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Lora Leavenworth and Bridget O'Brien Edwards, co-founders of Oberon Cosmetics, met in Bend, Oregon in 2001. Both had left the hectic lifestyle of metropolitan living and were on a quest for a healthy environment. It was an affinity that became an instant friendship, out of which has grown a successful business partnership.

A True Partnership

Lora had a fruitful career in the financial industry in New York and Bridget had been a successful stylist and makeup artist in Los Angeles. Lora opened a cosmetics franchise and worked closely with Bridget to develop the business. Though both women worked hard to develop relationships with their clients, they quickly saw that the franchise's product line did not offer a solution for people with sensitive skin. In particular, many women came to their store from a nearby cancer center and their skin had been ravaged from the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. According to Lora, these women needed soothing products free from harmful ingredients that could aggravate their condition. Lora and Bridget decided to provide a solution for them and Oberon Cosmetics was born. Today, Oberon offers a full line of natural, botanical products, free from harmful chemicals. "Everything is people, earth, and animal friendly, straightforward, and simple to use," says Lora.

Like all business persons working together toward a common goal, Lora and Brigit have clearly defined their roles to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the business. Bridget operates the Oberon Spa in Grass Valley, a small town outside Sacramento, California. The Oberon Spa offers both retail and a spa services such as the Oberon Signature Facial, an Oxygen Bar, a Cat Nap room, Spray Tan and Massage services. The spa also features a retail area where customers can shop without an appointment and enjoy the balcony overlooking scenic downtown Grass Valley. In addition to the spa, Bridget works with the media and does outside sales and trade shows for Oberon. It's a perfect set up for her, with the built-in flexibility she needs as a wife and mother of young children. Lora, who is single with no children, manages the financial and logistical aspects of Oberon Cosmetics which includes customer relations, website and warehouse operations. The operations center is located in Howe, Texas. The different lifestyles of the two women feed naturally into the diverse tasks they perform in the business.

Popular Products

According to Lora, while Oberon carries a lot of great products, including mineral makeup, the most popular products by far are their facial care serums. "Our Vitamin A and C serums are concentrated to help repair environmental and aging aggressors. The combination of protective botanicals helps renew skin's radiance, freshness and vitality and keeps the skin hydrated skin throughout the day."

A Little Help From Friends

Lora and Bridget describe themselves as workaholics who do pretty much everything associated with the business themselves. In fact when asked, Lora could not think of a single Internet website that has helped them build the business in any way. Still, they can't do everything themselves so they have had a little help here and there. Lora says that while she took several of the photos at Oberon's website herself, and she also designed the site, a few professional photographers have helped, including Steve Teague and IBN member Rebecca Picard. Oberon also gets a huge boost from Lisa Dempsey, their website programmer.

Says Lora, " Working with each other is the best thing about what we do at Oberon. Bridget and I have very different backgrounds and personalities. One of us will come up with an idea and then we both approach the implementation with different considerations."

Since Oberon is not Lora's first business venture, she's learned a thing or two about being successful in business. She says it's vital in any business to know your business very well and to approach challenges as fun opportunities. Lora describes Oberon's business challenges as "fun." From package design and sourcing to Web development and marketing, she says, "Nothing we encountered has been insurmountable."

Though busy with Oberon, both Lora and Bridget feel it's important to make time to give back to their communities. Bridget recently organized a group of Grass Valley business owners to meet monthly as an association to work with the town council to develop and improve the historic nature of the town and to grow businesses and tourism. Lora volunteers to raise funds for Native American communities in New Mexico to cover the costs of increased  infrastructure growth and basic items for daily living for Native Americans.

Understand Money Or Die ...

Those are not Lora's or Bridget's words, but I sense they could be.

Lora believes strongly in the power of a good financial basis for a business. "To put it simply, financial literacy is about money and how it works, and understanding the financial world is crucial to being successful in business because we assume responsibility for our income streams and retirement. The financial well being of individuals is linked inextricably to the nation’s economic growth. No aspect of life is untouched by economics—though it can be hard to convey its central importance in all our lives. To be sure, we undoubtedly live in a global economy, so understanding global business cycles is imperative."

Because of her strong belief that understanding economics and finances is an integral part of business success, Lora says that perhaps the most important thing you can do is to strengthen your understanding of finances and economics as a business person. "Economics is a way of thinking. It uses logical thought and quantitative analysis to approach issues such as employment levels, gross domestic product (consumer spending is a whopping 70% of GDP), interest rate policy, global trade, efficiency, and unforeseen consequences) in a rigorous way. Financial Statement Analysis is important as it shows the overall health of your business in a relative value context. Understanding your financial statements will help you make better decisions for growth and strategy."

Lora strongly recommends that business owners read a book on macroeconomics and another book on financial statement analysis. She recommends these books to get started.

• Economics: Private and Public Choice, 10th ed. Author: Gwartner, Stroup, Sobel and Macphereson.
• The Analysis and Use of Financial Statements, 3rd ed.; Author: White, Sondhi, and Fried

A Different Twist On Indie

Considering the emphasis on economics and finances, to some, aspects of Lora's and Bridget's approach to business may seem a bit cut and dry -- even sterile. I see it as more of an objective approach. One of the dangers I have observed time and time again with small business owners is that they are reluctant to step far enough away from their personal investment in the business to actually assess its overall health and profitability. It's possible to have so much fun doing something that it doesn't matter whether it makes a profit or not. In that case, it's really a hobby and not a business, and this is where so many start ups get in over their heads. Lora's advice to understand a bit about the world of economics, and to delve into financial statements -- which tell you at a glance how your business is performing -- is advice more business owners should take.

It works for Oberon! Now in its 7th year, it continues to grow at a healthy clip and Lora and Bridget are looking to expand more as 2007 unfolds.

Indie Candy

According to Lora, if she and Bridget were candy, they'd by a box of Swiss Teuscher truffles. "Something for everyone, always made fresh with natural ingredients and delightful, whimsical packaging," says Lora. With flavors like triple chocolate, extra butter, chopped walnuts, almond, fresh orange, raspberry, buttercrunch, caramel, kirsch, bailey’s and jasmine tea to name a few, I'm feeling like a truffle myself right about now.

You can learn more about Oberon products at their website.

Best & Success!!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Indie Experience
The Indie Beauty Network | www.indiebeauty.com

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