Welcome back to The Know! Today we are hearing from skincare industry leader, Allison McNamara. Allison is the founder of Mara, a clean algae-based skin care line, as well as a digital influencer and former TV host. She is a lifelong beauty and wellness enthusiast and is here to tell us all about it. In this episode…  Mara startup Taking the leap into different industries Stepping out of your comfort zone Trusting the processMakeup sustainability  Beauty industry double standards The “secret sauce” The impact of sampling  Quotes:  “I think that you really have to have some thick skin and know how to ride the waves and be willing to put yourself out there.” - Nikki Spo  “You can't take the small no’s really personally.” - Allison  McNamara  “I've always felt a passion for finding better ways of doing things and making the world a better place.” - Allison McNamara  “I think a lot of people wanna hold on to their secrets, but on this platform we're about sharing the secrets. I want everybody to have access to the information because I think that especially women, when we come together, there's room for all of us at the top.” - Nikki Spo  “Figure out what you're really good at and then figure out your weaknesses and spend some time getting to be a little bit better at the weaknesses because we gravitate towards doing things that we're good at when we should gravitate towards the things we need to work on.”- Allison McNamara  Timestamps:  0:00 - 2:05 | Introduction  2:05 - 4:15 | The startup of Mara  4:15 - 6:30 | Starting the new chapter of Mara  6:30 - 8:10 | Taking the leap into the next industry  8:10 - 10:10 | Being clear on your mission  10:10 - 11:55 | The beauty industry double standards  11:55 - 13:20 | Family influences  13:20 - 14:40 | Benefits of launching with one hero product  14:40 - 21:30 | Personal connections in building Mara’s presence  21:30 - 23:55 | Sustainable skin care products   23:55 - 28:20 | What’s next for Mara 28:20 - 29:10 | How Mara reached Hailey Bieber!  29:10 - 30:55 | Pivoting from challenges  30:55 - 36:35 | Pieces of advice for new entrepreneurs  36:35 - 38:02 - Outro  –  SANA SKIN STUDIO is my #1 go-to spot for self-care. My favorite facial is the Super Glow, and you can get $25 off of your first facial when you book at www.sanaskinstudio.com with my code THEKNOWGLOW. Connect with Aliison & Mara  https://themarabeauty.com/pages/our-story  @allisonmcnamara / @themarabeauty  Connect with Nikki  www.nikkispo.com   @nikkisappspo /  @theknowwithnikkispo Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-know-with-nikki-spo/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy