We know how daunting it can be to start a new business, especially if you’re disrupting an industry or creating an entirely new one. When there is no path to follow, the biggest question is, where do I start? There is so much to do, but before you get ahead of yourself, let’s start at the beginning. To kick-start the process, and ease some of those first-time founder nerves, we’re asking successful entrepreneurs to share their stories in our series, From Scratch. But this isn’t your typical day-in-the-life feature. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty details of launching a business, from writing a business plan (or not) to sourcing manufacturers and how much founders pay themselves—we’re not holding back.

Did you know that the lining of your mouth is 50 times more absorbent than your skin? “Anything that goes into your mouth is directly absorbed into your bloodstream without passing through your stomach and metabolic pathways, which act to reduce exposure to toxic ingredients,” explains Dr. Lisa Creaven, who along with her sister and fellow dentist, Dr. Vanessa Creaven, co-founded the clean, high-performance oral care brand Spotlight Oral Care to fill a glaring gap in the market for safe, effective products.

Although toothpaste is an incredibly competitive industry that’s projected to reach $37 billion by 2024, Spotlight Oral Care isn’t just another dentist-endorsed brand. Dr. Lisa and Vanessa Creaven are involved at every step of the process, from developing game-changing sustainable packaging to creating formulas free of any “nasties,”i.e. sulfates, parabens, and other harmful ingredients. And there’s certainly a need for it. In just four years, Spotlight Oral Care has grown exponentially with products sold at major retailers in 15 countries around the world, including CVS and Ulta in the United States.

Ahead, Dr. Lisa Creaven tells us all about how she and Dr. Vanessa Creaven built the brand from scratch, including why they decided to launch their own oral care brand despite having every big-name brand at their disposal and how they’re revolutionizing the industry with innovative, sustainable packaging made from sugar cane.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: Take us back to the beginning. What was the lightbulb moment for Spotlight Oral Care, and how did you decide to go into business together?

DR. LISA CREAVEN: We created Spotlight Oral Care in 2016 with the aim to create the best oral health products. Our goal was to educate and promote oral care, empowering people to engage with true customized preventative oral care. As dentists, we have a unique insight into the needs and wants of patients. We identified a gap in the market as our patients struggled to find safe and effective oral care products that contain clinically proven, active ingredients to target their dental needs.

As dentists, you’re very knowledgeable about oral health and have every big-name brand at your disposal. Why did you decide to create your own line of clean products that are free of any “nasties” (sulfates, parabens, etc.)? 

We identified that, in our profession, there is a lack of sustainability with billions of toothpaste tubes sitting in landfills each year. To tackle this issue, we had to make a move to become more environmentally friendly and aware. Our oral care toothpaste tubes are made from sugar cane making them the world’s first-ever 100% recyclable tube, which completely revolutionizes the oral care industry. 

The lining of your mouth is 50 times more absorbent than your skin. Anything that goes into your mouth is directly absorbed into your bloodstream without passing through your stomach and metabolic pathways, which act to reduce exposure to toxic ingredients. Toxic additives and ingredients used in some standard toothpastes have been linked with negative effects on our bodies. 

When we created our bespoke range of Spotlight Oral Care products, we wanted to ensure they were cruelty-free, vegan friendly, and free from harmful ingredients.

Opting to use all clean ingredients is major, but it also comes with its limitations. How did you create such a wide range of products with such a restricted ingredients list? Can you talk us through the challenges there? 

First, we pinpointed the most common oral problems we saw in our patients in our practice daily. We really focused on what active ingredients we needed in each product that would target each specific issue we were trying to help. From there, we focused on really stripping back the ingredient list, using only the best quality ingredients to support the active ingredient while still supporting the health of your body. 

What does it take to create “clean'' oral care products? What’s the difference? Can you talk us through that process and what it took to develop the line? 

When we designed our range of Spotlight Oral Care products, we wanted to ensure the customer was getting all the key, active ingredients required but it’s what we left out, that’s important! 

For example, sodium lauryl sulfate is a common foaming agent in toothpaste. As you may know, it is a derivative of palm oil. This ingredient has no benefit on the health of your teeth or gums and is found in 95% of toothpastes that have been linked with an increased incidence of mouth ulcers and autoinflammatory reactions in our oral tissues, and our bodies.

In our bespoke toothpaste range, we have substituted this ingredient with a derivative from coconut oil, which still allows a foaming action but is much more gentle on the oral tissues.

Aside from the clean ingredients, you chose to make every element of the packaging as eco-friendly as possible. Your toothpastes come in carbon-negative tubes made from a by-product of sugarcane and they’re shipped in biodegradable packaging. Why was sustainability such an important part of the brand’s blueprint?

We believe we have a duty to do as little harm as possible in everything we do. If you use our products, we want your conscience to be as clean as your mouth is. When we created our eco-friendly range of products, we did so with the aim of revolutionizing the oral care industry and doing our bit for the planet. 

All of our products are also free from microbeads and microplastics, which has been a huge issue in oral care as they are both damaging not only to the person using the product but they also get into our water system and damage marine life. 

How did you come up with the name Spotlight Oral Care, and how did you know it was the right one?

I think it was all about creating a little moment of self-care where you are putting the spotlight on yourself and doing something positive for your health and beauty. It's very important that when using products that they are good for your overall well being so we felt that “spotlight” was a nice way of creating a space to acknowledge a positive moment 

Did you write a business plan?

Absolutely not! I think we were a little naïve at the start, but in a way, it really helped us. We really did not focus on any marketing or promotion. We simply focused on creating the best possible product that we truly felt, as dentists, would improve the health and aesthetics of our patients. We initially created products exclusively for our patients. Then we found people started buying them for their friends and family, and it just grew from there!

How did you find the production facility that you use, and what advice do you have for other founders looking for a trustworthy manufacturer?

I think one of our strong points is that we have a strong background in chemistry and science so we knew exactly what we were looking for in terms of formulations. We did speak to some manufacturers but it's very obvious to us when we speak to chemists and manufacturers who know what they are doing. We knew exactly what ingredients we wanted to use and what we wanted to leave out so I think that was our strongest asset from the start.

Did you self-fund the company? If so, how did you bootstrap it? Did you do a friends-and-family round?

It was such an organic start. We wouldn't have dreamed of asking our friends and family for money as we were only making products for our patients. We self-funded for the first four years and were profitable from day one. We have just finished our first round of fundraising to allow us to scale efficiently. 

Toothpaste is an incredibly competitive industry that’s projected to reach $37 billion by 2024, but Spotlight Oral Care isn’t just another dentist-endorsed brand, you are involved at every step of the process. What has been the biggest learning curve as you’ve shifted to becoming an entrepreneur?

I think, as dentists, we are used to knowing our work very well and being self-sufficient in our job. I think what is challenging is getting used to now knowing certain aspects of the business, upskilling in so many areas, and knowing when you need more help! You can't possibly be an expert in every aspect of the business, but working with an amazing team as helped us grow so much.

As co-founders and sisters, how have you developed a good working relationship? What tips can you give to other business partners trying to make it work?

I think working with family is amazing. While it's not for everyone, there is a trust factor and a clarity that is so important. Our business is like a child. We have its best interest at heart. We both are also quite different in terms of skill sets and personality so we lean into different aspects of the business. 

In just four years, Spotlight Oral Care has grown exponentially and your products are sold in 15 countries around the world, including CVS and Ulta in the United States. What has been the biggest challenge in scaling so quickly and what do you wish you’d known about scaling a business before launch? 

Yes, we are so grateful for the success of our business and we continue to work extremely hard on it every day. We have an amazing team and we are like a little family! I think working with great, enthusiastic, smart people has been the key to our success. I would say one challenge is understanding the logistics of working with such amazing but large retailers. You really need to understand the mechanics of logistics as its key to success.

What is one thing you didn’t do during the setup process, that ended up being crucial to the business and would advise others to do asap? 

Investing in team members who have a more focused skill set to ensure success in different aspects of the business. It can be a financial investment, but one that will pay off in spades.

For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to) what advice do you have?

I would say to start small, focus on creating something that is unique, learn who your customer is, and trust yourself. As your business grows, no one will know more about it than you.

What is your number one piece of financial advice for new business owners?

Cash flow is everything. You need to have money in your bank account!

If you could go back to the beginning with the knowledge you have now, what advice would you give yourself and why? 

I honestly don't think I would change much. I think it's important that you experience the challenges, make mistakes, and learn. It's really the only way that you grow as a founder. It also makes you a better leader as you understand more and more that part of being successful is learning how to cope with any little mistakes you've made, how to work smarter, and how to succeed.

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