Deborah Mitchell | From Converted Toilet to Royal A-List Skincare Empire

The Unconventional Rise of Debra Mitchell

In this episode of the Beyond the Boardroom podcast, host Aleksandra King (podcaster, YouTuber, speaker, influencer, media commentator) sits down with Deborah Mitchell, the founder of the global skincare brand Heaven Skincare. Deborah's story is one of sheer innovation, persistence, and unwavering self-belief, offering powerful lessons for any aspiring entrepreneur. Her journey began with the most humble of settings: her very first treatment room in a health club was a converted, square, disabled toilet at the Holiday Inn in Telford, which required her to constantly move her couch. Despite this, she was grateful and busy, pulling in a remarkable £13,000 a month even then.

💡 Mindset: The Power of Thought and Manifestation

A central theme of Deborah's success is her strong belief in the power of thought and "manifestation." She credits the earliest stages of her business to a moment of visualisation:

While bored in a college finance lecture, Deborah mapped out her entire career path in her head: starting as a mobile beauty therapist making her own skincare, moving to health clubs for lower rent, and then scaling the business. Years later, walking into that initial health club room (a converted disabled toilet), she realised the plan she had visualised had manifested itself. She notes:

“All I had to do was think about it and I’m here… I didn’t have to do anything”.

Deborah advises that successful goal-setting requires a strong emotional anchor, defining success as "Goal + How You Feel". This helps entrepreneurs ensure their journey aligns with their personal well-being.

💪 Resilience: The Entrepreneurial Fire

Deborah’s path was fraught with challenges, yet her resilience proved non-negotiable. Early in her career, a packaging company, Roma Glass, refused to supply her because she was a woman, only granting an account after her then-boyfriend (now husband) called them. Not only this, a company she paid thousands of pounds to manufacture her products stole all of her formulas. She cried for four days, but instead of quitting, she chose to improve the formula. This forced innovation led to her use of the expensive ingredient, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, which she believes is the secret to the Age Defiance Moisturiser.

After a department store partnership failed and a cash flow issue nearly prevented her from paying staff, she was forced to pull out. Shortly after, she received the life-changing phone call from the palace. Deborah believes this was necessary and allowed her to be...

"ready for the palace because I hadn't got the time to do the palace if I'd got the department stores".

Her journey highlights that a determined and unwavering mindset allows you to persevere through the challenges you face and come out on top. In addition, her mindset strongly advocates for completely eliminating negative thought processes:

“I think negative thought process only will breed negativity. So please just don’t do it. It’s terrible”.

To upcoming entrepreneurs, she advises to focus on the positives gained from any bad experience.

Key Takeaways for Future Founders:

1. Visualise Your Path: Take time to envision and clearly articulate where you want your career to go.

    

2. Prioritise How You Feel: Embed emotional goals into your entrepreneurial journey.

    

3. Embrace Discomfort: Be prepared to lose something (time, comfort, sleep) to gain your dream, but not your family's happiness.

    

4. Trust Your Gut: Learn to trust your instincts, even when declining large opportunities, because a "higher thing" often knows what is better for you.

    

5. Don't Procrastinate by Talking: Don't talk about your big goals—silently write them down and work toward them.

    

The full story of Deborah Mitchell and her incredible rise from Salon worker to CEO is available on the Aleksandra King YouTube Channel along with so many fantastic stories. Or read more about Deborah's business Heaven Skincare and its royal stamp of approval...