Recently, I announced the open call for entries for the 2018 Indie Business Network Artisan Product of the Year Awards. Our winners will be announced soon. In the meantime, I'd like you to become acquainted with our panel of curated Influencer Judges. You have already met Damaris Lewis.
Today, I'm pleased to announce Jaime Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt's Naturals. Schmidt’s was launched in 2010 after Jaime started making natural deodorant for her family members. By 2015, the brand had disrupted the industry so much that Jaime began attracting collaborators and partners who helped her grow even more.
In December 2017, the brand was acquired by Unilever, a company which had made traditional mass market deodorants and antiperspirant products for years. Jaime has stayed on with the company, and today, you can buy Schmidt's deodorant, tooth paste, and soap in a variety of fragrances previously unheard of in the industry, including scents like Ylang Ylang + Calendula, Bergamot + Lime, and Rose + Vanilla.
This article shares three things you need to know about our Influencer Judge Jaime Schmidt, so you can get an idea of what matters to her and how excited she is to learn about your products.
Meet the intriguing Jaime Schmidt, @jaimelynschmidt, one of the judges for the 2018 Artisan Product of the Year.Click To TweetDonna Maria, Indie Business Network
- Jaime is intriguing.I bet you know some intriguing people. We all do. But until now, I bet you've never known of anyone who actually won a business award for being intriguing — like Jaime has. According to PR Newswire, Goldman Sachs last week named her as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2018.
According to the dictionary, the word “intriguing” means to have “fascinating or compelling” qualities. I can tell you from having collaborated with Jaime around these awards, she definitely fits the bill. Every photograph I see of her features a relaxed (and sometimes not quite there) smile beneath eyes that convey that she's pondering something you want to know about, but she's not going to tell you until she's ready. I love it.
- Jaime embraces the importance of “the path.”In my research about Jaime in advance of inviting her to be a judge, one thing that impressed me immensely was that she appreciates the importance of following your path. I have read several interviews and media pieces where she emphasizes this. For example, as reported in Mixergy, Jaime says of her entrepreneurial journey before selling the Schmidt's brand:
I wasn’t even thinking about the competition, I was just thinking about me and my path. It’s pretty awesome that we were able to compete on that level.
This resonated strongly with me and is a great reminder for Makers and entrepreneurs from all walks of life that we must not be distracted by what others are doing. Instead, we must focus our energy on creating and staying on our own path, so it can be clear and strong no matter what anyone else is doing.
- Jaime is focused.In nearly every interview (including this 2015 interview with Formulary 55) where she is asked about the “secret” of her success, Jaime mentions the positive benefits of focus. When she first started Schmidt's, she made and sold several different types of products. Eventually, she realized that focusing only on the product she felt most passionate about — deodorant — allowed her to harness her energy more effectively. The efficiencies gained eventually turned into increased profits, which eventually turned into global success for the brand through the Unilever acquisition.
Jaime is married with a young son, and loves different types of fitness activities, including yoga and barre3. She lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
Meet the intriguing Jaime Schmidt, @jaimelynschmidt, one of the judges for the 2018 Artisan Product of the Year.Click To TweetDonna Maria, Indie Business Network
Go shopping at the Schmidt's Naturals website, and follow Jaime on Instagram.
If you are inspired and motivated by Jaime's down-to-earth, intriguing style and where her passion for deodorant led her, do share in the comments below. Does the Schmidt's Naturals story light a fire under you? Please share your thoughts, and, of course, I appreciate every single share on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
