When Jaime Schmidt got pregnant, she started scrutinizing the labels on everything, especially her deodorant. What she found was a list of chemicals she didn’t want anywhere near her body.
What she couldn’t find was a natural alternative that actually worked.
So, she went into her kitchen and made her own.
Schmidt’s Naturals was born, and seven years later, acquired by Unilever in a deal reportedly worth nine figures.
Then she took the playbook from that massive win and pivoted, applying her strategy not to a new product, but to empowering a new generation of founders to build their own empires, on their own terms.
She ran a playbook that turned her own entrepreneurial journey into a kick-start for others. I analyzed her strategy. Here’s the breakdown.
The First Win: Schmidt's Naturals
Jaime Schmidt, from her kitchen in Portland, Oregon, launched a brand that transformed the natural personal care aisle from a niche corner of the health food store into a mainstream powerhouse. Her simple, effective deodorant built a cult following and proved that "natural" could also mean "works."
Before Schmidt's, the natural deodorant section was a graveyard of good intentions and failed products. The options were a compromise, not a solution.
Jaime saw a different path.
The Problem: Consumers wanted to ditch the aluminum and chemicals, but the available natural deodorants were ineffective, leaving users frustrated. The industry treated "natural" as an excuse for poor performance.
The Insight: As a maker at heart, Jaime knew the issue wasn't a lack of demand, but a lack of a good formula. Through relentless experimentation in her own kitchen, she realized the problem wasn't that natural ingredients were weak; it was that no one had created the right recipe.
The Play: She created a plant-and-mineral-based formula that was undeniably effective. She started small, selling at local farmers' markets, allowing customers to experience the product firsthand. This created authentic, word-of-mouth buzz that she used alongside co-founder Michael Cammarata to "ladder up" from local boutiques to giants like Target, Costco, and Whole Foods.
The result? Explosive, 300% year-over-year growth that put Schmidt's in over 30,000 stores across 30 countries, providing the strategic fuel to scale the brand into a global disruptor. The brand's success culminated in a landmark acquisition by Unilever, proving that a kitchen-born brand could redefine a global category.
Jaime’s Second Act: From Founder to Supermaker
What do you do after a life-changing exit from a company you started at your kitchen table?
Starting another product brand would have been the obvious move. But Jaime looked at the broader landscape. Her success with Schmidt's wasn't just about deodorant; it was a blueprint for how an independent maker could take on the giants and win. A new question emerged: How can I help others replicate this journey? What if the principles of bootstrapping, authentic marketing, and relentless belief could be taught?
This question took her from the world of CPG into the world of investing, media, and mentorship. It was time to run the second-act playbook.
Running the Playbook: A Founder-Building Machine
Jaime’s strategy was to use the authority from her first success to build a system that supports the next wave of entrepreneurs, especially those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.
Author and Media Platform
The Disruption: She shifted her focus from building a single brand to creating a platform that demystifies the entrepreneurial journey for countless others.
The Play: She wrote the book Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own Terms and launched the Supermaker platform to share the unfiltered stories of independent creators and brands. In this role, she provides a practical, no-nonsense guide to everything from bootstrapping to scaling, functioning as a mentor at scale.
The Result: Jaime is shaping the future of entrepreneurship by making it more accessible and transparent. She’s proving that the most powerful second act isn't just about personal success, but about creating more "Supermakers."
Investor and Ecosystem Builder
The Disruption: Instead of just writing checks, she and her husband Chris Cantino founded Color Capital, an investment fund that actively supports and champions diverse founders.
The Play: She leverages her experience as an operator to provide hands-on guidance to the companies in her portfolio. She’s not just an investor; she’s a strategic partner who has been in the trenches and knows what it takes to win. She also co-founded BFF (acquired by Boss Beauties in 2023) to bring more women and non-binary people into Web3.
The Result: Her second act is building an ecosystem where the next Jaime Schmidt has a better chance of success. Her influence is creating a ripple effect, proving that a big win can fund and fuel dozens of others.
The 3 Rules of the Jaime Schmidt Playbook
So, what's the repeatable formula for building a second act that multiplies your impact? It boils down to three core rules.
Your Own Problems Are Your Greatest Gift. Schmidt’s idea wasn’t born from a focus group. It came from Jaime's personal need for a product that didn't exist. The most powerful business ideas solve a problem you’re already familiar with.
Turn Your Playbook into a Platform. Schmidt's success provided a blueprint for building a beloved brand from scratch. Instead of keeping it secret, Jaime’s second act is dedicated to sharing that playbook with the world through her book, media platform, and investments.
Use Your Win to Fund the Future. A successful exit provides more than capital; it provides credibility and access. Jaime leveraged her win to create Color Capital, a fund designed to open doors for the founders who come after her.
What's the problem in your life that you're waiting for someone else to solve? You may be surprised to learn that you’re the right person for the job.
