Local Entrepreneur Profiles.

One Livingston County couple’s journey into entrepreneurship has reached a critical point—business launch day is apporaching.

Starting any new business is one of life’s more stressful and time-consuming endeavors. But one local couple is taking the challenge head-on. William and Mindy Tehero are preparing to launch their line of natural skincare products on the 14^th day of February under the name “Wilmin NatuReal Products LLC.”  Wilmin NatuReal plans on introducing its line of organic skincare products to the public with a public relations campaign, both traditional and electronic marketing activities, and an e-commerce website. 

However, getting to this point has not been without its difficulties and challenges. The public launch of their product line was delayed several months due, in most part, to a lack of capital. “Self-funding the business has probably been the most difficult aspect of launching the business thus far,” said Mindy Tehero, president of sales for Wilmin NatuReal Products, LLC. “We tapped student loans and  sold our second car in order to create enough cash to get to this point, Mindy pointed out. The Hartland couple quickly figured out that cost-cutting was going to be a necessary skill in managing their business. “We had to find ways to cut cost, such as, cutting-back on the number of products we initially planned to launch, which saved the expense for ingredients and packaging,” Mindy explained. The fledging company also ran into some technical issues that had to be sorted out. The couple had to recreate their primary product line (Night Whisper Skin Cream) to be more visually and aromatically appealing.  “With no chemistry background, we had to start from the very beginning with trial and error, said Mindy Tehero.  

But launching a business is not all sweat and tears. “The most fun and exciting aspect of launching our business has been actually seeing the business manifest itself into a working entity,” said William Tehero, head of manufacturing and product development for Wilmin NatuReal Products. “Witnessing the design of our labels, having our formulations finally come together, and most of all, seeing the smiles and delight on customers’ faces when they first try our products for the first time has been the most rewarding aspect of starting the business for me,” Mindy Tehero explained.

What the future holds post-launch for the company is impossible to predict. But the couple understands that their work has just begun. “The most challenging issues as we move forward will be managing the business effectively and efficiently, said William Tehero. Mindy Tehero further explained, “as a husband-wife team, we must juggle sales, accounting, product development, and public relations among other aspects of running the day-to-day business”

The local entrepreneurs do have some advice for other entrepreneurs. “If I had to do this differently, I would have done more prudent financial planning for our entire venture. We did have a long-term vision, but within that vision one must have the necessary discipline to gather sufficient capital, said Mindy Tehero.  “I am certain that there will be more obstacles to come across, but after what we have been through, we can turn things around.  After all, that is what defines an entrepreneur….someone that is willing to take a risk,” added Mindy Tehero. 

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