A 22-year old entrepreneur who battled severe eczema for years has transformed his personal struggle into a thriving natural skincare enterprise.
Reece Collins, founder of R12 Botanicals, spoke to GB News about how he took the leap to leave his sports coaching position and dedicate himself entirely to his growing business.
What began as homemade remedies has blossomed into a venture that now operates across nine markets each week.
The company, which officially launched in March last year, has gained such momentum that Reece felt confident enough to walk away from his stable teaching job just a few months ago.
“I just wanted to essentially take that kind of leap of faith, take a risk and quit my job and just go for it, and it’s working out really well,” he told GB News.
With support from friends and family members who help run the various market stalls, the business has evolved from a personal solution into a proper enterprise.
Five years ago, Reece’s battle with severe eczema reached a turning point.
Fed up with the constant cycle of steroid treatments prescribed by doctors, he decided to explore natural alternatives.
He recalled: “I’ve always been quite big on natural remedies, so I essentially took it into my own hands.”
He threw himself into researching plant-based ingredients and spent countless hours experimenting with different formulations.
Reece Collins took the leap to leave his sports coaching position and dedicate himself entirely to his growing business
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R12 BOTANICALS
Through persistent trial and error, he developed products that finally brought relief to his skin condition.
For the first two to three years, these homemade remedies remained strictly for personal use.
Word spread when he began sharing his creations with friends and family members who suffered from similar skin problems.
The positive results they experienced planted the first seeds of what would eventually become a business venture.
The official business launch in March last year marked a challenging new chapter.
Almost immediately, Reece faced a major setback when Boots challenged his original company name, R12 Botanics, claiming it was too similar to their own Botanics product line.
Fed up with the constant cycle of steroid treatments prescribed by doctors, Reece Collins decided to explore natural alternatives
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R12 BOTANICALS
“I didn’t really have a choice, really, unless I wanted to fork out thousands of pounds and take them to court,” he said.
The forced rebrand to R12 Botanicals proved costly, requiring new websites, labels, branding and banners.
The first ten months tested his resolve. Despite launching a website with high hopes, online orders failed to materialise.
Working two jobs – sports coaching at a school during the week and tennis coaching at weekends – left little time for business development.
“I just started questioning myself, because I was putting in so much time into it, I wasn’t getting anything back out of it,” Reece admitted.
The turning point arrived when Reece shifted focus to face-to-face selling at pop-up stores and markets. He explained: “I like the fact that I could talk to customers face to face, and it builds trust”
Rather than implementing complex strategies, success came through sheer determination and consistency.
He invested in market pitch fees, sometimes making losses, but kept pushing forward.
The transition from employee to entrepreneur happened gradually.
He initially reduced his school hours to part-time for six months, dedicating afternoons to product creation and website updates.
R12 Botanicals faces a busy Christmas period ahead, with nine markets scheduled this week alone
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R12 BOTANICALS
By the end of the academic year, he felt ready to commit fully.
“If it had to pin down to one thing, it would just be putting in the work, really, just working hard and not stopping,” Reece said as he reflected to GB News on what finally made the difference.
The business operates as a true family affair. The young entrepreneur cited his mother as being instrumental from the beginning, driving him to markets before he could drive, helping label hundreds of jars, and now running her own stall.
“She’s like my absolute rock when it comes to this business,” he said gratefully.
His childhood friend Josh, whom he’s known since age five, joined the team a few months ago after being unemployed.
Following a training day in Richmond where Josh learned product ingredients and customer interaction techniques, he now manages markets every Saturday and Sunday.
The team has grown to five people, including friends Lake and Ben from primary school days.
Even Ross, a customer who loved the products so much he asked for a job, now runs pop-up stores after proving himself during training.
R12 Botanicals faces a busy Christmas period ahead, with nine markets scheduled this week alone.
After the festive rush, Reece plans to redirect pitch fee money into online advertising, exploring Meta and Google ads to boost web sales during quieter months.
His vision remains firmly rooted in natural production.
“I want to keep everything natural,” he emphasised, rejecting the preservatives required for retail shelf life. He prefers maintaining control over manufacturing, even if it means finding his own facility as demand grows.
For young people considering entrepreneurship, Reece offers straightforward advice: “Take lots of risks, especially while you’re young.”
He believes success comes down to discipline, hard work and persistence.
He said humbly: “I’m nothing special, and I’ve done it myself, so I don’t see why anyone else can’t.”
