When Dr. Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell bought a picturesque farm in Sharon Springs, New York, it was meant to be a weekend retreat—a small escape from their careers in medicine and advertising. Then the 2008 recession hit. Within months, both lost their jobs and were left with a million-dollar mortgage and a herd of goats they had agreed to shelter for a local farmer.
The moment of uncertainty set off a series of choices that would redefine their lives. By figuring out how to make products from goat milk, Brent and Josh created Beekman 1802. The skin care company is now known for its science-backed formulas, its message of kindness, and a $92 million sale nearly two decades later.
Brent reflects on the habits that carried them from crisis to legacy: managing risk, starting small, scaling thoughtfully, and building a business rooted in empathy.
Managing risk while following your instincts
Brent never saw himself as a natural entrepreneur. When he and Josh lost their jobs during the 2008 financial crisis, their entry into entrepreneurship was born out of urgency.
“Desperation was our motivation,” he recalls. “We were just trying to survive.”
But even in that moment, Brent approached each decision with caution.
Brent and Josh poured their savings into keeping the farm but avoided risky bets. Instead, they found practical ways to stay afloat while experimenting with early product ideas. Brent’s reluctance to take risks, along with fast-changing technology and economic pressures of the time, led him to focus on minimizing exposure.
For entrepreneurs in similar situations, Brent recommends keeping up some form of income, limiting upfront costs, and approaching growth with small, careful steps.
Instead of eliminating risk altogether, consider reshaping it—stretching just enough to move forward without putting everything on the line.
Turning small moments into major breakthroughs
When Beekman 1802 launched its first soap, Brent didn’t wait for a marketing plan or investor backing. He packed the product into his car and began cold-calling department stores in Manhattan. One buyer at Henri Bendel gave him a small holiday table on the main floor. Every day for six weeks, Brent drove three and a half hours from the farm to New York City to sell soap in person.
“I had no idea how to sell [a] skin care product,” he says.
He learned by watching the other salespeople on the floor. The effort paid off. A Vanity Fair editor overheard his story and wrote a feature about the two founders rebuilding after the recession. Soon after, an Anthropologie buyer passing through the store offered them their first national retail account.
“Neither of those two really critical moments would have happened had I not just said, ‘Here’s an opportunity … better take it,’” Brent says.
For him, persistence wasn’t just about selling soap—it was about showing up. Each small step, from learning how to talk to customers to hauling boxes across the state, opened doors that couldn’t have been planned.
Scaling with discipline, not haste
Success brought new challenges. As demand grew, Brent and Josh’s 150 goats could no longer supply enough milk, so they partnered with a network of 24 humane-certified goat farms across the country. Each farm had to meet the same animal care standards they used on their own property.
“We were very transparent with customers,” Brent says, adding that he told them exactly how they were growing and who we were working with.
Despite their momentum, the duo refused to take outside investment for more than a decade.
“It’s the old-fashioned way of doing business,” Brent says.
That patience became crucial when the company prepared for a nationwide Ulta Beauty launch in early 2020—just as the pandemic forced stores to close. After self-financing millions in inventory and store displays, they finally took their first private equity investment to stay operational and retain their team.
That experience shifted how Brent viewed growth. He now sees expansion as less about speed and more about endurance—a process of staying nimble while keeping the company’s values intact.
Building a business on kindness and clarity of purpose
From the day a neighbor asked to move his goats to their farm, kindness has shaped every decision Brent and Josh have made. They refer to their customers as “neighbors,” a nod to the community that helped them pack their first Anthropologie order around the dining room table.
“We grew Beekman 1802 neighbor by neighbor by neighbor,” Brent says.
That philosophy extended inward, too. “If you join the company and you’re not helping it succeed, that’s not kind,” Brent says.
In return, Josh and Brent make sure their employees develop skills to allow them to be even better in their next role.
“We think that’s a kind thing to do for their careers,” Brent says.
At Beekman 1802, feedback, transparency, and professional development are seen as acts of care.
Customers responded to that sincerity. What began as a line for sensitive skin evolved into a brand known for emotional connection—offering not just skin care, but a reminder of what it means to treat others gently. In Brent’s view, kindness isn’t an afterthought; it’s the quiet structure that holds everything together.
Seventeen years after launching their first soap, Brent measures success less by revenue than by contentment. “Know what your metric of success is,” he says. “And don’t keep moving the goalpost.”
For Beekman 1802, that measure has always been simple: to keep learning, keep growing, and keep proving that good business can also be good to the world.
For more insight from Brent about Beekman 1802’s trajectory, check out the full interview on Shopify Masters.
