We had the good fortune of connecting with Gregory Cooper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gregory, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
We started this business with one simple idea: make products that bring people joy.

That sounds so simple, so basic, but it forced us through a process of introspection and curiosity that ultimately defined how we make every decision in the company.

We make no attempt to make products that people must have. We don’t satisfy a basic need. No one suffers if they don’t have our products.

Because of that, we have to work very hard at making products that people want because they experience them in a way that makes them happy. I think that makes us pretty unique in today’s world.

To achieve this we evaluate every single aspect of every product we produce against what we call Simple Luxury. We insist that every product we sell delivers Simple Luxury.

What is Simple Luxury? In short, it means that the products must serve their purpose in a way that is highly intuitive to the user. They have to work well every time. They have to exceed expectations in ways that bring joy. And they must not cause harm when used as intended.

Simple luxury, defined this way, is our North Star, and we won’t sell any product that doesn’t live up to the Simple Luxury Promise.

We do strive to be good citizens of the communities where we live and work as well. We only use vegetable based waxes in our candles, as they don’t contribute to indoor air pollution like petroleum based waxes do. We use 100% recycled glass jars whenever we can, and all of our jars are meant to have a second life serving other purposes once their original purpose is fulfilled. We source products locally when we can find them. And we do specific projects to support the charities we believe in.

But ultimately our value to the communities we serve comes back to the Simple Luxury Promise and that one original idea. We make products that bring people joy. It’s not what we do. It’s who we are.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have spent over 30 years working in large enterprise technology. During this time I was able to rise into the executive ranks at 2 different Fortune 5 financial services firms, so I suppose most people would call me fairly successful.

I hated it.

While I had a strong aptitude for the work, it always felt like I was leading someone else’s life, while ignoring my own interests and values. The work was grueling. Tangible results were rare. Opportunities to create something lasting were even more rare.

The money was really good.

In my mid 50s I decided to take a hard turn. I was determined to build something that would leave a meaningful legacy. Mostly, I wanted to make people smile. So I started Sugar Skull, and while we are still a very small, very young company, I have seen that we make a lot of people smile. The work is incredible. I get to create. I get to see tangible results.

The money isn’t good, yet. 🙂

But this is where I want to be now. I can’t imagine not doing this. I consider myself incredibly lucky for having this opportunity. And hopefully, we will be able to make people smile for a long time to come. That would be real success.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife and business partner, Susan Cooper, without whom I would have never had the courage and stamina to overcome the challenges our young business has faced. She keeps me on track, and adds a certain creative sensibility that keeps me from going too far over the edge. She is as much a part of the Sugar Skull story as I am.

I don’t know how anyone could do this alone.

Website: https://sugarskull4you.com

Instagram: sugarskullsimpleluxury

Facebook: SugarSkull4You

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