The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Innovator appealing to companies with product
For years Betsy Goodrum has dreamed of creating products to assist with her work as a makeup artist.
With the help of the Volition Beauty company and its use of crowdsourcing as a barometer for testing new products, her dream is on its way to coming true.
Goodrum, of Concord Township, has been involved with the beauty business for 30 years and currently works as a medical aesthetician with Haber Dermatology in Beachwood and also as a makeup artist at Lindsay London in Willoughby.
As an avid reader of beauty magazines and blogs, Goodrum ran across an article in the November 2016 issue of Glamour magazine that espoused the benefits of glue-on eyebrows for cancer patients who lose hair as a result of chemotherapy. The company involved with the potential production of the product was Volition Beauty based in Sausalito, California.
With her interest piqued, Goodrum looked further into the company and its use of crowdsourcing to determine if submitted product ideas are worthy of manufacturing. Crowdsourcing is defined by merriam-webster.com as “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.”
Once the company receives a product idea submission it is filtered through a panel of people in the beauty industry who determine its uniqueness and feasibility to produce. If approved, the product is placed on the Volition Beauty website. A set number of votes is required over a 90-day period before it qualifies for manufacturing.
With just a week or two online, Goodrum has some time before the hopeful goal of 3,000 votes is reached for her innovative double-edged eyeliner pen.
The makeup maestro realized the need for such a product while having to correct stray eyeliner marks. Often the required remover is not readily or easily available during the intricate process.
“Every time I’m doing make-up I think of that,” Goodrum said.
The double-edged eyeliner pen solves the problem with liner on one end of the product and a remover on the other. A quick transfer of sides enables a smoother and hassle-free application.
Goodrum is pleased with the Volition Beauty concept and the possibility of seeing her idea come to fruition. She also has other designs in mind such as a dual mascara that she hopes will be accepted for consideration.
“These are products that I, as a makeup artist, would want to have,” she said. “That’s why I like Volition Beauty because that’s what they’re all about.”
Denise Lin, a senior operations manager for Volition Beauty, said the number of product submissions for evaluation ranges from about 30 to 80 monthly.
The company has had several successful marketing campaigns for its products through the QVC home shopping channel. Among them are Neroli Complete Hydration Moisturizer and Helix Restorative Anti-Aging Eye Gel. Lin also said Volition Beauty products will soon be sold through Sephora cosmetics stores.
Those who vote for Goodrum’s double-edged eyeliner pen and other potential Volition Beauty products receive 15 percent off the price after production. To vote, visit volitionbeauty.com.