Everyday Hero: Indie Lee of Indie Lee Cosmetics

Indie Lee has combined her love of humanity and a knack for business to become an inspiring entrepreneur. After battling with a brain tumor and discovering it might have been the result of toxins used in household products, she used her business prowess to launch a green beauty products line in 2010. Lee is an inspiring individual who is helping to create positive change in the world.
 
Tell me about your inspiration for starting a beauty product line.
 
It was two-fold, my sister was pregnant with my nephew and she was buying products. I was reading the labels [on them] and I asked, “How could you put this on this little baby’s tushie?” There were names I couldn’t even pronounce. I had a green room , so I whipped up products for her. I’m type-A personality, so I had to make it professional. I made labels and put it into nice containers. I brought it to her baby shower and people wanted more!
 
Then in November of 2008, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I was confused because I eat organic and have a greenhouse, but my doctor told me there were other things in the environment that could have caused it. That was an “AHA” moment for me.
 
When I went home, I started reading labels. I was overwhelmed and I started chucking everything. That was when I realized I had to make change.
 
Why did you choose a beauty product line as a route to change?
 
I’m not a crunchy granola type. I love shoes, I love makeup, and I love girly things! A good day for me is going to a spa and getting my hair blown out, so beauty products resonated with me. I also wanted to do it in the mainstream. Many people don’t even know that the FDA doesn’t regulate ingredients in beauty products, and everyone uses them. Even guys use deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner.
 
Your website has a learning center and I noticed that you have a series of YouTube videos on how to make your own products. What do you want to accomplish by including these features on your website?
 
Not everybody likes all of the products. Not everybody wants to use a scrub! It’s educating and empowering people to have choices. Once you get familiar with what’s in a product, a light switch goes off.
 
“Green washing” is used by many firms and marketers to highlight one green product and overshadow the toxic ones. That’s great, but then they also contain many other unhealthy ingredients.
 
What separates your line from other natural beauty products?
 
All [natural beauty product lines] are fantastic! I wish more people would use them. The more products that are out there, the lower the price.  I want to empower and educate with complete transparency. If you do not have a lot of money, here is something that you can make that is similar. You can be glamorous and also be green! I’m using the highest quality of ingredients for products that are effective.
 
Tell me about the process of starting your own business. How did you start the company in terms of finding the resources and support?
 
People ask me about my work/life balance and I laugh! But if you are passionate about it, it doesn’t feel like work. This is something I am passionate about. I literally put my nose in a book and did research. I’m constantly finding new ingredients to work with. By the time I launched the line, I already had twelve to fifteen products.
 
If you have $5000 and you are passionate about something, go figure out how to make it happen. It’s an evolution and you have to start somewhere. Go after your dreams, whether you have five dollars to your name or five million. Know what you don’t know and then hire the best people to fill in the gaps.
 
Do you have any words of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
 
Ask for help, it’s something that I really struggle with. I think that asking for help highlights strength. People like to share. That’s something that I struggled with early on, but now that I do ask, it’s really made a difference.