
Q&A
KAREN CUMMINGS-PALMER
Founder of 79 Lux
20
ABOUT KAREN
After a start in the music business and then working with luxury hospitality and wellbeing brands, Karen went on to qualify in integrative nutrition and set up a successful company creating bespoke wellness programmes for private and corporate clients
Unable to find a product that soothed her eczema-prone skin, she saw the opportunity for 79 Lux. Less than two years later, it is now an award-winning range of luxury skincare products stocked in premium retailers Cult Beauty and Libertys.
Her start-up has had its fair share of challenges, but Karen believes the accumulation of experience and expertise gained by this time in life made all the difference in launching 79 Lux successfully. She has also found that a significant benefit of startup life is the realisation that age is no barrier when it comes to learning new things from technical skills to navigating new marketing platforms.
Karen has a wonderful philosophy of individual self-care for our collective wellbeing, and the importance of integrating wellness into the everyday which she shares on her social channels. I think we could all do with a little more of that right now.
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Photo credit: 79 Lux
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
01
no shortcuts
Whilst putting the formulations together was a painstaking process, Karen did not compromise on the quality of her ingredients as she knew the efficacy would generate appreciative and loyal customers in the long term.

Quality was non-negotiable
02
beauty of constraint
Karen didn't have a big budget to spend on branding or pr but she turned this constraint into a positive. From launching with one hero product that she centred PR around to developing simple shelf appeal branding that complimented the black violet biophotonic bottles needed to protect their potent contents.

Focus your effort
03
don't
wait
Karen's advice to future founders is not to get caught in the perfection procrastination trap and put off launching until everything is just right. She advises us to get the first version of our business out there and then adapt according to customer's feedback and new market opportunities.

Don't Wait!
04
small but smart
Karen has taken a thoughtful approach to build awareness and distribution channels for 79 Lux. Instead of trying multiple retailers, Karen focused on two main premium partners that would bring instant credibility and make it easier to approach other stockists.

Find an accountability partner
05
account-
ability
Karen recommends finding a supportive friend who can act as an accountability partner to help keep you on track and motivated. Someone with a positive, can-do attitude who will call out any procrastination activity!
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