Snapshot 01/05
Rosie Herman, 42, founder of One Minute Manicure in Houston
Description:
manufacturer and distributor of body-care products
Startup: less
than $5,000 in 1999
Projected 2005
sales: $20 million
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Alchemist's
solution: In 1998, Rosie Herman was $75,000 in debt from
years of fertility treatments and was desperately looking for a way
to make money while staying at home with her twins. Using her 20
years of experience as a manicurist to guide her, Herman set out to
create her own body-care product by mixing a combination of oils,
sea salts and organic products. Six months later, she knew the
mixture was perfect when she used the lotion to treat her own skin,
which had become dry and cracked from extensive exposure to
chemicals and water during her work as a manicurist.
Undercover
debt: To get her new product to market, Herman used her
sister's credit cards to purchase supplies, worked from 9 p.m.
to 2 a.m. while her daughters were sleeping, and exchanged food for
use of her neighbor's computer. Meanwhile, she kept her growing
pile of bills a secret from her husband, Neal. "All he knew
was that he had to go to work and bring home money," Herman
explains. He has since been let in on the secret and is now a
full-time partner in the business.
Baby steps:One
Minute Manicure not only healed Herman's hands; it also
relieved her of debt. Originally sold at craft shows, her products
are now available in salons including J.C. Penney, Trade Secret and
Ulta. She also has a new hair product that will be launched both
nationally and internationally by mid-2005. What's her formula
for success? "Just take small baby steps," she advises.
"That's what I did. I thought 'I don't want to go
over the cliff, but I'll hang on the side.'"