can do for the world.
Annabel Mendez 10:55
Uh-huh. Yep. And I think in 2020, specifically, it's even more in front of my face, because of all the challenges that we're getting this year, right. As an innovator, as a true innovator, it's always about how to make things better. When things are going really, really bad, you can either fall into the trap of "that's it, we're doomed," or you can really excel at honing into the innovation skills that you've had, for a long time to push through that, and really come out with something that is going to help the world get out of this phase because it's going to take us a few years to get out of this phase that we're entering right now.
Jared Simmons 11:45
Yeah, I can imagine and think about things in phases. Being problem-solving focused versus outcome-focused, I think those are key in this current environment that we're living in. Because if you're just trying to replace like you were saying if you're just trying to replace the revenue, or the money that you've missed out on, or the number of employees back up to the number you had before, that's an outcome. It's not a problem.
Annabel Mendez 12:16
I think we're all like we could all fall victim to that. And I know, for me, I had pretty lofty goals for this year. When I look at my goal setting and I see that I'm not hitting the numbers, that I should have hit based on whatever data I had available at the beginning of the year, it becomes very overwhelming. Almost to the point where you question, "why am I even doing this?" But I think that what I've tried to refocus is on "well, what actions are you taking today? What actions are you taking this week? What actions are you taking this month?" And I'm really trying not to look past one month. Where in the past, I would say I would look at a year out, the mode that I'm in right now. It's like just looking at it month by month, week by week and focusing on what I can control.
Jared Simmons 13:23
Yeah, I think that makes perfect sense. And I think the, you know, the element of what I'm hearing there is I think you've always been very good at separating kind of what is uncertain versus what is unknowable. And, you know, next year, this time next year is unknowable, from where we sit, right, but the next 30 days are close enough. The world is less chaotic than it was, you know, six months ago, nine months ago, so that the road in front of us is uncertain, but it's not unknowable at this point.
Annabel Mendez 14:02
Right, we have at least a little bit of knowledge on stepping stones. That's all you can hope for. Right? Like crossing that river with stepping on some little stones here and there that you know about where my original plan was more of like, 'Okay, I have this giant bridge, let's lay it out.'
Jared Simmons 14:22
Exactly, exactly. You know, just the positivity that you exude. Given that you are an entrepreneur, and you are building this business, and we'll talk about that in a second, in this environment, it's inspiring and contagious because it's hard for everyone and you're doing amazing things with your business and with the family. That's why we want to talk to you today it's getting a view of kind of how you do that and what makes that possible for you. Tell me a bit about Aromalief.
Annabel Mendez 15:03
Yes. So Aromalief right now, which is really interesting, right? Aromalief is a pivot from my original business. I've pivoted twice since I left corporate. I think that's one of the things that is really important for people to understand. That when you become an entrepreneur, to say that you're gonna nail it the first time out, I think that, you know, they should go into the business of being a psychic. Because it doesn't always happen like that, like most of the time, things don't happen. When you see those statistics that like, I don't know, it's like 90% of businesses fail within the first two years or whatever, right? It's only because people give up. Not necessarily, because what you started with is not necessarily what you're going to end up with. So when I left P&G, six years ago, can't believe it's already been six years, I actually started a marketing agency. And I was offering marketing services to customers, we were making websites. Then I had a customer that was e-commerce several years ago, and at some point, I decided that I wanted to go back to product innovation. I didn't want to continue doing the marketing side of things. But what's really interesting with that is that you would call my business's success, because the agency that I started, I still have that be my business entity. It's been in existence for six years, but it's not doing the same thing that I was doing six years ago. Three years ago, I launched a pain relief cream company called Workvie. It was really, to help my mom that was suffering from chronic pain because she had worked as a hairdresser for many years and I just couldn't find a solution for her to gain back her mobility so I launched Workvie. The product itself was very good. But the marketing story, it just never got traction. It never got a following. It didn't have a niche but I gained a lot of information that the first year.
Annabel Mendez 17:27
I started talking to the few customers that I had. I mean, it must have been like a couple 100 customers, I started talking to them. I started learning more about the industry learn more about pain, pain in women. And why was there so much more pain in women than men? And yet, most of the products are really marketed towards men, they burn a lot there they smell. It's for like the locker room. It's for like athletes. And then Meanwhile, you have 90% of women. So 90% of people who suffer from Fibromyalgia are women. And nobody's like really addressing those needs, because most doctors are men. And they just say things like, oh, maybe she's just exaggerating, maybe the pain is not that bad. But it must be a hormonal thing. I mean, there's still a lot of research that needs to be done in that area. But I, I learned from that. And this was a very tough time in my business. Because work v had only been in existence for about a year and a half. But I knew that it wasn't going to be able to, I wasn't going to be able to grow it in the current form. And that's when I launched the next brand, which was Aromalief. And aroma leaf was a project that actually took us about six months to launch, which was very fast. But that's because all the ideas were already there. Even the name, Aromalief, it's the combination of aromatherapy and pain relief. In one we actually have that name trademarked. We were able to register it and it's so intuitive, but it really came from understanding the market. And then making the bold decision to launch a second brand, even though the first brand had only been around for a year and a half.
Annabel Mendez 19:22
But Aromalief has continued to grow because we are really addressing that need of a woman who's suffering from chronic pain and she wants a more natural option, but also based on science, right? So it's not just like, here's this magic potion, rub it and you will win the lottery. I feel like everybody's over-promising and what we try to do is research our ingredients as much as we can, so that we provide the relief that women suffering from chronic pain get without jeopardizing their overall health, which I think is a huge problem. You know, everybody's talked about the opioid crisis in this country and elsewhere. That was the biggest push to say if you're going into this market, do it right, make it happen. Launch that second brand. I was very nervous when I launched the second brand because we are a self-funded company. Something that my husband and I have funded every single dollar that has gone into it. We compete against massive, massive pharmaceuticals in the space. They have unlimited budgets. We really count on word of mouth and just having a superior solution for these women and understanding them, not just from a, "what do they buy? Where do they shop?" but being compassionate. I think that the way that we answer our emails, the way that we structure our blogs, it's coming from a point that really lets them know, we understand your pain. We're here for you, we're not going to judge you, and we're not going to try to steal your money. I think that has really helped us to grow our business and to have such loyal fans coming back. I mean, who can say that a pain relief cream has fans. But the way these women talk about it, and the way that we've been able to impact their lives. It is like they are fans and I think that's, that's important. Any category can really create loyal customers that love your product, even when it's something that you wish they didn't have. So yes, my business is to sell pain relief creams and we've had this happen, where we have a customer saying, "Hey, listen, I need to cancel your subscription, because I feel great." And to me, that's like, "Wow, that's amazing." Oh, yeah, that is amazing. Because the ultimate goal is for them to find pain relief, and maybe that customer, I'm not gonna earn their business, but she'll tell other people and just having that satisfaction on days when it's really difficult to continue with the business because we've had numerous, numerous setbacks, like every business does, but it helps me to carry forward. Because I know that I've been able to help at least one person, and I'll probably be able to help another person
Jared Simmons 22:47
That fits your definition of innovation, doesn't? Help at least one person.
Annabel Mendez 22:52
Yeah. Sometimes, you know, it always starts with one person. I tell this to my kids all the time, I'm like, "you matter, every person matters." And I think that when people stop believing that, that's when things start to go, start to go wrong. But I think that every single person matters, every single person can make a difference. Everything happens one at a time until it like really catches on
Jared Simmons 23:27
Such an inspiring story. I've had the pleasure, kind of seeing snapshots along the way, but it's always amazing. Every time we talk, how much different and how much, you know, evolution has been in what you do, but then how much consistency there is in it. That if you just listen to your story about just the last six years, it's really just a story of focusing and honing and getting down to kind of the essence of what it is, what problem you're trying to solve for the world, what value you're trying to add, and things have come along the way, it hasn't been easy, but you know, you've built a brand and it's continuing to grow. That is because you have identified a problem you wanted to solve for the world and you're smart, and you're relentless, and I know you're gonna solve it.
Annabel Mendez 24:21
Thank you. I think that the other part here, too, is having the people around you that support you. So today we're doing this, this podcast, but I know that when I texted you and I'm like, the world is falling apart. You know and you're coaching to overcome these emotions, because business is very emotional, too. You have the numbers, and you have the things that are very tangible, but a very large component is also like managing. Managing the emotion through rational thinking. I think that's the part that you have helped me with the most because you're very calm. And you can see it from an outside perspective and we can talk through how do we get to the next step. I've had things like manufacturer issues, having to completely change my sourcing, I mean, even at the beginning of this year. I mean, my manufacturers were completely booked solid making hand sanitizer and I did not have the product for about a month. A brand that was like growing is, I mean, that's like the kiss of death, all your traction kind of like stops the momentum but it's part of the business. So we created this plan, we let our customers know how things were being delayed, and how we were going to do our best to get them their product, because that's the other thing when you're in pain relief, it's our responsibility, at least I feel like it's our responsibility. If I'm not delivering that product for that person. They're not, they're gonna not feel well, for that amount of time, right? So my constant thought is okay, how do I get this product to them, so that they continue to feel well, to improve, to carry out with their life. I mean, for some people, it's to the point where it helps them to get out of bed for the day. When you have that sense of like purpose, it really helps you to overcome these things but also having the right guidance, the right counsel during times where things are very difficult. I think that's really, really important.
Jared Simmons 26:52
You know, things like that are indispensable. I know, you play that role for me as well and other folks. In the entrepreneurial life is, it's a team sport. You may be a company of one, but it's still a team sport. So I can't let you get away without asking one last question about advice. You know, your perspective is, has evolved, as you said, it has evolved and changed over the course of your career. What advice do you have for, for people who are young in their career, or are just innovators of any kind people who are, you know, interested in the space and thinking about how to be more innovative?
Annabel Mendez 27:36
I think that learning is the most important thing to do, and learning from every single experience, because what that allows you to do is to build on little building blocks. So for example, what I learned at P&G, I was able to apply for the marketing agency, what I learned in the marketing agency, I was able to apply for the first cream, what I learned for the second cream, so none away, none of it is a throwaway. And I think that is one of the very few things in life, that it's 100% guaranteed. Any skill that you're learning, any training that you're taking any opportunity to learn is definitely one that you should be taking along the way. I think that's, that's part of it. The other piece too, just knows that you're on the right path. You don't know what that path is. But just know that you're on the right path, especially when you want to give up because the road is unknown. But just knowing that you that you're you're on a path to go somewhere, I think that that really helps out quite a bit. But I've always been a very avid learner of multiple skills and not succumb to just living like a sedentary life. I think that one of the things that I try to protect myself always is to continue to make my own decisions on how I spend my time. I don't want to say like, "Wow, it just happened. Life just happened." I think that for me, it's continuous learning. So be patient. where you're at today might not necessarily be where you will be tomorrow or a few years from now. But I always stay true to who you are because that's something else that has happened. I was offered to by somebody to buy my formula. They were going to completely change it and become something that I knew was not going to be right for the consumer and I pass up on that opportunity, because it's not all about money.
Annabel Mendez 30:10
It's always about doing what you feel is the right thing to do. I wish everybody much success. But more than that, be resilient, and seek out help when you need to and learn. Just keep learning, whether it's a book from the library or a little video that you might watch. It's when you stop doing those things that you fall into the abyss, but as long as you're still telling yourself, "okay, I'm gonna learn one new thing today,"then you'll continue on the path to where you want to be.
Jared Simmons 30:52
Keep learning. I like it. I love that aspect of the keep learning and also the patience you mentioned, because innovation and patience, and entrepreneurship and patience don't always go hand in hand in the public, kind of. In the interpretation of what those things are but it plays a critical role. You can only control so much and it's going to come with; you know, some things are just going to come with their own pace.
Jared Simmons 31:23
Annabel, thank you so much for your time today. I'm so excited other people get to benefit from your thoughts the way I do all the time.
Annabel Mendez 31:32
Thank you, Jared.
Jared Simmons 31:34
Look forward to talking again soon. Take care.
Jared Simmons 31:42
We'd love to hear your thoughts about this week's show. You can drop us a line on Twitter at Outlast LLC--that's @outlastllc--or follow us on LinkedIn where we're Outlast Consulting. Until next time, keep innovating. Whatever that means.