Creating an International Brand with The Konjac Sponge Company 
CEW kicked off its 2016 programme with an uplifting story, offering members a real insider’s view on a rapidly expanding beauty brand, The Konjac Sponge Company. Founder and Director, Michele Riley spoke genuinely of the brand’s humble beginnings just five years ago and how it has grown into a globally recognised brand distributed in 62 countries.
Made from 100% vegetable fibre, the eco-friendly sponges exfoliate and deeply cleanse even the most sensitive skin. When Michele first discovered the sponge, she identified a niche in the market and worked tirelessly to introduce what was a relatively unknown beauty tool into the beauty industry.
As a business novice, mum-of-four Michele credits motherhood with giving her some valuable life skills which she applied to her company. Sharing the specific steps she took to secure worldwide distributors, register her brand and ensure she had the right branding and packaging, Michele’s talk offered invaluable advice to aspiring business owners and budding entrepreneurs in the audience. 
Michele believes her passion and enthusiasm should be evident in everything the brand does and this has been key to her success. Whether it’s engaging with customers directly on social media, her close relationships with buyers and suppliers or her personable appearances on QVC – it’s clear that Michele’s fighting spirit is the driving force behind The Konjac Sponge Company.
A long valued CEW member, Michele spoke of the invaluable networking the organisation provided, enabling her to make connections that had a huge impact on the growth of her business. It was at a CEW Marks & Spencer beauty event that she plucked up the courage to speak to the M&S buyers and ultimately landed them as a key retail channel, and she credits her CEW Beauty Award win for ‘Best New Beauty Tool’ in 2015 as the highlight of her year. CEW are delighted to have helped a little in her success, but it could not have been realised without the talent and relentless hard work of Michele and her husband Anil. The Konjac Sponge Company is one to watch, as agreed by all who attended.
CEW would like to thank Hearst Magazines UK for hosting this CEW mentoring event.
The next mentoring event will be on Thursday the 11th of February with Cheryl Joannides, Vice President General Manager of Jo Malone London. 
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