They say strength springs from your weakness; that being open to admit your insecurities lets you embrace new opportunities.
This is exactly what single mom Tyffanie (Tyff) Short did as she founded her beauty brand.
Driven to provide for her son, to address beauty issues that plague many Filipino women, and to offer skincare products that she—a person with sensitive skin—can also use, Tyff Short researched about plant-based, natural ingredients.
She became vigilant about finding more about plant-based counterparts to every chemical component of the facial set she was then selling in 2012. “My skin is so sensitive and I have psoriasis. Everything was aggravating for me,” she recalls.
As luck would have it, Short found a friend who had a manufacturing business for natural beauty products. She shared her idea with them, and One Earth Organics was born.
Dark underarms? No problem
In developing her flagship product, Short had to be honest about her insecurities. “My biggest insecurity was my underarms,” she admits. “So I decided to start with something that had to do with my underarms.”
One Earth Organics started selling at bazaars, where Short would highlight her underarm products. Offering them to the public, she discovered another form of insecurity women have: admitting their problem areas and being brave to ask for help.
“People would always be shy to talk about insecurities, especially their underarms,” she observes. “They wouldn’t admit that they have dark underarms. We were selling the underarm therapy set as if secretly. They wouldn’t buy it on the spot.”
But her brand is also driven by offering a safe space for every individual to talk about their insecurities, that doing so will give them hope and make them feel they are not alone.
“Underarm problems? It’s a normal thing,” posits Short. “We were that avenue for people to not be ashamed of buying underarm therapy sets.” This paved the way for underarm selfies on social media, where confident women would tag the brand.
Beauty and business for all
The beauty brand founder recognized that not everyone can afford treatments that would help address their problem areas such as dark underarms, thigh burn, and a problematic bikini area. Hence Short ensures that One Earth Organics’ products are the most affordable in terms of the promise and results they deliver.
“Everything,” she adds, “is multifunctional while also targeted.” One Earth Organics only has 34 SKUs (stock keeping units) that, she says, can address all skin problems.
“If you have a dark skin problem in any part of your body, you can use our Wonder Blanche Balm,” suggests Short. “At the same time, you can use the Wonder Blanche Balm to moisturize the hardest or roughest areas of your skin.”
When she started selling One Earth Organics in 2013, distributors asked her if they can take it as their own business. This led to a decision to change her business model from retail selling to direct selling.
“The core value of everything I work hard for is always about helping and supporting others,” shares Short.
She then came up with business packages for distributors and resellers, and this led to the organic Herculean growth of One Earth Organics from 2013 to 2017. In 2017, the brand entered Beauty Bar. In 2018, they got into Watsons.
In the midst of these opportunities for the company, instead of opening just company-owned stores in these big retailers, she gave the business to her distributors. “I would always acknowledge the people who were with me from the very beginning, hence their inclusion in the growth of One Earth Organics.”
During the pandemic, the company has supported every franchisee. “We fought for our 50 franchisees’ stores to remain open during the pandemic, even when all stores including malls were closed.”
“We also have a contingency plan where, in case of disasters and a franchise has to close down for a while, we have company-owned stores that we can lend to the franchisee so they can continue to sell and make profit.”
Overseas Filipino workers are now reaching out to inquire about starting their own business. Interested parties simply need to sign up at One Earth Organics’ website.
Short’s brand has gone beyond just selling beauty products. It has become a company with purpose. “There’s a vision, there’s a purpose, and I know things are gonna get brighter,” she says hopefully.
Photos from Tyffanie Short and One Earth Organics’ Instagram accounts.