Meet The Maker - Formulary 55

I wanted to give you all a little background on the people who make the products we carry.  So, drum roll please....welcome to my new Formulary 55 "Meet The Maker" blog series!  I thought I'd start with us, as for now, the majority of what we sell is made by us.  Looking ahead, our plans include adding many more handmade small batch lines to the Formulary 55 range.  If you know of a great line we should look into, or perhaps make yourself, please contact me!  Finding something new and different (and of course effective) is the best part of my job.  I love trying new treatments, soaps, soaks, lotions, potions...what have you, and am constantly adding to my collection.  It could actually be a bit of a problem.  A storage problem anyway....you should see my bathroom counters!

Meet The Maker - Cordelia & Anthony of Formulary 55 (that's us!)

What do you do besides make products?

Cordelia: Use products!  No really, I take a bath every single night.  I’m very good at pampering myself.  Right now we are also building a loft, so I’m also addicted to Pinterest.  Fortunately, baths and Pinterest mix really well.  

Anthony: My background is very diverse ranging from construction to law enforcement to technology with interests ranging from certified Mezcalier (e.g. agave spirit expert) to certified diver to producing “functional art” which translates currently to custom pieces of furniture. My biggest current project is working with Cordelia in designing and building our new loft style apartment over the new Formulary 55 HQ.

What do you think is the secret to your success?

Cordelia: Working really hard and being flexible to do all kinds of tasks.  I had initial great success with my business, then when the economy tanked I had to scale way back.  For a brief period I lived and worked out of a studio apartment.  It was humbling, but a great learning experience.  

Anthony: Always be confident enough to try new things and yet remain objective and self-critical so that you can effectively evaluate if your path is delivering what you expected.  Take the time to think about your goals and how to measure if you are progressing towards them.  It’s easy to get lost or spread yourself too thin so it is important to understand your capabilities and focus on the most important steps to achieve what you set out to do.  As you learn, constantly refine your approach.

Most rewarding part of your job?

Cordelia: The life I have created for myself fits me to a “t.”  I feel so fortunate to have created this company that allows me so much freedom.  Working just doesn’t feel like working.  That is pretty awesome.

Anthony: Seeing the direct result of my effort… whether it’s producing a bar of soap or developing a new sales channel.

Favorite motto or quote?

Cordelia: “There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know of many of them.” -Sylvia Plath

Anthony: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Walt Disney

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Cordelia: Mastering the 20 hour work week.

Anthony: That’s always a tough question…  Overseeing our empire from one of our properties in Italy, Spain or Central America? ;-)    Seriously, I see our sales channels diversified and much larger volumes across a variety of product lines. My time would be split between overseeing company performance and developing new endeavors (whether in the Health & Beauty industry or others)