At first glance, Michael Tattersall’s (Syndicate 41) background story would not naturally lend itself to that of a highly successful Managing Director at a cosmetics company. However, his background in Engineering led him to wearing many different hats at his company, Aus Cosmetics.
The creation of Aus Cosmetics arose out of the GFC. Michael started the company with two other like-minded business partners after identifying a gap in the market for quality made Australian skincare. The partners dug their heels in to create a business that turns people's visions into reality. Michael saw an immense opportunity to accelerate the business growth by bringing in an external investor. This turned out to be a wise decision.
The concept may seem simple at first, but there has been a lot of work put in to lay the foundation for the company. If you have a vision for a cosmetics product, Aus Cosmetics will take it through to formulation, manufacture, fill and pack, and then to the store. There is a huge amount of collaboration that occurs along the way. “We are not able to take every project 100% from start to finish, but we rely upon many trusted specialists or subject matter experts along the way to help us meet our end goal of a happy client and a superior product”, says Michael.
Aus Cosmetics operation's facility is geared to manufacture cosmetics utilising 2000L mixing tanks, tube and bottle filling lines and carton packaging to finish the product for market. The quality of the product is supported by smart R&D and quality being promoted into the formulation process and working with industry experts to always provide the best available service to the client. The company does not create its own cosmetic lines, it is committed to the integrity and confidentiality of businesses who seek its expertise. “At the end of the day, once the project has been agreed upon, we will do everything in our power to bring it to an excellent result. This strategy has resulted in a high level of repeat clients and now we are supporting their growth into overseas markets.”
Over the years, Aus Cosmetics has built very strong relationships along the way with major clients who have come to rely on the superiority of their service. When asked to pick a favourite project, Michael responded, “It’s like asking to pick a favourite child. They have all been fulfilling, with different challenges along the way. We are flexible, there have been times where we have pushed things out of the way in order to achieve the client's objective. From the very word go, we have been agile enough to jump when our clients have needed us to and to change and evolve along the way.”
In terms of growth and the future for Aus Cosmetics, they are at a point now where they can confidently expand their services quite considerably while maintaining the same level of quality that they are currently offering. As with many other companies, COVID-19 was a stressful time. It became difficult to maintain casual staff due to a drop of over 65% in revenue, however they proudly maintained all their full-time staff throughout. Because Aus Cosmetics is so manufacturing-based, it was only a handful of staff who had the luxury of working from home. Another issue came up once restrictions lifted in terms of replacing casual workers who had found other employment during that time, and therefore new people needed to be trained.
That said, 2021 is looking to be a great year for the company with expansion plans and a continued commitment to excellent service from the beginning to the completion of any project. As far as the industry itself is concerned, Michael does not see a huge lasting effect from the pandemic, “The industry as a whole remains solid. It is really the smaller cosmetic companies that just went dormant for too long to sustain their businesses.”
Looking for a silver lining during the lockdown, Aus Cosmetics turned a downturn in work into an opportunity. “When you look at the positive side of all that, when we were quiet, we utilised that time on other things: upgraded our facility, and obtained certification for quality management and good manufacturing practices (GMP), and have been awarded our ISO 9001 and ISO 22716. When supplying products internationally, we needed the GMP certification. The time out of work was actually well-occupied.”
Michael’s introduction to The CEO Institute came after he did an online search. After being approached by one of the Sales Managers, he became a member three years ago. As for the meetings, he says, "When I walk away from any of the Syndicate meetings, even when initially I may be unsure whether topics may be relevant to my industry or to myself, I always take away a few gems that I can utilise in my business environment. It's great to see everyone's faces at every meeting."
Members share both personal and business issues, and Michael found great help from his Syndicate when facing a particular personal issue. “The Syndicate asked some questions and we spent quite a bit of time on the subject and members have since followed up with me. Members used some of their valuable business time to help me work through this issue. They are friends, and I really value that.”
Michael made a special point that, during the pandemic, staff at The CEO Institute reached out to him to see how he was doing. “They went out of their way to check in, with numerous follow-up calls. It made me feel like I was more than just a number to them.”
This nature of helping others extends outside of Syndicate 41 for Michael. Michael leads by example not only with his team at Aus Cosmetics, but also in a volunteering leadership role with the Scouts. He also actively participates in the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Michael and his peers at The CEO Institute have helped raise over $460,000 in 2 years for the appeal which helps change the lives of Australians experiencing homelessness.
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