Lessons that go skin deep

Sarah Sparks rides the roller-coaster of business ownership with Evolu founder Kati Kasza, and discovers the learnings run deep.

Evolu botanical skincare started 21 years ago as a “well-funded hobby”, when founder and MD Kati Kasza (pictured above) was a long-haul flight attendant.
Back then it was a cottage industry of ‘Kati’s creams’ inspired by a practical herb guide gifted by her herbalist mother. 
After five years of “peaks and troughs” the business was paying salaries.

Today Evolu (‘to evolve’ in French) embodies its name literally. It has grown into an award-winning globally distributed skincare brand that “continues to evolve even to this day because that’s what businesses do”, says Kasza.  

Evolu’s purpose is to serve all so they have beautiful, healthy skin – “a right that is everyone’s” says the founder. 
Aligning with this purpose has taught Kasza many invaluable business lessons about grit and grace. These learnings run deep, like the skin Evolu treats.

Grit moments
So what have been those moments of grit?
“When it was time to do our own thing – my husband Paul and I thought what have we got to lose? Money? Well, we’d just go back to our day jobs. 
“That’s where grit comes in,” says Kasza. “You’re either a risk-taker or you’re not.
“The other huge grit moment involved thousands of dollars. We were exporting to Taiwan with a big distributor and discovered a problem – one totally beyond our control. A product formulation had been slightly tweaked and one particular batch became runny. We found out a year later.
“I flew to Taiwan, which was really challenging because of the cultural way business is done there. With the help of NZTE the problem was fixed. It was about being there to preserve the relationship, negotiating and problem solving.” 

Moments of grit are all about facing up to things, she says.
“Somewhere along the line there will be a mistake; it may mean that we didn’t make the mistake directly but we might be responsible for it – so we have to own it and then find out how we can fix it.

Knowledge is power. The more you can understand about what works, the better you can operate in your own business. You can’t stand back and let it happen, says Kasza.
“Knowledge gives you the insights to second guess what could go wrong before it actually does.”

Moments of grace
For Kasza, moments of grace are those times making a difference to people’s lives through product integrity, reputation and provenance. 

“We are 21 and this provenance enables us stand up for who we are in this world, as natural skincare is such a booming industry and so competitive!
“We personally source, following our supplier chain right through to the beginning. In the formulations we do not use fillers, even it makes the product so much cheaper – we use plant extracts and are really clear about what we do and don’t do – we’ve always been like that.

“Part of the provenance too is that I’m a hands-on founder in the business. It’s not the founder – oh, aren’t I so special – it’s the founder as in this person has knowledge and you can pick up the phone to speak with me. 
“It’s so New Zealand – being approachable is part of what we stand for.”

With the benefit of hinsight, would Kasza have done anything differently?
“It’s a bit like looking at yourself as a 20 year old, as opposed to now,” she replies. 
“I don’t think you can. Everything that’s happened, whether favourable or unfavourable, has led us on to the next phase. We constantly examine what we do, how we think and how we react. The key from that is that we’ve learnt to become expert problem solvers.

“Evolu has its own heartbeat – she, the brand, has her own personality, part of which is the provenance. Sometimes we feel like we’re part of her and sometimes we feel like she’s part of us.” 

Sarah Sparks is an Auckland-based freelance writer. Email [email protected] 
Kati’s photo by Margot Duane.