JERSSON GONZAGA CORRADI
URIEL ANEL RODRIGUEZ
Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla
Miguel Hernández Lechuga
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GP Natural is a company founded in 2011 in Miami, Florida, United States by the Ecuadorian businesswoman Glenda Betancourt Ordóñez. The company is in the cosmetics business and its differentiating element in a highly competitive world dominated by recognized brands and global companies is that the raw material used in the production system are natural extracts processed in an artisanal way, avoiding the use of products as much as possible. Chemicals and materials that are harmful to the skin and therefore also contribute to the conservation of the planet's natural resources.
Glenda Betancourt Ordóñez is a former runway model, Business Administrator and professional makeup artist with studies in Pharmacology at Nova Southern University (Florida) who emigrated from Ecuador to the United States in the mid-nineties like so many Hispanics with their dreams and aspirations to find new opportunities for personal and professional development.
GP Natural is an innovative company that produces its namesake line of cosmetics designed in the United States whose raw materials are based on earth minerals including metals and iron oxide whose properties help to improve the elasticity and smoothness of the skin. The products contain very few chemicals and their true minerals are sterilized and glazed into fine powders mixed with natural and organic colors. They are free of talc, oil and artificial fragrances. Among the main products offered are the makeup primer, the High Definition mineral base, the Collage mineral powder, the Petals mineral blush and the vitamin E matte lipstick and natural emollients. The product line is enriched with vitamins and antioxidants to enhance the beauty of modern women.
GP Natural's mission is to create business opportunities for women (especially Hispanics) in the United States and to fulfill themselves professionally in the world of beauty. This in the words of Glenda Betancourt herself in an interview produced by CNN in Spanish in Its series “Latinas Destacadas”.
Innovation is of vital importance for GP Natural's business activities as competition is very large and diverse, ranging from small cosmetic manufacturers with local coverage to large global producers and brands. To be commercially successful, the differentiating element of the product must be guaranteed. In the case of GP Natural, this is the production process of its cosmetics, since the idea of making cosmetics with natural products that do not affect the skin of consumers constitute innovation in the use of pharmaceutical technology to take advantage of elements of nature.
This innovation arises from the need of women for a product that highlights their natural beauty without affecting the health of their skin. The President of the company has great knowledge about this, since she worked as a professional model in Ecuador and knows the needs of women in this regard.
De izquierda a derecha: Irenka Tatara (G.A.G.), Daryna Gavrilyukova (G.A.G.), Diego De La Cadena (G.A.G.), Raúl Herrera (G.A.G.), Mandah Touré (G.A.G.), Isabel López (Sales Representative of GP Natural Elmwood Park, Illinois), Jersson Gonzaga (G.A.G.) and José Marrero (G.A.G.)
To develop its products, it is worth mentioning that Glenda Betancourt studied Pharmacology in Florida and due to her interest in the beauty industry, she ventured into the production of cosmetics advised by scientists from the Florida area specialized in natural and organic chemistry.
The innovation described has a meaning embodied in the mission of the company, which is the search for the economic development of Hispanic women in Florida and in the United States in terms of getting involved in a business and making this lucrative to improve living conditions and labor of Hispanic women. (Betancourt, 2015)
The original idea, which inspired the product, is the founder's experience as a professional runway model, as her colleagues and herself felt that after a time (six months or less) of being exposed to makeup sessions, there appeared irritations and dermatological problems on their faces, which when consulted with dermatologists, it was agreed that they were due to the materials used in the manufacture of the cosmetic products used and the frequency in their use, which caused allergic reactions to the skin .
The purpose of the innovation is to provide women with a new alternative to cosmetic products that safeguard the right they have to look beautiful in a natural way and that the products they use guarantee the health of their skin. (Betancourt, 2015)
The impact caused by the entry into the market and the promotion of GP Natural products at the level of the most important supermarket chains in the State of Florida for 8 years and after extensive negotiations, since the women of Florida showed a high interest in trying a product that guaranteed a natural appearance and skin care for being a product made with raw materials and natural extracts.
From the point of view of corporate ethics, GP Natural's products provide society with an alternative that complies with what it offers to its consumers at affordable prices for all social extracts. The company currently has 38 plant employees and 12 administrative employees in the city of Miami and also has a store in the city of Quito, Ecuador where 8 other people from that country work. In addition, due to the distribution of its products in 7 States of the American Union, this represents the possibility of around 90 jobs of involvement with the company.
As for innovation with the environment, well, it can be said that if all the companies on the planet, whatever the line of business, took production initiatives like those that GP Natural took at the time, the environmental impact of Our planet would be a little more controlled as we seek to exploit natural elements without the use and abuse of obsolete exploitation techniques that have contributed to polluting and making the world in which we live sick.
The company has had sustained economic growth from its foundation until the end of the last fiscal year, which has given it the possibility of growing in its operations, hiring more operational and administrative personnel in Florida and developing commercial activities with strategic alliances of important chains of Self-services in other States (Illinois, New York, New Jersey, California, among others).
Among the commercial activities carried out by GP Natural are also associations with people (mainly women) who purchase GP Natural products to promote and sell them independently and thus obtain additional income for their families. In this case, we have the following interview with the representative of both corporate and retail sales in Elmwood Park, Illinois, Mrs. Isabel López.
“First let me, Isabel, thank you for this meeting. It is truly an extraordinary gift that some of the members of my G.A.G. team share this breakfast. and you in a short interview with these learning opportunities. As you already know, my name is Jersson Gonzaga as a student at M.B.A. of the Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, is to learn from you (Isabel López and Glenda Betancourt, CEO of GP Natural and my personal friend) as much as possible from your experiences in real life about the positive role of this company GP Natural, in the construction of a better world. "
“This interview is for AIM2 Flourish: a global learning initiative supported by the UN Global Compact, led by students to discover and celebrate untold stories about business innovations for good. Using the 17 UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development as a lens, business students like myself are interviewing business leaders from around the world. We are interested in hearing about innovations that are good for the world that are also good for business. "
"After our talk, I will write the story and submit it to AIM2Flourish.com"
I see this interview with you as more of a mentoring opportunity than anything else, even if it's just for this conversation. In this spirit I have prepared 3 key questions:
1. Please share with us a story of your life, an experience, a high point.
Isabel: Well, getting involved with Glenda and GP Natural was a lifesaver because after my second pregnancy, work life became more difficult due to the time factor. By working with GP Natural, I manage my time and have the opportunity to work and dedicate the time that my family needs.
2. Please tell us about GP Natural's business innovation.
Isabel: The business model developed by Glenda at GP Natural allows housewives and professionals like me who have limited time to work in a formal job of 8 hours a day, to have the possibility of working and managing our time.
3. Tell us about GP Natural's ideas for a better world. Let's assume that tonight, after this interview, you go into a deep sleep and when you wake up it is the future and it has been 10 years, now it is 2031. While you were sleeping, many small and big developments happened. Describe me highlights or images of what you see in your vision of a better world. It details what is happening in the year 2031, what is new, has changed or is better? How do you know? What evidence do you see of that? How does the innovation that you and GP Natural have worked on in these 10 years contribute to these successes?
Isabel: The world is completely different, there are electronic devices that do not even separate what they serve but that my children dominate them. The contribution that GP Natural has made and is evidenced in women aged 40 and over who look like they are 20 or 25 with fresh and youthful faces due to the use of GP Natural products and the constant research carried out by the company.
Thanks for the chance of this interview, Isa!
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GP Natural's mission is to create business opportunities for women (especially Hispanics) in the United States and to fulfill themselves professionally in the world of beauty.
