Getting to know you: Amanda Barlow

What do you currently do?
I am the Managing Director of Spiezia Organics, in Cornwall.  I work alongside a very lovely and passionate team who are all based at the organic Gear Farm in the Lizard. We were the first organic skincare company in the UK to gain 100% Soil Association accreditation across the whole range.
We formulate and make all our 100% organic skincare and homecare range here at Gear Farm.  We also have devised a series of holistic and organic spa treatments which focus on well-being and use a variety of Eastern massage techniques to soothe, calm and relax.
These treatments have been integrated into our Made for Life Foundation programme which provides integrative support to people diagnosed and recovering from cancer.
 
What is your inspiration in Business?
Nature – At Spiezia, we use techniques and ingredients that focus on all the natural actives that are all there within herbs, plants, flowers and oils to create a range of really effective skincare. Being based in Cornwall, with all its natural resources, especially helps and fits in with our company ethos of embracing all that Nature offers. The way we make the products doesn’t harm the environment in any way. 
 
I love brands that are quirky, different and above all to create something which is commercially viable in order to do something that supports a bigger cause and aim – The Eden Project in Cornwall is inspirational and I love the thought behind the brand, Innocent. Business is not just about being rich in wealth but to be rich in life.
Our aim is to build at least one Made for Life Centre and continue our work supporting people with cancer.
 
Who do you admire?
Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project – a great visionary, with a great sense of humour too. Romy Fraser, the original founder of Neal’s Yard  laid the foundations for a company which was way ahead of its time and the original ethics that Anita Roddick laid down for Body Shop set the way for future brands and companies to follow.
 
Looking back, are there things you would have done differently?
Looking back there are always things you would have done differently but you only know that when you reach the present and you wouldn’t know that unless you had learned a lesson along the way!  Reflection is  a great way to grow wiser.
 
What defines your way of doing business?
Being passionate about what we do – I love it through all the ups and downs.  Live your values:  be honest, open, ethical and respectful of others, be innovative, bold and supportive to customers and the people you work with.  With a wide selection of natural resources just at our fingertips, a wonderful quality of life and a thriving community of creative and pioneering companies, Cornwall is the perfect place for our business to develop and grow.
 
What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Absolutely make sure you are filled with passion and love for what you are going to do – it will consume much of your life.  Also, have a mentor and make sure that you take a deep breath, take time out and know what you want to achieve