Mahara Wayman [00:00:00]:
Welcome to the Art of Badassery, where I explore what it takes to live life on your own terms. Break free from the status quo and unleash your inner badass. Whether you're a rebel at heart or simply seeking inspiration to step outside your comfort zone, this podcast is for you. I'm your host, Mahara Wayman, and each week I dive into the stories, insights and strategies of those who have mastered the art of badassery and are living life to the fullest. They smile when no one is looking. Welcome to the Art of Badassery, where purpose meets power. Today's guest, Kate Assaraf, is the founder of dip, a seven figure clean beauty brand built.
Mahara Wayman [00:00:51]:
Listen to this. Without Amazon, without paid influencers or selling out. She's a Forbes columnist, the 2024 winner of the New Jersey Mompreneur of the Year award, and of course, she's a fierce advocate for doing business with integrity. From personal lows to purpose filled success, Kate's journey is pure badassery. So let's meet this gal. Kate, welcome to the show.
Kate Assaraf [00:01:19]:
Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here and I love the name of this podcast more than any other one. It's the best.
Mahara Wayman [00:01:25]:
Isn't it crazy? I had a download two years ago that I wanted to start my podcast and that as soon as I asked the universe, what should I call it, this is what came up and I'm like, okay, what? Let's go for it. So as we are all about being badass, we are also about being real. Because the idea of this, of the show is all about showing real women how they either are already being badass, maybe not realizing it, or what they can do to turn up the badassery in their life. So that's why we're having this conversation. So I'm going to open it with the age old question of, Kate, why are you badass?
Kate Assaraf [00:02:03]:
Well, there's a few things, but the thing that makes me feel like I'm a badass is that I went against the grain of all the business advice that was toppled on top of me. When I started dip, everyone was like, you need influencers, you need Amazon, you, you need, you know, an Ulta or Sephora. You need to embrace AI to its max, you know, all of these things. And instead I ran. I run a very human business that thrives and shares the wealth with entrepreneurs all around the country. And that's something that makes me feel so badass. Like, you know, it's one thing to be Like, I'm not gonna do Amazon, and then you collapse because of it. But it's another thing to be like, I'm not going to do Amazon and I'm going to make it part of my whole personality when it comes to the brand.
Kate Assaraf [00:02:52]:
And so that's what I did. And, and many people, you know, told me it was the wrong path and told me it was the wrong way to do things and that it was naive and, you know, I'm here to show them that it's not. And I now just hired three people this year. The company is thriving and it's exciting and it's a big, it's a big, big badge of honor to be able to hire people in a world where everyone is laying people off because of AI.
Mahara Wayman [00:03:21]:
So huge congratulations. And of course, don't worry, folks, we are going to get into what her business looks like today and how she got there. But I'm actually curious to go back a little further because I doubt this was the first time that you bucked tradition or you bucked the system. So can we go back a little bit earlier into your life and can you think from other times maybe when this became apparent that you were like, wait a second, I want to question this?
Kate Assaraf [00:03:47]:
Yeah, you know, I'm, I'm very lucky. I had a, a renegade mother. And she, you know, she was born in the 40s and lived in England and then married a man from Iran and moved over to the Middle east and lived there for 15 years, even though that was very non traditional at the time. And when she went, when she went there, she was in her 20s, a blonde lady teaching French and German at university level. And then when, when they came to the United States, my mom already had three kids. I came along. And then she decided she was going to get her PhD and then she decided in anthropology and then she decided she was going to, you know, do many career changes. And so I looked up to her as someone that really just did whatever she wanted.
Kate Assaraf [00:04:39]:
Like, she did it with so much joy and, and enthusiasm and courage and that shaped how I wanted to do everything. Like, even from, in high school, I made my own prom dresses. Like when everyone else, I was in the commercial, commercialized 90s in early 2000s, going to prom and I made my dresses. I did, you know, I don't know. There's so many, there's so many instances. At one point I just picked up my whole life and moved to la, and another time I picked up my life there and moved to England and then to Paris. So I. I have lived my life with this enthusiasm for change and for doing things a little bit differently.
Kate Assaraf [00:05:22]:
And I think that's just because I'm the youngest of four. I don't know whether it's. Whether it's so special in me. I think a lot of youngest in a family kind of just start to do things on their own. Is that you too?
Mahara Wayman [00:05:36]:
Youngest of four. But, oh, my gosh, I want to call out something here, though, because I think it's really powerful. Obviously, your mom was an amazing influence on you. Which is, which is. But what really is coming through is this, this willingness to be happy. Right? This joy has an energy to it, folks. Just like fear and despair and anger have energy, all of our emotions have energy. Everything has energy.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:01]:
But it's so lovely to see the combination of joy and courage. Sometimes it's not that. Right? Sometimes we see is fear and courage together and we move mountains. But when it's joy and courage, oh my God. Right?
Kate Assaraf [00:06:14]:
Yeah. So joy and joy and fear walk hand in hand all the time for me, anyway. I don't.
Mahara Wayman [00:06:20]:
But second. Wait a second. That's beautiful where you're going with this, but I want you to tell us a little bit more about that, about.
Kate Assaraf [00:06:27]:
Joy and fear being hand in hand. Well, I mean, there's so many times where you can get. Your wagon wheels are stuck where they. On the path you're on and. And it starts to. You can be happy where you are and in the direction you're going, but, you know, life is so short. And I think when you're the youngest, you see the chapters ahead of you. You know, you have a different.
Kate Assaraf [00:06:52]:
Your horizon is different. And so when you think about, you know, you're like, oh, I can see where this path is already going, but I don't know if I. I don't know if I want to know the outcome. So it's kind of like the fear that takes you off. Off the. Off the path you already are on. And then the joy of kind of just like riding into a different sunset than you were already heading. And, and that's something that I.
Kate Assaraf [00:07:17]:
I've done many times in my life and I watched my mother do. And. And it's just, you know, it's exciting. Like it makes you feel alive to feel scared and to not know what's ahead.
Mahara Wayman [00:07:28]:
It's so interesting that you say that because I imagine some people, some listeners are going, oh, good for you. I fear and I fucking feel fear. Like, that's all I. But something came up in One of my workshops recently and it was this understanding that the size of our fear, when it's the minute you cross over and take action on that fear, you've jumped into the flip side, which is the joy of saying yes to your, to your fears. And that level of joy is in direct proportion to the level of fear. Right. If you're not that, if you're not that scared about walking down the street and you walk down the street, big deal. I kind of walk down the street.
Mahara Wayman [00:08:03]:
But if you are terrified to pick up the phone and you pick up the phone when the phone calls over, you're like, look at me go. It's so interesting how there's slightly different ways to look at a situation. But I love, I love seeing the joy in your face. Right. Just talking about it.
Kate Assaraf [00:08:21]:
Yeah. And, and sometimes that those changes you make end up not being right. So I would say my move to England, I was excited and I felt the change and I was rerouting my life and I actually, when I, you know, after I gave it a full like year of being there and I was like, this actually is, wasn't the right move. And you just, you cork you course correct. But you don't regret. You know what I mean? Because it's hard, it's hard to, to live in regret.
Mahara Wayman [00:08:50]:
Well, it is painful and it's, and it's heavy. But let me ask this. What did you learn about your move to England or your timing? Was there a learning for you?
Kate Assaraf [00:09:01]:
Yeah, I learned a very surface level. I cannot live in a rainy place. I moved from LA to England. Another thing that I learned was I think a lot of times America, Americans glamorize living overseas. And I learned that the glamour is here in the States. For me, it might not be that for everybody, but for me the fast paced life and the, you know, competitive nature of living in America, like I, I thrive in that. In that. And I didn't thrive.
Kate Assaraf [00:09:32]:
I actually felt like an unwatered plant. When I lived despite all the rain, I felt like a one unwatered plant in England. And, and so I realized that actually living in, in the United States was the best for me.
Mahara Wayman [00:09:47]:
And I say this all the time with my clients and in conversation. There are many different ways to get to know yourself. And it's not always about what makes you happy. You get to know yourself about what you want less of as well. Right? Yes, that in itself. And it's part of the growth mindset, to coin a phrase or to, to everybody talks about, but it's it just goes back to what I'm hearing with you is this. Life is joyous. Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:10:12]:
And I. I've said this too, as well. In my. In my own practice, when I come from a place of clarity, even if I don't get what I want, it doesn't feel as bad as when I've. When I've tried to do something from a place of fear or lack of clarity. Right.
Kate Assaraf [00:10:28]:
Yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:10:29]:
Go into a situation, I have no idea what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, or any of that stuff. It. I fall flat on my face, and I feel like. But, yeah, the situation being very clear why I'm doing this and what I want from it, even if I fall flat on my face, I'm like, oh, that was interesting. Right.
Kate Assaraf [00:10:43]:
Okay.
Mahara Wayman [00:10:44]:
I have learned that I do not do well in this situation versus I'm a loser.
Kate Assaraf [00:10:49]:
So, yeah, that's a. That's a much better way to put it. And, you know, to that end, like, I had a brand before Dip, and, you know, I wasn't on the right path. I was. I was in a partnership that wasn't working. And I felt very removed from joy with. With that brand. And when it closed down, it was like, weirdly, one of the saddest and one of the happiest days.
Kate Assaraf [00:11:13]:
I had so much relief. And then when I built dip, I knew exactly how we wanted to build it. I knew exactly the type of customer I wanted to really covet and be around, and I knew exactly the type of other entrepreneurs that I wanted to support. So as. As miserable as having your first rodeo, like, not work out, the joy of having your second one with so much clarity and so much precision. It's almost like suddenly becoming, like, a pro ice skater in business. You're like, I know exactly where I'm going. I'm gonna make these turns.
Kate Assaraf [00:11:48]:
I'm gonna do it this way. And it. And it's sharp, and it feels like. It feels like being alive. I don't know how else to describe it.
Mahara Wayman [00:11:56]:
All right, well, I know my listeners, interests. Interest has really peaked. So let's dive in. Before you tell us about the nature of the business today, how did you get into the beauty business?
Kate Assaraf [00:12:07]:
So, when I was living in New Jersey, so I graduated college around 2005, and shortly thereafter. And so I was at the. This is like one of these overachiever stories. I was at the top of my class. I studied economics, science, and math, and I was, like, ready to take on the world. And then, you know, there wasn't really like a great job market. From 2005 to 2008 there was that. The economic collapse.
Kate Assaraf [00:12:32]:
Like it's this, it's this standard millennial story. So it wasn't unique to me. It was, you know, pretty much across the states. Like everyone was kind of having a bad time. And so I found myself just bartending and waitressing, which, you know, I really actually loved. I like, just love talking to people and. And at one point I decided I found my. My.
Kate Assaraf [00:12:58]:
Some of my friends were living in la and so I found a, a place that was hiring in beauty. It wasn't something I really considered before, but I found a place that was hiring within the beauty sector. I was like, wow, this sounds kind of interesting. So I just pretend on my resume, I just pretended that I lived in LA already and like applied to this job and wrote like a pretty robust cover letter. And within, I had one interview where I flew out last minute, just pretending that I lived there. And then I. And then I got the job and I had to actually live there very quickly. So I just picked up and went and, and began my adventure in the beauty industry.
Kate Assaraf [00:13:38]:
And that's really how it happened. And I fell in love with it. I fell in love with so many, so many things about it. You know, the science of formulations and the behaviors of the customers and the, the, the, I don't know, kind of the magic of the behind the scenes and also the horrors of the behind the scenes of beauty marketing. Like, it was so much to take in and then being in a new city. So that's the real way. I just, I just decided I was going to live there and figure out how to, you know, you kind of like decide your destination and then you fill in the blanks until you make it.
Mahara Wayman [00:14:12]:
So what came as a surprise to you in those first couple of years in the beauty industry?
Kate Assaraf [00:14:18]:
How so? I learned very quickly, like how dishonest things were in beauty marketing. And it's kind of how what shapes me with the authentic marketing for dip, like, and why I don't want to use influencers or any of these other, you know, fast to market, you know, speed trains for success. I really wanted to take it slow and build really strong scaffolding for the brand. But I learned so one of my jobs and in my 20s was to go on, on air for, you know, they'd have like, like QVC style programming, not qvc. I'm just trying to save this network the, the truth. But my job was to like, draw wrinkles onto models and as. As a brand manager. And then they would go on air, and they would magically disappear with the products on tv.
Kate Assaraf [00:15:08]:
Of course, it was, like, very subtle artistry to do that. But, you know, that was one of those things where that was one of the most shocking things I'd ever learned is, like, it's all smoke and mirrors in beauty. And, you know, before and afters are often, like, really not legit. And there's like, there are so many things like that that I found so interesting. And also, like, you know, when you're young and looking at these things, you have a different set of eyes. You're like, wow, this is exciting. I can't believe this is, like, you know, how it's. How it's done.
Kate Assaraf [00:15:40]:
And now that I'm in my 40s and I look at that, I'm like, that is, like, horrifying. It's a horrifying way to sell things to people.
Mahara Wayman [00:15:47]:
I'm still a little bit shocked about the drawing wrinkles back there. And yet part of me, because I'm in my 50s, I recognize that now, but it had to be. You know, it's taken me 30 years to get to the questioning, right? And it's because I'm experiencing it now. I'm like, my skin doesn't look that good, folks.
Kate Assaraf [00:16:10]:
Right?
Mahara Wayman [00:16:11]:
Okay. Gotta love zoom. But that's not. I mean, I'm. I am almost. I'm gonna be 60 this year, so I get it. But anyhow, all right, so you got introduced to the beauty business. You saw some things that you didn't, like that bubble inside that warrior.
Mahara Wayman [00:16:25]:
Because I see a war, and you just worry, saying, were you aware of it bubbling at the beginning? Like, okay, I gotta change this. I want to change this. Or was it more. Did it. Or was it more of a gradual? One day you're like, okay, you know what? Maybe I'll change this. I'm just curious how fire started for you.
Kate Assaraf [00:16:43]:
So I learned pretty quickly that when you're young in. When you're young. And so this is the early 2000s, right? Or up to 2010. Like, at that age, in your 20s, no one wanted to hear your opinions about honesty, right? Like, they didn't want to hear it. So I kind of set. Like, I'd say, hey, is there another way to do this? You know? And they're like, no, this is the way it's done. Everyone does it this way, and that's fine. And then, you know, I never knew I was going to start my own company.
Kate Assaraf [00:17:11]:
You know, the. The bubbling Came later. The bubbling came, really. When I was pregnant with my first son, I discovered. This is 10 years ago now, or 11 years. I discovered the horrors of plastic. Not just the accumulation on the planet, but also the. The endocrine disruption and what it was doing to aquatic life and eventually human health.
Kate Assaraf [00:17:34]:
This is now becoming a story 11 years later after I first read it, which is crazy to me. And so I decided after trying many brands that really didn't match my level of performance in the plastic free category, I was like, I'm gonna do this on my own and I'm gonna do it better and I'm going to do it the most honest way that I think I can. And so it really bubbled over in 2021 when I launched it on my own and I didn't have to listen to anyone's opinions on how it should be done.
Mahara Wayman [00:18:08]:
Okay, so now let's jump in. Because when you say dip, full disclosure, I picture the first thing and I think it's because there's a hair gel called Depth. That's what I. Yeah, my connection. So, Kate, me, I know nothing about your company. What do you sell? What about the products? What's, what's their thing?
Kate Assaraf [00:18:29]:
Sure, I sell. My company is called Dip. It is plastic free hair care. It's serious hair care for not so serious people. So it's very, very like thank you. So it can be found in zero waste stores where my heart is. I'm big advocate of the zero waste community. And refilling.
Kate Assaraf [00:18:51]:
It can be found in surf sh because the conditioner detangles hair immediately after coming out of the ocean. And then it's sold in hair salons around the country in all types of hair salons, curl specific salons, eco salons, just, you know, celebrity salons. So it is very serious hair care that the professional community has embraced but just happens to be plastic free. And I barely talk about plastic in our marketing. That's how good I tried to make it.
Mahara Wayman [00:19:20]:
Okay, I have to sit with this for a minute because I know how much the market is saturated with products.
Kate Assaraf [00:19:27]:
Oh yeah.
Mahara Wayman [00:19:28]:
What was it about your product other than it works? Because that's a given. But something else about it that allowed it to really take hold. Because you are a seven figure company.
Kate Assaraf [00:19:40]:
Yeah, it's because I present it in a way where my retailers can succeed. I think that's really what is important. Because when you see and because I don't use influencers or fake ugc which is like user generated content. So there's like this whole market of people who will use your product and make videos of it, but they were never customers. It's different than influencers. It's like two different things. So I think of them as like surrogate customers. Brands hire them to pretend they're customers and then put that content out.
Kate Assaraf [00:20:22]:
So we haven't done any of that. So people are so frustrated with the zero waste movement that, that actually not embracing those marketing tactics has really worked. Because I've told people if you see someone post about diploma, whether it's good or bad, it's real. And it's never been coerced, it's never been incentivized, it's never been something where like, hey, I'll give you free product if you put a review up, or any of that. And so people can trust that. And I'm the only brand that I know of that has taken that hard line. And in beauty, it's so important because. Because the other types of kind of inauthentic marketing are their core method.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:04]:
Let's talk about, and thank you for sharing that. And again, your energy and your passion is so, so clear. It's. It's a joy to behold, quite frankly. I'm so glad.
Kate Assaraf [00:21:13]:
I do love running my companies.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:15]:
Awesome. So let's get some numbers. You've. The company is 10 years old. 11.
Kate Assaraf [00:21:21]:
No, it started in 2021. So it's only four years old.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:25]:
Okay, I'm sorry, you hit seven figures in less than four years.
Kate Assaraf [00:21:29]:
Yeah. And in 18 months it hit seven figures. And then. And then now this is where it is. And still in seven figures.
Mahara Wayman [00:21:39]:
Can you say badassery? That's fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.
Kate Assaraf [00:21:46]:
And that number is shared with our retailers that test every version of the products. Like, so they test every shampoo bar before they decide what's going to go on their shelves. And so many of them choose dip over other brands because of how well it works. So my gratitude is to these retailers that have created like a community and a network for me, so, so we can all thrive together.
Mahara Wayman [00:22:11]:
So that's what I want you to go in a little bit of depth here because I think, you know, the initial perception of anybody looking at a business as well, one person's pulling in the dough, everybody else in the middle, people are making okay money and then the retailers are just scraping by because, you know, just because they're the third down or fourth down a lot. But I'm really excited about how you just framed that. So did you always know that you were going to have that business model or did it grow into that. You knew it.
Kate Assaraf [00:22:39]:
Okay, I knew. I knew because what I learned from my first brand was that I, I don't mean to call, you know, Sephora Soulless. It's not what I mean. Or Amazon Soulless, but what I learned was how much I loved the community of the zero waste. Zero waste movement. Like these, there's, there's entrepreneurs, there's a zero waste store and zero waste use lightly. It's like a plastic reduction store, right? So you can, you go in with like an empty container and you can refill your detergent or your hand soap or whatever. There.
Kate Assaraf [00:23:14]:
There's this whole network of people that open this type of store and really create actual change in communities around the country. And so they exist in every state. It's a, it's a growing movement and it's something that I myself, I refill and I refill every food, hand, soap, you know, everything. And I, the type of person I met along the way that opens the refillery is, is the type of person that I just, I just like, I'm in awe of because I think it's such a renegade move to open in the time of hyper consumption and hyper convenience to open something that's for slow living and, and meaningful mindful shopping. And so I knew that that was the type of entrepreneur I really wanted to support. And some of the stores sell, you know, I mean, like it's crazy numbers like $75,000 worth of just dip a year. Whereas if I, if I had put my stuff on Amazon, like they wouldn't be able to sell it at all. And so it's the most exciting thing for me is like when I see a reorder come in from a store that means we're sharing the profits on the brand.
Kate Assaraf [00:24:30]:
And some, you know, it's, it's just, it just makes me feel so good, you know, when I see something come in, it's like, wow, they're doing well and we're doing well together.
Mahara Wayman [00:24:39]:
So a couple of things I want to point out because I'm an entrepreneur and things that really, I want to just highlight for the listeners, guys. She's done some really smart things. Number one, she was very, very crystal clear. Sharp, I think is the word she used earlier on who her client was. Right. And she was also very clear that her business be connected to her values. And when you've got those two things alone, those two things alone can make a difference in your business. But when you couple that with powerful intuition, I'm assuming very strong support with regards to your actual product, because all of that's great, but if you have a shitty product, you're not gonna.
Kate Assaraf [00:25:24]:
It's not gonna fly.
Mahara Wayman [00:25:25]:
I'm gonna fly. It sounds like you've done really everything right. I'm curious, though, what didn't go so right? Even though.
Kate Assaraf [00:25:34]:
I'll tell you. I'll tell you because I was so sure and so excited about this move, and it ended up being the. One of the worst things I did. I. I want. So you know how consumers want transparency on ingredients. So. And I investigated all these certifications, and I was like, what is the certification that matters? Because a lot of them don't matter because they don't take into account percentages of ingredients.
Kate Assaraf [00:25:58]:
And that's why, like, Yuka Yucca app, however you pronounce it, like, that's why that it's kind of misleading because it doesn't know the percentages of what's in there. And the percentages are important, like information. So I. I put all my eggs into this one basket where I. It used. We had to submit all of the percentages of our formulas. And then it. It would give us a seal that says this is, you know, clean and transparent, and customers could go onto their database and see, like, every single ingredient and learn more about them.
Kate Assaraf [00:26:36]:
And I was. And it really took into account percentages, and I was so excited about this. So it was very expensive, I will tell you, as a $50,000 commitment, and that's more than any other certification. So I was like, okay, I'm going to get the Rolls Royce of certifications for my customers because I care about them so much, and they know, they have a lot of questions and they're scared of bad ingredients and all these things. What happened was we signed that paperwork in July. By October, I went in to. To show someone. I was like, oh, hey, if you have any questions, like, go to.
Kate Assaraf [00:27:08]:
To this index. And you can see I'm purposely not naming the company, by the way, because I, you know, just legal reasons. And anyway, so they. And then the screen was blank. And I was horrified. I was like. So I contacted the company. I was like, hey, where's our index? Like, where's all of this stuff we paid for? Because the amount of labor hours it took to sub submit all the forms and the amount it was.
Kate Assaraf [00:27:28]:
It was so much work. It's hundreds of hours of work on our part to get this certification for our customers. And they. The response was, oh, we sense we sunsetted that portion of the business months ago. And so I had paid, I was, I didn't pay all of it at once, thank God. But I had to, you know, hire an attorney. They wouldn't give me my money. I was like, great, just give me my money back, we can move on.
Kate Assaraf [00:27:52]:
But I changed all my packaging to include, include this seal which was, I've 32 boxes to change that on. So imagine printing. And it was, it was so such an expensive lesson. And it was also lesson in seeing how the other types of CEOs behave. Because that CEOs response was so gross to me. It's so something that could have been resolved very quickly and instead I had to like hire an attorney and you know, follow through that way. That was one of the biggest mistakes ever. And people always ask me like, why don't you have leaping bunny? Why don't you have.
Kate Assaraf [00:28:26]:
I was like, listen, it's cruelty free. I couldn't put it if I didn't have it on the box. But I'm like, I'm allergic to certifications right now because like, I just don't want to invest in another one and do all the work again when I, I mean, it was the biggest mistake.
Mahara Wayman [00:28:42]:
Well, again, I gotta ask, being the coach that I am, what did you learn from it?
Kate Assaraf [00:28:46]:
Oh, I, I learned that it's better to just stay on course and, and you know, and maybe not get so excited about a funded platform that makes big promises and is looking to get clients like l' Oreal and doesn't care about small, well meaning brands. I learned very quickly how greed can override purpose. And I learned that. I learned that I know what kind of behavior like solidified the kind of behavior that I employ as a CEO to not only my customers, but to other people. Do you know what I mean? It's like seeing really bad behavior and really like, I mean, it's just ridiculous. You, you think of like a cartoon CEO and, and how they react to adversity and you're just like, okay, you know, like that, that was how it was. So, so, you know, it's, it's very funny because I see also, you know, because I'm a small brand and I like, you know, I like to keep it small. And I'm not on Amazon, I'm not in Ulta, and I'm not in these avenues.
Kate Assaraf [00:29:56]:
I'm not taken very seriously by other CEOs and to me, that's my, now, my new measure. If I have to mention my revenue to get respect from another business owner, that person's not cool.
Mahara Wayman [00:30:09]:
I just had this picture of the little, the little girl, like, just standing tall and pushing the huge rock, socialism and capitalism and all those isms. But you've got this. I had this vision, right? All of your clients behind you, right, you're there, You've got this beautiful array and support system behind you. That's fucking awesome. Like, it is just awesome. Okay, hair products. I got funky hair. Tell me, tell us about your products and, and what the products do and what you're known for other than.
Mahara Wayman [00:30:51]:
Other than the zero waste, right, or the low waste. Let's talk about zero waste.
Kate Assaraf [00:30:54]:
I barely, I barely even talk about that element of the business because it's the least interesting, you know, like there's tons of zero waste brands out there. They piss everyone off, you know, because they're more expensive and then they don't do what you want it to do. Not everyone, of course, there's exceptions, but that's generally when I tell someone I have a zero waste brand, they roll their eyes and they're like, okay, yeah, I tried that in 2020, and like, now I don't want to try again. But what's cool about dip is that the shampoo, first of all, it's for all hair types, so your curls and my, like, sad hair can both look their best. You know, I just love curls. I love curls. So I celebrate them every time I see them. They're just beautiful.
Kate Assaraf [00:31:33]:
So I'm. I really, really obsessed about making it work for all hair types so customers could just choose how they want it to smell. Because I watched people in stores for a long time. The behavior of choosing hair products, I'm just kind of be a fly on the wall probably for six months in all different channels. And what I would see is that people walk up to a hair product, they'd pick up the bottle, they'd open it, they'd smell it, and then they'd read it. Like almost the universal chain of events in that order. And so I was like, you know, what people want to smell, how they want to smell. And if I could make the best formula that works across all hair types from type 1 to type 4, then if you had gave people the freedom to shop their scent like that, that is what people want.
Kate Assaraf [00:32:20]:
And so that's number one. Number two is the shampoo is made for. It's so gentle that you could use it every day if you want, so you don't have to choose between your workout, your yoga class or whatever, and a good hair day. A lot of people go through that, that hair washing Math. It's like I don't want to go for a jog because I don't want to have to wash my hair and I don't want my hair to be like extra dry. And then I, you know, you have to plan. I'm a runner, so I have to, I have to shower every day. I can't like be out in the wild with, with greasy hair.
Kate Assaraf [00:32:54]:
So shampoo is gentle and that's really what makes it different. And the conditioner, the conditioner is like my magnum opus. It's just so good. It can replace for me. I used to use really expensive conditioner and so my conditioner bar will. Will replace 12 tubes of Oribe Gold Lust. So if anyone's ever purchased that, it's sometimes at 59 to $70, no matter somewhere where you buy it. So it saves me over 500 bucks a year.
Kate Assaraf [00:33:22]:
But what's really cool is like when you dip it in water and run it down wet hair, it instantly detangles. So even if you have something you love in your need something for your beach bag or your, your pool bag or gym bag, the dip conditioner bar lets you air dry and go. You don't even have to rinse it out. And that solves so many problems for like surfers, for you know, parents of like little girls that come out of the pool and like their hair is just tangled and matted because it's all dry. Like the dip bar will, will erase all of those tangles and it's like pain free detangling for your kids.
Mahara Wayman [00:33:57]:
I gotta jump in here because you keep saying the bar, the bar, the bar. Is this in like a bar? Like does it look like a bar soap?
Kate Assaraf [00:34:04]:
Yeah, yeah, it looks like a bar of soap. Here, I can open one. This is like one of the brandings. I don't know if you can. There's a glare, there's. That's the conditioner and here's the shampoo. And it's kind, it's, it's across all different scents. So let me pull these out.
Kate Assaraf [00:34:19]:
So the shampoo bar, like this, it's big.
Mahara Wayman [00:34:23]:
Yeah.
Kate Assaraf [00:34:24]:
So this is one of the biggest ones on the market. It's designed so it doesn't pull or tug on your hair. And it just, it's just. You put it directly on your hair. I know it's, it's weird, but it is like the coolest. And so s. So s Square shampoo. That's how that one works.
Kate Assaraf [00:34:40]:
And then the conditioner is like, like.
Mahara Wayman [00:34:44]:
So I imagine that that bar Would last a hell of a lot longer.
Kate Assaraf [00:34:49]:
Yeah. So the conditioner bar can last a lot of people about a year. So it goes. If you have lots of hair like long volume or huge curls or whatever, it can last like six to eight months or it lasts some people two years. So somewhere in there, depending on how much conditioner you use and whether you use it as a leave in or how often you shower smells so good and then the shampoo, that's like kind of something you repeat purchase every two to six months about depending on again how often you shower. If you live with a man, they tend to over suds so they wear it down a lot faster. I don't know where they won't lighten up. It's meant to not need pressure, just speed so it doesn't tug on your hair when you apply it.
Kate Assaraf [00:35:32]:
But still most people that, most people that have husbands that share with them run through the bar way faster.
Mahara Wayman [00:35:40]:
Well, my husband is bald, so that's not going to.
Kate Assaraf [00:35:42]:
Oh, perfect.
Mahara Wayman [00:35:43]:
Hands off. Talk to me, talk to us about the pricing. Sure. What was your.
Kate Assaraf [00:35:50]:
So the sham, the shampoo bar is 24 $24. It's meant to compete. It's not. It's more expensive than other bars. You find out there. It's actually meant to compete with a Pureology, a Kerastase, an Orbe Kevin Murphy. Like those salon brands, it's really. If you're happy with a bar brand already like that you keep.
Kate Assaraf [00:36:12]:
I'm not, I'm not trying to steal. You steal people from other happy bar brands, you know. But if you're someone who's like I'm never touching another bar again, that's where dip comes in. My chemist was someone who has made. He's been in the industry about 40 years and has made some of the most famous hair products that have been used in salons and are on salon shelves. And it was very, very intentional to choose him. This is the only bar product he's ever made and I'm so proud of it. And he, I mean he's done so many salon brands and it was a big honor to get to work with him.
Kate Assaraf [00:36:50]:
And he was also with me on my mission because, you know, my best friend is mixed and she has type 4 hair and type 3 curls in like different spots. And there was never really any hair care, especially in sustainability that would work for her. And my chemist, he also had mixed grandchildren and he wanted to make sure that not only could. He was like on the mission with me to make sure that it could Work for not only his hair but also his grandchildren's hair. And that was really, really important to both of us and it really glued us together as it was a very long process to make these bars as good as they were.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:28]:
So I'm curious, do you the bars come in multiple scents, like the top 4 cents or the top 2 cents that people like?
Kate Assaraf [00:37:35]:
Yes.
Mahara Wayman [00:37:36]:
Or are there different, are there bars just for curls or just old hair types?
Kate Assaraf [00:37:41]:
You shop your scent. So we have eight different scents. Well, really seven different scents. And then fragrance free. Some people don't want any scent at all. Especially women going through like IVF or any kind of immunocompromised people, like they don't want any scents near them at all. And the other fragrances are to the highest standard of clean and. Yes.
Kate Assaraf [00:38:02]:
So people just go in, they shop their scent and it's another reason I want people to shop in store because you can go and experience the scents and decide which ones that you like.
Mahara Wayman [00:38:10]:
So your line comprises of shampoo and conditioner?
Kate Assaraf [00:38:14]:
Yes, shampoo and conditioner. I also have, you know, a few other zero waste items. I have a face wash, a body wash, but the hair is the core of the business. I also have a dry oil that's used for hair and body. But if I was going to tell anyone to just try one thing first, it would be the conditioner bar. Especially now that it's summer. It will like. It will change your opinion about sustainable products.
Mahara Wayman [00:38:39]:
Wow. And I'll be honest, I'm sitting here in Canada going, but what about me? I don't. Do you sell, do you have any salons in Canada that sell it?
Kate Assaraf [00:38:48]:
I don't have salons in Canada, but I do have. There's one store, a zero waste store that I send everyone to. It's called Milieu Market and they will ship within Canada so you can avoid the duties.
Mahara Wayman [00:38:59]:
Okay, good to know. Make well, guys. If you're listening, my Canadian listener, check the show notes because I'm going to have all of that in the show notes for you because as you've already pointed out, I have very curly hair. Yeah, it's also very gray, which I actually love.
Kate Assaraf [00:39:14]:
I love it too.
Mahara Wayman [00:39:15]:
Always looking for hair products and I struggle with that because sometimes I'm feeling I can. I'm happy to spend 300 on hair products. And then I'm not. When I've spent used it and the results I wanted, I'm like, what this.
Kate Assaraf [00:39:30]:
This on your length will last a very long time. You know, you might, you might get a full year out of this bar. Even if you use it to replace your curl cream, it can do that. Because if you use it as a.
Mahara Wayman [00:39:44]:
Leave in my mind is blown. I'm going to be one of the first people to check out that Canadian distributor. So thank you for all of you just bringing this back to this idea of badassery as we tie this up in a bow and sort of bring this, this amazing conversation to its close. Business aside, what are some tips that you can share with our audience on just how you continue to stay fast to your beliefs, in other words, badassery. What can you share with our listeners today?
Kate Assaraf [00:40:15]:
I would share that you need to keep that curious mind that came that you were, you know that's your default model as a human, right? Your default mode is curiosity. If you've ever seen a baby investigate a flower, like it's magical moment to see that. And then you see children go through these milestones. A lot of women especially watch their children go through milestones and forget that they're continuing to do the milestones themselves. And I would, I would encourage everyone to visit a place that makes you feel like a fish out of water to talk to people you don't agree with, to maybe take a class. Like all of these things that spark curiosity. Pick up a paintbrush. If it's been 10 years since you've picked up a paintbrush, like, even if you can't paint, it doesn't matter.
Kate Assaraf [00:41:02]:
It's the act of doing instead of watching others do. Because I feel like what happens is we get older, we watch other people go swimming, we forget to go swimming ourselves. And it's something that my mom always really, really ingrained into me. And, and she, she would say like, your life, your, your life is one of the most magical things that, that has happened to you and you need to keep it magical. It's up to you to keep the magic. So you know, whether you're, whether you're, the magic for you is like tasting new things or learning to cook new things or just going and finding like waterfalls or sunsets, whatever it is. Like, like just keep, keep doing those things that really drive you. Because a job and a company that you own is nice, but it doesn't replace the magic that you create out of curiosity.
Mahara Wayman [00:41:55]:
Oh my God, that's such good advice. And I, I believe in it wholeheartedly. And one of the things that comes up with me quite a bit with my clients because I'm also a high performance coach, is we can get fixated on the goal. Right. But the life is actually everything that happens before the goal. Right? Yes. You're in the moments of living. And what I heard you say was, never lose your curiosity because that is what it means to live.
Mahara Wayman [00:42:25]:
Yeah, that's what it means to live. And we're here to live. We're here to learn and experience. So beautiful, beautiful advice, Kate. Thank you so much. Oh, my God. I have loved chatting with you.
Kate Assaraf [00:42:36]:
Me too. Thank you.
Mahara Wayman [00:42:38]:
We want to congratulate you for sticking to your guns. And I'm going to rephrase that. I want to congratulate you for honoring your truth when it comes to the type of business that you want to create. And we are so happy that you did because now we've got something to look forward to, especially those of us that have struggled with our own hair products. So thank you again for joining us today. Guys, check the show notes because everything you need to know is going to be there. Have an amazing week, everyone. We'll see you next week on the art of badassery.
Mahara Wayman [00:43:04]:
My name is Mahar and this has been my, my very badass guest today, Kate. And her company is dip. Check it out. Take care. If this episode lit a fire in your soul or smacked you with some needed truth, don't keep it to yourself like comment and share it with another badass who ready to rise. And if you're done second guessing your intuition and want some clarity that cuts through the noise, book your free intuitive strategy reading with me now. No fluff, I promise. No bs, just soul deep insight to help you move forward with power.
Mahara Wayman [00:43:37]:
The link is in the show notes. Until next time, stay bold, stay brilliant, and for the love of God, stay badass.
