"Good Morning. In our show today we will be taking you to Hollywood to meet Patricia Alton, star of the new movie Broken Dreams. Then we're going to Down Under with musical guests Rancid. And back here to New York to talk with Cuzette Holman about her new book, her new baby and her new husband.
On the other side of our break we are going to meet three interesting gentlemen who, after being laid off, used what they learned on the job to start their own lines of skin care products.
Stick around, we will be right back."
"Our first three guests this morning are examples of the ingenuity and inventiveness that are such a part of the American spirit. After being laid off, each of these men started their own company producing unique lines of skin care products.
Let's have a warm welcome for our first guest, Frank Plotkin.
Good morning, Frank. Your company is called Grease Monkey. I'm holding a bottle of what looks like forty-weight oil but it's really a body wash. Tell me a little about the company and your products."
"Grease Monkey makes soaps, shampoos and creams that contain synthetic motor oils."
"Motor oil? It doesn't sound like washing with motor oil would get you clean."
"If we had used petroleum based oils that would be true but our specially formulated synthetics work gently to neutralize dirt and body oils then rinse away leaving skin and hair soft and smooth with no greasy film."
"Interesting. How did you figure out that motor oil could get you clean?"
"I had worked for years doing oil changes in a quick lube place. After twenty or thirty changes in a day you're pretty dirty. There's grease and grime and oil on your hands and your arms and even in your hair.
I tried using commercial solvents but they didn't work very well and they left my skin dry and cracked. I needed something that would cut the grease without ruining my skin. It sounds odd but grease cuts grease so as I was doing oil changes I tried rubbing some on my hands and I found that some worked as well as soap.
I experimented with blending different brands and different weights and found one that worked for me. I'd mix up a batch and put it in a dispenser by the sink at work. Other guys tried it and they all liked it better than the harsh soaps. After I got laid off I started Grease Monkey. We now employ 45 people at our headquarters in Baton Rouge."
"Well, thank you Mr. Plotkin, that was an inspiring story.
Like Grease Monkey, Le Menu provides bath and body products with a twist. Stay tuned."
"Welcome back. Our next guest is Henri Dulcet, creator of the Le Menu line of gourmet body care products.
Good morning, Mr. Dulcet. Like many businesses, your catering company felt the effects of the slow economy and was on the verge of collapse. Tell us how you turned that around."
"Le Menu had always been the premier catering company in Minneapolis. We had, at one time, employed over 60 people and were working on plans to open two new locations that would have required us to hire 40 more employees.
We started feeling the effects of the economy and put the new locations on hold. When things didn't improve we started letting people go.
Almost overnight we went from sixty employees down to six and from there down to two."
"So, how did you transition from food service to skin care? It seems like the two are totally unrelated."
"Not really. We always prepared our foods in ways that maximized the healthful benefits of each individual ingredient. By focusing on the antioxidant properties of fresh fruits and vegetables we were able to create dishes that helped clean your internal systems. We now use those same ingredients to clean your outside, too."
"I have here a sample of your Pineapple Strawberry Body Foam. Oooh, it's cold."
"That's right. To maintain freshness, our products are shipped to stores in refrigerated containers and sold not in the toiletries aisle but in the produce section."
"And I see that it has a little wire whisk attached. What is that used for?"
"Foams should be frothed before use. The whisk helps to incorporate healthful oxygen into the naturally balanced PH of the pineapple and to distribute the strawberry's gentle abrasives."
"Well, Henri, it smells good enough to eat! When we come back we will visit with our Eric Beasley from The Honey Pot. Don't go away."
"You've met two entrepreneurs who turned their prior business knowledge into very different, very successful skin care product lines. Let's now meet Eric Beasley.
Good morning, Mr. Beasley. Your company is called The Honey Pot. Let's see, Beasley, honey... I am guessing that you were a bee keeper and are now using honey as a base for your products."
"No, Ma'am, no bees, no honey."
"No? Then tell us what did you do before you started your business?"
"Well, Ma'am, I drained septic tanks."
Nice humor twist at the end, but the first two interviews leave me empty. (I'm back!)
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