This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.   Allison McNamara's background with makeup artists, celebrities, and influencers helped create an instant demand for her Mara line of clean skincare products when they launched.   "I'm impressed that people were buying it and loving it," she says. "Much of that's from my background and the relationships I had before launching the brand."   Based on her experiences so far, Allison has words of wisdom for fellow entrepreneurs who might be considering starting a new brand.   "I believe you go through everything because you need to go through it, and you learn from it," she says. "Everything will happen in due time, and you're going to be presented with the opportunities you're ready for."   Mara's products themselves are gender- and carbon-neutral. It's also a skincare line that doesn't require many steps.   "Everything fits into one of three categories: cleanse, treat and hydrate," Allison says.   Details about future product launches are closely held secrets, but Allison says they will likely do something in the treatment and body categories.   In Part 2, Allison talks about:   * How her background helped initial marketing efforts. * The target audience of Mara. * How people find out about the brand. * Advice for fellow entrepreneurs * A closer look at Mara products. * A tour of the Mara website. * Where consumers can find the products.   Join Ramon Vela and Allison McNamara as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Mara, visit: https://themarabeauty.com/    Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.   *   This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.   Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.   Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.   Take 8 minutes, or less, to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.   Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription