Angel Olavarria, founder and formulator of Strive, did not enter the skincare industry with credentials from a major cosmetics company or a background in consumer product marketing. Instead, his motivation came from a personal desire to improve himself. In his early twenties, he became deeply interested in how appearance influences perception, particularly through the lens of what psychologists refer to as the “halo effect,” which suggests that looking good can positively affect how others perceive a person’s competence, confidence, and even character.
Bothered by frequent comments on his under-eye circles, Angel began searching for solutions and became increasingly disillusioned with the men’s skincare products available on the market. He found that most of them included trendy ingredients in quantities too low to make any real difference. Over time, his casual interest in improving his skin turned into a serious effort to understand formulation science. Eventually, he dedicated himself to learning cosmetic chemistry, accumulating ten years of experience and becoming affiliated with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
Strive emerged from this foundation of practical experience and research-driven product development. From the beginning, the mission was clear: avoid marketing gimmicks, ignore ineffective trends, and use only ingredients proven by clinical studies to work at effective concentrations. While many competitors focused on packaging and buzzwords, Angel focused on results.
In my early 20’s I wanted to improve every part of my life – career, dating, confidence. I learned about the halo effect- how appearance can give you an edge in everything.
Angel Olavarria
Launching Quietly
Strive began as a small, self-funded operation with a quiet launch that generated approximately $1,500 in its first week, mostly from Angel’s personal network. The initial traction was limited, but several months later, the brand expanded to Amazon and began running paid advertisements. This marked the beginning of more consistent growth.
Customer feedback was positive from the start. Angel’s years of careful research and testing meant that the products performed well and required minimal changes after launch. He credits the early success to the depth of formulation work done behind the scenes, but in hindsight, he acknowledges that launching with four separate products instead of one significantly increased the complexity and cst of operations. The decision to launch with multiple SKUs introduced unnecessary challenges in packaging, manufacturing, messaging, and logistics. If given the chance to do it again, Angel says he would start with a single hero product and focus entirely on perfecting its launch, then gradually expand once a customer base had been established.
Scaling With Amazon Ads
One of the most effective growth drivers in the early stages of the business was a Reddit post that Angel authored. The post functioned as a comprehensive skincare guide for men and included a number of product recommendations, among which Strive was listed. Angel disclosed his affiliation with the brand and offered alternative product options to avoid appearing overly self-promotional. The guide gained traction and eventually ranked at the top of Google search results for relevant queries, bringing in significant organic traffic for several months.
Annoyingly this success was not permanent, when the subreddit’s moderation changed, the post was removed, and with it, a large and valuable stream of organic traffic disappeared. The experience reinforced an important lesson: while Angel had always intellectually understood the importance of diversifying traffic sources, the loss of that channel revealed just how reliant the brand had become on a single community-driven funnel.
In response, Amazon advertising became a larger component of the marketing strategy. To ensure success on that platform, Angel invested heavily in presentation and quality. He handled everything himself, from product photography and video content to web design and fulfillment. While outsourcing was considered, he found that most service providers failed to meet his standards unless they were prohibitively expensive. As a result, he taught himself nearly every function within the business and executed it hands-on.
Angel believes this approach worked because it allowed him to communicate directly with customers, adapt quickly to their needs, and maintain a level of control over quality that would be difficult to replicate through third parties. Today, Amazon ads continue to play a significant role in acquisition, though Angel is working to grow new channels, including short-form video content and continued Reddit engagement, in order to reduce reliance on any single platform.
Core Lessons from a Chemist-Turned-Founder
Reflecting on the process of building Strive, Angel outlies several key lessons for others considering a similar path.
The first is the importance of focusing on fewer products at launch. Limiting SKUs not only simplifies supply chain logistics but also sharpens brand messaging and allows founders to spend more time and resources on making a single product successful.
The second is the necessity of actively diversifying revenue sources early in the business lifecycle. It is easy to assume that growth will continue through a single high-performing channel, but changes outside a founder’s control — such as algorithm updates or community moderation decisions — can dramatically reduce visibility and traffic in a matter of days.
The third is a cautionary perspective on marketing agencies. Angel has hired two agencies over the course of his journey and found both experiences disappointing. Without a deep understanding of the product and customer base, he found that agencies tended to produce generic strategies that underperformed and wasted valuable resources. In his opinion, agencies are only useful when a business has already achieved solid traction and has the budget to work with top-tier firms.
Angel also believes that startup founders should avoid the trap of assuming that popular business advice always applies universally. Strategies that work well for established brands may not be appropriate for a new venture with limited resources. Founders should be analytical and thoughtful about each decision, questioning whether specific tactics actually make sense for their market, their customers, and their current stage of growth.
Future Plans
Despite the challenges and the intense workload, which has often involved wearing nearly every operational hat, Angel remains deeply committed to the future of Strive. He has no immediate interest in selling the business, and although he can imagine stepping away if the company ever reached a scale that involved managing more than 50 employees, for now, he finds the work fulfilling and meaningful. The brand reflects not just his professional efforts but also a personal mission to improve how men care for their skin and understand the science behind it.
The business continues to operate profitably, with consistent six-figure monthly revenue, and even after setbacks such as the loss of a key organic traffic channel, it remains on a solid growth trajectory. Angel believes that most people can build something similar if they are willing to invest the time, learn independently, and stay conscious of the realities of their own business instead of blindly copying others.
