MOB Spotlight - Danielle, founder of Halisi

​Danielle was inspired to start her Halisi skincare and deodorant line as a way to improve her own health. “I have an auto-immune disease that really took a hit on me in my 30's. I started making sure I was eating clean and only putting healthy things in my body. Then I had a weird issue with an unknown lump under my arm that no doctor could figure out. I started doing my own research and realized it was caused by the aluminum in my deodorant,” she says.

She realized that what she put on her body was just as important as what she put in it and tried the natural deodorant options available in stores. She quickly realized none of them worked. “At one point I even said, ‘I smell like apricot sweat!’ I got to work immediately trying to find out what was needed to make my own deodorant. Everyone thought I was nuts and I would smell horrible, but I finally figured it out,” she explains.

Danielle’s friends and family began asking her to make deodorant for them. She also expanded into creating other skincare items based on their needs. She launched Halisi on her daughter’s birthday, August 20th, 2016.

A mother of five, ages 1 to 14, she loves to cook, sew, bake, and create. She says, “For years people would tell me to go into business selling one thing or another, but none of them felt right to me. I really struggled with finding out the perfect career path for myself after taking so many years off to be a stay at home mom.”

Danielle is self-taught, and says that instead of a mentor, she looks at the big companies making claims about what their products do, then looks at their ingredient lists, researches active ingredients, and is determined to make the same things, but without the any of the harsh and toxic ingredients.

She says her biggest struggle has been being taken seriously. “I've definitely had my share of side eyes when I tell them what I do! I think some people just expect that if you're making skin care from your home it can't be good or that you should have extensive degrees. But they can't see the hours of research and effort that goes into everything I do. I am just fortunate that those who buy my products are believers and tell their friends,” she says.

Danielle’s advice to someone considering their own business is to make sure it clicks! “I spent so many years creating gifts and custom craft projects for people and they were always so insistent that I do it for a business, but it wasn't right. Don't force it but work hard to get where you want to be!”

Her ideal referrals are looking for better, healthier options when it comes to their skincare and personal care items. She also loves to hear from clients who have received amazing results and want to share it from the rooftops. “Being able to have someone with access to any products they want choose mine and then tell people about it is amazing,” she says.

Danielle loves being a MOB member because “Not a lot of people understand the balance, or should I say, struggle, that comes with being a mom first and a business owner second. Work doesn't stop when the kids need you and vice versa. I've done work while sitting in bleachers, wearing a baby, and taking sporadic photos of kids in the pool so having people that can empathize with you is such a blessing,” she says.  

“I don't get to clock out of any of my jobs and many people outside the MOB just can't relate to me. Having a tribe who get you is such an amazing feeling.”

She loves working for herself and being the boss. "I make the schedule, I make the rules, I make the products. The entire company is about me being able to control every aspect of it. I went in to healthcare in college and was so excited to help people. But doctor politics and unhappy patients really wore me down. I didn't want to work for or with people who had questionable ethics and I just wanted to make people happy,” she explains.

Danielle says the MOB community was the thing she didn’t know she needed. She was a member for a year before jumping in and participating. “I’m saddened at the missed opportunities, but there really is no better time than the present to dive head first into this wonderful community! A friend told me she added me, and I thought it wasn't the place for me since my business was so new and little. The reality was I didn't need a successful, booming business to be a part of the family. There were so many other mom's just like me who needed help and encouragement,” she explains.

MOB Alliance members receive 20% off her products.

You can find Danielle online at:

www.halisiskin.com
www.facebook.com/halisiskin
www.instagram.com/halisiskin