How It All Started
My Journey With Shave Oil
I can tell you the exact date I discovered the concept of shave oil. It was on the morning of February 15, 2009 at the Austin Marathon. Well, in my case the Austin Half Marathon. After I crossed the finish line I wobbled over to the area where the race sponsors provide fluids, snacks, ‘Finisher’ Medals, and a very fateful ‘grab bag’. Little did I know that by simply accepting the grab bag, I was setting a course for my future. In fact, it is highly unlikely for me to accept such a gift as I am a minimalist by nature and something like that is typically filled with stuff I wouldn’t want or need. Quite simply, it would add something to my “to do” list. Recycle the plastic bag, donate the unwanted packaged foods, goodwill the trinkets, and so on. This is just how my mind thinks. The last thing I want to do is carry something around all morning just so it can inconvenience me later.
For whatever reason it was, I think there was some energy gel in there or something that my body was craving, I accepted it. Upon further inspection at home, I went through the aforementioned steps for most of the items, but there was a sample of a ‘Shave Oil’ in there. I am not going to mention the brand since I am going to dis on it a bit here, but I was intrigued. It promised an easier and simpler way to shave. That of course caught my attention.
So I tried it. It was a little thick and it smelled pretty bad, but I was blown away with the concept. I could see where I was shaving. I didn’t need additional products like aftershave. My skin actually felt good afterwards instead of how it felt after using my Gillette Edge Shaving Gel (I am embarrassed that I actually used to use that stuff, but I did). Anyway, I was hooked on the concept, and I figured I could find someone with a more palatable formula. So I went on a hunt and started buying every shave oil I could find. Upon evaluating them, I was surprised to find there were few that were any better. Most were too thick and several of them were formulated as a ‘pre-shave’ oil to some even more complicated shaving ritual that, in my mind, stood against everything shave oil was about…or should be about.
At the time I was too busy with my ‘career’ to turn attention to it, but the thought of applying my newfound passion for shave oil to creating and marketing a superior product consumed me. Sadly, it would be shelved for a couple of years until my wife and I took a leap of faith and made a life changing move. We were tired of the corporate rat race and had been entertaining the idea of moving to Costa Rica for a year to catch our breath and recharge our batteries. That’s exactly what we did.
Have you ever looked back on your life to connect the dots that have led you to where you are now? In the words of Steve Jobs at his famous commencement speech at Stanford University, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Does this ring true to you? If so, please share your story as I love to hear about such stories and how they have had a positive impact on people’s lives. Who knows, maybe your story will inspire someone else to take their own leap of faith!