Latest / Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast) / How the founder of LASHIFY built her empire through innovating in the lash industry (with 70+ patents along the way!) with Sahara Lotti

Transcript

How the founder of LASHIFY built her empire through innovating in the lash industry (with 70+ patents along the way!) with Sahara Lotti · Imagine If with Doone Roisin | Health, Wealth & Wisdom for Women (formerly Female Startup Club Podcast)

• 0:00
  This is Sahara Lottie for Female Startup Club. Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Female Startup Club.
• 0:17
  I'm your host, Doon Roshin, and today I'm talking to Sahara Lottie. She's the inventor and founder of the DIY lash extensions company, Lashify. And when I say that this is a must listen episode, I truly mean it. It's real and it's raw and Sahara shares so much of her journey and the challenges she's faced along the way. If there's only one podcast you listen to this week, please make it this one.
• 0:41
  We talk about the absolute importance of patents and the ins and outs of how people can screw you over in any industry, how she actually found her manufacturer, and spoiler alert, it involves karaoke and Celine Dion hits, the controversy that surrounded her brand in the early days and the effects that that has had on her life and her mental health, and so, so many pieces of actual gold. These are the learnings of a woman who has a clear mission and isn't afraid to chase her dreams.
• 1:11
  And before we jump in, I just want to give a big shout out to all the women who have taken the time to leave me a review in the app. This is how ears find this podcast and help other women be inspired and learn from. So thank you so much. This is Sahara for Female Startup Club. I want to start by learning more about your origin story and what got you started with Lashify to begin with. Oh, gosh. You know, I was...
• 1:40
  I was in the movie business and I was always sort of like a jack of all trades. I wasn't satisfied with just one thing. So my mind needed a lot of stimulation in order to be satisfied. So,
• 1:55
  I was constantly a person that was solving things like problems. So in movie, in screenwriting, that's really what you're doing is you're creating a new world and everything has to make sense. Every word that the character is saying has to match their personality and it all has to be fluid and in line and it has to make sense. It's very logical. Yeah.
• 2:19
  So what I found was that that way of thinking is the way that products are invented as well. They have to have a follow through. And so I basically just took my problem solving mind. And I was really obsessed on why I could not get these freaking lashes on.
• 2:36
  I just wanted to get the lashes on. I'm an obsessive personality. Like I'm that person that like if a word doesn't come to your tongue and you're like, what was that word? What was that word? And then you just can't think straight until you find that word. I'm that person.
• 2:52
  So when it came to lashes, I was like, where is this lash thing that I just, it's like, I take it and I stick it underneath. And then I, and then I have this tweezer and it like seals it down. And I was looking for it, like literally Googling the under and it didn't exist. And so when you're so, when you so vividly can see something, but it doesn't exist, it's your job to bring it to fruition.
• 3:18
  If that makes sense. You kind of have to roll. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so were you like, okay, I'm going to like leave my current career and start a business with the vision of, you know, what it's become today? Or were you like, oh, I'm just going to start a little side hustle. I'll be completely honest with you. I was a screenwriter. I also did like a, I did some consulting, like intuitive strategy where I would, I was really good at figuring out like what people's talents were and how to get them there.
• 3:47
  I never, ever did anything to make money. I was an artist. I didn't, of course, I wanted to make money, but my focus was never, I need to make tons of money. So I got really involved with like animal healing and natural medicine.
• 4:04
  And for animals, and I found that that was the number one way to heal these animals was to use natural medicine. But I also found that there was no money for research and it bothered me. So I was like, wow, I just saved my dog's life because I use this natural thing. While the thing that the doctor gave me made him more sick, but the natural thing just saved his life. But the doctor refuses to give other dogs the natural thing because there's no research.
• 4:31
  So I was like, well, where do we get the research from? And they're like, oh, research costs millions and millions of dollars. I'm like, well, why aren't you doing research on turmeric? And they're like, well, there's no king of turmeric. Who's going to fund it?
• 4:43
  So I was like, oh, so you need billions of dollars. Oh, so then my mind started thinking differently. And then I was like, wow, I need more money. Like, I don't need money like, you know, have a cool apartment or house or a Chanel bag. I need money like real money.
• 5:03
  How do you get that? Because my mind wasn't thinking that way before. I wasn't trying to become a bajillionaire. I didn't need a bajillion dollars, if that makes sense. So then when I changed my way of thinking, and I was like, I want to make a change. In order to make these changes, I need money. Okay, I'm going to have to create a business that is very lucrative. So I thought about it. And then I was like, hmm.
• 5:29
  And then I'm like that lash idea. I should go forward with the lash idea because I'm obsessed with it. So I began to strategize how I would basically create this market, create this product and how.
• 5:46
  basically own a space that would, it would be a revenue model that would allow me to do what I wanted. So that's my intention to blow it up. We're very clear. It wasn't about like, Ooh, I have an idea. I don't, I don't really know what I'm doing. Maybe I'll see. It wasn't like that. It was like, you don't grow that successful that quickly without knowing what, you know what I'm saying? Without knowing,
• 6:08
  Yeah. You wanted to dominate. You wanted to like conquer. Absolutely. No question. You had the vision. No question. It was not a coincidence. I didn't just come in and be like, Hey, look what I got. I was like, bam, bam, dang, dang. Okay. You know what I mean? I was like, I'll get that patent in China before I even have a patent in the U.S. Because I knew exactly, I knew what was going to happen if I didn't protect myself because I watched it happen to other female entrepreneurs.
• 6:36
  in beauty space. So, yeah. And I read you've got like 70 patents now all around the world or something that I was like, gosh, I didn't even know that you could have that many. Well, because what happens is you get, you know, for every patent that you get in the United States, let's say there's the manufacturing patent, then there's the method patent, then there's the system patent.
• 6:58
  You know what I mean? Then there's the like the patent for the lawn, the patent for the cartridge, the patent for all of them that work together. So you really have to go in. Otherwise, they'll try to get around your patents.
• 7:10
  I didn't know that. Oh, yeah. Do you have to pay every time for all those different little patents? Every time, every time. The patent system is, it's incredible because it inspires innovation. It's terrible because it inspires manipulation and getting around it. So a lot of these companies, all they know is getting around your patents.
• 7:35
  They don't know how to market. They don't know how to like connect with their people, but they know how to get around your patent. So, you know, a patent doesn't mean anything unless you're willing to defend that patent. Yeah. Yeah. You've got the funds to back it up. Yeah. No, basically it's like you can spend $50,000 on a patent, but unless you have $5 million to take them down, then your patent doesn't mean anything. You know what I mean? Have you had to do that? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
• 8:03
  Oh, yes. You want to tell me about that? You want to tell me a little bit about what's that been like? Yeah. So I am basically, you know, when you're in this level of, you know, the lash business was a very murky business. It was like, it was like a very hush, hush business that a few companies have been dominating for over 50 years, okay, or something like that.
• 8:33
  No innovation, nothing. The same strip lash that they were selling you in 1964 is what they were selling you in 2020. Okay. Sounds like tampons. Right. Because guess what? The person that's making and designing the tampon isn't using it. White men. Okay. So literally it's a person that was creating these lashes. They weren't using them.
• 9:00
  So yeah, they're, they're creating these lashes that you have to like stick on your eyelid. You have to have like an MBA on sticking it on. It's that difficult. You know what I mean? It's like, it wasn't a product that was easy to use. And I,
• 9:16
  And then I started thinking about it and I was like, this makes no sense. I just bought like a self-driving car or something and I can't get my freaking lashes on. You know what I mean? We can get a guy in the moon. You and I are FaceTiming like Jetson style, but we can't put on our own lashes. So I really realized there was a very specific reason for that. And it's because why fix it if it ain't broke?
• 9:41
  Right. Got it. So I was like, okay, yeah, no, no, no, no. I want to be able to actually make lashes look like the, what I get in the lash extensions blog. So I invented a weave that, that mimicked the growth pattern of your eyelash.
• 9:58
  And I created a lash. I needed to call it something because it didn't have a name. So I named it a Gossamer Lash. And I created a manufacturing process that would make this lash so thin and light that it would connect to your underlash. And it was really revolutionary.
• 10:18
  like revolutionary, because most of the most incredible ideas are right in front of your face. They're so close that you can't see them. And so I got a provisional patent on it in 2016 and I didn't talk to anybody about it, like nobody. So finally, when I started talking about it to the factories in 2017, next thing you know, you see pictures of my idea on their websites.
• 10:48
  And I was like, why is my, oh, because they want to have it prepared so that if I apply for a patent, they can go, no, no, no, there's prior artwork. What they didn't know is that I patented it a year before I even told them.
• 11:04
  Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Because what they do is they, okay, the big companies and the factories in Asia are in bed. Most of the time they're sharing information. So they're like, this is coming out. We better get it into the public and make it public so they don't own the market. You know? So if you look at what happened, if you look at what happened to the magnetic lashes,
• 11:32
  I mean, she came in, she got patents on it. The patents were pending. Allure gave her an award. It was incredible. Next thing you know, there's a huge article and it's like supermarket giant so-and-so is bringing the magnetic lash out.
• 11:51
  to the supermarket place and it was like, meanwhile, they forgot to say that it was totally infringing on someone else's patent. Like they changed the narrative. You know what I mean? And so I saw what happens and I was like, wait, wait,
• 12:08
  the girl that invented that, wait. And then I was like, wait, is that her? It's pushing these ads. And then I'm like, oh my God, it's not. And I realized like they just literally took her whole business. Oh God. It's so ick. I know. And I watched it and I was like, well, and I was like literally taking notes. And I'm like, okay, that's what, and I really started like putting pieces together and I started seeing a pattern. I started seeing a pattern and,
• 12:38
  That was happening all the time with innovation. And then I realized, well, that's why no one's innovating anything. Because I just spent $5 million or something on getting patents and nobody gives a shit.
• 12:54
  Do you know what I'm saying? Yes. So I definitely came in with a strategy of defense. I'm an accordionist. I brought in someone, for example, when I first started, I brought in Dean Factor. And Dean Factor is the founder and CEO of Smashbox Cosmetics. And he was a friend of a friend. So I brought Dean in and Dean was like, well, I'll give you all this money if you give me this much of your company. And I was like, yeah, no, I'm not going to do that. I was like, I don't need your money. This is my dad's advice.
• 13:24
  I don't need your money. I said, I'm just going to give you a percentage and you're going to consult for me. Okay? So basically I was like, I'm going to bring this guy in. Look, he's here. And you know, it was kind of sad. I had to do that because nobody would take me alone seriously because I was a chick. You know what I mean? So I was just a woman. But if I had Dean Factor from Smashbox, you know, then it's like, oh, he's there. You know what I mean?
• 13:54
  Yeah, yeah, for sure. So I brought him as it's protected to sort of, because I knew that they would try to take it and that's what they do. That's just the business.
• 14:05
  So now in a few months, you're going to be hearing a lot about that. Okay. I'm going to stay tuned. I think it's really important that as innovators, we're using these products every single day. You know, I had a complex about not having lashes. When I put lashes on, I woke up and I felt I went from feeling gross to feeling incredible. And so I had massive incentive to create a product.
• 14:31
  that fulfilled my needs and it had nothing to do with money if that makes sense but then I realized that and that can make a ton of money but the love of the innovation of it wasn't like oh my god I'm gonna make so much money once I figure out how to it wasn't like that it was like so the money comes but I think the intention has to be you know a good one.
• 14:56
  Yeah, you had the vision of what else you wanted to create in the world in addition to that and why you needed the money. Exactly. I want to go back to the beginning and learn what the process was when you were just in that initial phase of being like, okay, well, I need to raise money to start this business. What do you do? What's the process? What happened in those early days?
• 15:20
  I wasn't thinking about raising money because I was just trying to figure out how do I make this wand tool. So I had an idea that if I had this tweezer that wrapped around my eye like this, like if it just fits the shape of my eye, I could get the lash extensions on. So I was like, yeah.
• 15:41
  So it's like, I had this, like, I was like, and then I'll, it'll like go like that really quickly. And then I can get the single lashes on without the technician. You know, I was like, I was like, I was like the mad scientist. Did you make some weird prototypes yourself? So I was melting jewelry. Okay. Cause I told you, I am the chick that I become obsessed with things and then become like the master of it. So I taught myself like a year previous to melt gold. Right. So I was like, I can melt my own wand.
• 16:11
  And so I like took some wires and like I twisted them up and I kind of got the form. I'm like, yeah, it's like a wire. And then it goes like this. So that was my first step. Then it was, okay, how do I get this wand made? And after like mad research, I realized that you need something called a CAD designer. Okay. Once I figured out what a CAD designer was, my life changed.
• 16:39
  Okay, CAD, computer automated something design. Basically what's in your head, they put on a computer. Okay, that was the thing. So if I'm like, hey, I want to make a cartridge that looks like an eye, that person works
• 16:55
  Once I found the CAD designer, it was all good. I was like, okay, now we're in the money. I get it. Now we're on track. Yeah, we're in the money. So I had a CAD made of the wand. And then I started doing all this research on like adhesives and how do I find adhesives
• 17:11
  I called some factories in LA and they thought we were crazy. And so we're like, hey, you know, imagine it was like, hey, I want to make an adhesive. And they're like, hi, this is 3M. Is there a certain department you're looking for? Yeah, we're just trying to make adhesive for like eyelashes.
• 17:30
  It was really, it was kind of a joke. You're like, how do you make glue? And it was really funny. So I had brought my friend in because I was the kind, I was like, okay, you guys, I'm going to create a factory like Andy Warhol. And then I'm going to have five beauty ideas. And this is going to be one of them. Lashify is going to be one of my genius ideas. And then I'm going to have this and this and this. And then I thought that was how it's going to be, but that's not how it was. Instead, it's like all my, everything went into Lashify. So-
• 18:00
  I brought in friends, realized that they really didn't know what they were doing either. So it's a really bad idea to ever bring your friends in. Like, do not get in business with your friends. Noted. We can get more into that later. But anyway, we...
• 18:15
  And then I just did a lot of Googling. And then I was looking for an adhesive manufacturer and I came across a manufacturer in Korea that said something about adhesive. Then I started doing research on them. It turns out they owned lash factories. So then I contacted their agent and I went to the agent's office and I said, here's my idea. And the guy was like, wait, wait,
• 18:41
  say that again? And I said, it's like this. And then it's like this. And then it's like this. And he put it under your eye. And he was like, oh, okay. And he later told me that when I came in, that he looked at me and he was like, this chick is either insane or completely genius. He's like, I'm not sure. And so then he was like, this one factory, I know the person that might be able to help you. If there's anyone that can do it, it's this guy.
• 19:11
  So he starts like selling me to this Korean manufacturer and the Korean manufacturer is like, yeah, whatever, whatever. Then he comes in town, the Korean manufacturer, and him and I meet in the office and it was like, boom. He got it.
• 19:27
  Oh, my. He was like, it was literally, I said, look, I want to make this lash. It looks like, you know, and it's like flat and then it goes underneath. And he like literally his mouth dropped open because he got what I was saying. And he was like, oh, my God. And so then we formed a friendship. And with Koreans, a lot of the friendship forming has to do with getting really drunk and karaokeing.
• 19:47
  I'm not even, okay? I don't drink and literally I got wasted in the name of Last of Five, okay? I sang Celine Dion. I don't even like Celine Dion's music, but I sang it. I sang Guns N' Roses, you name it. What did he sing? What, Gangnam Style? Da da da da da da da da da da. Like I sang so much karaoke with these guys to get this product made, you have no idea. Oh my gosh, that's too funny.
• 20:17
  I mean, who doesn't love karaoke though? I love karaoke. The meeting of the minds. Basically, it's a little bit of a song and dance when you get into factories because you're basically having to sell them on believing in you. So remember, this is a factory. Their biggest deal is with L'Oreal. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, they need to take a bet on you basically to be like, is this chick for real? Does she have the money to produce orders? Yeah.
• 20:45
  Right. So it was a lot of me coming in and like kind of like swinging my, you know, being like, hello, gentlemen. And I'd be like, please let me take you to dinner. Like literally I've got like 30 grand in the bank, but I'm spending like five grand on a dinner. I'm like, come have lobster drink.
• 21:04
  Literally, I was like channeling my dad, okay? You were schmoozing then. You're a schmoozer, I love it. Literally, they all got so wasted drunk. I convinced them to do, you know what I mean? Great, great, great, great. Bye, Matt, great. And that's a lot of what I did, a lot. It's really such an incredible story because people are like, where did you learn to do that? And I'm like, listen, my father's Middle Eastern. I remember like,
• 21:33
  him constantly whining and dining and like, no, no, no. I get the check. I pay for it. You know what I mean? It was like, what's it called? Fake it. So you make it. Yeah. And like doing the dance. Oh yeah. You've seen it in action and you're like, I've got to do this. Totally. I was like, caviar. Let's turn this up. You know?
• 21:54
  Oh my God. Sounds really fun though. Literally, I'd never even had a real job at that point. The only thing I'd ever done was I was an actress. Okay. So I was like, hell yes, I can do this. And, but really that I'm going to tell you something interesting. The creation of Lashify, it was between me and Sean, like that's his name, our minds, like we really just, for him, it was really exciting to,
• 22:19
  work with someone that actually was bringing mad innovation to the table. Do you know what I mean? Because the way that factories work is they'll be like, hello. And then they come and they show you all their stuff. They'll be like, look, we have this new growth serum and then we have this liner and this liners like this brow thing. And then, you know, so-and-so sells it and so-and-so sells it. So you're like, Oh,
• 22:42
  everybody's selling the same thing. You know what I mean? They're coming with the innovation, but in this case, I was coming with the innovation. They were like, Whoa. And so, you know, at one point I remember saying to him, listen, thank you so much for believing in me. And he actually said, and he said it in front of his whole office. He goes, Hey,
• 23:01
  I have to tell you, he's like, you've actually inspired us. He's like, you, the excitement that you have has like fueled some life into us as well. And it was true. I went back like six months and every idea that I had, I'm like, what about a crowd pencil? They're like, you know, they like started innovating all of it.
• 23:17
  So him and I together created Blashify, meaning I would have the idea and then he would understand the engineering components that I would, because I found that if I could see it in my mind, if I could see it clicking, then it could work from an engineering perspective. If I couldn't see it, then it wouldn't work. So he really, really, he was as involved as I was. And then we had to convince his boss to basically...
• 23:47
  give me room in the factory, you know, in the lash factory, because the lash factory had been doing business with the same old, same old for a long time, but the same old, same old wasn't loyal. Okay. And how do you convince someone? Is it through money or do you have to give him equity or the company equity in your business? I had to actually go to Korea, meet with the owner. Now you have to remember something. I'm,
• 24:13
  We're dealing with a very, very different culture. Men dominate, absolutely dominate, especially in Korea. Like, it's not like boss bitches aren't rolling. You know what I mean? It's not like that. So the Lash Marketplace was dominated in the Asian market. The Asian market owns the Lash Marketplace. But I was coming in with a new innovation and a new patent.
• 24:39
  And I was like, listen, so I went and I met, I actually met with the owner, which was really funny because, you know, older, like the sixties and very serious and only six Koreans. And so.
• 24:54
  Sean would have to translate. This is what she's saying. And I was basically like, I am going to create a new market. It's my market. I said, what I can tell you is that I will be loyal. I said, I don't walk around. I'm like, if you do this for me, I will own this marketplace. I was like, unlike them, I'm not going to take it to the other country. And then Sean goes, he says that he has to think. And so he walks, he walks like three feet away. This is really funny.
• 25:24
  And he looks down like this. And I'm like, what is he doing? They're like, he's thinking. And I'm like, oh, okay. So anyway, he turns to Sean and he says something. And Sean says, he says, you're very smart. And I said, I'm smarter than I look. Okay. And then we got drunk. And then he said, yes. Okay.
• 25:49
  You're like, I know what comes next and I know what to do here. This is not my first rodeo. We had Korean sushi, which was the best thing I ever had. You know, again, everybody drinks beer. Like every, I'm telling you, it's like, literally they are the party animals of Asia. Like you have to keep up. And then we had a celebration and then he agreed to give me more of their, um,
• 26:12
  Capacity. So when you're dealing with factories, you're dealing with capacity. So basically it is in their interest that every single day they have production, right? So for let's say five days this week, they're filling, I don't know, Chanel lip liner or for, you know, six days. So they have to come in and give you that room. And so he agreed. He said he would expand the lash supply chain. And by doing that, it was a lot more difficult because...
• 26:41
  Remember, we've been making strip lashes for years and years. There's a bajillion people that know how to make strip lashes. I invented a new process of making this lash. So in order to make it, we had to train people. That's why it took so long for the copycats to copy me because they didn't know how to make it.
• 27:03
  And the beauty of it is, is all the copycats and have copied me or they're like, no, no, no, no, no. We're making it differently. We're not making it the way that you made it. No, no, no. We're making it differently. Really? Yeah. It's a trade secret. The beauty of it is, is because I invented the product, I know what you had to do to make it do that. And there's only one way around it. And it's in my patents.
• 27:26
  Okay. And so it was just a very different dynamic. So basically he agreed to start hiring all these hiring and expanding legend. So we had to go from like, you know, a hundred thousand a month to 500,000, like it's 50,000 to a hundred. It's really hard to, you know, to make these things. So if we only had, you know, like, like these things to make them, you have to be totally skilled. So now we have, we've expanded the supply chain to like thousands of people that know how to make them.
• 27:56
  But that was the big part, yeah. Wow. I just feel like it's all a really quick turnaround because if that's happening in 2017, we're only like, you know, kind of halfway through 2020. And like, it just seems like it's just such a huge thing that you had to get everyone on top of. Yeah. It's so weird because it felt like 500 years. But when I tell you, it is all I thought about for two years. Let me explain it.
• 28:25
  I ran a stoplight, I guess. I was so busy that I didn't pay the ticket. I got a warrant for not showing up. Like I had like 15 parking tickets that were now $1,000 each. Like literally I stepped out of life. I can't really even explain it. I was absolutely obsessed with,
• 28:50
  All I was doing, like figuring out the cartridge was probably the most, because if you look at our Lash of Eye cartridge, it's segments of your eye. And it's like, it's created
• 29:03
  We had to create a pressure on the cartridge that would allow the lashes to be placed underneath. And like I was constantly in like inventor mode where I couldn't function on a normal level. Like I couldn't pay a bill. It was really weird. And so that's the reason I was able to get it done that quickly, essentially, because it's all I did. I really went into a vortex. Yeah.
• 29:27
  So by the time I came out of it and I was ready to market the company, I was like, like almost like somebody that was like in a coma for a while and they came out. They're like, wow, people have cell phones now. Like, that's what it felt like. Like I like got on the Internet. I'm like, wow, what's going on here? A lot of drama. You're like, dear friends, I'm back. I can talk to you now.
• 29:49
  And so in that early day, in those early days, because obviously creating the product is one thing, it's really hard. You had to invent something. But then like marketing a product and finding those customers and educating customers and convincing them that your product's what they should buy and they should, you know, ditch strip lashes, for example. What was that early phase of launch like? And how did you find the first people, the first customers, your tribe? Well, the first customers were my clients.
• 30:18
  dog Bob who inspired a lot of this she's a bulldog and he had a big Instagram following and so I had like writer's block for a while when I was screenwriting and I found that that creating this character had actually gotten me out of my writer's block and I knew how to create heat on social media if that makes sense it's kind of like a gift you either have it or you don't
• 30:41
  You know what I mean? Yep. You need people to react. Right. So I'm generally a really good marketer. That comes naturally. I've always been really internet savvy. Like since we're talking like, I started using a computer when Monica Lewinsky and President Clinton had that thing. That's when I started using computers. So that's a long time ago. So I'm kind of a nerd. You would never know it, but I'm really into technology. And
• 31:10
  all of my life, every time I would buy something, it would eventually become trendy. So like in high school, I was like wearing clogs and people made fun of me. And then like a month later, like everyone's wearing clogs, you know? So I knew that I was a little bit of a tastemaker. I would kind of put it out there. And with Lashify, so I learned a lot about like business because when I was screenwriting, I had to find a way to supplement my income.
• 31:40
  right? And I would buy and sell things. And I always found that whenever the product was something I bought for myself and thought I really wanted, I would sell it for a lot of money because I would add a certain discretion, a certain pickiness. So I made Lashify for myself. Like I am super picky, like about something as small as like
• 32:06
  a fiber content, like on sheets, like it's like the toilet paper isn't like the right that I'm like, get that away from me. You know, I'm that person. So I took that sort of analness into creating this product that I knew I had no questions
• 32:26
  That as soon as my people and by I mean my people, I mean the lash lovers and the people like me, as soon as they got their hands on this thing, it was going to blow their mind. Like I had no question. I would have bet you my right and my left arm. Why? Because I am her.
• 32:44
  Okay. So I knew that anytime I thought something was hot, bam, it was blowing up. So I was like, well, I have this insight into this. I am positive that when this hits the market, people were to lose their mind. I am positive, but I,
• 33:00
  This is what the biggest issue was. So I create this incredible video. I know that it's, I know that it's the video. It's the right angle. You're going to see it. You're going to, you're going to want Lashify. And people want, and I started pushing the video out on Instagram myself. Cause I didn't hire like an agency. I just, I just, I was like, I'll just make it myself. Anything that I could do myself, I paid. I did myself, by the way, I didn't outsource.
• 33:25
  Next thing you know, I start pushing the ads out and people start saying, oh, my God. Wow. Look at this. And then next thing you know, it's a scam. There's no way that's real. It's a scam. It's a scam. It's a scam. It's a scam. Next thing you know, every message is like, it's a scam. And I was like, oh, no, it's not. And meanwhile, I'm so new. I'm so green. Yeah.
• 33:48
  that I'm like getting mad at people. It's like, I'm so into it. You're like, I'm going to give you some sass back and I'm going to tell you what's what. I have no idea that that's wrong. Okay. So I'm like, and people are like, oh, you're so unprofessional. And I'm like, what do you mean I'm unprofessional? It's like me in my bedroom, in my bed. Okay. Like you're ripping on my product and I'm in my bed. You know, like, I'm not. You're like, I need to defend myself.
• 34:12
  I was really getting like offended. So I'm like, fine, I'm just going to go online. I'm just going to go live. And that's what happened is I started going live. And literally at the time we signed up on Shopify and the sound was on. So I'm on live and I'm showing it, right? And all of a sudden it's like ding, ding, ding, ding. Love that sound. And I'm like...
• 34:35
  It's like, ding, ding. And I'm like, I'm hearing the ding, right? So it's no different than like put another quarter in the jackpot. So I'm like, I'm live again. Hi, everybody. And I was trying to literally live like seven times a day, okay? Because this is my livelihood here. Yep.
• 34:56
  You're like, well, someone's going to be awake somewhere. So like I should go again. So then it allowed you to keep it on for 24 hours. So once people saw me and they were like, she's not lying. Like that's real. That's what started my business. Being me. That's amazing. So I went on the list. Like I had just come from the doctor. I realized that like I can never be perfect enough.
• 35:23
  you'll always find some way to rip on me. So I just had to sort of let it go and be like, you know what? I am who I am. Like, rip on me. Say what you want. I'm here. I'm selling my product. Can't be scared of the camera. You know? Yeah. 100%.
• 35:38
  And you're a badass while you're doing it. And that was our marketing thing. And you still do that today. I was watching your IGTVs and I was like, this is awesome. And it makes it really like, it's approachable. It's relatable because you're like, oh yeah, that's actually how girls look when they're doing this kind of thing. It doesn't look polished and stuff. The thing is, I decided that, you see, I didn't have an MBA. I went to school. I had a minor in theater, a master in cinema.
• 36:06
  I was always very like street smart, but the one thing that I really knew how to do is I really knew how to shop. I really knew how to buy things and I really knew what the customer wanted. I was the, I was the customer. So what I did was I created a company that appealed to all of the things that appealed to me.
• 36:29
  A sense of community, a sense of trusting, a sense of I know who you are, I know who I'm giving my money to. A sense of I love luxurious packaging,
• 36:42
  I like it to make me feel some kind of way. I like loyalty. I like loyalty programs. I want points for everything I do. You know what I mean? It makes you give me free shipping. I'll buy everything. So everything I did with Lash Advice, that's how I just, because like I said, I didn't know anything else other than what I wanted. You just used your own human behavior. Right. And so what I found was that what made me happy is the way to run a company.
• 37:11
  And so it's funny because my obsession is truly with my customers. Like I am always looking out for the customer. And then it's almost like my staff has to like be the moderator between me wanting, you know what I mean? Like, okay, it's hard, but we can't do it. It's not like, okay, you guys, how are we going to figure out how to scan these people? Not like that.
• 37:34
  You know, I'm the kind of person that like, if you do something for me or you're there for me or you support me, I am loyal to a fault, you know? So like I have so much appreciation for these people that have supported me, et cetera, that I just keep wanting to do right by them, if that makes sense. That's really my business model. How many customers do you have now worldwide? I'd say probably like a few hundred thousand.
• 38:01
  And then, yeah, like, yeah, we sold a lot of control kits. That is just so incredible. So, so cool. And also just in such a short period of time, I really just, I know I've said this before, but I just feel like it's really quick. Like you've grown this huge brand. I mean, obviously for you, it probably feels like a lot longer, but. Well, remember, I also didn't have a choice because I knew that I had created a,
• 38:28
  I knew that I had invented something revolutionary and I knew that they, whoever they were, would try to take it from me unless I pushed it out and created the narrative first. My product, my invention,
• 38:49
  my made by me, you're not going to take it. Like I said, I was watching what they did with other companies and it freaked me out. So I was like, okay, I'm going to come in really aggressively. And I am going to, I am going to basically take the market, own the market, be the leader of the market. So by the time the other guys came in, so like, you know, we got knocked off by a really, really big company. And the really, really big company assumed that,
• 39:18
  because they've never had this experience before. They assumed they were going to come in and they were going to be like, Hey, look what we just invented. And they came in and all of a sudden they got like gnarly backlash from Lashify. They were like, what? They had to like turn off their comments because they were like, our customers were like, what do you think you're doing? This is Lashify your speed. And they were like,
• 39:49
  Because I had already taken the market. People knew who we were. We'd won multiple awards. You weren't going to come in and swoop in and pretend like you invented some shit. Because you didn't. Yeah. So when I saw how cocky and arrogant they were, I started looking deeper into it. And I realized that this was a pattern.
• 40:12
  That this had not happened one time, not two times, not three times, not five times. This was what they did. This was a strategy. Every single time a female entrepreneur came into the marketplace. They would start watching her. They would send the Chinese factories to start copying the product to then infiltrate the marketplace with knockoffs. So nobody would know who the inventor was.
• 40:40
  Okay. And so what happened is there's only two innovations in the last hundred years for the lash market that have come to market. The magnetic lash and lashify. Both, the magnetic lash, they took that in two seconds. So by the time that her, see what happens is your patent, your patent is pending. All companies, once your patent is published, they are well aware that you have a patent coming.
• 41:09
  OK, once they start making it, they're infringing. You just can't sue them. But what they do is they come in, they start infringing. Then they take your market so that by the time your patent has issued, you don't have any money left because you just went from making 15 million a year to two.
• 41:31
  So to clarify, to stop that, you have to process your patent and get that 100% locked in before you start that phase of manufacturing? You have to own the market. That's what you have to do.
• 41:45
  It's not about your, don't work the patent. They will find a way to see. Remember during the patent pending time, that's when it works for both ways. Because during the patent pending, you can see how people are trying to get around your patent. And then you can switch your wording to cover it. So it works for the inventor and it works. Okay. But the way that it doesn't work is they see what your invention is and they see it hasn't been assigned yet. So they take the chance of copying it.
• 42:15
  OK, what happens is what they do is they copy you and then they they have more money to push it out. Right. So it's like think about it for a minute. You're selling a magnetic lash on the Internet. OK, or you're selling it in 5000 Wal-Mart stores.
• 42:34
  You know what I mean? The Walmart store is gonna put the word out there. So you have to come in and own the market, not just patent wise, they will get around your patent. And then they'll make it so that it's so expensive. Like let's say L'Oreal and Olaplex, for example. L'Oreal is one of the biggest companies. Olaplex is a hair protector, right? Yeah, yeah, I use it. Okay, so L'Oreal was like,
• 43:03
  Shit, we've been doing this for a minute and we didn't come up with this. Like, shit. So then they have talks with them and they're like, hey, can we get in on this? And the price is high. So they're like, let's just make it ourselves, right? Let's just make it ourselves. How much money can we make on making it ourselves? How much money do we have to pay out if we get sued? The money, you know what?
• 43:34
  Let's get sued. We can make money. Yeah, still looks good. Right? So that's how they're thinking. And so you have to make it where it is so expensive that they won't even want to bother. And so what I did was first came in, owned the marketplace. I did digital marketing that they didn't know how to do.
• 43:59
  Then they came in and tried to mimic our digital marketing style, but they still don't know how to do it. Then what we found out was that they're knocking our lashes off, right? But they don't really know how the lashes are made. They don't really understand it. So their knockoff isn't...
• 44:16
  It's just not the same. But meanwhile, it's like I have already owned the marketplace. So there, you know what I'm saying? When people go lashify, people aren't going, oh, that under lash thing. No, they're like lashify. Oh, yeah, that's a knockoff lash. That's what you want. You know what I mean? So you want to come in and create so much heat. Forget the patent. They know the patent. They know how to get around your patent. You know what I mean?
• 44:41
  Like, yeah, the money game, you know, and it's a you just have to but it's really about I'm the owner of this make the biggest noise and be like, you know, so that was the way that I protected myself. And it worked to some point.
• 44:56
  Yeah, for sure. Gosh, what a crazy journey. It is so crazy. Well, I want to talk about, I was reading in the media about your initiative during the Black Lives Matter movement and how you've started an incubator to look for...
• 45:14
  a black founded business, female founded, and you want to invest a hundred thousand dollars in that. And I want to talk about that because it's just so fucking cool and so awesome. And yeah, I want to know how it's going. Have you found any? Okay. So what's really interesting is that that was also sort of now, remember I told you that these companies monopolize the market and then don't innovate. Now,
• 45:41
  I, okay, so my background is obviously Persian, Middle Eastern. I've always been a very diverse in my life in general. But some of my very, very best friends are in the African-American community. And also, I have naturally really curly hair. So I'm always looking for hair stuff. And like nobody understands hair like the black girls, nobody. And what I noticed also was that that whole market,
• 46:11
  the hair market, the conditioning market, the weave market, all of it is owned not by the black community. And therefore it's not very innovative either. Like I wear weaves. I'm like, why is there no tool that lets me scratch my head? But you know what I mean? There's like, so that actually really bothered me because it's actually the same people that were trying to take my business, you know, own that business.
• 46:41
  So I was like, this is not right, because not only are you not innovating, the options of what you're selling suck. Okay. And you also don't hire people in the community.
• 46:56
  And then I'd like heard some stuff like someone's nail designs had gotten stolen woman of color. Another person's nail designs had gotten stolen woman of color. Like, you know, I might not look like a woman of color, but I'm actually a person of color, you know, and that bothered me. And this is long before this recent movement. So when this came out, when that happened to George Floyd, um,
• 47:25
  I, as a person that's not political and never brings politics into my business, I could not shut up. I was like, I'm sorry. Text to get, you know what I mean? So I started talking about it. And there was like mad mayhem. Like...
• 47:47
  People didn't like, you know, and this was before, like, I had to be like, this is so wrong. Like, so I started talking about it, you know, and it created kind of a drama in our forum because people didn't want me to bring that in. And I said, you know, you guys have...
• 48:04
  I donated money. I gave free memberships to customers during COVID that couldn't pay for their membership. We talked about it. We had a community in our Facebook group where it was a support community. All they did was talk about COVID. And all of a sudden, this happens, and they don't want us to talk about it because it doesn't affect maybe some of them. And I got really mad. I was like, no, we're talking about this. You don't want to be my customer? Then bye, because we're not aligning. Yeah.
• 48:31
  Yeah, it was really good. This is what I support. And this is what I'm about. This is what I'm doing. I don't, I am all about fair. Listen, there was a moment in time where there was people in our group that were making some really anti-Asian comments over the COVID stuff. Like I have no tolerance for it. Like no N-O not happening. You know what I mean? And the same thing. So I was like,
• 48:53
  I, this particular thing, I got really emotional over. And then I saw these companies being like, ooh, Black Lives Matter. And here's 50,000 to the initiative. And here's that. And I was like, okay. So then I know that I have to do something because I, as much, I know I'm an advocate and an ally, but I'm also a big brand now. So I have to do that whole like, oh, we got to look good too. And that bothered me because I felt like it was,
• 49:21
  not organic. And I, I, if I could give $2 million to this, I would, you know what I'm saying? I'd do it in a minute. I, I didn't want to look good for anybody if that makes sense. Like this was something so personal to me that I was like, how do I make a difference? Like, how do I? And then I thought about what all of my friends wanted from me usually was advice. Like there was a, remember I told you, I learned a lot of business from my dad.
• 49:51
  OK, I would hear it. So if your dad or your mom's history is just trying to get by, just trying to survive, the black community has put in majority due to systematic oppression has been.
• 50:10
  in a survival mode, not in a, let me teach you how to do some business hustle. You know what I'm saying? They're like, shit, how are we gonna, how am I not gonna get, how am I gonna get that pay? How am I gonna not, you know what I'm saying? Because it hasn't been fair. So I realized that I need to spread the word of what I learned, I'm gonna teach it to you. And then you can teach it to someone else. And so what I realized is that with some money,
• 50:39
  And then with some great advice, I can make a difference if I make that person promise that they'll do the same for someone else. And we can start creating this, you know. And so that's where it came from. And I also have like a mad interest. And obviously, I'm like looking for the next big hairline, you know. I'm so excited about it. I can't even tell you. Have you had some really cool submissions? Yeah.
• 51:03
  Yeah, there's two companies that I'm going to take on. So one is, she's pretty well known. She's like a, I haven't made the announcement yet, but fantastic makeup artist who, just with a little bit of internet marketing help, packaging help, I'm going to bring their prices down. You know what I mean? So it's just going to, like, for example, like they might be paying like $3.50 for something. I know that I can get it for them for $1.20. Yeah.
• 51:31
  You know what I mean? We're doing like stuff like that. Then there's, then I have another hair brand that has like some of the best formulations I've ever seen. So. How cool. After the announcement, we should put them on the podcast. I would love it. That would be really fun. Okay, let's do it. That'd be super fun. Let's totally do it. Yeah. I'd love it. So amazing. And just so like, so needed. Yeah. Yeah. You have to, you know, um,
• 51:58
  I'm a strong believer, like more than anything in you reap what you sow. And I genuinely in my heart of heart want to see people do well. And I genuinely in my heart of heart, like for example, like care about what my one Gossamer looks like. And I feel that when you put that kind of energy into your product or into the world,
• 52:23
  you will get it back. You know, like people open these little packages up and they say that like their heart flutters and it makes them feel good. And I think it's because I infuse love into it. And so when they open it, they feel it as well. If I infuse like, wow, I can make so much money on my return. Oh my God. They can feel that too. You know what I mean? So I feel like if we just do right by people, when I learn something, I share it.
• 52:48
  I've made so many mistakes. I've really made so many mistakes that like when I told you the part about don't get in business with friends, like that stuff is real. Like if I can share it and it can stop you from from that mistake, then I'm doing a good thing.
• 53:05
  you know, and I think that it is our duty to share information, you know, and to protect everybody else. Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think these podcasts, this is what they do. You, you know, you, for me sharing my story, like, you know, I am, you know, hopefully helping people. I have to tell you this one thing. And I said it the other day, someone said, well, when you say don't do business with friends, why? And I said, and I had to think about it. And I know why, because
• 53:30
  I've had like best friends that have screwed me over, you know? And I realized it's because the energy of survival is stronger than the energy of friendship. Money will make people do things. It doesn't matter how much they love you. If they can't, if they can't, you know what I'm saying? If they're... Yeah. And you see it all the time. You see it in families. Why do families have broken relationships? It's because of money. You can't. And that's the thing is I really, really...
• 53:59
  That was the biggest lesson I learned was money, do not, do not, and read every freaking thing you sign. Let me tell you something also interesting. Like, so I had a call with this one girl that, about her hairline. She goes to me, oh my God, I'm so excited. I will give you every one of our formulations. I'll tell you exactly how it's made. And I wanted to, and I was like, listen, don't.
• 54:30
  Don't. Don't share that. Don't do that. Do you understand that you giving me your formulations means I don't need you at all. Like anybody that you get you, because basically I can pay you a hundred thousand dollars and do right by you, or I could give you nothing and just take it and you'll have no legal reward and not everybody's as nice as me. That's the stuff that we need to put out there.
• 54:59
  Don't give me your information. I hear so many people saying that they got knocked off. They took a meeting. The company went and did that. You know what I'm saying? Like, even like one of my clients told me like Burlington Coat Factory, like she had styles and they went and copied. But you know what I'm saying? Like when it comes to business, like business is all numbers.
• 55:22
  There's very little soul in it. When you can find the soul and balance it with the numbers, that's when you're in the money. That's when you're happy and you're not going to, you know, but it's very shrewd out there. Like it's, um,
• 55:36
  Yeah, it's very shrewd. Yeah, it's dog eat dog. Yeah, especially if you're playing at the level that I'm playing at, which is a much, you know, there's small business level and then there's, okay, I'm going to take over this market level. And then at that level, it gets really, I mean, when I tell you like every move I make, every word I say, everything is different.
• 55:56
  copied, noted, like it's a shady world out there. And I guess I just want, I want other entrepreneurs to sort of be prepared and have a, have a, what's the word? An arsenal, you know? Yeah. Yeah. I actually want to start something also about IP so they understand how IP works because that's a very big question mark for a lot of entrepreneurs.
• 56:19
  How does IT work? Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I can answer. I need to know. I am literally the encyclopedia of IT at this point, okay? Yeah, you need to put that out there. You need to publish whatever you do to publish that kind of thing. That sounds awesome. I really think I'm going to because I had to literally teach myself patents to understand what my lawyers were even doing and how to instruct my lawyers to do the right thing.
• 56:44
  Because what happens is you come in, you don't know anything about accounting. You don't know anything about patents. You don't know anything about production. You rely on all of these people. And if shit goes wrong, you are absolutely screwed because you didn't know anything to begin with. No, you have to teach yourself. You have to know what other guys you can't run a company. Otherwise, you're just paying people to run your company for you. You know what I mean? Yeah, for sure. It's a lot of Googling.
• 57:11
  that's what it is right teaching yourself on google um i feel like you've shared so much amazing um advice already in this podcast but i want to specifically ask you what is your top piece of advice for women who have a big idea or who want to start a business don't get a business aside
• 57:33
  That's because they will, because they will, because that's the first thing they'll do. They'll feel that because what happens is when you have an idea and you're brand new, you need a support system. You need a support system that's going to tell you that you're going to be amazing. And it makes sense to have a friend. It's like, oh my God, this is going to be so great. We're going to do it together. Yes. It's really fun to talk about how rich you're going to be. It's not that fun to try to work together that rich. Don't do business with friends.
• 57:59
  hire professionals or, you know, get someone that you don't have like a personal thing with. That's the second thing is do most everything yourself. So don't feel like you need to hire a social media manager. Don't feel like you need to hire a videographer. Don't feel like you need to hire a, you know, anything that you can do yourself, do yourself. Why? It teaches you about it. You also save money.
• 58:27
  So yeah, bootstrap. Right. If you, that's what I'm saying. Like I have hired five social media managers. None of them do it as well as I do. Not literally. They're like none of them because, because I taught myself. And so you want to be the expert at everything in your business. Like, and I say this to my company, like, like how are you going to be the chief manager?
• 58:47
  officer of anything unless you're the master of all of it you know what i'm saying like you need to know like if you come in right now and ask me about some production thing or some like engineering thing i can tell you in two seconds like oh they're using 0.07 they're they're heating it at 272 degrees and i have to know that otherwise
• 59:08
  You know, you hear all these stories about like people getting taken advantage of by their business managers and their this and that. It's because their eyes aren't open. And so what I found is in the first year of this business, I did a lot of closing my eyes and I got really screwed. Like thinking a lot of people are going to save me. Oh, I'm going to hire this guy. He's totally going to make everything better.
• 59:28
  People will sell themselves to you. And also remember that every time when you get in business and you have something hot, everybody will try to make it seem like their job is really, really, really, really, really important. And if you really, really, really need them. And most of the time you really, really, really don't.
• 59:47
  So that was a common thing. I heard like constantly I would hear, they'd be like, oh, you know, if you don't have someone that's gonna handle your supply chain, you're just gonna be screwed. Then you need someone to deal with your payment processing and payment processing is very, very, very complicated. Payment processing is. So this guy was telling me this, he's asking for like 200 grand a year. He's like, payment processing. So, and then I was like, wait, payment processing? Payment processing. I thought about it for a minute and I'm like,
• 1:00:15
  PayPal's a payment processor. How fucking complicated is it? And then I was like, he's like, oh, payment processing, credit card. And then I was like, wait, Shopify does that for you. Wait, that's why there's Stripe. So then I realized, oh shit, this guy's like totally full of shit. But like, it took me a minute. I needed to hear that word because he sounded really good until he said payment processing.
• 1:00:41
  Because I was doing e-commerce for years and years before, I knew that payment processing wasn't that big of a deal. Does that make sense? So people will always try to sort of make you feel like you don't know anything and you need to pay them a lot of money. You don't. 100%. Great advice to finish on. Yeah. I have so many more. I'm sorry. Did I talk too long and go on and on on my... No. We've still got the six quick questions to go, and it's key that we do them. You ready to do it?
• 1:01:10
  Yeah. Okay, great. Number one, what's your why? What's my why? Why not? I always try to do what I can't do. Love that. Love a good challenge. I always try to do what I can't do. My why. Yeah. Why not? Don't tell me no. Nice. Number two is what do you think the number one marketing moment is that's made your business pop? Yeah.
• 1:01:40
  I don't really want to say this, but I kind of have to. Okay. Well, when I first started Lashify and I told you, I was very clueless as to what the marketplace was. And I kept getting all these messages saying that I should give it to like these influencers. And this one name came up and the guy's name was Manny M-U-A.
• 1:02:07
  And so I was like, oh, he's an MUA. This is great. And so I sent, I messaged him. Like, I was like, hey, brand new. No one's ever seen this product. I don't work with influencers, but I heard you're a makeup artist. You're big. I'd love for you to try my product and tell me what you think. He totally ignored it and went and bought the product and set me up to, like, to get a bunch of clicks and, like, thrash the product, right, and said that it sucked and it was terrible.
• 1:02:37
  And I was like, I like devastated. He had 5 million followers. I had just, I hadn't even launched. I hadn't literally, I had like not even officially launched. We soft launched in January. It was March.
• 1:02:58
  Nobody had ever seen this part. He thrashed my product, said it sucked, threw it across the room, said that they said a really bad word, said they weren't C-U-N-T-Y enough. And I was like...
• 1:03:11
  And I was really offended. And so I was like, well, not everybody wants to look like a drag queen. And then all of a sudden, everyone came and attacked me. And then I was doing a live with like 10 women. Because I only had 10 customers at the time. And they're like, well, why don't you think he liked it? And I said, I don't know. Maybe because he's a dude. Maybe he's a guy. He doesn't understand what we go through. And he took that comment and he turned that into a...
• 1:03:34
  some whole other thing. And literally next thing you know, we are all over the allure, every magazine. And they're like, CEO of Rushify calls out Manny on UA. And I'm like,
• 1:03:52
  Yo, we're not eat. I'm literally in my house. I have two employees. I'm not, I'm the CEO of my bulldog and my coach on the Tuliar. Okay. Like, what are you talking about? They turned me into a massive company in order to create a story. They changed the narrative. Next thing you know, everyone's like, oh yeah, Lashify. Oh yeah, the CEO of Lashify. CEO of Lashify. She's so unprofessional. And I was like,
• 1:04:22
  I just got here! I just got here! So while I thought it was the worst thing that ever happened to me, because it really mentally, it did a lot. Like the whole cancel thing was really crazy. Like it really tried to cancel me. And clearly it didn't work because, you know, I had a good product, but it was really traumatizing, but it made us incredibly well known. And it took us from obscurity to...
• 1:04:46
  I don't know, like infamy. Literally everyone knew about you. Everyone would have known. Right, and everyone knew about me. And I was sort of in denial that they believed all the rumors about me. And then another YouTuber named Wayne Doss came out and he bought the product himself and he tried it. And he contacted me and he was like, this is the most incredible thing I've ever used. He's like, my mind is blown.
• 1:05:13
  And I was like, Oh my God, I would love to send you stuff. He goes, no, don't send me anything. I'd like to buy it myself. And I was like, okay. And by the way, this guy has like an angelic vibe about him. Wayne Goss, you have to look him up. He's incredible. And, um, next thing you know, he does a video about it. And he was like, you guys, this is the greatest thing in the world. And he totally changed the narrative and it made people look at the other guy and go, well, why did you say it was terrible?
• 1:05:44
  You know what I mean? And then all of a sudden people started realizing, you know, because just before we get caught, you know, when I started, it was all about influencers. Like that's who you were going to pay. And I wish you to do it. I was like, my product is the influencer. And I don't have the money to pay them. I don't want to. If a product is good enough, you shouldn't need an influencer to push it. That was my theory.
• 1:06:09
  So a lot of companies put their bread and butter into influencers. They made millions of dollars on the influencers, but once the influencers lost their power, so did the company. So instead of investing into creating a relationship with the customer, they, they paid the influencer to take their customer, but the customer was never loyal to the brand. They were loyal to the influencer who they're not even that loyal to anyway. So it's just sort of a.
• 1:06:35
  a very slipper, it's not a strong foundation. I didn't believe in it, just like I didn't believe in going into retail. You know, for me, it was like direct to consumer. Why would I not, why would I ever go into retail? With Facebook and Instagram, I can access more people than Sephora ever can, okay? Why am I gonna give 50 to 60% of my revenue to them when I could take 20% of my revenue and use it on ads?
• 1:07:03
  You know, what was my question that I jumped off to that? I totally. What made your business pop? And, you know, this crazy thing that happened to you? Yeah. Get in big trouble. Say something totally offensive. Insult the shit out of people. And you'll be all over the magazine. You might have to get on antidepressants for a while, but...
• 1:07:23
  It's just crazy. I mean, for you, it's hard because, like, obviously, in hindsight, you're like, yeah, okay, this awful thing actually turned out to be silver lining, a really good thing. But, like, you can't obviously ever predict these things or do those things on purpose. So it's just such a crazy story for you. Yeah, on an emotional level, it was the worst thing that ever happened to me because it wasn't true. It's like I'm a big mouse. Like, I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I'm that girl that will, like, talk back. But they, you know, they...
• 1:07:52
  You know, there's like these channels in the YouTube community that make money off of creating problems. Because they, you know what I mean? They make money on AdSense and hits. On the drama. Yeah. So they create this drama. What they don't realize is that while it's all fun and games, they're actually affecting people's real lives. Because like for a person that's not homophobic or not, it's actually very liberal and open-minded to be called that. It's like...
• 1:08:21
  You don't even know. Like, I had, like, legal teams, publicity teams. Like, this is what you need to do. I was brand new, but I'm like, shit. And they were like, you just got a gift to fall on the sword, get to apologize. I said, I can't. I can't apologize. They're like, no, no, no. And I'm like, I cannot apologize for something that wasn't said the way it was said. Do you know what I'm saying? Like, I cannot...
• 1:08:47
  be attacked for calling this guy a dude when he's not trans. He's not, he identifies as a man. Why I didn't do anything wrong. What he did was try to create teeth. And that's what he really did. He knows I didn't do anything that he knows what he did, but it's like, and so then these guys come in and they use their platform and
• 1:09:09
  And, you know, that particular guy started his own brand. He made a palette that he claims he put his life's work into. Well, can you imagine? I invented this out of nowhere. It's not a palette that was made before. I didn't choose colors. I literally worked on this for three years. And with one video, you're trying to ruin my life. Like, why? Why didn't you just respond to me and say, hey, yeah, I'd like to hear. But was it because I didn't give you? Like, what's the deal? You know what I mean? So that was really...
• 1:09:38
  After that, I never, ever, ever, ever, ever worked with influencers ever, ever, ever, with the exception of just weighing off. And then like, like meeting the beauty guru people won't touch it, won't go near it. No way. You know, because I'm all about authenticity and transparency and keeping it real with the people. And I don't believe that that whole world is connected to me.
• 1:10:06
  Yeah, and I mean, being cyberbullied leaves a pretty bad taste in your mouth where you're like, you can see how things can blow up and blow up so quickly where you're just like, wait a second, what? Do you realize that not only was I cyberbullied, they crank called me. They crank called me. They literally crank called me. Like thinking I wouldn't know, like really immature, really terrible, like really horrible. I was brand new. I'd never, I mean...
• 1:10:36
  Like I had been in a bubble, you know, of innovation. Like I didn't know that like calling someone a dude was a fence. I really honestly had no idea. Like I didn't know that to me, um,
• 1:10:48
  Yeah. I didn't know it was a fan. I didn't understand it. Like I, you really can't say anything anymore. You know what I mean? But I didn't, I still don't think it was someone. There's one person that explained it to me where I got it, which is a friend of mine and she's Laganja Strangia who was on drag race. And his name is also Jay Jackson. And I said to him, I was like, can you explain? Cause I really, I like to learn I'm a person that wants to grow. And he said, yeah,
• 1:11:14
  The only thing that's like slightly that he could have been offended by, he's like, he said, as a gay man, I like, I love my femininity. You know what I mean? And so maybe if someone's like, well, you're a dude, you know what I mean? And you could take it insultingly. He's like, but, you know, it was something he tried to turn it into something. But it was really, when I tell you, it was the worst thing that ever happened to me, for real.
• 1:11:37
  Yeah, it sounds like a really shit time. I'm really sorry to hear that story. Thank you. But that's why I'm also really against cyberbullying because it really does. It's like, you know, they're doing it right now. They do it to everybody. And it's just like, why? Why can't we just do our business in peace without, like, you trying to, like, turn some weird narrative to make money on your weird video? You know? It sucks. 100%. Yeah. 100%.
• 1:12:01
  Wow. The internet can be a really tricky place, that's for sure. Oh, I haven't dealt with anything like that on the internet. It was crazy. Definitely nothing like that. Crazy. Yeah, what else? Yeah. Question number three. Where do you hang out to get smarter? On the internet. Literally. Same. Start smarter and stupider, though. I get, like, really smart, and then I go on Twitter and read something really stupid, and then I get stupider, and then I get smarter. Yeah.
• 1:12:29
  Yeah. I love that information. I'm junkie. I'm like literally an encyclopedia of information. I like to just absorb, absorb, absorb, absorb. Absolutely. I love that question. Number four is how do you win the day? And that's around your like AM and PM rituals that keep you feeling happy, successful, productive. You're going to think this is really funny doing my life.
• 1:12:59
  my lives with my customers. They keep me grounded. They keep me humble. You know what I mean? It's funny because you would think my mind, like I'd get all like, oh my God, no, no. My, I'm a Gemini, okay? So I don't know if you're into astrology. I'm a Gemini, I'm very, I get bored of things. I'll be like, eh.
• 1:13:28
  you know, onto the next. These women, majority, these women are so inspiring and grounding. And when I feel sometimes like the world is coming after me, I can feel it like energetically. They sense it too. And it's like, they sense when I'm stressed or it's so weird, but they're like connected with me. So I go on the live, I turn on the music and I just like,
• 1:13:58
  check in, if that makes sense. I'm telling you, it's like, this is a very personal thing for me. Like, I love these people. Like, these people have, you know, my whole life I've been like an inventor and I've kind of been out there and like no one's ever totally understood me, but like they understand me. Like they get that I'm a little bit of, you know, and I feel the amount of support that I feel from them just makes me want to continuously do right by them.
• 1:14:26
  continuously make better products, continuously, you know, share, et cetera. Show up for them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It has to be. It's all energy. It's like you have to make better energy in life. If you're not making better energy, you're not doing it right, you know? Yeah, for sure. For sure. I love it. I love it. Question number five is if you only had $1,000 left in your business bank account, where would you spend it?
• 1:14:56
  product, product, you don't have the product to, you don't have anything to sell. So even if you were going to say, well, unless if you don't have any product, I mean, if you have shit loads of products and you're going to put it in marketing, but first and foremost product you want also, and this is really important. You want to always leave yourself very healthy margins. Don't come in and say, okay, well I'm going to make this for $1 and then I'm going to sell it for two.
• 1:15:25
  Don't think that way. Think I'm going to make it for one cent and I'm going to sell it for two. That way you've got a lot of room. Otherwise you're going to work on really low margins. When you work with really, really low margins, it's just not fun. Can't protect yourself. You know, a lot of people say for us, uh, why is it last by cheaper? It could be cheaper. And I'm like, yo, give it a minute because first you need to build the high end ramp.
• 1:15:51
  You need to put everything in place. You need to pay for the lab testing, the legal stuff. You need to do it right. Then when you pay off your investors, you can come in and drop the price. That's why everybody eventually comes in with a lower price model. Then it makes sense. But yeah, put your money towards product. Amazing. And question number six, last one is how do you deal with failure? I don't.
• 1:16:22
  Okay, so here's the thing with failure. If you're failing, the universe is telling you something. You're not on the right track, you know? I was a very, very good actress. I was really funny. And I had a natural ability to read lines, but it was uphill, man. It was like consistently...
• 1:16:48
  there was an uphillness to it. So then I was like, so then I started writing and all of a sudden there was this, like smooth. Right. And I was like, okay, I'm on the right track. I'm on the right track. And then, and then something happened. And I realized it was always one person that could get in the way of my future in the studio. Like someone be in a bad mood. No, we're not going to hire her. So those were failures. Right. So then I realized, um,
• 1:17:19
  I'm not on the right track because I keep meeting, like I went this far, but now it's stopping. So it's like when you're in a bumper car and you're like, eh, eh, eh, eh, trying to get, go forward, that's failure. So you turn, you have to turn. It's never failure. It's a lesson. It's teaching you something.
• 1:17:42
  So now I don't fail everything that I put my mind to because I go with the motion of the ocean. Like, listen, we have a lot of lash technicians that have been really mad that I invented lashes by. A lot of people have sent messages like, what are you trying to do? You're trying to put us out of business. You're trying to. And I said, stop this way that you're thinking.
• 1:18:04
  It's either all or nothing. I said, always move with the times. If you see that another product comes in, you become an educator with that product. You sell that product. You bring that product into your business so that the people that have allergies and can't use lash extensions anymore, guess what? You just didn't lose them. You kept them, right? The people that don't have lashes and can't, you know what I mean? You have to open your mind, expand yourself. Nothing is failure. It's a lesson.
• 1:18:31
  Right. It's always a lesson. Like I hired, you know, listen, I, I started a business with my friend. I had to pay her. I had to give her a bunch of equity and probably have to pay her a ton of money to get her out. Is that failure? No, I learned you never again, never again. Got it. You know, a lot of people harp on like not doing things right. And they, they are mad at themselves for it. So like,
• 1:18:59
  I was always mad at myself because I wasn't more successful when I was like 30. Right. And what I realized is that the universe was preparing me.
• 1:19:09
  to be successful. And so I tortured myself. I'm not good enough. I'm not doing this. Oh my God. I'm not married. I'm not making, Oh my God, look at all these people are doing so much. And I'm just, I'm not that. And I tortured myself consistently feeling bad, this, that and the other. And today I look and I think, I wish I didn't torture myself because literally the universe was preparing me for every single thing that I'm going through now. It's never failure. You know,
• 1:19:34
  Yeah. I love that. Hey, I just want to say this has been by far the best podcast I've ever had. I absolutely love you. You are so fun. You're so real. You have a really, really good energy. I would love to talk to you again. I can tell you're very, you know.
• 1:19:49
  very thank you and I really love that you're you know wanting to you know when you do a podcast you're wanting to inform and help and yeah I mean I want to learn I want to learn from women who are successful and from women who are doing these crazy things so I can pick up other things and like I can understand better so that
• 1:20:11
  when I move forward with this business, I can take these levels on. I can share it to other women who are also like stuck or need guidance early on. We need the tools. This is what I'm saying. When I started, I had no idea what I was doing. I was like, I mean, for me, when I found out what a CAD design was, like my mind exploded. You know what I mean? Why isn't there just like a little book that says, okay, listen, if you have a beauty idea, this is how you have to start. Okay, listen, you have to get your patent in here and you have to get it in there.
• 1:20:40
  It is important to me that we set people up for success. We as females are not set up for success. I am telling you, as a female innovator, entrepreneur, I am a pretty savvy bitch, okay? And it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life that I am afraid for anybody in front of me because they will get eaten alive. So I told my attorney this,
• 1:21:09
  You know, let me say this. I've hired one of the best legal teams. If I had a board of directors, my board of directors would say, are you crazy? You're stuck way too much money. I don't have a board of directors. I don't care how much money it is. We have to make a change. We have to not let them keep stealing from us. So if that means I have to put a chunk of my money into that, whatever. Okay, it's not about money. Don't steal from us.
• 1:21:37
  Don't do it. Stop disrespecting us. You know what I'm saying? I created something brilliant. I am a woman because I use it. So if it's only these guys in conference rooms trying to come, like, you know what I'm saying? Because they want to know. No, this is our space. Just like when we talked about the black hair, the black beauty brands, that hair business, that's their space. 100%. And this is the time. The world is changing now.
• 1:22:07
  everyone's standing up. So when you said like, what's with the, um, hundred thing, when that, when the George Floyd movement, when I was, I was like, yes, let's go. This is the time. Do you know what I'm saying? I was like, I'm going to bring in a brand. I'm going to do it. I'm going to help them. And then all of a sudden, and I really, I wanted to see other people do it too. And then some other companies started. Great. Let's change it. Let's change it. Let's,
• 1:22:28
  Put our money where our mouths are. Let's be good people. Like, honest to God, the fact that there are companies that every photo is diverse. There's an Asian girl. There's a Latin girl. There's a black girl. There's a Middle Eastern girl. And then they don't have one person of color. It's their entire staff. That's a ruse. That's a lie. Let's just call it what it is. You know what I mean? A hundred percent. Yeah. Me being a person that's deep into the beauty business.
• 1:22:59
  I want to bring some kind of transparency to business. Like I want to be like, yeah, we're not going to do that. You know? So I'm not saying you can't make money. Everybody should make money. But you make money off your innovation. You make money off your creativity. You don't make money off of just copying someone. That's the reason the USTPO exists, by the way. It exists to promote innovation.
• 1:23:22
  And because what they don't want is that people just keep making the same thing over and over again. They want you to invent stuff, you know, and so they give you patents. And change the world. Yeah. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so, so, so much. I have just absolutely loved meeting you. Thank you so much for having me.
• 1:23:45
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 1:24:10
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 1:24:32
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that.
• 1:24:49
  Hey, it's June here. Thanks for listening to this amazing episode of the Female Startup Club podcast. If you're a fan of the show and want even more of the good stuff, I'd recommend checking out femalestartupclub.com where you can subscribe to our free newsletter. We send it out weekly covering female founder business news, insights and learnings in D2C, and interesting business resources.
• 1:25:14
  And if you're a founder building an e-commerce brand, you can join our private network of entrepreneurs called Hype Club at femalestartupclub.com forward slash Hype Club. We have guests from the show joining us for intimate Ask Me Anythings, expert workshops, and a group of totally amazing, like-minded women building the future of D2C brands.
• 1:25:36
  As always, please do subscribe, rate and review the show and post your favorite episodes to Instagram stories. I am beyond grateful when you do that.