Direct-to-consumer pricing makes founders feel confident. You control the narrative, the value & story, the experience and the price. But the moment you step into retail, the rules flip. The psychology of comparison replaces the psychology of persuasion. Most beauty founders underestimate how brutally this shift hits.Here’s why DTC pricing rarely scales, and what actually …
After studying >2,000 beauty founders and mapping their interviews, decisions and scale patterns, I realised every founder operates from a core instinct and trait. This instinct drives her early traction and also shapes her biggest blind spots. When you identify your dominant archetype you unlock speed of scale because you finally see the pattern behind …
Most beauty founders focus on the consumer, the person who uses the product.But what drives growth inside retail isn’t just what consumers love; it’s how shoppers decide. That’s the power of shopper marketing: understanding how your brand can influence the moment of purchase while reinforcing the why behind consumption. 1.The Three Types of Customers Every brand …
Every founder dreams of hearing: “We’re listing your brand.” But beauty retail buyers don’t list brands for how inspiring they sound, they list brands that help them grow the category profitably and predictably. Their shelves are shrinking. Their inboxes are overflowing.Your brand has 5 minutes, even less, to prove it can make their job easier …
Traction tails tracking.Top beauty startups don’t just measure what’s happening – they track why it’s happening. After working with dozens of early-stage beauty brands, I’ve seen 5 core drivers separate noise from momentum: 1. Acquisition “Your beauty startup has to acquire a growing number of new consumers each period.” Tweet Insights Stage – At every subsequent …
You don’t build a winning brand by being everywhere, but you earn your way there, one door and one proof point at a time.This retail sequence breaks down how beauty brands progress from niche credibility to national scale, defining what “win the door,” and “win the distribution” actually mean. Step 1-Fit with Niche? Are you …
BEAUTY GO TO RETAIL SEQUENCE: How to win doors & distribution Read More »
Most beauty founders burn money on ads or time on content. TikTok, Instagram, influencers, all rented growth that keep CAC climbing and loyalty flat or content that converts too slow. What they ignore is leverage they have with their 3rd growth engine: Advocacy. But, what they miss is that advocacy is not just about community, …
ADVOCACY + PAID ACQUISITION: GROWTH MATH 99% OF BEAUTY BRANDS IGNORE Read More »
In this Beauty Investor Q&A, Rachel Ten Brink, General Partner of Red Bike Capital, breaks down her approach to tech-enabled early-stage beauty, health and wellness investing—and what sets her apart. Rachel, General Partner at Red Bike Capital had deployed 18 angel investments prior to launching the fund. She spent 20+ years building billion-dollar brands at Procter …
In this Beauty Investor Q&A, Tina Bou-Saba, Founder of CXT Investments, breaks down her approach to early-stage beauty and wellness investing—and what sets her apart. Tina has been investing in the consumer space since 2016 through CXT Investments, the firm she founded to back purpose-driven founders building the next wave of standout consumer brands and …
BEAUTY INVESTOR Q&A: TINA HENRY BOU-SABA, FOUNDER: CXT INVESTMENTS Read More »
How does your beauty retailer build its funnel using different categories and claims? Beauty retailers broaden reach with diverse funnel entry points. Categories with entry-level products (e.g., cleansers or sunscreen) positioned in accessible price ranges attract new shoppers from a broad base of consumers. Mid-tier, premium & prestige categories, such as anti-aging treatments or masks, …
UNCOVER BEAUTY RETAILER’S FUNNEL SECRETS: CLAIMS & CATEGORIES Read More »
