Shopify Masters How Kindness and Smart Scaling Built a $92 Million Skin Care Business
Nov 13, 2025
Dr. Brent Ridge, a physician-turned-entrepreneur and cofounder of Beekman 1802, shares how a crisis turned into a $92 million skin care brand. He discusses starting small with goat milk soap after the 2008 recession and the importance of kindness in business. Brent reveals strategies for gaining retail traction, like leveraging live goats for attention on TV. He emphasizes smart scaling, partner collaboration, and maintaining animal welfare, while also advising founders on navigating uncertainty and defining success.
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De-Risk Your Founder Launch
- De-risk launching during chaotic times by keeping a partner with steady income or maintaining a small, steady paycheck yourself.
- Manage risk intentionally instead of betting everything on a single early-stage idea.
Neighbors Wrapped 52,000 Bars Together
- Anthropologie ordered 52,000 bars and Brent realized he couldn't wrap them alone, so a local post office clerk mobilized 20–25 neighbors to help.
- They completed the order and adopted 'neighbors' as their customer identity to honor that help.
Baby Goats Made TV Sales Irresistible
- To stand out on QVC/HSN Brent and Josh brought live baby goats on air to capture viewers' attention and keep them watching.
- The unpredictability of the goats made their shows must-watch TV and drove large sales growth.
