Beauty Is Your Business – cosmetics, beauty, and lifestyle industry podcast

063 – Pamela Baxter of BONA FIDE Beauty Lab – A License to Succeed

November 8, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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How forging a licensing agreement with PopSugar has created a dialogue between beauty industry great Pamela Baxter and the next generation of beauty consumers…

Pamela Baxter, Founder of BONA FIDE Beauty Lab, President/CEO of CHRISTIAN DIOR Couture (LVMH Group), former President Specialty Group of Estee Lauder Companies, joins Karen Moon and Abby Wallach in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Baxter’s extensive experience with 23 years with Estee Lauder – President of Speciality Group
Transitioning to being an entrepreneur
A pioneer in fragrance licensing agreements
Forged the first fragrance license agreement with Tommy Hilfiger
A major career change announced to her on stage
When a transition came from looking at moving into fashion as another move later in career, and no one would interview her
a challenge from Bernard Arnault (Christiand Dior) when beauty and fashion brand didn’t match
Playing a role in shutting down a company, at a cost of more than $30M, and the most difficult meeting in Baxter’s career
Starting BONA FIDE Beauty Lab, partnering with a media company, developing a beauty incubator
Seeing a lot of entrepreneurs, female founders of businesses
Moving into licensing
Why (and how) Baxter began partnering with PopSugar for audience
Considering that influencers with high engagement are doing makeup
How Baxter’s current feedback loop is a dialogue with the PopSugar audience
Fitness and wellness taking over celebrity as an audience interest
BONA FIDE Beauty Lab’s partnership with Ulta Beauty and is own direct to consumer Beauty by PopSugar
Today’s consumer is a multi channel shopper
A before and after storyline — with a swipe
Jazz in Marrakesh, and barrel racing
Taking risks

062 – Allison Collins of WWD – Beauty on the Financial Front

November 1, 2018producer 1 Comment

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The growth of mergers and acquisitions, innovation, mitigating risk, influencers platforms, the changing consumer mindset, performance marketing, dangerous discounting, surviving in a crowded industry, and more…

Allison Collins, Beauty Financial Editor for WWD, shares her perspective and observations on the current state and possible future of the beauty industry with Karen Moon and Abby Wallach in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Collins on rapid fire M and A, and the current related climate
Entrepreneurs have more capital sources than ever, but where are the exits?
Big companies are looking for to help from small companies to make their business grow, an engine of growth, innovation, and “learning deals”
Why there is more money for beauty now as beauty tech is hot
People are looking for things that mitigate risk – crowd funding demonstrates interest
Determining what’s interesting?
An influx of various influencer platforms
Executives leaving and joining or starting small companies
How it is tough to work nimbly in a big corporation that has lots of rules
How the Internet and mobile have changed buying behaviors, which means ecommerce retailers need to up their mobile game, and the need for brands to hire experts at these things
Companies now have full staffs to have an ear to the ground, see what influencers are hot on
Managing customer views, performance marketing
The changing roles in companies based on consumer telling companies what they want
A lot of content on blogs are coming from user comments
Taking the voice of the people and packaging it up in a way that makes sense
Is there room for optimism in beauty or is a correction in beauty’s future?
The potential challenges of more regulation?
So many brands, so many duplicates
What is the right size for success and a sustainable model, and does industry fragmentation offer an opportunity?
Unit economics now vs. looking at an exit
Running unprofitable businesses in the name of growth
How brands are not just succeeding with direct to consumer, creating discount floors to generate foot traffic
Discounting from prestige brands in retailers, what part is a negotiation, and why this brings concern
Consumer mindset – the consumer has real and specific expectations

061 – Alexandra Wilkis Wilson of Allergan – Entrepreneurial Beauty

October 25, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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Serial entrepreneurship and moving into medical aesthetics…

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, entrepreneur and cofounder of Gilt Groupe, GlamSquad, and Fitz, and who currently leads a digital ventures team, helping to disrupt the aesthetics industry, at Allergan USA, Inc., including digital editorial hub Spotlyte, joins Regina Gwynn, Karen Moon, Abby Wallach, and April Franzino in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Wilkis Wilson on learning
Focused on at Allergan medical aesthetics
Created moonwalker, consumer and digitally oriented – spotlight a content site targeting consumers
Preventative care at earlier ages
40M Americans considerers of medical aesthetics
Botox uses
Resources about providers
Medical aesthetics division Botox, coolsculpting, etc
Why this role is now created, and bringing Spotlyte into forefront
Where Wilkis Wilson’s interest in beauty came from
GlamSquad, Gilt, etc.
Beauty was hard, not an industry open to discounting, sensitive to gray market activity
Changing to focus on launch of beauty products
Gilt City found success with beauty related products
The value of feedback while building a business and product, and being transparent with team
Taking an agile learning approach
Building a culture in a company or team
A sense of entrepreneurial failure if feeling like not giving value
A secluded island, a Brazilian adventure, and JetBlack, podcasts, and LinkedIn

060 – Meghan Asha and Navi Ganancial of FounderMade – Helping Others Build

September 27, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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Consumer discovery platform and event summit series dedicated to helping current and future founders build their business…

Meghan Asha and Navi Ganancial , Co-Founders of FounderMade (a platform dedicated to promoting and inspiring entrepreneurs worldwide) join guest hosts Marc Raco and Barbara Zinn Moore in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Consumer Discovery Show in Santa Monica, CA 10/04/18
Why does it matter?
The big master plan of FounderMade as a mission, current stage is the shows
Help launch, drive commerce in an efficient way
Wasn’t supposed to be a business, Meghan sold a digital media company, started working in venture capital
FounderMade came from question – when you’re 90 what will make you happy (guiding principle)
Wanted to do 12 dinners, call them founder made – like founder therapy, and bring the next generation, dinners got bigger and bigger
Follow the breadcrumbs
Hearing stories of imperfect buildings of business, human stories of building business, build for dreams
Why it is easier now than ever before to start a business, but special sauce of why you do it, getting mentorship, and a certain element that you can’t Google
Meeting at Randi Zuckerberg’s birthday party
How Google Glass played into forming a partnership
Helping to launch Fashion Tech Forum
Adding a beauty summit
Not believing it was a real business, and how it is so much fun
How Meghan and Navi didn’t really understand the trade show business
Getting feedback from exhibitors, what was learned from retailers and brands, investors secondary
Trying to be the most efficient way of driving commerce at the show
Launchpad for brands in consumer space
Companies need to be mission driven, transparency and innovation, 2M in revenue optimally
The next generation of wellness — and trends
Men’s sector of wellness not yet owned
A hair system that’s being launched at the conference
Consumer Discovery Show
Providing value, doing something beyond yourself, the greater good
Finding joy and peace
The importance of trying
Helping others build

059 – Jennifer Goldstein and Jessica Matlin – Beautiful Content and Fat Mascara

September 14, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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An in-depth discussion about the ways that content and media shape our understanding of emerging beauty companies and trends, through the lens of two beauty directors…

Jennifer Goldstein (Beauty Director and Features Editor, Marie Claire; Host of Fat Mascara Podcast) and Jessica Matlin (Beauty Director, Harper’s Bazaar; Host of Fat Mascara Podcast) join “Beauty Is Your Business” hosts Karen Moon (CEO and Co-Founder of Trendalytics) and Abby Wallach (Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Scentinvent Technologies), along with Content Is Your Business host Amber Mundinger (SVP, Live Media & Strategic Partnerships, Rolling Stone Magazine) as part of a MouthMedia Network Live event recorded in front of a live audience at Experience Knotel.

The interactive space ia located in the heart of Noho in New York City (666 Broadway) and designed to showcase the experience of working in a flexible, adaptable, always energized environment. Sponsored by Knotel – Your agile business deserves an agile space. Knotel will find, customize, and operate your ideal office while you focus on your business. Discover more at www.knotel.com.

In this episode:

There’s something lush about a print ad
How the “Fat Mascara” podcast got started, telling more of the story than print or digital publications will do
Picking shea nuts in Ghana, Goldstein and Matlin meeting each other
Knowing the difference between editorial content or branded content, and being clear
The use of “Presented by…” and what consumers and readers are used to seeing now
Who does native content well, smart content
Consumers are smarter, writers need to tell stories very well
New rules are changing things, how readers can tell the difference
The need for education for the consumer
Fact-checking
A higher standard to abide by
Can’t promote things that aren’t science as a writer
The era of “fake news”
A recent scandal – influencers are paid to speak negatively about other brands, and one who is reported to have said she won’t speak negatively if she is paid by that brand
Mistrust of media and journalism
A code of ethics
Is there really no bad press?
The call for a governing body for influencers?
Social media’s Achilles heel for accuracy and truthfulness and abuse
Scotland, a good lip product, hair like you got off a motorcycle, algae and seaweed forests, a perfume school wish, a migraine, partnership give and take and the rhythm of constant communication

058 – Wendy Gottfried – Beauty Is Like Candy

August 31, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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Trends and forward thinking in the beauty industry, with Wendy Gottfried…

Wendy Gottfried , Beauty and Fashion Consultant, joins Abby Wallach and guest host April Franzino (Good Housekeeping – Episode 29) in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

How the proliferation of brands is enormous
What is being seen out there exciting, the impact of what as surprised and delighted consumer
Trends in beauty are now changing seasonally
Looking at difference and value prop in beauty brands, whether is it a lifestyle
Wellness and nutrition are playing big parts, along with clean beauty – these categories are taking off!
No clear definition of clean beauty
Experiences are bringing people into the physical store
Subscription boxes allowing exploration, but lead to brick and mortar visits
How the sampling process has changed, more targeted
Old time candies, like a beauty store and how you merchandise
Personalization wins over the customer
Some major brands are creating niche fragrance brands to get into a new category
There is room for large players because they drive so many trends
Made in USA
Brands pivoting, reacting more quickly to launch new lines with speed
When brands fill perceived voids
Segmenting business are part of what make brands successful
Effectiveness of celebrity and influencers in the beauty business, and the importance of POV
The business of empowering people, and being authentic

057 – Annette Rodrigeuz of Warburg Pincus – Investing in Beauty

August 24, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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Global growth equity investing in the beauty sector…

Annette Rodriguez, managing director at Warburg Pincus (a leading global private equity firm focused on thesis-driven growth investing at scale) joins Karen Moon, Regina Gwynn, and guest host Kelly Kovack of BeautyMatter (Episode 24) in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

The investing landscape in beauty, where one fits into the ecosystem
Warburg Pincus as a global growth equity firm, across life cycle, size, stage
Growth equity at scale
A lot of money going into more tech enabled beauty businesses
The need to spend time finding the right partner, mutual respect and trust
Defining what you’re looking for
Investing in a whole company not just a product
Considering who is the team you’ve built around you
Building a platform
Have your story really straight, the big picture
Rodriguez’s career progression, why become an investor, got lucky and fell into it
Challenges/opportunities as a woman investor, more of a recruiting challenge

Rodriguez is based in New York, joined Warburg Pincus in 2008, and focuses on investments in the consumer sector. Ms. Rodriguez works closely with and serves on the boards of Gabe’s, a leading off-price retailer in the mid-Atlantic; Glansaol, a global beauty and personal care company launched in partnership with Warburg Pincus; and Outset Medical, a pioneering medical technology company. She is also a board member of New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs (NYPACE), a non-profit consulting organization assisting entrepreneurs from under-resourced communities. Ms. Rodriguez previously served on the boards of TriMark, the #1 distributor of foodservice equipment and supplies in North America, and Wencor Group, a leading designer, repair provider and distributor of aftermarket aerospace components. She was involved in the firm’s former investments in Neiman Marcus and Scotsman Industries. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Ms. Rodriguez worked at JPMorgan Partners (nka CCMP Capital), the private equity arm of J.P. Morgan, as a Generalist. She received a B.S. magna cum laude in economics with concentrations in finance and accounting from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.

056 – Nu Dao of Skin Allies – Clean Beauty, Dermatology, Technology

August 17, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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One-stop shop for discovering clean, high-quality skincare products that work best for your skin, tailored for you by world-class dermatologists and estheticians, with Nu Dao of Skin Allies…

Nu Dao, Founder/CEO of Skin Allies, addressing the universal friction in the modern skincare, joins Karen Moon, Regina Gwynn, and guesthouse Kelly Kovack in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Augmenting data-driven recommendations with dermatologist input, personalization with service
Like a three-sided marketplace
Vetting emerging beauty brands, high quality and clean products
Working with experts including dermatologists and estheticians,
Helping experts do their jobs better providing pre-vetted products
The right ingredients to treat certain skin conditions
Content pieces interesting, Glossier, creating community based on content, product development
Most people don’t know how to take care of their skin properly
Consumers inundated with misinformation, most pople don’t have resources to consult with pros on a regular basis
How branded content fits in from ecommerce standpoint
A cool bra startup, merchandising on steroids, used data for bras merchandising, and difficulty forecasting due to holding of inventory
Being not a subscription box
Getting hit with so much info from potential investors, team, partners, customers, synthezising all of that and going into a fundraising meeting and confidently pitching is difficult
The on-demand trend
Investors should come to the table with more than money
Opportunities for experts to be influencers and thought leaders
What’s in a gender-based name?

055 – Caroline Fabrigas of Scent Marketing Inc – Boundless Beauty Possibilities

August 10, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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Getting attention and growing brands, a fresh idea of fragrance, why sensing a brand matters, how audiences can grow organically, and a case study of going to market in a huge retailer…

Caroline Fabrigas, CEO of Scent Marketing Inc. & Co-founder Scent Invent Technology, and an entrepreneur dedicated to empowering brands, joins Abby Wallach in theMouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

Fabrigas as Wallach’s partner in business
Being an innovator, executive, and entrepreneur in the beauty industry
On the beauty skincare front
How there has never been more boundless possibilities in beauty
Ingredients that couldn’t have existed before
Holographic formulas
The merging of categories, hybridization
Packaging and how products being delivered, looking for multipurpose
Retail experience
Can a business not be global and do well?
Helping big brands to be successful is important for the business, while augmenting what they are doing with new technology and categories
Skincare is having a moment, driven by the “natural” trend
The conversation of “what is natural” is new
Things that are special drive consumer wants more, what’s reliable, but moments and experiences are huge as well
Helping spearhead behind the scenes, Scent Marketing Inc., which Fabrigas inherited from her late husband, scent branding, signature scents for brands, created loyalty, and emotional attachment to hotel or retail store
Transformative products
A case study often opportunity to help co-create the brand Farmacy, and bring to Sephora
The world is moving in direction of organic eating, understanding the origin of food, and “all natural”
With that mandate, if the world needed a skincare brand in the natural realm, what would resonate
Farm fresh, hand picked
Partnering with Sephora from the beginning, partnering on a routine basis, going from idea to venture
How the key was identifying a whites pace, a patented ingredient to tell the tale
Moving fast, looking for innovative forms, and a presentation that had an emotional connection
Creating a winning business model, and being conscious of it at every step, focus groups and feedback, adjusting
Launching in 143 doors, and moving toward success

054 – Gail Sagel of Faces Beautiful – The Beauty of Building Beauty

August 4, 2018producer Leave a Comment

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How a tragic accident inspired Gail Sagel to make a move from Wall Street to a new brand, Amazon Beauty, a magnetic makeup organizer and accessory, and an innovative beauty concept store combining beauty services and upscale retail cosmetics…

Gail Sagel, Founder/CEO of FACES Beautiful (focused on making women’s lives and beauty routines more convenient and creating beauty products that solve problems for women, products that simplify life and are healthy) and Creator of Face in a Case (an answer to a woman’s need for organization and is formulated with carefully chosen, healthy vegan ingredients), joins Karen Moon and Regina Gwynn in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser.

In this episode:

How Sagel started on Wall Street, and found it was not her calling
When she was hit by a car riding her bike home, and it became an “ah-ha moment”, realized how unhappy she was
Watching Natalie Wood movie and being compared to Natalie Wood, leading to dying her hair , had to change colors, discovered difficulty finding the right cosmetics
How Sagel got a job freelancing for Laura Mercier
When and why she launched FACES Beautiful
How she had to procure other lines
Originally built on a range of other products
Pre-ecommerce and website selling
Focuson beauty that mattered to the consumers, mix services and retail (hair, color/cuts, aesthetic, facials, makeup, eyebrow services)
The origins of Face in a Case
One retail location that had these services and sold 60 different brands, then a recession came, no online store yet in 2009, decided she needed to create her own brand to have her company surprise
Apples every day
As an artist you always are refining, so prototype took a long time
How the manufacturer took a while too, put first one together herself, then after prototype undertook process for protection of IP name, process, utility purpose of magnetic makeup case that functions as a wallet
The process of getting on and optimizing Amazon
Considerations when hiring someone to represent you
Amazon has own search engine, and the power of so many consumer products searches
Amazon live shows like QVC, but on the web only
Collaborations with designers, influencers
Dreaming of a partnership with Kylie Jenner
A white space that can be explosive
Best Maryland crabcakes at Kocos Greek dive pub
Keeping an ear tuned to what’s new in technology