Ureka Challenge 2021 participant, Victoria Pastor ’24 and owner of Self-care with Vi, learned quickly that she wanted to be an entrepreneur and small business owner after starting Professor John Dobson‘s ENT115 Entrepreneurship class and Professor Teresa Quinn‘s ENT105 Creating a Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship class this past fall at Clark University.
While Victoria tested out her innovation skills in ENT105, she went straight to business ownership in ENT115. Tasked with starting a business, Victoria was interested in natural beauty products so she began to think. She used a well-known store-bought eyelash serum to grow and enhance her eyelashes that cost $70 and were filled with chemicals. She knew the basics of the formula so she got started creating her own serum with natural ingredients, that were affordable and effective in lash growth, and soon ViLashes was born!
Through tabling at Clark Collective’s Red Square popups, and social media marketing, ViLashes eyelash serum quickly became a hit at Clark with more than 200 tubes sold! Growing a stable and successful business has also brought about challenges such as shipping.
” I’ve learned A LOT from this, but I would say that the most useful lesson has been learning how to ship. I didn’t know anything about that and now I feel like a pro lol,” says Victoria Pastor
Victoria’s drive to be a successful entrepreneur led her to apply to the Ureka Challenge 2021 back in October. Victoria enlisted her friend, teammate, past Ureka winner, and owner of Margaretes, Margarita Perez as her mentor, and the two got down to business. Victoria soaked up the resources and mentorship that accompanied the Challenge and continued to grow and develop her business, with two notable changes – the business name Self-care with Vi, and an additional product line of self-care boxes.
Victoria will present to the alumni and faculty Ureka judging panel on March 26th in hopes of acquiring funding to develop additional natural products for her self-care boxes. To learn more about Victoria and Self-care with Vi, follow on Instagram!