Born in New Jersey to Uruguayan parents, Jennifer Revello lived most of her childhood in Montevideo, before moving back to the US at 18. She had no idea her return to the US would eventually lead her to open a French soap business. Jennifer focused on hard work and succeeding in the corporate world until 2007 when she met a French man, who not only became the father of her child, but also gave her the idea that she had what it takes to open her own business. The business was to be called Averal, meaning authentic, genuine, natural, original, real, true in a dialect from Occitania, a region from the South of France.
What is Averal all about?
Averal was created with the goal of bringing the unique scents of the South of France to the US in the form of triple milled French soaps. The Averal soaps are made using the finest ingredients in the tradition of triple milled Marseille soaps, which means that the soaps are passed through the mill three times to eliminate as much water as possible and leave the purest form of soap that keeps its smell longer and lasts a lot longer than a standard soap. Olive oil and shea butter are two of the main ingredients in every soap, allowing for a moisturizing and hydrating experience with every bath and the classic aromas such as lavender, honey, or lemon verbena and the unique fragrances like Monoi, a unique blend of coconut oil and the natural essence of tiare flowers from Tahiti, make the Averal soaps the perfect way to start every day or decompress at night.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your business?
I never thought I would become an entrepreneur. I grew up in a family where success was defined by reaching as high as possible on the corporate ladder so that’s exactly what I did until I met the father of my child. I was taught to work hard and follow the rules, to strive for the security and the comfort of working in the corporate world and all the benefits that come with that. The father of my child saw something in me that I didn’t even know existed and he encouraged me to start my own business. I learned everything from scratch and I definitely stumbled quite a few times on my way to success, but it has been an amazing experience of learning how to be a better leader every day.
How has the pandemic affected you or your new business?
It’s definitely been an interesting time. Not being able to sell in person a product that relies so much on the sense of smell has brought new challenges to our business. We had to find a way to transmit into words, the scent people smell when holding and using our product. It also gave us an opportunity to remind everyone of how self-care, slowing down and knowing that bathing isn’t just about getting clean is so important especially when going through challenging times. Whether a person has managed to thrive during the pandemic, has been profoundly impacted by it, or is somehow in the middle of those two extremes, we can all take a moment to slow down and reap the benefits of using a high-quality soap with every bath that nourishes our skin and engages our sense of smell for a calming, yet invigorating experience.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
I was quite naive and trusting going into starting a business. Plus I didn’t have a lot of money to spend in the initial start-up costs so I ended up hiring a web designer from Craigslist to build my website. He asked me for a $300 cash deposit, which I happily paid, then he completely vanished. I was incredibly hurt so I decided not only to learn how to build a website myself but also to build my circle of trust, to make sure that I pick the best people to work with, who can advise me when I need it and whom I can trust to always be fair and upfront with me.
What is one thing that you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
I plan my days by the hour! That may seem exhaustive, but what’s great about it is that it keeps me organized and it also keeps me on track when unexpected things happen, which is pretty much every day.
I start my day early in the morning the right way by relaxing, having my coffee, and catching up on news and emails. That’s my quiet time before the day unravels and I’m buzzing around doing something every minute. At night I wash the day away with Averal soap, light incense, read, and put on meditation music before going to sleep. That way I can disconnect and prepare myself for a restful sleep. I think is very important to have what a call “rituals” to start and finish my day.
What was your first business idea and what did you do with it?
My first business was called La Savonnerie, which later developed into Averal. I’m definitely not a born entrepreneur, it was something I just had to take a chance on and trust that I could do it.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I’ve started taking trapeze classes and every single time I step on the platform I am reminded about the leap of faith it took to start my own business and to get to where I am today both personally and professionally. There’s fear for sure, but then with that ounce of courage I need to step off the platform comes the thrilling adventure of flying towards my goals. Every time I’m faced with a decision, I just imagine myself about to take that leap and everything becomes clear. I’m reaching towards my dreams, while my support system is keeping me safe so that even if I fall, I can just get back up and try again. Plus it’s getting me out of my comfort zone doing yet another thing I never thought I would do.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
I wish I had been better from the start at picking the people I could trust instead of just believing that everyone is coming to me with the best intentions. There were times when I let people make me doubt myself just because I trusted them, when in reality I should have just trusted myself. Now I listen to all the advice I get, but carefully choose what applies to me and what doesn’t, rather than just assume the advice is correct.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
For more than 10 years I have participated in the well-known Holiday Markets in New York and have connected with each customer, which in turn has allowed me to grow a solid emailing list and social media following. Being able to keep in touch with all these customers even during a pandemic when face-to-face communication was no longer possible has been essential as I’ve been able to still be close to them through social media and mailing campaigns.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
I would start by investing in a website to make sure that anyone looking for my product or the category of products I’m targeting can find us easily and have all the information needed at hand.
There are plenty of free online courses that teach you how to do it yourself, you just need to pay for hosting. The rest would be spent on merchandising and a good digital campaign. Once that’s set up, having a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly sales number will be key to keep things sustainable in the long run.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Invest in people. You can have the best product, service, or technology, you can even have the greatest idea, but your most important asset will always be your people. Find people who are not only skilled, but that you can trust, that can keep you grounded while at the same time lifting you up, who are open to new ideas, yet know when they need to temper down something that is too out there.
What is your favorite quote?
The quote is actually from my favorite book “Changing Reality by Serge Kahili King”:
“We can either do something to modify reality in some way in order to change our experience of it, or we can modify our experience in some way in order to change the reality itself.”
My entire life, both personally and professionally has been guided by this quote. No matter how many times I fall (or even fail), I can use my vulnerability and my experience to grow and change my own reality into one of my dreams.
How do you personally overcome fear?
I think back to all the times in my life where I overcame challenging situations and what it took to get to where I am now. That gives me confidence and courage to keep going. My son also keeps me grounded and gives me the trust and the resilience to know that at the end of the day all I can do is try my best and however things turn out, I will make the best of them. I want to make sure I set the best example for my son, that I inspire him to grow into a strong man who has the courage to take chances and be vulnerable, even when he’s unsure of what comes next.
How is running a company different than what you thought it would be?
I didn’t realize that running a company is a 24/7 job. I imagined I would work super hard for a few years, put everything I have into it, but then I would be able to slow down a bit and that’s definitely not the case. I’m lucky in that sense as I feel very passionate about what I do and the products that come from my company help me create those moments of relaxation and calm where I can just disconnect from the world, but running a business is a lot of work. In that sense, I think it’s important for anyone contemplating running their own business to pick something they are truly passionate about so that even in the most challenging moments, they still have the drive to keep going.
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can follow us on Instagram, check out the Averal website, the Averal blog to see the latest news, special offers, and updates, or email us at contact@averalprovence.com.
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