The sudden improvement in both of their family’s dogs’ coats led Jan and Wendy Blacktopp on a quest to find out how and why. Research revealed the answer was in their own backyard: in the peat (moor), to be precise. The dogs had been eating it, and it contained unique nutrients that helped keep their coats shiny and healthy.

Not willing to let all these great nutrients “go to the dogs,” the sisters, who were already making handmade soaps at that point, looked at ways to use the peat in skincare products so that humans could benefit from this ingredient as well. What started as a home-kitchen-based business is now housed in a 6,000-square-foot industrial plant, and Jan Blacktopp hasn’t looked back since.

Plan? What plan?
It started with the sisters making the products for themselves, family and friends, and soon word began to spread. It caught the attention of an investor who suggested the sisters explore the home-party business model. “I’m not a salesperson or a marketing person,” Blacktopp admits. “We put forth a really good effort but it wasn’t enough to sustain things.”

Without a business plan to stick to, it was easy to focus on research and product development instead of whether or not the company was making money. Fortunately, the business partner provided the financing necessary while the sisters waited for that lucky break into such a competitive market.

While it appeared that the sisters already had a lucky break with their business partner, they did experience a few “rookie” mistakes that a business plan could have helped them avoid.

It really does take time
Most entrepreneurs have heard that it takes at least three years for a new venture to make a profit, but sometimes people find that hard to believe or that their company is the exception to the rule. “Developing a business plan would have been smart,” says Blacktopp, who comes from a long line of non-business-plan entrepreneurs. “But then again, nobody in their right mind would have kept going to the financial place I have though.”

She credits unwavering faith, something that most successful entrepreneurs possess. Blacktopp has this theory: “It’s really hard to give up or close the door [on a business] and you don’t want money to be part of the decision. It’s like we’ve got a different chip in our brains somewhere.”

All eggs in one basket
During the fourth year of business, when the company had earned several hundred thousand dollars, is when Blacktopp says she made her biggest mistake. As the custom-manufacturer of some products for a large company, she was impressed when her client said, “This is what our projected sales are, this is what we’re going to need from you next year, so get ready.”

So they moved. They got ready. A large percentage of their revenue was invested into a new plant. And things just didn’t work out. “I’ve been in the recovery stage of that for almost three years now, and Moor Allure Naturals came around as a solution to what I could do with these great formulas and what could I do with this space.”

Opportunity is a four-letter word
It’s called swag, which stands for “stuff we all get.” Placed in the right hands, swag can introduce a new product to market faster than a multimedia advertising campaign. And at a much more affordable price.

Blacktopp’s first foray into celebrity swag came in the form of an invitation to have Moor Allure Naturals be part of the products offered in the IT Lounge at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. A client of a high-end salon loved the all-natural, Canadian made products, and she happened to own the public relations firm operating the IT Lounge.

“It was perfect timing because she was looking for a skin care line to complement the “new products you couldn’t find anywhere else” theme that she had for the gift lounge,” says Blacktopp. The product line hadn’t even officially launched yet and she spent a month or so negotiating all the details.

While most entrepreneurs would have given their eyeteeth or first born for such an opportunity, she hesitated. “When a great opportunity comes and you’re kind of green behind the ears you don’t always recognize it,” admits Blacktopp. She’s since realized what a windfall this exposure has been.

The hardcore schmooze
This wasn’t a simple schmooze; it involved a financial commitment—and time. For 11 days the 47-year-old manned her display, speaking to the media, talent, assistants and PR reps in her tiny 3” x 3” allotted space.

The most frightening for her was the media day, when over 200 journalists visited the IT Lounge and all product reps were given a maximum of three minutes per person to tell, sell and schmooze. Blacktopp focused on what made her product so unique, the peat, and told the story of the family dogs benefitting from the unique nutrients that she now uses in her products.

While the IT Lounge would be cleared out so that A-list talent could privately browse, Blacktopp connected with several celebrities. “I also made sure that every celebrity who took a product from us, we got a picture of them,” she says. She now uses these images in her PR materials.

“And, I didn’t realize it at the time, but I did a great marketing thing by sending a sample kit of all our products to everyone who worked at the PR firm ahead of the festival,” she says. Not only did the PR team know about the product, they also had an opportunity to try it for themselves—and spread the word. Blacktopp says this simple act of what she considered simple generosity resulted in creating a small league of Moor Allure Natural fans. Next time, she’ll be sure to do that again.

Looking ahead
Blacktopp’s journey has been far from easy, but one that she feels has put her in a better personal position now than when she first started. “I truly still believe that things do happen for a reason. And I can look back now and say five years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to handle the success that I have a feeling is right around the corner.”

About Moor Allure Naturals
A 250-acre moor in Ontario is the foundation of Moor Allure Naturals. Beginning in 1995 in Mount Albert, Ontario, with a focus on the research and development of natural, Canadian moor products, our initial products were handmade in small batches and sold locally through direct sales. A move to a 6,000-square-foot research and manufacturing facility in Newmarket, Ontario, in March 2004 was based on increased private label sales and business plans to develop a unique, high quality moor-based skin care line. The company intends to increase awareness and share the benefits of moor nutrients through natural skin care products with Canadian and international customers. Visit www.moorallure.com.

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