The History of Kissamint

Welcome back to my blog, Kammers and Jammers! Hope you had a great week. 

I noticed some of you thought I was being a bit of a Debbie Downer in last week’s blog, but such is not the case. I assure you, it wasn’t meant to be read in anything but a fun/cheeky tone. Regardless, I’m sorry it came off in a negative way. Please keep the comments coming -- I greatly appreciate them, and I know I’m far from perfect, so I’m down for corrective criticism. As the musician Usher puts it, “Evolve or Evaporate.”  

Let’s get down to business welcome, Charlie Walk - marketing genius, comedic act, and dear friend. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @CharlieWalk #KAMKAM -- you’ll get some laughs for sure!

Since the first day I met him, he has been extremely generous with his business wisdom and experience. He has helped guide me every step of the way along my winding, uphill career path, and I think it’s pretty safe to say, after getting to know me better over the course of the journey so far, that Charlie is a huge supporter of mine! (Charlie, you’re the man!)

Lucky for me, now I have him to give me feedback on my baby, Kissamint! Kissamint is a sophisticated line of lip conditioning gloss and mouth freshener in one. Ready for the tagline? “Together at Last." You like it? Let me know @joeylauren #KAMKAM.I started Kissamint two and a half years ago after a break-up. I was living in NYC with my boyfriend -- the one I considered The One -- and we were planning to move to London together (he had work over there). After all our furniture was sold and we were planning the next chapter of our lives together, he calls me (yep, he did it OVER THE PHONE!!!) to tell me, “Sorry, Joe, I’m going and you’re not.” I was crushed to say the least….

I had nowhere to live. No job. A massively broken heart. I was toast. 

I had no choice but to move home, collect the pieces, and start all over again. I read a lot to keep my mind off of the situation, and I came across Poppy King’s Lessons of a Lipstick Queen. That was all the inspiration I needed! I got myself together and promised myself, “Never again will I have to downgrade my life because of a break-up.” And furthermore, next time I will be stronger and wiser! You have to learn from your mistakes! With that fire in my belly and a little “I’ll show him what he lost!” along came my fist flavor: Miss IndependaMint.   

Remember, ladies, there is no ROI (return on investment) on another person, only in yourself!

As you saw in this week’s episode, I decided to take my rent money and put it towards building the next big brand in the oral hygiene and beauty world!  

Charlie -- he is so awesome -- gave me some great feedback during that meeting you saw. He absolutely loves the idea and branding behind Kissamint. However, he wasn’t sold on my logo or website...  You will have to tune in to see how that plays out (or simply check out the new logo which was already in the works before Charlie even said anything! See, Charlie, I have learned A LOT from you!!!) Thank you, Charlie, for always having my back and for believing in me! I hope Mrs. Walk enjoyed the samples, and that she continues to enjoy Kissamint once it’s on the shelves!

I hope you all enjoyed the episode and my blog. Again, please keep the comments coming!!!

But, before you go, I want to share with you something I experienced this week. I had the amazing opportunity of attending a charity event for Animal Aid. The stories I heard hit me right in the heart. Growing up, I was very fortunate to have a mother who let us have all the pets we wanted! Cats, birds, fish, there may have been a lizard too… anything we wanted! But I didn’t want just some pet when I was nine years old - I wanted my neighbor’s dog Chewbacca (a German Shepard mutt). My neighbors bought Chewy from an abusive bum for a mere $10. She was the coolest dog ever -- absolutely amazing! Her heart was so big, and she was so happy! You would never know how bad her past was. Lucky for me, my neighbor, Cheryl (who was like a cool older sister), knew how much my sister and I loved her, and when Cheryl was leaving to move to California, she couldn’t bear to take Chewy away from us. So we got to keep her!!! I’ve got so many good memories of that dog. So, long story short, I went to an Animal Aid event and the stories they shared made my heartache.

Animal Aid is doing tremendous things for dogs. If you're interested in learning more about the organization, go HERE. The Chewys of the world need my help and yours!

We love and miss you Chewy. 

RIP. XOXO.