Natural Skin care idea after Near-Death Accident → $100k/Month biz

🏖️ Creative Entrepreneur fun one-liner:

Why do entrepreneurs make great magicians? They turn invisible things into visible things

Onto Today’s story….

Andy Hnilo had a Near-Fatal Accident, yet he started a

business AlituraNaturals to solve his own problem.

He now makes $100k/Month.

Here is how he did it.

Andy Hnilo 30 years old, was broke, and was pursuing a career in the entertainment industry that was unfulfilling.

He was also working night jobs to help pay his bills.

However, there was this feeling that there was something more for him out there.

In March 2011, his life took an unexpected turn when he was hit by a series of vehicles,

while attempting to cross a busy street in Los Angeles.

Unconscious, he lay in the middle of the street.

First responders arrived quickly and began cutting off all of his clothes,

in an effort to get him on the stretcher and to the emergency room, at Cedars Sinai Hospital as soon as they could.

Andy woke up in the hospital ICU with seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and severe facial injuries.

BUT… he was alive.

Luckily he responded to medicines and he slowly began to recover.

During his recovery, Andy became frustrated with the lackluster skincare products, his doctors recommended to heal his abrasions and scars.

They were not healing the scars properly.

He began researching natural ingredients that could aid in the healing process.

Because of his appearance after the accident,he didn't really want to be seen in public.

So he was left with a lot of time to research, create and test.

Experimenting in his tiny apartment in North Hollywood,

Andy started creating a clay mask formulation using organic essential oils,mineral-rich clays, and nutrient-dense superfoods.

When he shared samples with friends, they were amazed by how quickly his skin healed.

Encouraged by the positive feedback, Andy continued improving his clay mask recipe.

Without a website, a set price, or even a company name, he continued to give the product away for about a year.

This allowed him to beta test and gather feedback on how to improve the product.

He kept improving the product.

Although he hadn't planned on starting a business, demand for the product grew through word-of-mouth.

He started posting on Social Media about his product.

The turning point came when a spa owner named Mary Halls, discovered Andy’s clay mask through social media.

Impressed with the results, she added Andy's product to her spa’s treatment list at a premium price.

Finally seeing people willing to pay for something he had made, was the validation Andy needed.

Andy’s passion for health and wellness led him to connect with Dave Asprey, founder of nutrition company Bulletproof.

Dave loved Andy’s story and his resilience to bounce back after his devastating injury.

Andy landed a guest appearance on Bulletproof Radio in June 2014.

Dave’s fans flooded Andy with requests on where to buy his clay mask, that still didn’t have a name or website.

Within days of airing, he came up with a price of $35 and started asking people to PayPal him in return for ‘The Mask’, with the help from a high school friend.

He later launched an ecommerce store on Shopify, and came up with the name Alitura, Latin for “to feed and nourish.”

Months later, the Alitura Clay Mask also started selling on the Bulletproof.com website.

Joining hands with an established brand provided instant credibility.

Andy says… “Easily the best moment of my entrepreneurial career and maybe even my life.

Not only partnering with an idol of mine, but now having purpose and running a business without ever writing up a business plan.”

With a solid digital presence established, Andy focused on engaging directly with his customers through social media, blog posts, and meeting them at health events.

Providing superb customer service and being open about his small-batch, handmade process established his loyalty with his customers.

He started appearing as guest on many podcasts and was also featured on many magazines.

The traffic to his website continued to increase, leading to a growth in sales.

He introduced many new products like Body Lotions, Facial Toners and Perfumes.

After years of hustling from his tiny apartment, Alitura Naturals has customers from many countries.

While Andy may not have set out to become an entrepreneur, his inspirational story of turning trauma into purpose,

has built a thriving business focused on helping others look and feel their best.

Now he makes $100k/Month.

Andy says… “I never had the intention to start a business.

But the rising interest of people in something that I truly created, with my own hands, out of necessity,

lit a fire inside me to keep pursuing more.”

8 reasons why they succeeded

1. Turned a personal need into a business idea

• Andy suffered facial injuries and abrasions in his accident that weren't healing properly

• Frustrated with lackluster medical products, he researched natural ingredients to help him heal.

• Experimenting in his apartment, Andy created a clay mask using organic oils, clays and superfoods.

2. Tested with customers

• For almost a year, Andy gave away his clay mask samples and got feedback

• This extensive testing allowed him to improve the mask recipe over time

• Demand grew for "The Mask" through positive word-of-mouth as he kept enhancing it

3. Validated demand before officially launching

• Without even a company name, Andy started posting about his mask on social media

• Interest grew organically for over a year before he had a website or pricing

• Appearing on Bulletproof Radio podcast revealed demand - people flooded Andy to buy the still-unnamed product

4. Found the right influencers

• Wellness entrepreneur Dave Asprey loved Andy's story, resilience and his product.

• Getting endorsed on Bulletproof Radio podcast and the Bulletproof site gave instant credibility

5. Shared his unique story

• Andy didn’t hide his dramatic survival story and long recovery

• His remarkable personal journey of starting Alitura after a devastating crash resonated with people.

• His story of overcoming hardship to find purpose as an entrepreneur was compelling to anyone who heard his story.

6. Started without a perfect plan or strategy

• Andy launched his online store spontaneously in response to interest, without a strategy

• He came up with pricing, a name, and fulfillment approach on the fly

• He didn’t make any detailed plans before starting.

7. Found purpose in his business

• Nearly dying and recovering from devastating injuries changed Andy's outlook towards life.

• He became obsessed with health and wellness.

• He wanted to help others have positive transformations in their life too.

8. Figured it out

• Andy had no training on how to start or run a company selling personal care products

• He figured out pricing, manufacturing, marketing by pursuing his obsession.

• His obsession pushed him to learn things, he didn’t know.

Hope you enjoyed the story and their success tactics.

Keep Zoooming!

Yours “Anti-Stress” Vijay Peduru