Meet the Founder of Boring Without You, David Rooney

David Rooney is the Co-Founder of Boring Without You, an Australian skincare brand on a mission to improve the mental health of young Aussies and Kiwis. Set to launch this year, Boring Without You is changing the conversation around acne and encouraging people that all skin is good skin.

Boring Without You also donates a quarter of profits to youth-focused mental health charities. David has documented the journey of launching the brand on TikTok and has an engaged audience of over 22,000 followers.

For more details, visit their website here.

Here we sit down with David, to know a bit more about his journey as an entrepreneur.

Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?

David: The current approach by beauty brands isn’t working. It involves leveraging unrealistic beauty standards and shaming people into buying a product because they don’t feel good enough. Fuck that. You are good enough.

Boring Without You is on a mission to change the conversation around acne. It’s normal. Everyone gets it. We want to reduce the shame people feel, showcase models with bumps, spots, and marks, and get rid of a desire to be perfect. We want people to know that all skin is good skin.

Q. How did you get started?

David: My business partner and I used to go for socially distanced walks through the park, brainstorming ideas. When we landed on Boring Without You, we started working with a team of formulation chemists and dermatologists to develop a really unique product.

Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?

David: We’ve made so many mistakes, but the biggest was losing our trademark. We were initially called “Prickly Pear” and spent thousands on branding and imagery under this name. We applied for a trademark and got denied because Prickly Pear is also a skincare ingredient. We were devastated and had to rebrand the whole business before even launching. We now double-check everything when setting out on a specific path.

Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?

David: While launching this business and documenting the whole journey on TikTok, I’ve met so many amazing people. Some are doing extraordinary things, and others are genuinely fascinated by what we are building. People resonate with our mental health message, and in a covid world, they think it’s more important than ever. I get at least one message a day with someone reaching out to share their mental health journey or discuss unrealistic beauty standards and the power of acne positivity.

Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?

David: I love the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s practical and gives some fantastic tips about how to take charge of your life and make an impact.

Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools, or resources and what do you love about them?

David: Zapier is amazing for automation, TikTok offers incredible growth and community-building opportunities, while Notion is perfect for organising your business.

Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?

David: I was bullied in a previous job, and my mental health was the worst it’s ever been. I don’t want the people I work with ever to have that experience. I want people to love coming to work and feel safe doing so. I want to create a business and community of like-minded people focused on making social change and improving the world’s mental health.

Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?

David: Build-in public and take your audience along for the ride.

To keep up to date with David and his journey, connect with him on TikTok, @skincaredavey, and @boringwithoutyou.