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[00:01:30.160 --> 00:01:34.160] It's no longer acceptable to allow us to be an afterthought.
[00:01:34.160 --> 00:01:36.240] Black women deserve options.
[00:01:36.240 --> 00:01:48.960] And what for me, I wanted to be the catalyst that creates a playing field that's so elevated that now everyone else has to come up to your level because we're no longer accepting anything less.
[00:01:49.600 --> 00:01:58.320] You're listening to Side Hustle Pro, the podcast that teaches you to build and grow your side hustle from passion project to profitable business.
[00:01:58.320 --> 00:02:01.240] And I'm your host, Nikayla Matthews Okome.
[00:02:01.240 --> 00:02:03.080] So let's get started.
[00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:05.560] Hey, friends.
[00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:07.160] Hey, welcome, welcome back to the show.
[00:02:07.160 --> 00:02:08.200] It's Nikayla here.
[00:02:08.200 --> 00:02:13.640] And today in the guest chair, I have Tisha Thompson, the founder of LYS Beauty.
[00:02:13.640 --> 00:02:17.400] Tisha is a disruptor, redefining clean beauty.
[00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:30.920] With over 25 years of experience as a makeup artist, beauty executive, and product developer, she launched LYS in 2001 to challenge industry norms, proving that clean, high-performance, and inclusive beauty can coexist.
[00:02:30.920 --> 00:02:45.160] As the first black-owned clean makeup brand at Sephora, LYS has expanded globally with viral bestsellers like the No Limits Cream Bronzer Stick and Triple Fix Serum Foundation, earning Allure Best of Beauty awards.
[00:02:45.160 --> 00:02:57.400] A passionate speaker and educator, Tisha is committed to making beauty more accessible and ensuring everyone feels seen, securing her spot to Inc.'s 2022 Female Founders 100 list.
[00:02:57.400 --> 00:03:03.160] I can't wait for you to hear this conversation and be inspired to side hustle in a different way.
[00:03:03.160 --> 00:03:05.080] Let's get right into it.
[00:03:07.640 --> 00:03:08.760] All right, Tisha.
[00:03:08.760 --> 00:03:11.080] So welcome, welcome to the guest chair.
[00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:11.960] Hi, how are you?
[00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:13.400] Thanks for having me.
[00:03:13.720 --> 00:03:15.400] Oh, thank you for being here.
[00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:22.520] I'm so excited to learn more about your journey and how you came to be founder and CEO of LYS Beauty.
[00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:24.760] So tell us, how did you get your start?
[00:03:24.760 --> 00:03:26.680] What was your original career path?
[00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:29.800] So I went to college actually for business and finance.
[00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:34.360] I was a staff accountant as my full-time job, but I was a makeup artist on the side.
[00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:35.720] That's what I enjoyed doing.
[00:03:35.720 --> 00:03:37.240] It was my passion.
[00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:38.760] It's what I thought I wanted to do.
[00:03:38.760 --> 00:03:43.080] But I had military parents who are really strict and they're like, you're going to go to college.
[00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:44.520] You're going to get a real job.
[00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:46.640] You're not going to be a starving makeup artist.
[00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:57.360] And this was back before, you know, really the glorification of makeup artistry and entrepreneurship and beauty was really a big mainstream thing.
[00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:09.120] So that vision just wasn't there, which we can talk about that in a little bit of the importance of representation because those kind of can really shape the direction that we advise our kids to go in.
[00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:15.680] But I did the makeup as a side hustle and fostered my business skills.
[00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:23.760] And I actually got into makeup in terms of the corporate side through that finance position.
[00:04:23.760 --> 00:04:28.400] I actually ended up working at a beauty brand doing their accounting.
[00:04:28.400 --> 00:04:46.160] And so I always tell young people that I mentor: if you are looking to make a shift or a change, sometimes a way in the door could be making that shift in your current role or your current job position, but into a company that does similar elements of what you want to do.
[00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.400] And then maybe you can kind of backdoor it that way.
[00:04:48.400 --> 00:04:52.080] But I don't think that that was initially my intention out of the gate.
[00:04:52.080 --> 00:04:57.120] I think when I actually took that job, it was a greater conglomerate of a company.
[00:04:57.120 --> 00:04:59.600] So they had multiple different things, not just beauty brands.
[00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:03.120] So I didn't even realize they even had beauty brands until I actually started there.
[00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:05.840] And so my first day, which brand was this?
[00:05:06.080 --> 00:05:08.960] This brand was called Pure Cosmetics.
[00:05:08.960 --> 00:05:09.360] Okay.
[00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:15.520] And when I first started, you know, I walked through and, you know, there were multiple things in the lobby.
[00:05:15.520 --> 00:05:17.440] And I noticed the beauty brands.
[00:05:17.440 --> 00:05:21.280] And I was like, oh, you know, this is a really great opportunity.
[00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:25.600] Can, you know, is there any way I could maybe, you know, connect with the marketing team?
[00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.960] And I think the HR lady was in our mind, like, listen, you got this accounting job.
[00:05:29.960 --> 00:05:32.440] Do what you're supposed to do.
[00:05:33.080 --> 00:05:33.560] Okay.
[00:05:33.880 --> 00:05:34.200] Yeah.
[00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:36.840] So, but I kind of stalked them for like 18 months.
[00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:43.080] And then eventually someone didn't show up for an event that they had as a makeup artist.
[00:05:43.080 --> 00:05:44.440] And they were kind of scrambling.
[00:05:44.440 --> 00:05:48.520] And I kind of stepped in and they were like, oh, the accountant actually does know how to do makeup.
[00:05:48.520 --> 00:05:52.520] And they were like, oh, you know, so I think they were a little pleasantly surprised.
[00:05:52.520 --> 00:05:55.560] And they're like, maybe, you know, we should consider.
[00:05:55.560 --> 00:06:08.200] And I think what was really cool is I really pushed the envelope in the realm of diversity for that brand because it wasn't necessarily always, you know, the most diverse in product assortment at that time.
[00:06:08.200 --> 00:06:14.760] And so I think me really, you know, helping be a catalyst to push to say, hey, you know, you guys need better shades from me.
[00:06:14.840 --> 00:06:17.400] You need better shapes from my family and my friends.
[00:06:17.400 --> 00:06:23.480] And I think that that insight led them to be like, you know, I think she would be a really great fit on our team.
[00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:35.160] And so when an opportunity came up for a marketing coordinator position, I made the decision to take a demotion, step down from my finance role and really kind of get on track.
[00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:37.800] And it was this kind of foot in that door.
[00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:39.080] Yeah, it was a mindset.
[00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:45.720] Sometimes it's okay to take one step back to go 10 steps forward.
[00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.600] And that was essentially the decision I made.
[00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:54.360] It was the best decision I ever made because within five years, I was kind of running the entire brand.
[00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:58.360] And I actually spent 15 years there.
[00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:00.280] And I left really running.
[00:07:00.520 --> 00:07:03.960] I was the senior VP, kind of GM in the entire brand.
[00:07:03.960 --> 00:07:07.800] So I kind of was a big catalyst for seven of the years.
[00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:11.480] I owned product development fully.
[00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:21.760] And so a lot of autonomy and decision making on what products went into market and just learning so much from the chemistry and regulatory side.
[00:07:21.760 --> 00:07:29.280] And I just took the opportunity to almost take the two decades and like just foster and learn and be a sponge.
[00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:35.920] And that essentially one day was where I felt like, okay, I've done the boot camp.
[00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:37.360] I've taken the masterclass.
[00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:38.400] I know what to do.
[00:07:38.400 --> 00:07:40.800] I can now go and do this for myself.
[00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:46.480] And that is a major decision to take the leap and become an entrepreneur.
[00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:51.760] Before we get there, though, I want, because you said something, and I don't want to gloss over this.
[00:07:51.760 --> 00:07:54.960] You did two things that are really unique.
[00:07:54.960 --> 00:08:00.240] You decided, hey, I don't really want to do this accounting thing.
[00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:05.520] Why don't I try to work in the kind of industry I want to work in?
[00:08:05.520 --> 00:08:08.640] But I know my foot in the door is to still do accounting.
[00:08:08.640 --> 00:08:09.840] And I think that's so smart.
[00:08:09.840 --> 00:08:15.200] And that's a tip that many people listening and viewing can take, right?
[00:08:15.520 --> 00:08:23.200] It might take you a while to pivot into this industry, but what can you use in what you've already been doing in an industry you want to pivot out of?
[00:08:23.200 --> 00:08:25.920] So I know so many attorneys who hate big law.
[00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:35.520] And so they eventually, you know, they go in-house somewhere they really like, like a major streaming company, like a Netflix, or even I've seen people at Chanel and in my network and all these things.
[00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:37.760] I'm like, and I just feel like that's so smart.
[00:08:37.760 --> 00:08:43.440] I know you care more about or enjoy that industry a lot more than where you were.
[00:08:43.760 --> 00:08:50.760] So, but then being able to then move positions out of accounting into the marketing and beauty space.
[00:08:50.640 --> 00:08:53.040] Now, now that is much harder.
[00:08:53.040 --> 00:09:00.600] And you kept it real and saying you had to take a demotion, but you, you said you took one step back to take 10 steps forward.
[00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:02.440] But did you know it was going to be forward?
[00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:05.800] Like a lot of people are like, it's going to take me 10 years to take those 10 steps.
[00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:07.320] I don't want to do that, Nikayla.
[00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.520] So, what was your mindset when you took that demotion?
[00:09:10.520 --> 00:09:15.880] You know, I think for me, it was just kind of trusting in the value that I know that I would bring.
[00:09:15.880 --> 00:09:24.680] And I think sometimes we, you know, don't have the confidence and we kind of live in fear and realizing, okay, you know, if I do this, it may not work out.
[00:09:24.680 --> 00:09:27.000] But, you know, if you do this, it may work out.
[00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:28.520] So it's really a mindset shift.
[00:09:28.520 --> 00:09:33.800] And I think we have to remember that we have to bet on us before we can expect anyone else to bet on us.
[00:09:33.800 --> 00:09:43.640] And so you just have to have that confidence and know, listen, what I'm about to do and bring is going to blow their mind that I know I'm going to be running the place by the end of the day.
[00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:48.840] And I think that, you know, that ultimate confidence makes a huge difference.
[00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:50.280] And that's where it landed.
[00:09:50.280 --> 00:09:55.640] And I think we have to just kind of believe in ourselves in order to make some of these tough decisions.
[00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:06.120] At what point did you start to think about starting your own beauty brand?
[00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:12.040] So for me, you know, it's always something as a once you really get into development and creating product.
[00:10:12.040 --> 00:10:15.960] I do think, you know, most people that I talk to tend to get that itch.
[00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:30.760] Most developers and people are very innovative who really have that mindset of creation and always like ideating and really like trailblazing and seeing, you know, and identifying new things and being able to develop them and bring them to market.
[00:10:30.760 --> 00:10:37.160] We usually tend to at some point get that itch to say, you know, I want to, I want to launch this for myself or I want to do this for myself.
[00:10:37.160 --> 00:10:44.520] And I see a lot of people that I talk to, that's kind of when it kind of starts to foster.
[00:10:44.520 --> 00:10:48.640] I think because when I was a makeup artist, I never wanted to have my own brand.
[00:10:48.720 --> 00:11:05.120] It never really crossed my mind, but it was when I really started making products and getting involved and being a catalyst of what got into the market and really knowing that I can affect change of what was being put in the market and making products more clean and just developing things for the community.
[00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:07.360] It started to kind of sit with me.
[00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:10.640] But I think what was the challenge is a couple of things.
[00:11:10.640 --> 00:11:19.040] One, you know, I had enough insight having the financial acumen and really starting to run a business to know it was really expensive.
[00:11:19.040 --> 00:11:27.600] And so even though I could maybe start something, scaling it and taking it into retail or making it a nationwide brand costs millions of dollars.
[00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:31.600] And I don't come from money and I don't have a rich uncle that I could reach out to.
[00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:40.640] So for me, it was a lack of foresight in this, in the fact that it probably would be a very long and very difficult road.
[00:11:40.640 --> 00:11:48.080] And I have a very nice, comfortable job making really good money as an executive that takes me all around the world.
[00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.920] Why do I need to even go deal with those struggles?
[00:11:51.920 --> 00:11:53.840] And so I kind of dealt with that.
[00:11:53.840 --> 00:12:02.480] I also kind of dealt a little bit with not seeing a lot of black women as founders taking up space.
[00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:20.480] You know, there were a few brands that kind of were kind of in existence, but very, very few that had any sort of retail presence that I had experience in, which would be the Ulta and the Sephora realm, which we call specialty retail.
[00:12:20.800 --> 00:12:23.920] And what year was that when you were feeling this way?
[00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:30.000] Between 2017 and 2019, I think is when those emotions were really kicking in.
[00:12:30.760 --> 00:12:36.520] And it didn't really kick off until 2019 when unfortunately I lost my dad.
[00:12:36.760 --> 00:12:38.280] And it was very unexpected.
[00:12:38.280 --> 00:12:47.800] And I think that emotional travesty in that situation essentially is what was the catalyst for me to say, life is short.
[00:12:47.800 --> 00:12:49.080] YOLO.
[00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:51.880] You know, you can't keep making excuses.
[00:12:51.880 --> 00:12:55.080] If this is something you want to do, you have to do it.
[00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:59.480] And you kind of know and kind of get a feel for what you think your purpose is.
[00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:04.760] If it's something that you can just continuously feel pulling you, but you're pulling against it.
[00:13:04.760 --> 00:13:09.080] Like, you know, like we've kind of, most of us have kind of been there where we know that struggle.
[00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:18.120] Like we know what we're called to do, but we're being stubborn and we're not doing it because it's not comfortable or it's, you know, we want to take the path of least resistance.
[00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:24.680] And so when I lost him, I think that was that swift kick for me in the butt that said, you know, life is short.
[00:13:24.680 --> 00:13:36.360] And so thankfully he left me a little bit of money and not a lot, but enough to where I felt comfortable making the decision to say, you know, and I also have a very supportive husband.
[00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:39.320] And we always use the statement of burn the boats.
[00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:44.600] And for us, it was like, take the leap, just do it.
[00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:48.280] We will figure it out however and whatever happens.
[00:13:48.280 --> 00:13:55.800] Because I was like, listen, we could do some repairs on the house and we could, you know, do this and I can get a nice truck and like all these things.
[00:13:55.800 --> 00:14:07.560] And I'm like, or I can plant and sow this seed that could create a legacy for many generations in my life, in my family's life to come.
[00:14:07.880 --> 00:14:10.120] And that's kind of the decision we took.
[00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:13.160] And I immediately were like all in.
[00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:15.840] And that was like the early part of 2019.
[00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:19.120] I went into full entrepreneur mode.
[00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:23.360] I'm sure your dad is happy with the decision you've made.
[00:14:23.920 --> 00:14:24.480] Yeah.
[00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:26.480] Yeah, that's what I wanted you to do.
[00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:27.280] I hope so.
[00:14:27.280 --> 00:14:28.000] I hope so.
[00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:33.280] I function every day with that goal of just continuing to make him proud.
[00:14:33.280 --> 00:14:34.160] Yes.
[00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:40.400] And thank you for also touching on what's real about the funding aspect of entrepreneurship.
[00:14:40.400 --> 00:14:47.360] It's like if you don't come from money or a rich uncle, you got to get creative and figure out how am I going to tap my network?
[00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:48.800] When am I going to tap them?
[00:14:48.800 --> 00:14:51.760] What resources will actually be put into it?
[00:14:51.760 --> 00:14:52.560] Is it going to be my own?
[00:14:52.560 --> 00:14:58.880] And before this tragic event happened, you know, you weren't even thinking that you could do this in the same way, right?
[00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:03.520] You would have approached it completely differently because money and capital is real.
[00:15:03.680 --> 00:15:05.920] You know, what you need to invest is real.
[00:15:05.920 --> 00:15:09.200] So when you say you used it for that, what did that look like?
[00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:10.800] What were those early investments?
[00:15:10.800 --> 00:15:13.200] How much did it cost to really get set up?
[00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:21.440] Yeah, I always, it's such an interesting thing because it really depends on how big or how small you start.
[00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:26.560] You know, I kind of started immediately, you know, to back up a little bit.
[00:15:26.560 --> 00:15:29.920] You know, I originally thought it was just going to be a D2C brand.
[00:15:29.920 --> 00:15:36.400] And that was kind of my vision because I didn't think that, you know, I would secure a retailer at all.
[00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:41.040] And then one day, you know, I actually started this going into the pandemic.
[00:15:41.040 --> 00:15:44.560] And then the pandemic hit and it was like, what am I going to do now?
[00:15:44.880 --> 00:15:48.080] But then you really started to see black businesses being supported.
[00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:59.200] And there was just this really big, you know, revolution happening within, you know, the blacks, you know, ownership space and so many people supporting things that we created.
[00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:04.040] And so, in my mind, I was like, okay, I got to get out here fast because I'm missing the boat.
[00:16:04.040 --> 00:16:05.800] Like, this is a movement.
[00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:09.400] And, you know, then I started seeing all these brands.
[00:16:09.400 --> 00:16:12.360] And we went through the Black Square movement.
[00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:17.800] And, you know, I started seeing these retailers like all of a sudden jumping on this bandwagon.
[00:16:18.520 --> 00:16:20.840] And now we're going through the opposite.
[00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:30.200] I started to have a little frustration because I started to, in my mind, foreshadow what's happening now to happen.
[00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:39.160] Like, okay, it's convenient now, but what happens when we're no longer a trend to which we're seeing come into play?
[00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:41.480] And I was kind of frustrated.
[00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:51.560] And I was just like, okay, if retailers are really getting on board and supporting us, what are they going to do in response to their just marketing efforts?
[00:16:51.560 --> 00:17:14.280] And, you know, what I really appreciated and loved is when I heard Sephora really make their statement about the 20, the 15% pledge during 2020 and 2021, really going deep into more than just about, you know, the timing of it, but about how it was so important to the DNA of what they stood for.
[00:17:14.280 --> 00:17:17.960] And I was just like, you need a brand like LYS.
[00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:23.400] And so I emailed them thinking they would never respond.
[00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:31.080] And I got an email back and it was a cold call email and just said, hey, you know, I have this brand that I'm working on.
[00:17:31.080 --> 00:17:32.440] This is my credentials.
[00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:35.160] This is, you know, everything about me and the brand.
[00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:40.040] And I really think that this could be a huge brand within your ecosystem.
[00:17:40.040 --> 00:17:41.320] They responded back.
[00:17:41.320 --> 00:17:44.800] And within nine months, we were launching the business.
[00:17:44.520 --> 00:17:51.520] And so, originally, where I only needed a smaller amount of money, then it became a retail play instant at launch.
[00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:57.520] And so that's when I was like, okay, I gotta tap into a couple resources to say, hey, will you angel invest?
[00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.880] Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute.
[00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:04.240] So when you pitched for, you hadn't even launched yet?
[00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:04.560] No.
[00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:07.440] I had a presentation.
[00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:09.760] How did you get this email?
[00:18:09.760 --> 00:18:11.280] And who did you email?
[00:18:11.280 --> 00:18:14.960] I don't have to say the name, but like, how did you know who to email?
[00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:22.080] I literally went on LinkedIn and I just looked at who possibly could be over beauty.
[00:18:22.080 --> 00:18:28.080] And I emailed like 10 different people thinking like maybe somebody will respond.
[00:18:28.080 --> 00:18:31.200] And somebody was like, let me send this to such and such.
[00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:32.640] They need to see this.
[00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.120] And I got a response back.
[00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:39.200] It was literally like fate and luck.
[00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:41.920] So you pitched them on the concept.
[00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:47.360] And they said, hey, let's take a call.
[00:18:47.360 --> 00:18:49.040] And, you know, of course, the world was shut down.
[00:18:49.040 --> 00:18:52.400] So all this was done during the pandemic, all virtually.
[00:18:52.400 --> 00:19:04.240] And so normally, you know, having had experience with, you know, for example, Ulta and Target and other, you know, mass retailers, you know, deals don't get done unless you meet.
[00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:11.360] Like, so you get on a plane, you fly out, you meet with them, then you, then you'll find out, you present, then you maybe come back again.
[00:19:11.360 --> 00:19:19.280] So, you know, it would be sometimes two to three meetings over half a year before you could kind of get a deal with a retailer.
[00:19:19.280 --> 00:19:29.960] And for me to be able to like have a couple of Zoom calls and within a couple months have a deal and be launching within, you know, nine months was like six.
[00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:32.360] It was like maybe like seven months actually.
[00:19:29.760 --> 00:19:33.960] We were like launching.
[00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:48.360] What was it about your concept, your brand that they were interested in that made them say yes?
[00:19:48.360 --> 00:19:48.840] Yeah.
[00:19:48.840 --> 00:19:50.520] Before it was even a brand.
[00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:51.560] A physical thing.
[00:19:51.560 --> 00:19:51.960] Yeah.
[00:19:52.280 --> 00:19:54.120] I think two things.
[00:19:54.120 --> 00:20:07.000] One, I think I played a big part in it where my experience and knowing that, hey, we're going to be able to bring a brand in that could instantly be able to come into our ecosystem.
[00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.000] She knows specialty retail.
[00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:10.040] She knows how we work.
[00:20:10.040 --> 00:20:13.560] She has the connections.
[00:20:13.560 --> 00:20:16.120] Like she's done this for 15 years.
[00:20:16.120 --> 00:20:24.600] Like she's going to be able to come in and run this brand instantly versus an entrepreneur just figuring out beauty, just figuring out how to run a business.
[00:20:24.600 --> 00:20:29.240] So I think having, you know, and they kind of said that to me, it's like, hey, we're betting on you.
[00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:30.680] Like the brand is really great.
[00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:32.680] That's the cherry on top, but we're betting on you.
[00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:46.920] Like we really think, because a lot of times with brands too, it's not that it's not unique, but it's like, you know, we have to be pragmatic and think there's hundreds of foundations, there's hundreds of lipsticks in Sephora.
[00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:50.760] You know, a lot of what makes a brand successful is execution.
[00:20:50.760 --> 00:21:00.280] You know, there's a lot of brands that have really great product, phenomenal performance and payoff, but they don't execute well and they go out of business.
[00:21:00.280 --> 00:21:05.720] So, really, execution is a really big part of the strategy in making a brand successful.
[00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:08.120] And so, I think that won them over.
[00:21:08.120 --> 00:21:10.200] But we were also doing something very different, right?
[00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:11.880] You know, we're a clean beauty brand.
[00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:19.040] We would, we were at the time, and I pitched it as I would be your first black-owned clean makeup brand to ever be sold.
[00:21:19.360 --> 00:21:33.840] You know, really at that time, clean, and you got to remember during the pandemic, everyone's focusing on health and wellness because now we have this virus out here, and everybody's like, Oh, I got to be healthy, and we got to, you know, cognizant of the things that we are exposed to.
[00:21:33.840 --> 00:21:35.840] And so, timing also played out.
[00:21:36.080 --> 00:21:39.600] Timing was great, and so everybody was all about clean.
[00:21:39.600 --> 00:21:47.440] But in clean, one, it was really expensive, and two, they didn't talk to black and brown women at all.
[00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:56.640] And if they decided to eventually, it was after they would launch a collection and then they would do an extension, and then it would have their darker shades.
[00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:01.760] And so, I was kind of frustrated and pitched it as, hey, like, when do we get seen?
[00:22:01.760 --> 00:22:03.680] When do we have representation?
[00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:08.320] When do we have options that are available to us when a brand launches?
[00:22:08.320 --> 00:22:08.720] Right?
[00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:12.160] When are we taking into consideration at the onset?
[00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:18.160] All of the development, all of the you know, creation is with black women in mind.
[00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:31.600] So, the pigmentation, the performance, the payoff, the ingredients we use all consider people with melanin in their skin, which is not and was not normally the case in Clean Beauty, especially the brands that they had at the time.
[00:22:31.600 --> 00:22:35.200] And so, um, for me, it was different, it was a point of difference.
[00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:38.880] What does LYS Beauty consist of?
[00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:40.640] Like, what did you launch with?
[00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:43.040] You know, what were the key products?
[00:22:43.040 --> 00:22:45.440] Yeah, so LYS stands for love yourself.
[00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:50.880] And for me, I wanted to create a brand that really inspired people to be their most confident self.
[00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:53.640] But we like to promote whether you wear makeup or not.
[00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:58.640] Our vision and our goal is to make everyone walk around as confident as they want to be.
[00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:09.080] But if you choose to wear makeup, we want you to use clean products with good-for-you ingredients that really take your skin's needs into account at the onset.
[00:23:09.080 --> 00:23:10.920] We focus on complexion.
[00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:12.520] That is what we're known for.
[00:23:12.520 --> 00:23:16.520] So we're all about beautiful, flawless complexion.
[00:23:16.520 --> 00:23:23.480] So foundations, concealers, bronzers, blushes, all of the things, setting powders, setting sprays.
[00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:30.440] We do have lip, mascara, brows, you know, the additional things, but really our bread and butter, our strength.
[00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:35.960] I think what we do the best, our products that really prioritize and focus on complexion.
[00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:40.360] You know, when I launched the brand, I launched with 35 foundation shades.
[00:23:40.360 --> 00:23:47.080] That as an indie brand, bootstrapped, self-funded, out of the gate, first of all, it's unheard of.
[00:23:47.080 --> 00:23:57.000] You have brands that have been around for at that time when we launched 10, 20 years that were launching foundation shades with three shades for black women.
[00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:59.560] You know, that just is like, there's no excuse, right?
[00:23:59.560 --> 00:24:13.160] Like, like when you can have a brand that, you know, pretty much is taking, you know, their life savings and they launch out of the gate being the most inclusive and clean out of the gate.
[00:24:13.160 --> 00:24:15.960] And you have these other brands, it started to call to action.
[00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:21.320] Like, we're not, it's no longer acceptable to allow us to be an afterthought.
[00:24:21.320 --> 00:24:23.480] We expect and demand more.
[00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:26.840] And I think that has continued to shake up the space.
[00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:30.200] And I think we as black women deserve options.
[00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:43.560] And what for me, I wanted to be the catalyst is you create a playing field that's so elevated that now everyone else has to come up to your level because we're no longer accepting anything less.
[00:24:43.560 --> 00:24:49.040] And what that does is that allows everybody to like us to have more options because that's what I want.
[00:24:49.040 --> 00:24:50.720] I want us to have more options.
[00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:52.320] And what was the response?
[00:24:52.320 --> 00:24:55.600] I'm curious because, okay, this is different than what we're used to, right?
[00:24:55.600 --> 00:24:59.440] You came up with your brand, you pitched Sephora, they bought in.
[00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:04.080] So you're launching with a retail partner as their first clean beauty brand.
[00:25:04.080 --> 00:25:09.280] But then now you're also introducing this and building a customer base.
[00:25:09.280 --> 00:25:14.560] So what was the response once you launched in Sephora, once you launched the brand?
[00:25:14.560 --> 00:25:21.920] When we launched, they originally purchased what they predicted to be four months of inventory.
[00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:24.240] We sold out in 10 days.
[00:25:24.560 --> 00:25:27.680] So it was very well received.
[00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:39.120] I think this explosive nature of the first black-owned clean makeup brand ever to be sold at Sephora opened people's eyes first to say, wait a minute, like she's just the first.
[00:25:39.760 --> 00:25:46.080] How is this, how are we still on anything just having the first of a black person ever doing it?
[00:25:46.080 --> 00:25:51.040] Like to me, that is like, let's just, let's just unpack that for a second.
[00:25:51.040 --> 00:25:55.280] Like, how are, is it still us being the first at anything at this point?
[00:25:55.280 --> 00:26:03.520] Like, like just so many opportunities that we have not been a part of or left out of is just a shame.
[00:26:03.520 --> 00:26:12.480] And so when you say, wow, she's just the first, that instantly made people think, wow, like, I can't believe she's the first one that they've ever had in Sephora.
[00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:15.280] And then you say, then you start to say, well, what are they all about?
[00:26:15.280 --> 00:26:16.000] What are they doing?
[00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:17.520] What are they doing differently?
[00:26:17.520 --> 00:26:26.800] And then you start to see the inclusives, the price point, the DNA behind the brand, the mission, everything we stand for, the luxurious packaging.
[00:26:26.800 --> 00:26:28.480] Like people were just like shocked.
[00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:34.920] They were like, how does a brand out of nowhere with no celebrity backing?
[00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:37.400] You know, I'm, nobody knows me.
[00:26:37.400 --> 00:26:40.040] At the time, I think I probably had like 5,000 followers.
[00:26:40.040 --> 00:26:42.440] Like, nobody knows who I am.
[00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:46.360] And like, and so I think people were like, where did this brand come from?
[00:26:46.360 --> 00:26:48.840] And I think it really intrigued people.
[00:26:48.840 --> 00:26:54.520] And when you launched in, did you launch in every single Sephora store or a limited number of doors?
[00:26:54.520 --> 00:26:56.360] Did you launch online as well?
[00:26:56.360 --> 00:26:56.600] Yeah.
[00:26:56.600 --> 00:26:59.560] So we originally only launched online.
[00:26:59.560 --> 00:27:04.040] So when we launched in February 2021, we launched online.
[00:27:04.040 --> 00:27:09.080] The discussion and conversation at the time was, let's launch online and let's watch it.
[00:27:09.080 --> 00:27:11.960] And in a year, let's see how things are going.
[00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:14.520] And then we'll consider going in store.
[00:27:14.520 --> 00:27:17.400] We were in stores by September.
[00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:20.440] So it was just a whirlwind.
[00:27:20.440 --> 00:27:23.800] We really just started to move really fast because of the success.
[00:27:23.800 --> 00:27:30.280] We started off with about 100 stores and then we just quickly added more over time.
[00:27:30.600 --> 00:27:32.840] I think, so we're in year four now.
[00:27:32.840 --> 00:27:37.080] By year two, year two and a half, we were in all doors.
[00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:41.480] And then now we're in also all coal stores.
[00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:45.400] So the whole Sephora's in coal, too.
[00:27:45.560 --> 00:27:49.720] So we're in almost over 1500 retail locations now.
[00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:51.480] So that is impressive.
[00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:52.280] Congrats.
[00:27:52.520 --> 00:27:54.040] Thank you.
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[00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:58.680] You mentioned something about like the presentation and people buying into the overall just ethos of the brand, not only what it's about, but who you are, the mission.
[00:30:58.680 --> 00:31:05.480] But when you are a consumer and you walk in and you see all these packages in Sephora, you don't necessarily know that, right?
[00:31:05.480 --> 00:31:14.920] So what's been your approach to merchandising to development to make sure your products stand out in the awesome oasis that is Sephora?
[00:31:14.920 --> 00:31:15.800] Yeah, I know.
[00:31:16.040 --> 00:31:20.120] It's so difficult because you're right, it's a sea of products, and how do you stand out?
[00:31:20.120 --> 00:31:20.920] What makes you different?
[00:31:20.920 --> 00:31:29.480] And one of the biggest things I did when I launched the brand was create a triangle packaging, which is very unique and different to anything in beauty.
[00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:36.920] And so, anyone who wears makeup out there, you know, most beauty products are round, square, or rectangular.
[00:31:36.920 --> 00:31:40.440] And we launched with triangle-shaped packaging.
[00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:42.440] Everything is triangular.
[00:31:42.840 --> 00:31:48.560] And so the triangle for me was a representation of the intentionality behind the brand.
[00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:51.600] It's the Delta symbol, and Delta means change.
[00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:57.760] And for me, it had a multitude of things of why change is so important to our brand and what we stand for.
[00:31:57.760 --> 00:32:02.480] The first thing is we, you know, I was on a mission to change really the clean beauty industry.
[00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:03.920] I wanted to help evolve it.
[00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:06.720] I wanted to make sure that everyone had access to it.
[00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:12.800] So I think change really rooted in what I wanted to do in terms of creating a legacy within the industry.
[00:32:12.800 --> 00:32:17.040] The other aspect of change for me is really more the personal side of it.
[00:32:17.040 --> 00:32:23.040] Because the brand is all about promoting self-love, self-confidence, and you being unapologetically yourself.
[00:32:23.040 --> 00:32:27.040] A lot of that starts with changing how we speak and treat ourselves.
[00:32:27.040 --> 00:32:38.320] You know, we really do have this old rooted mindset of being doubtful and intentionally rude and mean and cruel in my view to ourselves.
[00:32:38.560 --> 00:32:45.200] I think if we really think about it, we say things to ourselves that we probably would never say to another human being.
[00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:57.520] I mean, some people, you know, have the gall, but most of us would never be like, you look fat, which, you know, I think when, you know, I know I've experienced that many times where I'll look in the mirror and be like, I just look so fat.
[00:32:57.520 --> 00:33:01.760] And I would never say to my sister or my friend or whatever, you look fat.
[00:33:01.760 --> 00:33:04.640] Like it's just, it just, I would, it would never come out of my mouth.
[00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:09.840] And so I think that that, you know, why do we say those things to ourselves?
[00:33:09.840 --> 00:33:24.960] And so that reminder, when you pick that packaging up that, okay, this 15 minutes that I'm going to spend with myself doing my beauty routine, this is going to be a moment of reaffirming and self-affirming all of the best things about me.
[00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:29.440] And so, you know, that triangle is like, okay, you got to change your mindset right now.
[00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:34.200] And all of our products are named these reminders that we want people.
[00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:43.160] So you go to pick up your bronzer that's called worthy, or you go to pick up your highlighter that's called fearless, or you go to pick up your blush that's called confident.
[00:33:43.160 --> 00:33:48.280] Like, those are things that you are reminding yourself to be in that moment.
[00:33:48.280 --> 00:33:54.200] And so that for me was a catalyst of how we could stand out in the space.
[00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:59.800] First of all, have a shape that then people intrigues people to say, Yes, what is this about?
[00:33:59.800 --> 00:34:00.840] Right, right.
[00:34:00.840 --> 00:34:01.640] I love that.
[00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:06.040] That is so intentional in how you went about it.
[00:34:06.040 --> 00:34:08.440] And I mean, we can always use affirmation.
[00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:15.160] So pairing products with that, whether it's the title or even something on the back of it, I think that is so smart.
[00:34:15.160 --> 00:34:17.080] Now, what has changed?
[00:34:17.080 --> 00:34:24.120] Like, as you've been in business now for four years, we're experiencing a shift right now.
[00:34:24.120 --> 00:34:25.960] How has this impacted your business?
[00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:31.320] The attack on DEI, the attack on programs that uplift black and brown founders?
[00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:35.880] You know, I would say the positive thing is we're at Sephora.
[00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:49.160] And one thing I will say about Sephora: if they have doubled down and they've continued to say, listen, we are staying true to this because this was never a trend for us, and that this is really the DNA of who we are.
[00:34:49.160 --> 00:34:53.880] And so the support has not faltered, has not wavered.
[00:34:54.120 --> 00:35:00.040] And so we have not really experienced any challenges with our retail partner within Sephora.
[00:35:00.040 --> 00:35:07.240] I do think that there are some macro-related things that, you know, just naturally becomes an impact overall.
[00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:13.560] And it just naturally becomes kind of an unfortunate thing that kind of impacts our entire community.
[00:35:13.560 --> 00:35:23.680] But I think what we've tried to do is kind of continue to be that beacon of light, continue to remind founders and brands to say, hey, stay true to who you are.
[00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:32.560] You know, double down in any way that you can and remind people that you deserve to take the space that you are taking.
[00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:38.240] And, you know, as we always say, I know my grandma used to say, this too shall pass.
[00:35:38.240 --> 00:35:41.280] And so we just have to weather this storm right now.
[00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:55.360] And I think all holding hands together and reminding and supporting black businesses now more than ever is the most critical time because I think that is what's needed for us to kind of weather through this.
[00:35:55.360 --> 00:36:04.720] And you can see the impact that we have when we align and we say we're not supporting something and we all stick together in the power of our dollar.
[00:36:05.040 --> 00:36:08.320] People see we just have to stay together.
[00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:08.960] Yeah.
[00:36:09.600 --> 00:36:19.040] But at the same time, you know, some brands right now are experiencing people tightening up their purse strings, shopping less.
[00:36:19.040 --> 00:36:22.400] And as business owners, you have to get more creative, right?
[00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:24.960] Are you spending more to earn more?
[00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:28.400] Are you seeing that impact your profits?
[00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:30.720] Yeah, for us, I think we did.
[00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:33.760] We kind of, I foreshadowed a little bit in that.
[00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:38.560] The original mindset was to make the brand more affordable.
[00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:48.000] I don't think I ever predicted, you know, a recession or that, you know, we would have the challenges that we're having, whether it be with tariffs or, you know, this sort of thing.
[00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:51.360] So don't, you know, don't want to say, like, oh, I had the crystal ball in that.
[00:36:51.360 --> 00:36:57.280] But I do think, like, the strategy for me was always to kind of come in at a more accessible price point.
[00:36:57.280 --> 00:37:10.520] I think what we're seeing in terms of the data is we're on average, LYS is on average 40% cheaper than the average brand sold at Sephora and Ulta within the prestige beauty space.
[00:37:10.520 --> 00:37:24.200] And so, we're really priced at a really great point to where if someone's having to pull back and they normally would spend $40 on a bronzer or $40 on a foundation, ours is $20.
[00:37:24.200 --> 00:37:31.320] Now they're like, oh, let me try LYS because it's actually in the price point that I really want to be at.
[00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:37.400] And then they're like, oh, well, this is actually better quality than the $40 one that I was getting.
[00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:39.800] Like, why have I been spending so much all along?
[00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:53.000] So I think we're just primed right now in a position to where it really puts us in a good position for those people who are really looking for a lower cost but still high quality, high-value item.
[00:37:58.440 --> 00:38:05.960] Have you done any specific marketing campaigns to raise awareness of the brand and grow its popularity?
[00:38:05.960 --> 00:38:09.320] Yeah, we've been doing a lot of marketing campaigns.
[00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:14.760] We did a launch recently with some TikTok creators, which was very well received.
[00:38:15.080 --> 00:38:22.520] We've continued to kind of do campaigns with just everyday women, which I love.
[00:38:22.520 --> 00:38:34.280] So we're kind of doubling down and really just promoting, you know, the fact that the brand is really rooted in this ideation of inspiring you to be yourself and loving yourself.
[00:38:34.280 --> 00:38:37.320] And people are really identifying with that so much.
[00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:42.360] We're taking the brand on the road to essence coming up, which is really exciting.
[00:38:42.840 --> 00:38:45.000] Have you been before, or is this the first year?
[00:38:45.360 --> 00:38:46.880] So, the brand's first year.
[00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:49.200] I've attended, but this is the brand's first year.
[00:38:49.200 --> 00:38:54.240] And I'm excited to, you know, get the brand out there and continue to spread our wings.
[00:38:54.240 --> 00:39:00.480] I think the biggest thing for me is I think we've created something really cool and we've just kind of scratched the surface.
[00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:09.680] But what are the things and the places that we can be to really show up and let people who may have not heard about the brand know that we're out there and we exist?
[00:39:09.680 --> 00:39:13.280] Because awareness is probably our biggest hurdle today.
[00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:14.000] Of course.
[00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:14.480] Yeah.
[00:39:14.640 --> 00:39:26.880] Before we jump into the lightning round, I also want to ask about the fact that, yes, you were working in beauty, but you went after a lane that's very specific, the clean beauty lane.
[00:39:26.880 --> 00:39:28.400] What does that mean to you?
[00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:36.640] And then how did you go about finding the right chemists and manufacturers to truly make this the products that you had in mind, but make them clean?
[00:39:36.640 --> 00:39:40.480] So what is clean and how did you get it developed?
[00:39:40.480 --> 00:39:43.040] I think the biggest reason for me was kind of selfish.
[00:39:43.040 --> 00:39:44.800] It wasn't really probably intentional.
[00:39:44.800 --> 00:39:48.320] I mean, being a makeup artist, I've used so many different products.
[00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:50.480] And so performance was the most important.
[00:39:50.480 --> 00:40:02.080] But I think the problem is and the challenge that makeup artists have is a lot of clean products don't perform or they're not really designed for onset or high performance situations.
[00:40:02.080 --> 00:40:09.920] And so for me, I wanted to be the first to kind of start to like impact that because there are needs that I wanted that weren't being serviced.
[00:40:09.920 --> 00:40:12.880] But then also I had cystic acne really, really bad.
[00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:16.480] And so products, you know, that weren't clean were always breaking me out.
[00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:19.520] And I was like, oh my goodness, we got to figure this out.
[00:40:19.520 --> 00:40:22.560] And so I just, you know, went on to learning.
[00:40:22.560 --> 00:40:28.560] And the more information and insight I started to get and how, you know, my skin, I'm allergic to fragrance.
[00:40:28.560 --> 00:42:06.400] So it really irritates me on my skin when I use products that have fragrance and so taking that out of products you know that little change or you know silicones you know really do block up my skin and it actually gives me cystic acne and and so removing silicones from products so it was really out of a personal I think thing that I was having challenges with that made me say okay I'm gonna develop and formulate without that which naturally then was like well if you're gonna be that restrictive you just need to go full on and be clean break down barriers and let's start making performing products that makeup artists can use that are clean and that's essentially was the catalyst and and clean is it's highly it's like it's unregulated it's highly overused there's a lot of brands that green wash and so for us we just say our promise in clean is there's a level set of ingredients that we promote that we don't use like tal like fragrance like silicones like pegs um you know things that like are very commonly used in non-clean products that that can potentially be irritant some people are not irritated by it but it's potentially irritant and so we just don't use those and then we also add skincare ingredients as well so you know we add things that you would maybe eat in your normal diet we put that into our formulation like green tea mango pineapple um you know kale and and turmeric and like we put those things because they have benefits topically for the skin and so we put those ingredients in our formulas um so that's kind of how we approach clean and and and that's really um you know, kind of the rationale and reason and why why we kind of went that route.
[00:42:06.400 --> 00:42:13.360] And then, how did you go about finding the chemist to um you know, you didn't come from a background of making products, even though you're in beauty.
[00:42:13.360 --> 00:42:15.520] So, like, what was that process?
[00:42:15.520 --> 00:42:24.800] It was a 10-year journey of just developing products and going into the labs and building relationships and learning as I go.
[00:42:24.800 --> 00:42:29.120] And so, it just doesn't happen overnight.
[00:42:29.120 --> 00:42:32.240] It really is something that's fostered and nurtured.
[00:42:32.560 --> 00:42:35.600] I don't really take stuff off the shelf.
[00:42:35.600 --> 00:42:46.480] And if I take something like a formula that exists, by the time I'm finished with it, it's not even the original base because I'm like a mad scientist and like, I want this, add this, change this.
[00:42:46.480 --> 00:42:47.760] I needed to have this.
[00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:55.280] So, I'm very like, we don't work with labs that don't allow us to have that autonomy to really like, you know, create our formulas.
[00:42:55.680 --> 00:43:02.720] And that just has come from like, again, a decade of working with labs that I just already have relationships with.
[00:43:02.720 --> 00:43:10.320] And those relationships were through you reaching out, through a little bit of work, or just yeah, like I do trade.
[00:43:10.320 --> 00:43:16.240] Like, so I always tell like people I mentor, I say, go to shows like Cosmoprop or makeup.
[00:43:16.240 --> 00:43:18.400] They have these shows called Makeup Inn.
[00:43:18.400 --> 00:43:21.840] They have them in LA, New York, but they have it in Paris.
[00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:25.360] So you could go to these shows and they're basically like trade shows.
[00:43:25.360 --> 00:43:30.720] And all of the suppliers go there and they're all in one room under one roof.
[00:43:30.720 --> 00:43:34.800] And you can just go booth to booth and ask questions and learn about them.
[00:43:34.800 --> 00:43:39.200] They have packaging suppliers, they have formulation suppliers, they have ingredient suppliers.
[00:43:39.200 --> 00:43:45.120] And it literally is like, for anybody who's obsessed with product development, like me, it's literally like trick-or-treating.
[00:43:45.120 --> 00:43:45.920] It's like being expressed in the world.
[00:43:46.080 --> 00:43:47.280] It's like your Disney World?
[00:43:47.280 --> 00:43:49.040] It's like Mount Disney World, literally.
[00:43:49.040 --> 00:43:52.480] And you literally get to go and you interview and they show you products.
[00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:57.200] And then whoever you mesh well with, you can then set up meetings and fly to their facilities.
[00:43:57.360 --> 00:44:01.000] Like I've been to Korea and like, you know, worked in factories.
[00:43:59.840 --> 00:44:04.520] And it just, there's just a rapport that you can develop.
[00:44:04.680 --> 00:44:10.680] And I always tell people, if you're not sure where to start, that's where you would start is go to one of those trade shows.
[00:44:10.680 --> 00:44:13.560] And then you can start to build the relationships from there.
[00:44:13.560 --> 00:44:15.400] Ooh, that is an amazing tip.
[00:44:15.400 --> 00:44:17.560] Thank you for being so generous and for sharing that.
[00:44:17.560 --> 00:44:18.920] So what were the names again?
[00:44:19.160 --> 00:44:22.600] So Cosmoprof, they have a big one in Vegas.
[00:44:22.600 --> 00:44:25.960] They also have one in Miami, I believe, every year now.
[00:44:26.600 --> 00:44:29.960] And then there's Makeup in LA and Makeup in New York.
[00:44:30.200 --> 00:44:31.160] Those are two.
[00:44:31.160 --> 00:44:34.920] There's a show just for packaging called Lux Pack if anybody's interested.
[00:44:34.920 --> 00:44:40.440] But you can kind of Google any of those and they'll come up and you can see kind of when those shows are.
[00:44:40.440 --> 00:44:47.960] And anybody, I don't know when this is dropping, but the big Cosmoprof North America show is in Vegas in a couple weeks in July.
[00:44:47.960 --> 00:44:51.720] So that show is a massive show in Vegas.
[00:44:51.720 --> 00:44:57.560] So I would highly recommend if anybody's looking to get into okay, we will link to those in the show notes.
[00:44:57.560 --> 00:44:58.360] I love that.
[00:44:58.360 --> 00:45:01.080] And I'm reminded, like, this goes across industry.
[00:45:01.080 --> 00:45:06.680] I forget sometimes that there's literally a convention and a huge conference for everything.
[00:45:07.880 --> 00:45:08.520] 1,000.
[00:45:08.840 --> 00:45:09.800] Everything.
[00:45:10.120 --> 00:45:11.480] So find your convention.
[00:45:12.200 --> 00:45:14.200] There was like a dry cleaning, Prince.
[00:45:14.200 --> 00:45:17.240] And I'm like, is dry cleaning that big?
[00:45:17.560 --> 00:45:20.200] I was like, I haven't dry cleaned anything in years.
[00:45:20.200 --> 00:45:21.880] Like, what's going on?
[00:45:22.440 --> 00:45:26.360] And so, yeah, there's like a whole now there's clean and dry cleaning, right?
[00:45:26.360 --> 00:45:27.480] But you still want to perform.
[00:45:27.480 --> 00:45:28.760] You still want it to be good.
[00:45:28.760 --> 00:45:30.280] So there's so much going on.
[00:45:30.680 --> 00:45:31.080] So much.
[00:45:31.080 --> 00:45:33.480] So, yes, there is something for every industry.
[00:45:33.480 --> 00:45:34.680] You're absolutely right.
[00:45:34.680 --> 00:45:36.280] Thank you for that reminder.
[00:45:36.280 --> 00:45:38.040] Oh my gosh.
[00:45:43.080 --> 00:45:48.080] I am just fascinated by your journey again because it's you know, it's different than what I normally hear.
[00:45:44.600 --> 00:45:51.680] Like, I love the fact that partially it was your side hustle journey.
[00:45:52.160 --> 00:46:04.720] It was the fact that you worked for 25 years between like even doing makeup yourself to working accounting to working, you know, for a beauty company and then working up the ranks to exec level.
[00:46:04.720 --> 00:46:12.960] Like, you really learned and you had that patience to wait to develop your products on the side.
[00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:20.080] So, it's really just about staying the course as a side hustler and trusting and knowing that it doesn't have to happen right away.
[00:46:20.080 --> 00:46:21.600] You don't have to quit right away.
[00:46:21.600 --> 00:46:23.600] You certainly don't have to quit right away.
[00:46:24.400 --> 00:46:30.240] It really is interesting when people say that you're an overnight success and they're like, Oh, look what you've accomplished in four years.
[00:46:30.240 --> 00:46:31.760] And I go, You have no idea.
[00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:34.400] This was a 10-plus-year journey.
[00:46:34.400 --> 00:46:43.840] Like, this has been a long time behind the scenes and a lot of just personal development into getting where I am for sure.
[00:46:43.840 --> 00:46:49.120] When did you actually leave your job and go full-time for LYS Beauty?
[00:46:49.120 --> 00:46:58.080] Yeah, I went full-time in the end of 2020 is when I officially like stepped away from supporting that other business.
[00:46:58.080 --> 00:46:58.480] Okay.
[00:46:58.800 --> 00:47:09.920] And so, my full-time was like, you know, I'm no longer helping, you know, support them, you know, because I had kind of an agreement with my mentor who kind of helped me at the brand that I was working with.
[00:47:09.920 --> 00:47:11.600] Because, of course, I had been there for 15 years.
[00:47:11.600 --> 00:47:12.880] So, it was really a mutual thing.
[00:47:12.880 --> 00:47:22.720] It's like, okay, I understand you want to go follow this journey, but at the same time, you're so intertwined in the DNA and the success of this business.
[00:47:22.720 --> 00:47:25.920] So, what can we do to support the wind down effectively?
[00:47:25.920 --> 00:47:42.520] So, I kind of had that luxury because of that great relationship to really continue to like work and support them while I was weaning down and getting you know things in place for my predecessor, but then also being able to support my startup as well.
[00:47:42.520 --> 00:47:50.760] So, I know that is very uncommon for people to be able to have that opportunity, but that for me was a really important process.
[00:47:50.760 --> 00:47:56.520] It allowed me to build this on the side while I was still working my full-time job.
[00:47:56.520 --> 00:48:05.480] Was it difficult for you to then adjust to being a full-time entrepreneur and like start to reestablish everything for yourself?
[00:48:05.480 --> 00:48:11.000] So, reestablish your salary, what you're paying yourself, your business structure, and how that all is going to work.
[00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:15.560] It was definitely a learning curve, but it wasn't terrible.
[00:48:15.560 --> 00:48:18.760] It was really more of a work-life balance kind of thing.
[00:48:19.000 --> 00:48:33.160] You go from, you know, not having to worry about all the aspects of the business and really kind of just having your set role versus like now you're literally like you're doing everything.
[00:48:33.160 --> 00:48:37.720] And I was the first and only full-time employee for like the first year.
[00:48:37.720 --> 00:48:49.320] So, you know, I was doing the social media, I was, you know, packing out packages, writing notes to people, I was shipping stuff, you know, I was doing all of it.
[00:48:49.320 --> 00:48:59.960] And so, it went from like I would have the luxury of maybe clocking out at, you know, five or six and being like, I'm done, versus now you're 24/7.
[00:48:59.960 --> 00:49:08.520] So, it was a little bit of a work-life balance shift that first year or so, where I was just like, I was like, wow, like I'm working a lot.
[00:49:08.520 --> 00:49:11.080] I'm working a lot, but it was fine.
[00:49:11.080 --> 00:49:14.880] I mean, for me, I honestly say, and I, and people think I'm crazy.
[00:49:14.760 --> 00:49:19.520] Everybody thinks I'm crazy because I literally, it's not work.
[00:49:14.840 --> 00:49:21.200] So, this is my hobby.
[00:49:21.360 --> 00:49:22.800] I, this is what I do.
[00:49:22.800 --> 00:49:25.120] People are like, what do you do for fun?
[00:49:25.120 --> 00:49:27.840] And what are some things that you do to like unfit?
[00:49:28.080 --> 00:49:29.680] And I go, I work.
[00:49:29.680 --> 00:49:32.080] Like, it's not, no, this is not work for me.
[00:49:33.280 --> 00:49:35.040] You know, this is not work for me.
[00:49:35.920 --> 00:49:38.800] Yeah, but it doesn't feel like work.
[00:49:38.800 --> 00:49:41.280] Like, this is like what I love.
[00:49:41.280 --> 00:49:43.280] Have you expanded your team?
[00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:44.320] Yes.
[00:49:44.320 --> 00:49:44.560] Okay.
[00:49:45.040 --> 00:49:47.040] So you're not doing everything yourself.
[00:49:47.040 --> 00:49:48.320] No, materially.
[00:49:48.320 --> 00:49:52.560] And now I have had the luxuries to be able to take time off.
[00:49:52.560 --> 00:49:55.280] And like, I can go to all my kids' baseball games.
[00:49:55.280 --> 00:49:58.160] And like, life is life has been great.
[00:49:58.160 --> 00:50:02.400] And so I'm really excited about having my team now for sure.
[00:50:02.720 --> 00:50:06.320] And so a lot of people lose money in the first few years of their business.
[00:50:06.320 --> 00:50:08.640] What has been your experience?
[00:50:08.640 --> 00:50:12.080] We have been profitable every year since we launched the business.
[00:50:12.080 --> 00:50:27.360] And but you know, I always say, you know, I am probably a rare bunny in that I have that financial acumen and that skill set of really managing and balancing financials.
[00:50:27.360 --> 00:50:31.680] It's really what I started into my whole career doing.
[00:50:31.680 --> 00:50:41.200] So it probably, you know, it probably is just rooted in me and drilled in me for so many years of running business that had, you know, you have to make a profit.
[00:50:41.200 --> 00:50:48.720] And so it's just, I know how to be really strategic and smart in terms of making sure that we always protect the bottom line.
[00:50:48.720 --> 00:50:51.920] So it's just, it's just how I'm wired.
[00:50:52.240 --> 00:50:55.920] And my team always jokes and says, I don't know a better negotiator.
[00:50:55.920 --> 00:51:06.280] And it's like, I like, it's like, or I'm going to say, no, we can't do it because if I know that it's going to prevent me from being profitable at the end of the day, then I say we wait.
[00:51:06.280 --> 00:51:08.440] Like, so it's just in my DNA.
[00:51:08.440 --> 00:51:10.120] It's just how I'm wired.
[00:51:12.680 --> 00:51:16.040] We're going to transition into a quick lightning round.
[00:51:16.040 --> 00:51:16.920] You know the deal.
[00:51:16.920 --> 00:51:18.840] Just answer the very first thing that comes to mind.
[00:51:18.840 --> 00:51:19.720] Are you ready?
[00:51:19.720 --> 00:51:20.680] Yes.
[00:51:20.680 --> 00:51:21.080] Okay.
[00:51:21.400 --> 00:51:31.480] Number one, what is a top resource these days, not Google, that has helped you in your business that you can share with the Side Hustle Pro audience?
[00:51:31.480 --> 00:51:32.760] Oh my goodness.
[00:51:32.760 --> 00:51:40.680] So before, I probably would have said a social media tool that we've used, but I would say honestly, real talk lately, Chat GBT.
[00:51:41.880 --> 00:51:45.720] It literally, like it's a game changer.
[00:51:45.720 --> 00:51:51.480] And like, and I think so many people are kind of shying away from AI, but it's, it's extremely impactful when you talk about it.
[00:51:51.640 --> 00:51:53.560] What's the top way you use it these days?
[00:51:53.960 --> 00:52:08.760] Now we're really using it for, you know, whether it be for researching if something exists or copywriting, you know, just being able to help optimize our text and our usage, our application copy.
[00:52:08.760 --> 00:52:11.800] You know, education is a big element in beauty.
[00:52:11.800 --> 00:52:19.800] And so sometimes we can get really fluffy in our wording to say, you know, how to put a blush on.
[00:52:19.800 --> 00:52:25.960] But the way somebody really perceives or reads that is like, wait, like you read the box and you're like, wait, what do I do?
[00:52:25.960 --> 00:52:35.640] So like, it's like, like, now how do I word this in a really simplified way that, like, now just comes across so easy.
[00:52:35.640 --> 00:52:44.040] And so, little things like that, that really helps you versus having to go back and, you know, copywriting can be, I, oh, I hate writing, first of all.
[00:52:44.320 --> 00:52:45.840] So, yeah, I'm not good at it.
[00:52:45.840 --> 00:52:47.520] So, I'm so excited to have it.
[00:52:44.760 --> 00:52:52.000] But, um, I have someone on my team who's also really good at it and it's kind of helped me along the journey.
[00:52:52.240 --> 00:53:01.120] But those are kind of areas that we've been optimizing it lately with our emails and our SMS and just all of those ways that we communicate with our customer.
[00:53:01.120 --> 00:53:12.880] It allows us to talk now in a way that is less fluffy that we sometimes do as marketers, you know, and do it faster instead of taking like weeks to develop something, like really be able to workshop faster.
[00:53:12.880 --> 00:53:13.600] So, absolutely.
[00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:14.560] I like that.
[00:53:14.560 --> 00:53:19.120] Number three: What is a non-negotiable part of your day these days?
[00:53:19.120 --> 00:53:23.200] So, I think my non-negotiables now has been working out.
[00:53:23.200 --> 00:53:25.680] I've started since October of last year.
[00:53:25.680 --> 00:53:27.600] I'm on a weight loss journey.
[00:53:27.600 --> 00:53:28.240] Congratulations.
[00:53:28.640 --> 00:53:29.520] Thank you.
[00:53:29.520 --> 00:53:32.000] And so, for me, that is my non-negotiable.
[00:53:32.000 --> 00:53:35.760] Like, I need that time to go for my walk or my time at the gym.
[00:53:35.760 --> 00:53:37.920] Like, that just has to happen.
[00:53:37.920 --> 00:53:46.640] Also, I'm obsessed with coffee or, you know, I'm into acaibos, like, those, like, like, kind of little healthy treats that I like to do for myself.
[00:53:46.640 --> 00:53:53.680] Like, so those, those are like a part of my routine that I try to like incorporate in to make me kind of feel uplift me and feel better.
[00:53:53.680 --> 00:53:54.080] Yes.
[00:53:54.080 --> 00:53:56.240] My makeup routine: our brows.
[00:53:56.240 --> 00:53:57.920] You don't see me without my brows.
[00:53:57.920 --> 00:54:05.040] I always joke and say, if you see me without my brows, that means we're like on best friend status.
[00:54:05.040 --> 00:54:07.440] So, um, so yeah.
[00:54:07.840 --> 00:54:08.480] Oh, my God.
[00:54:09.200 --> 00:54:09.920] And are they?
[00:54:09.920 --> 00:54:14.000] Do you do microbladed or do you do eye draw pencil?
[00:54:14.160 --> 00:54:14.800] Eye pencil pencil.
[00:54:14.960 --> 00:54:15.520] Nice.
[00:54:15.520 --> 00:54:16.800] And they look gorgeous, guys.
[00:54:16.800 --> 00:54:18.480] Come over to YouTube if you're not here.
[00:54:18.480 --> 00:54:18.880] Yeah.
[00:54:18.880 --> 00:54:19.120] Yeah.
[00:54:19.120 --> 00:54:22.800] But without them, I'm guessing I got to get a LYS beauty pencil, right?
[00:54:22.800 --> 00:54:23.040] Yes.
[00:54:23.760 --> 00:54:24.240] Yes.
[00:54:24.880 --> 00:54:26.240] I'm bald without them.
[00:54:26.240 --> 00:54:26.960] So that's why.
[00:54:27.200 --> 00:54:27.520] Yeah.
[00:54:27.520 --> 00:54:27.760] Yeah.
[00:54:27.760 --> 00:54:28.960] It's like if you can't see them.
[00:54:29.040 --> 00:54:30.200] They're so natural.
[00:54:30.200 --> 00:54:30.840] Thank you.
[00:54:30.840 --> 00:54:31.320] Okay.
[00:54:31.640 --> 00:54:33.720] I'm going to be headed to the website after this.
[00:54:29.680 --> 00:54:34.520] Number four.
[00:54:35.160 --> 00:54:41.080] What's a personal trait that has significantly contributed to your success in business?
[00:54:41.080 --> 00:54:43.960] I would say my relationships with people.
[00:54:43.960 --> 00:54:47.880] Like, you know, I'm a big believer that people work for people.
[00:54:47.880 --> 00:55:00.360] And so being like, you know, kind and respectful and generous, giving back, like having those qualities of just being a good human being is what has really made me the most successful.
[00:55:00.760 --> 00:55:05.240] Like I, we were kind of like on our way as we started when it was just me.
[00:55:05.240 --> 00:55:23.000] But when I started to bring in my team and really them being able to come in and like help catapult and grow this business and like just hand over fist working 10, 12, 14 hour days, like helping grind out with me, like without a doubt, for me, it was like this success is because of my team.
[00:55:23.000 --> 00:55:32.120] Like they, we just are killing it because of them being inspired by what, you know, my mission is and for them and the success that they want them to have.
[00:55:32.120 --> 00:55:43.240] So I think that, you know, creating a culture and a team that, you know, wants to rock with you is like hands down the best way to be the most successful.
[00:55:43.240 --> 00:55:47.000] Because if you try to do it by yourself, like you will, you'll crash and burn.
[00:55:47.000 --> 00:55:48.360] Like it's so difficult.
[00:55:48.520 --> 00:55:51.080] You cannot, there's just literally no I and team.
[00:55:51.080 --> 00:55:52.040] You can't.
[00:55:52.040 --> 00:56:02.920] And then finally, what is your parting advice for fellow women entrepreneurs who want to start their own company, but are scared about losing a steady paycheck?
[00:56:02.920 --> 00:56:03.560] Yeah.
[00:56:03.880 --> 00:56:08.920] So I would say bet on yourself, but also find your tribe.
[00:56:08.920 --> 00:56:17.920] Find people that are going to be positive about what the journey you're about to take because you need that positive affirmation.
[00:56:18.240 --> 00:56:39.360] And find those women or men who can help support you when you are on this journey and that can help guide you, whether it be, you know, the support you may need for your kids because you have to work a few extra hours or whether it be somebody who can you can have on speed dial to give you advice or just a shoulder to cry on because there'll be days that you'll cry.
[00:56:39.360 --> 00:56:48.400] And just you just need to find your tribe and find those people that will help you during the process because it really is a journey for sure.
[00:56:48.400 --> 00:56:53.600] And I think as you go through that journey, just always continue to bet on you.
[00:56:53.600 --> 00:57:01.520] Just know like, you know, if you don't bet on yourself and continue this journey, no one else is going to do it for you.
[00:57:01.520 --> 00:57:10.000] Like if we sit around and wait for someone to show up on that white horse and, you know, ride you off into the sunset of success, it just doesn't happen.
[00:57:10.000 --> 00:57:16.400] You have to, you have to put the work in, but you have to have the confidence and belief in you to do it.
[00:57:16.400 --> 00:57:17.040] Amen.
[00:57:17.040 --> 00:57:17.760] Amen.
[00:57:18.080 --> 00:57:20.000] So thank you so much for that.
[00:57:20.000 --> 00:57:24.320] I know that's a needed reminder from somebody today that's listening.
[00:57:24.320 --> 00:57:27.520] So we thank you so much for joining us in the guest chair, Tisha.
[00:57:27.520 --> 00:57:31.200] And where can people connect with you and LYS after this?
[00:57:31.520 --> 00:57:35.120] You can connect with me on Instagram or TikTok.
[00:57:35.120 --> 00:57:46.800] Instagram, my personal handle is GlamourGirl5, but you can follow me also on the brand, which is LYS Beauty Official and on all platforms.
[00:57:46.800 --> 00:57:48.960] And yeah, that would be really the best way.
[00:57:48.960 --> 00:57:51.360] And I would really appreciate just connecting with all of you.
[00:57:51.360 --> 00:57:55.120] Just hit me up and let's let's talk and chat online.
[00:57:55.120 --> 00:57:55.600] Yeah.
[00:57:55.600 --> 00:57:58.320] Tell her side Hustle Pro sent you.
[00:57:58.320 --> 00:57:59.000] All right.
[00:57:59.880 --> 00:58:02.600] And with that, there you have it.
[00:57:58.720 --> 00:58:05.320] I will talk to you guys next week.
[00:58:06.920 --> 00:58:09.960] Hey guys, thanks for listening to Side Hustle Pro.
[00:58:09.960 --> 00:58:14.680] If you like the show, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts.
[00:58:14.680 --> 00:58:18.120] It helps other side hustlers just like you to find the show.
[00:58:18.440 --> 00:58:23.080] And if you want to hear more from me, you can follow me on Instagram at SideHustle Pro.
[00:58:23.080 --> 00:58:30.120] Plus, sign up for my six-foot Saturday newsletter at sidehustlepro.co slash newsletter.
[00:58:30.120 --> 00:58:37.560] When you sign up, you will receive weekly nuggets from me, including what I'm up to, personal lessons, and my business tip of the week.
[00:58:37.560 --> 00:58:42.280] Again, that's sidehustlepro.co/slash newsletter to sign up.
[00:58:42.280 --> 00:58:43.880] Talk to you soon.
[00:58:47.720 --> 00:58:52.840] Take control of the numbers and supercharge your small business with zero.
[00:58:52.840 --> 00:58:56.280] That's X-E-R-O.
[00:58:56.280 --> 00:59:05.080] With our easy-to-use accounting software with automation and reporting features, you'll spend less time on manual tasks and more time understanding how your business is doing.
[00:59:05.080 --> 00:59:07.000] 87% of surveyed U.S.
[00:59:07.000 --> 00:59:10.360] customers agree Xero helps improve financial visibility.
[00:59:10.360 --> 00:59:16.280] Search Zero with an X or visit zero.com slash ACAST to start your 30-day free trial.
[00:59:16.280 --> 00:59:17.800] Conditions apply.
[00:59:17.800 --> 00:59:19.800] Can recruitment be beautiful?
[00:59:19.800 --> 00:59:25.080] At LHH, we believe it can when it's rooted in purpose, not just process.
[00:59:25.080 --> 00:59:27.320] We don't just match resumes to roles.
[00:59:27.320 --> 00:59:29.960] We uncover once-in-a-lifetime talent.
[00:59:29.960 --> 00:59:37.320] We understand the skills you need so we can connect you with people who align with your vision and can deliver lasting impact.
[00:59:37.320 --> 00:59:39.720] Discover a more human approach to hiring.
[00:59:39.720 --> 00:59:42.520] Visit lh.com/slash beautiful.
[00:59:42.520 --> 00:59:47.440] Recruitment, development, career transition, LHH, a beautiful wo

Prompt 2: Key Takeaways

Now please extract the key takeaways from the transcript content I provided.

Extract the most important key takeaways from this part of the conversation. Use a single sentence statement (the key takeaway) rather than milquetoast descriptions like "the hosts discuss...". 

Limit the key takeaways to a maximum of 3. The key takeaways should be insightful and knowledge-additive. 

IMPORTANT: Return ONLY valid JSON, no explanations or markdown. Ensure:
- All strings are properly quoted and escaped
- No trailing commas
- All braces and brackets are balanced
Format: {"key_takeaways": ["takeaway 1", "takeaway 2"]}

Prompt 3: Segments

Now identify 2-4 distinct topical segments from this part of the conversation.

For each segment, identify:
- Descriptive title (3-6 words)  
- START timestamp when this topic begins (HH:MM:SS format)
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Most important Key takeaway from that segment. Key takeaway must be specific and knowledge-additive.
- Brief summary of the discussion

IMPORTANT: The timestamp should mark when the topic/segment STARTS, not a range. Look for topic transitions and conversation shifts.

Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted, no trailing commas:
{
  "segments": [
    {
      "segment_title": "Topic Discussion", 
      "timestamp": "01:15:30",
      "key_takeaway": "main point from this segment",
      "segment_summary": "brief description of what was discussed"
    }
  ]
}

Timestamp format: HH:MM:SS (e.g., 00:05:30, 01:22:45) marking the START of each segment.

Prompt 4: Media Mentions

Now scan the transcript content I provided for ACTUAL mentions of specific media titles:

Find explicit mentions of:
- Books (with specific titles)
- Movies (with specific titles)  
- TV Shows (with specific titles)
- Music/Songs (with specific titles)

DO NOT include:
- Websites, URLs, or web services
- Other podcasts or podcast names

IMPORTANT: 
- Only include items explicitly mentioned by name. Do not invent titles.
- Valid categories are: "Book", "Movie", "TV Show", "Music"
- Include the exact phrase where each item was mentioned
- Find the nearest proximate timestamp where it appears in the conversation
- THE TIMESTAMP OF THE MEDIA MENTION IS IMPORTANT - DO NOT INVENT TIMESTAMPS AND DO NOT MISATTRIBUTE TIMESTAMPS
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Timestamps are given as ranges, e.g. 01:13:42.520 --> 01:13:46.720. Use the EARLIER of the 2 timestamps in the range.

Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted and escaped, no trailing commas:
{
  "media_mentions": [
    {
      "title": "Exact Title as Mentioned",
      "category": "Book",
      "author_artist": "N/A",
      "context": "Brief context of why it was mentioned",
      "context_phrase": "The exact sentence or phrase where it was mentioned",
      "timestamp": "estimated time like 01:15:30"
    }
  ]
}

If no media is mentioned, return: {"media_mentions": []}

Prompt 5: Context Setup

You are an expert data extractor tasked with analyzing a podcast transcript. 
I will provide you with part 2 of 2 from a podcast transcript. 
I will then ask you to extract different types of information from this content in subsequent messages. Please confirm you have received and understood the transcript content.

Transcript section:
 --> 00:58:18.120] It helps other side hustlers just like you to find the show.
[00:58:18.440 --> 00:58:23.080] And if you want to hear more from me, you can follow me on Instagram at SideHustle Pro.
[00:58:23.080 --> 00:58:30.120] Plus, sign up for my six-foot Saturday newsletter at sidehustlepro.co slash newsletter.
[00:58:30.120 --> 00:58:37.560] When you sign up, you will receive weekly nuggets from me, including what I'm up to, personal lessons, and my business tip of the week.
[00:58:37.560 --> 00:58:42.280] Again, that's sidehustlepro.co/slash newsletter to sign up.
[00:58:42.280 --> 00:58:43.880] Talk to you soon.
[00:58:47.720 --> 00:58:52.840] Take control of the numbers and supercharge your small business with zero.
[00:58:52.840 --> 00:58:56.280] That's X-E-R-O.
[00:58:56.280 --> 00:59:05.080] With our easy-to-use accounting software with automation and reporting features, you'll spend less time on manual tasks and more time understanding how your business is doing.
[00:59:05.080 --> 00:59:07.000] 87% of surveyed U.S.
[00:59:07.000 --> 00:59:10.360] customers agree Xero helps improve financial visibility.
[00:59:10.360 --> 00:59:16.280] Search Zero with an X or visit zero.com slash ACAST to start your 30-day free trial.
[00:59:16.280 --> 00:59:17.800] Conditions apply.
[00:59:17.800 --> 00:59:19.800] Can recruitment be beautiful?
[00:59:19.800 --> 00:59:25.080] At LHH, we believe it can when it's rooted in purpose, not just process.
[00:59:25.080 --> 00:59:27.320] We don't just match resumes to roles.
[00:59:27.320 --> 00:59:29.960] We uncover once-in-a-lifetime talent.
[00:59:29.960 --> 00:59:37.320] We understand the skills you need so we can connect you with people who align with your vision and can deliver lasting impact.
[00:59:37.320 --> 00:59:39.720] Discover a more human approach to hiring.
[00:59:39.720 --> 00:59:42.520] Visit lh.com/slash beautiful.
[00:59:42.520 --> 00:59:47.440] Recruitment, development, career transition, LHH, a beautiful working world.

Prompt 6: Key Takeaways

Now please extract the key takeaways from the transcript content I provided.

Extract the most important key takeaways from this part of the conversation. Use a single sentence statement (the key takeaway) rather than milquetoast descriptions like "the hosts discuss...". 

Limit the key takeaways to a maximum of 3. The key takeaways should be insightful and knowledge-additive. 

IMPORTANT: Return ONLY valid JSON, no explanations or markdown. Ensure:
- All strings are properly quoted and escaped
- No trailing commas
- All braces and brackets are balanced
Format: {"key_takeaways": ["takeaway 1", "takeaway 2"]}

Prompt 7: Segments

Now identify 2-4 distinct topical segments from this part of the conversation.

For each segment, identify:
- Descriptive title (3-6 words)  
- START timestamp when this topic begins (HH:MM:SS format)
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Most important Key takeaway from that segment. Key takeaway must be specific and knowledge-additive.
- Brief summary of the discussion

IMPORTANT: The timestamp should mark when the topic/segment STARTS, not a range. Look for topic transitions and conversation shifts.

Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted, no trailing commas:
{
  "segments": [
    {
      "segment_title": "Topic Discussion", 
      "timestamp": "01:15:30",
      "key_takeaway": "main point from this segment",
      "segment_summary": "brief description of what was discussed"
    }
  ]
}

Timestamp format: HH:MM:SS (e.g., 00:05:30, 01:22:45) marking the START of each segment.

Prompt 8: Media Mentions

Now scan the transcript content I provided for ACTUAL mentions of specific media titles:

Find explicit mentions of:
- Books (with specific titles)
- Movies (with specific titles)  
- TV Shows (with specific titles)
- Music/Songs (with specific titles)

DO NOT include:
- Websites, URLs, or web services
- Other podcasts or podcast names

IMPORTANT: 
- Only include items explicitly mentioned by name. Do not invent titles.
- Valid categories are: "Book", "Movie", "TV Show", "Music"
- Include the exact phrase where each item was mentioned
- Find the nearest proximate timestamp where it appears in the conversation
- THE TIMESTAMP OF THE MEDIA MENTION IS IMPORTANT - DO NOT INVENT TIMESTAMPS AND DO NOT MISATTRIBUTE TIMESTAMPS
- Double check that the timestamp is accurate - a timestamp will NEVER be greater than the total length of the audio
- Timestamps are given as ranges, e.g. 01:13:42.520 --> 01:13:46.720. Use the EARLIER of the 2 timestamps in the range.

Return ONLY valid JSON. Ensure all strings are properly quoted and escaped, no trailing commas:
{
  "media_mentions": [
    {
      "title": "Exact Title as Mentioned",
      "category": "Book",
      "author_artist": "N/A",
      "context": "Brief context of why it was mentioned",
      "context_phrase": "The exact sentence or phrase where it was mentioned",
      "timestamp": "estimated time like 01:15:30"
    }
  ]
}

If no media is mentioned, return: {"media_mentions": []}

Full Transcript

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[00:01:30.160 --> 00:01:34.160] It's no longer acceptable to allow us to be an afterthought.
[00:01:34.160 --> 00:01:36.240] Black women deserve options.
[00:01:36.240 --> 00:01:48.960] And what for me, I wanted to be the catalyst that creates a playing field that's so elevated that now everyone else has to come up to your level because we're no longer accepting anything less.
[00:01:49.600 --> 00:01:58.320] You're listening to Side Hustle Pro, the podcast that teaches you to build and grow your side hustle from passion project to profitable business.
[00:01:58.320 --> 00:02:01.240] And I'm your host, Nikayla Matthews Okome.
[00:02:01.240 --> 00:02:03.080] So let's get started.
[00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:05.560] Hey, friends.
[00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:07.160] Hey, welcome, welcome back to the show.
[00:02:07.160 --> 00:02:08.200] It's Nikayla here.
[00:02:08.200 --> 00:02:13.640] And today in the guest chair, I have Tisha Thompson, the founder of LYS Beauty.
[00:02:13.640 --> 00:02:17.400] Tisha is a disruptor, redefining clean beauty.
[00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:30.920] With over 25 years of experience as a makeup artist, beauty executive, and product developer, she launched LYS in 2001 to challenge industry norms, proving that clean, high-performance, and inclusive beauty can coexist.
[00:02:30.920 --> 00:02:45.160] As the first black-owned clean makeup brand at Sephora, LYS has expanded globally with viral bestsellers like the No Limits Cream Bronzer Stick and Triple Fix Serum Foundation, earning Allure Best of Beauty awards.
[00:02:45.160 --> 00:02:57.400] A passionate speaker and educator, Tisha is committed to making beauty more accessible and ensuring everyone feels seen, securing her spot to Inc.'s 2022 Female Founders 100 list.
[00:02:57.400 --> 00:03:03.160] I can't wait for you to hear this conversation and be inspired to side hustle in a different way.
[00:03:03.160 --> 00:03:05.080] Let's get right into it.
[00:03:07.640 --> 00:03:08.760] All right, Tisha.
[00:03:08.760 --> 00:03:11.080] So welcome, welcome to the guest chair.
[00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:11.960] Hi, how are you?
[00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:13.400] Thanks for having me.
[00:03:13.720 --> 00:03:15.400] Oh, thank you for being here.
[00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:22.520] I'm so excited to learn more about your journey and how you came to be founder and CEO of LYS Beauty.
[00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:24.760] So tell us, how did you get your start?
[00:03:24.760 --> 00:03:26.680] What was your original career path?
[00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:29.800] So I went to college actually for business and finance.
[00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:34.360] I was a staff accountant as my full-time job, but I was a makeup artist on the side.
[00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:35.720] That's what I enjoyed doing.
[00:03:35.720 --> 00:03:37.240] It was my passion.
[00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:38.760] It's what I thought I wanted to do.
[00:03:38.760 --> 00:03:43.080] But I had military parents who are really strict and they're like, you're going to go to college.
[00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:44.520] You're going to get a real job.
[00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:46.640] You're not going to be a starving makeup artist.
[00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:57.360] And this was back before, you know, really the glorification of makeup artistry and entrepreneurship and beauty was really a big mainstream thing.
[00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:09.120] So that vision just wasn't there, which we can talk about that in a little bit of the importance of representation because those kind of can really shape the direction that we advise our kids to go in.
[00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:15.680] But I did the makeup as a side hustle and fostered my business skills.
[00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:23.760] And I actually got into makeup in terms of the corporate side through that finance position.
[00:04:23.760 --> 00:04:28.400] I actually ended up working at a beauty brand doing their accounting.
[00:04:28.400 --> 00:04:46.160] And so I always tell young people that I mentor: if you are looking to make a shift or a change, sometimes a way in the door could be making that shift in your current role or your current job position, but into a company that does similar elements of what you want to do.
[00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.400] And then maybe you can kind of backdoor it that way.
[00:04:48.400 --> 00:04:52.080] But I don't think that that was initially my intention out of the gate.
[00:04:52.080 --> 00:04:57.120] I think when I actually took that job, it was a greater conglomerate of a company.
[00:04:57.120 --> 00:04:59.600] So they had multiple different things, not just beauty brands.
[00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:03.120] So I didn't even realize they even had beauty brands until I actually started there.
[00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:05.840] And so my first day, which brand was this?
[00:05:06.080 --> 00:05:08.960] This brand was called Pure Cosmetics.
[00:05:08.960 --> 00:05:09.360] Okay.
[00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:15.520] And when I first started, you know, I walked through and, you know, there were multiple things in the lobby.
[00:05:15.520 --> 00:05:17.440] And I noticed the beauty brands.
[00:05:17.440 --> 00:05:21.280] And I was like, oh, you know, this is a really great opportunity.
[00:05:21.280 --> 00:05:25.600] Can, you know, is there any way I could maybe, you know, connect with the marketing team?
[00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.960] And I think the HR lady was in our mind, like, listen, you got this accounting job.
[00:05:29.960 --> 00:05:32.440] Do what you're supposed to do.
[00:05:33.080 --> 00:05:33.560] Okay.
[00:05:33.880 --> 00:05:34.200] Yeah.
[00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:36.840] So, but I kind of stalked them for like 18 months.
[00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:43.080] And then eventually someone didn't show up for an event that they had as a makeup artist.
[00:05:43.080 --> 00:05:44.440] And they were kind of scrambling.
[00:05:44.440 --> 00:05:48.520] And I kind of stepped in and they were like, oh, the accountant actually does know how to do makeup.
[00:05:48.520 --> 00:05:52.520] And they were like, oh, you know, so I think they were a little pleasantly surprised.
[00:05:52.520 --> 00:05:55.560] And they're like, maybe, you know, we should consider.
[00:05:55.560 --> 00:06:08.200] And I think what was really cool is I really pushed the envelope in the realm of diversity for that brand because it wasn't necessarily always, you know, the most diverse in product assortment at that time.
[00:06:08.200 --> 00:06:14.760] And so I think me really, you know, helping be a catalyst to push to say, hey, you know, you guys need better shades from me.
[00:06:14.840 --> 00:06:17.400] You need better shapes from my family and my friends.
[00:06:17.400 --> 00:06:23.480] And I think that that insight led them to be like, you know, I think she would be a really great fit on our team.
[00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:35.160] And so when an opportunity came up for a marketing coordinator position, I made the decision to take a demotion, step down from my finance role and really kind of get on track.
[00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:37.800] And it was this kind of foot in that door.
[00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:39.080] Yeah, it was a mindset.
[00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:45.720] Sometimes it's okay to take one step back to go 10 steps forward.
[00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.600] And that was essentially the decision I made.
[00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:54.360] It was the best decision I ever made because within five years, I was kind of running the entire brand.
[00:06:54.360 --> 00:06:58.360] And I actually spent 15 years there.
[00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:00.280] And I left really running.
[00:07:00.520 --> 00:07:03.960] I was the senior VP, kind of GM in the entire brand.
[00:07:03.960 --> 00:07:07.800] So I kind of was a big catalyst for seven of the years.
[00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:11.480] I owned product development fully.
[00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:21.760] And so a lot of autonomy and decision making on what products went into market and just learning so much from the chemistry and regulatory side.
[00:07:21.760 --> 00:07:29.280] And I just took the opportunity to almost take the two decades and like just foster and learn and be a sponge.
[00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:35.920] And that essentially one day was where I felt like, okay, I've done the boot camp.
[00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:37.360] I've taken the masterclass.
[00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:38.400] I know what to do.
[00:07:38.400 --> 00:07:40.800] I can now go and do this for myself.
[00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:46.480] And that is a major decision to take the leap and become an entrepreneur.
[00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:51.760] Before we get there, though, I want, because you said something, and I don't want to gloss over this.
[00:07:51.760 --> 00:07:54.960] You did two things that are really unique.
[00:07:54.960 --> 00:08:00.240] You decided, hey, I don't really want to do this accounting thing.
[00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:05.520] Why don't I try to work in the kind of industry I want to work in?
[00:08:05.520 --> 00:08:08.640] But I know my foot in the door is to still do accounting.
[00:08:08.640 --> 00:08:09.840] And I think that's so smart.
[00:08:09.840 --> 00:08:15.200] And that's a tip that many people listening and viewing can take, right?
[00:08:15.520 --> 00:08:23.200] It might take you a while to pivot into this industry, but what can you use in what you've already been doing in an industry you want to pivot out of?
[00:08:23.200 --> 00:08:25.920] So I know so many attorneys who hate big law.
[00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:35.520] And so they eventually, you know, they go in-house somewhere they really like, like a major streaming company, like a Netflix, or even I've seen people at Chanel and in my network and all these things.
[00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:37.760] I'm like, and I just feel like that's so smart.
[00:08:37.760 --> 00:08:43.440] I know you care more about or enjoy that industry a lot more than where you were.
[00:08:43.760 --> 00:08:50.760] So, but then being able to then move positions out of accounting into the marketing and beauty space.
[00:08:50.640 --> 00:08:53.040] Now, now that is much harder.
[00:08:53.040 --> 00:09:00.600] And you kept it real and saying you had to take a demotion, but you, you said you took one step back to take 10 steps forward.
[00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:02.440] But did you know it was going to be forward?
[00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:05.800] Like a lot of people are like, it's going to take me 10 years to take those 10 steps.
[00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:07.320] I don't want to do that, Nikayla.
[00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:10.520] So, what was your mindset when you took that demotion?
[00:09:10.520 --> 00:09:15.880] You know, I think for me, it was just kind of trusting in the value that I know that I would bring.
[00:09:15.880 --> 00:09:24.680] And I think sometimes we, you know, don't have the confidence and we kind of live in fear and realizing, okay, you know, if I do this, it may not work out.
[00:09:24.680 --> 00:09:27.000] But, you know, if you do this, it may work out.
[00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:28.520] So it's really a mindset shift.
[00:09:28.520 --> 00:09:33.800] And I think we have to remember that we have to bet on us before we can expect anyone else to bet on us.
[00:09:33.800 --> 00:09:43.640] And so you just have to have that confidence and know, listen, what I'm about to do and bring is going to blow their mind that I know I'm going to be running the place by the end of the day.
[00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:48.840] And I think that, you know, that ultimate confidence makes a huge difference.
[00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:50.280] And that's where it landed.
[00:09:50.280 --> 00:09:55.640] And I think we have to just kind of believe in ourselves in order to make some of these tough decisions.
[00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:06.120] At what point did you start to think about starting your own beauty brand?
[00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:12.040] So for me, you know, it's always something as a once you really get into development and creating product.
[00:10:12.040 --> 00:10:15.960] I do think, you know, most people that I talk to tend to get that itch.
[00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:30.760] Most developers and people are very innovative who really have that mindset of creation and always like ideating and really like trailblazing and seeing, you know, and identifying new things and being able to develop them and bring them to market.
[00:10:30.760 --> 00:10:37.160] We usually tend to at some point get that itch to say, you know, I want to, I want to launch this for myself or I want to do this for myself.
[00:10:37.160 --> 00:10:44.520] And I see a lot of people that I talk to, that's kind of when it kind of starts to foster.
[00:10:44.520 --> 00:10:48.640] I think because when I was a makeup artist, I never wanted to have my own brand.
[00:10:48.720 --> 00:11:05.120] It never really crossed my mind, but it was when I really started making products and getting involved and being a catalyst of what got into the market and really knowing that I can affect change of what was being put in the market and making products more clean and just developing things for the community.
[00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:07.360] It started to kind of sit with me.
[00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:10.640] But I think what was the challenge is a couple of things.
[00:11:10.640 --> 00:11:19.040] One, you know, I had enough insight having the financial acumen and really starting to run a business to know it was really expensive.
[00:11:19.040 --> 00:11:27.600] And so even though I could maybe start something, scaling it and taking it into retail or making it a nationwide brand costs millions of dollars.
[00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:31.600] And I don't come from money and I don't have a rich uncle that I could reach out to.
[00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:40.640] So for me, it was a lack of foresight in this, in the fact that it probably would be a very long and very difficult road.
[00:11:40.640 --> 00:11:48.080] And I have a very nice, comfortable job making really good money as an executive that takes me all around the world.
[00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.920] Why do I need to even go deal with those struggles?
[00:11:51.920 --> 00:11:53.840] And so I kind of dealt with that.
[00:11:53.840 --> 00:12:02.480] I also kind of dealt a little bit with not seeing a lot of black women as founders taking up space.
[00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:20.480] You know, there were a few brands that kind of were kind of in existence, but very, very few that had any sort of retail presence that I had experience in, which would be the Ulta and the Sephora realm, which we call specialty retail.
[00:12:20.800 --> 00:12:23.920] And what year was that when you were feeling this way?
[00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:30.000] Between 2017 and 2019, I think is when those emotions were really kicking in.
[00:12:30.760 --> 00:12:36.520] And it didn't really kick off until 2019 when unfortunately I lost my dad.
[00:12:36.760 --> 00:12:38.280] And it was very unexpected.
[00:12:38.280 --> 00:12:47.800] And I think that emotional travesty in that situation essentially is what was the catalyst for me to say, life is short.
[00:12:47.800 --> 00:12:49.080] YOLO.
[00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:51.880] You know, you can't keep making excuses.
[00:12:51.880 --> 00:12:55.080] If this is something you want to do, you have to do it.
[00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:59.480] And you kind of know and kind of get a feel for what you think your purpose is.
[00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:04.760] If it's something that you can just continuously feel pulling you, but you're pulling against it.
[00:13:04.760 --> 00:13:09.080] Like, you know, like we've kind of, most of us have kind of been there where we know that struggle.
[00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:18.120] Like we know what we're called to do, but we're being stubborn and we're not doing it because it's not comfortable or it's, you know, we want to take the path of least resistance.
[00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:24.680] And so when I lost him, I think that was that swift kick for me in the butt that said, you know, life is short.
[00:13:24.680 --> 00:13:36.360] And so thankfully he left me a little bit of money and not a lot, but enough to where I felt comfortable making the decision to say, you know, and I also have a very supportive husband.
[00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:39.320] And we always use the statement of burn the boats.
[00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:44.600] And for us, it was like, take the leap, just do it.
[00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:48.280] We will figure it out however and whatever happens.
[00:13:48.280 --> 00:13:55.800] Because I was like, listen, we could do some repairs on the house and we could, you know, do this and I can get a nice truck and like all these things.
[00:13:55.800 --> 00:14:07.560] And I'm like, or I can plant and sow this seed that could create a legacy for many generations in my life, in my family's life to come.
[00:14:07.880 --> 00:14:10.120] And that's kind of the decision we took.
[00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:13.160] And I immediately were like all in.
[00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:15.840] And that was like the early part of 2019.
[00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:19.120] I went into full entrepreneur mode.
[00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:23.360] I'm sure your dad is happy with the decision you've made.
[00:14:23.920 --> 00:14:24.480] Yeah.
[00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:26.480] Yeah, that's what I wanted you to do.
[00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:27.280] I hope so.
[00:14:27.280 --> 00:14:28.000] I hope so.
[00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:33.280] I function every day with that goal of just continuing to make him proud.
[00:14:33.280 --> 00:14:34.160] Yes.
[00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:40.400] And thank you for also touching on what's real about the funding aspect of entrepreneurship.
[00:14:40.400 --> 00:14:47.360] It's like if you don't come from money or a rich uncle, you got to get creative and figure out how am I going to tap my network?
[00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:48.800] When am I going to tap them?
[00:14:48.800 --> 00:14:51.760] What resources will actually be put into it?
[00:14:51.760 --> 00:14:52.560] Is it going to be my own?
[00:14:52.560 --> 00:14:58.880] And before this tragic event happened, you know, you weren't even thinking that you could do this in the same way, right?
[00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:03.520] You would have approached it completely differently because money and capital is real.
[00:15:03.680 --> 00:15:05.920] You know, what you need to invest is real.
[00:15:05.920 --> 00:15:09.200] So when you say you used it for that, what did that look like?
[00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:10.800] What were those early investments?
[00:15:10.800 --> 00:15:13.200] How much did it cost to really get set up?
[00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:21.440] Yeah, I always, it's such an interesting thing because it really depends on how big or how small you start.
[00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:26.560] You know, I kind of started immediately, you know, to back up a little bit.
[00:15:26.560 --> 00:15:29.920] You know, I originally thought it was just going to be a D2C brand.
[00:15:29.920 --> 00:15:36.400] And that was kind of my vision because I didn't think that, you know, I would secure a retailer at all.
[00:15:36.400 --> 00:15:41.040] And then one day, you know, I actually started this going into the pandemic.
[00:15:41.040 --> 00:15:44.560] And then the pandemic hit and it was like, what am I going to do now?
[00:15:44.880 --> 00:15:48.080] But then you really started to see black businesses being supported.
[00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:59.200] And there was just this really big, you know, revolution happening within, you know, the blacks, you know, ownership space and so many people supporting things that we created.
[00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:04.040] And so, in my mind, I was like, okay, I got to get out here fast because I'm missing the boat.
[00:16:04.040 --> 00:16:05.800] Like, this is a movement.
[00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:09.400] And, you know, then I started seeing all these brands.
[00:16:09.400 --> 00:16:12.360] And we went through the Black Square movement.
[00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:17.800] And, you know, I started seeing these retailers like all of a sudden jumping on this bandwagon.
[00:16:18.520 --> 00:16:20.840] And now we're going through the opposite.
[00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:30.200] I started to have a little frustration because I started to, in my mind, foreshadow what's happening now to happen.
[00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:39.160] Like, okay, it's convenient now, but what happens when we're no longer a trend to which we're seeing come into play?
[00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:41.480] And I was kind of frustrated.
[00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:51.560] And I was just like, okay, if retailers are really getting on board and supporting us, what are they going to do in response to their just marketing efforts?
[00:16:51.560 --> 00:17:14.280] And, you know, what I really appreciated and loved is when I heard Sephora really make their statement about the 20, the 15% pledge during 2020 and 2021, really going deep into more than just about, you know, the timing of it, but about how it was so important to the DNA of what they stood for.
[00:17:14.280 --> 00:17:17.960] And I was just like, you need a brand like LYS.
[00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:23.400] And so I emailed them thinking they would never respond.
[00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:31.080] And I got an email back and it was a cold call email and just said, hey, you know, I have this brand that I'm working on.
[00:17:31.080 --> 00:17:32.440] This is my credentials.
[00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:35.160] This is, you know, everything about me and the brand.
[00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:40.040] And I really think that this could be a huge brand within your ecosystem.
[00:17:40.040 --> 00:17:41.320] They responded back.
[00:17:41.320 --> 00:17:44.800] And within nine months, we were launching the business.
[00:17:44.520 --> 00:17:51.520] And so, originally, where I only needed a smaller amount of money, then it became a retail play instant at launch.
[00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:57.520] And so that's when I was like, okay, I gotta tap into a couple resources to say, hey, will you angel invest?
[00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.880] Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute.
[00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:04.240] So when you pitched for, you hadn't even launched yet?
[00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:04.560] No.
[00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:07.440] I had a presentation.
[00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:09.760] How did you get this email?
[00:18:09.760 --> 00:18:11.280] And who did you email?
[00:18:11.280 --> 00:18:14.960] I don't have to say the name, but like, how did you know who to email?
[00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:22.080] I literally went on LinkedIn and I just looked at who possibly could be over beauty.
[00:18:22.080 --> 00:18:28.080] And I emailed like 10 different people thinking like maybe somebody will respond.
[00:18:28.080 --> 00:18:31.200] And somebody was like, let me send this to such and such.
[00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:32.640] They need to see this.
[00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.120] And I got a response back.
[00:18:35.120 --> 00:18:39.200] It was literally like fate and luck.
[00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:41.920] So you pitched them on the concept.
[00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:47.360] And they said, hey, let's take a call.
[00:18:47.360 --> 00:18:49.040] And, you know, of course, the world was shut down.
[00:18:49.040 --> 00:18:52.400] So all this was done during the pandemic, all virtually.
[00:18:52.400 --> 00:19:04.240] And so normally, you know, having had experience with, you know, for example, Ulta and Target and other, you know, mass retailers, you know, deals don't get done unless you meet.
[00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:11.360] Like, so you get on a plane, you fly out, you meet with them, then you, then you'll find out, you present, then you maybe come back again.
[00:19:11.360 --> 00:19:19.280] So, you know, it would be sometimes two to three meetings over half a year before you could kind of get a deal with a retailer.
[00:19:19.280 --> 00:19:29.960] And for me to be able to like have a couple of Zoom calls and within a couple months have a deal and be launching within, you know, nine months was like six.
[00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:32.360] It was like maybe like seven months actually.
[00:19:29.760 --> 00:19:33.960] We were like launching.
[00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:48.360] What was it about your concept, your brand that they were interested in that made them say yes?
[00:19:48.360 --> 00:19:48.840] Yeah.
[00:19:48.840 --> 00:19:50.520] Before it was even a brand.
[00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:51.560] A physical thing.
[00:19:51.560 --> 00:19:51.960] Yeah.
[00:19:52.280 --> 00:19:54.120] I think two things.
[00:19:54.120 --> 00:20:07.000] One, I think I played a big part in it where my experience and knowing that, hey, we're going to be able to bring a brand in that could instantly be able to come into our ecosystem.
[00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.000] She knows specialty retail.
[00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:10.040] She knows how we work.
[00:20:10.040 --> 00:20:13.560] She has the connections.
[00:20:13.560 --> 00:20:16.120] Like she's done this for 15 years.
[00:20:16.120 --> 00:20:24.600] Like she's going to be able to come in and run this brand instantly versus an entrepreneur just figuring out beauty, just figuring out how to run a business.
[00:20:24.600 --> 00:20:29.240] So I think having, you know, and they kind of said that to me, it's like, hey, we're betting on you.
[00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:30.680] Like the brand is really great.
[00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:32.680] That's the cherry on top, but we're betting on you.
[00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:46.920] Like we really think, because a lot of times with brands too, it's not that it's not unique, but it's like, you know, we have to be pragmatic and think there's hundreds of foundations, there's hundreds of lipsticks in Sephora.
[00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:50.760] You know, a lot of what makes a brand successful is execution.
[00:20:50.760 --> 00:21:00.280] You know, there's a lot of brands that have really great product, phenomenal performance and payoff, but they don't execute well and they go out of business.
[00:21:00.280 --> 00:21:05.720] So, really, execution is a really big part of the strategy in making a brand successful.
[00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:08.120] And so, I think that won them over.
[00:21:08.120 --> 00:21:10.200] But we were also doing something very different, right?
[00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:11.880] You know, we're a clean beauty brand.
[00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:19.040] We would, we were at the time, and I pitched it as I would be your first black-owned clean makeup brand to ever be sold.
[00:21:19.360 --> 00:21:33.840] You know, really at that time, clean, and you got to remember during the pandemic, everyone's focusing on health and wellness because now we have this virus out here, and everybody's like, Oh, I got to be healthy, and we got to, you know, cognizant of the things that we are exposed to.
[00:21:33.840 --> 00:21:35.840] And so, timing also played out.
[00:21:36.080 --> 00:21:39.600] Timing was great, and so everybody was all about clean.
[00:21:39.600 --> 00:21:47.440] But in clean, one, it was really expensive, and two, they didn't talk to black and brown women at all.
[00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:56.640] And if they decided to eventually, it was after they would launch a collection and then they would do an extension, and then it would have their darker shades.
[00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:01.760] And so, I was kind of frustrated and pitched it as, hey, like, when do we get seen?
[00:22:01.760 --> 00:22:03.680] When do we have representation?
[00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:08.320] When do we have options that are available to us when a brand launches?
[00:22:08.320 --> 00:22:08.720] Right?
[00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:12.160] When are we taking into consideration at the onset?
[00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:18.160] All of the development, all of the you know, creation is with black women in mind.
[00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:31.600] So, the pigmentation, the performance, the payoff, the ingredients we use all consider people with melanin in their skin, which is not and was not normally the case in Clean Beauty, especially the brands that they had at the time.
[00:22:31.600 --> 00:22:35.200] And so, um, for me, it was different, it was a point of difference.
[00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:38.880] What does LYS Beauty consist of?
[00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:40.640] Like, what did you launch with?
[00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:43.040] You know, what were the key products?
[00:22:43.040 --> 00:22:45.440] Yeah, so LYS stands for love yourself.
[00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:50.880] And for me, I wanted to create a brand that really inspired people to be their most confident self.
[00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:53.640] But we like to promote whether you wear makeup or not.
[00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:58.640] Our vision and our goal is to make everyone walk around as confident as they want to be.
[00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:09.080] But if you choose to wear makeup, we want you to use clean products with good-for-you ingredients that really take your skin's needs into account at the onset.
[00:23:09.080 --> 00:23:10.920] We focus on complexion.
[00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:12.520] That is what we're known for.
[00:23:12.520 --> 00:23:16.520] So we're all about beautiful, flawless complexion.
[00:23:16.520 --> 00:23:23.480] So foundations, concealers, bronzers, blushes, all of the things, setting powders, setting sprays.
[00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:30.440] We do have lip, mascara, brows, you know, the additional things, but really our bread and butter, our strength.
[00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:35.960] I think what we do the best, our products that really prioritize and focus on complexion.
[00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:40.360] You know, when I launched the brand, I launched with 35 foundation shades.
[00:23:40.360 --> 00:23:47.080] That as an indie brand, bootstrapped, self-funded, out of the gate, first of all, it's unheard of.
[00:23:47.080 --> 00:23:57.000] You have brands that have been around for at that time when we launched 10, 20 years that were launching foundation shades with three shades for black women.
[00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:59.560] You know, that just is like, there's no excuse, right?
[00:23:59.560 --> 00:24:13.160] Like, like when you can have a brand that, you know, pretty much is taking, you know, their life savings and they launch out of the gate being the most inclusive and clean out of the gate.
[00:24:13.160 --> 00:24:15.960] And you have these other brands, it started to call to action.
[00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:21.320] Like, we're not, it's no longer acceptable to allow us to be an afterthought.
[00:24:21.320 --> 00:24:23.480] We expect and demand more.
[00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:26.840] And I think that has continued to shake up the space.
[00:24:26.840 --> 00:24:30.200] And I think we as black women deserve options.
[00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:43.560] And what for me, I wanted to be the catalyst is you create a playing field that's so elevated that now everyone else has to come up to your level because we're no longer accepting anything less.
[00:24:43.560 --> 00:24:49.040] And what that does is that allows everybody to like us to have more options because that's what I want.
[00:24:49.040 --> 00:24:50.720] I want us to have more options.
[00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:52.320] And what was the response?
[00:24:52.320 --> 00:24:55.600] I'm curious because, okay, this is different than what we're used to, right?
[00:24:55.600 --> 00:24:59.440] You came up with your brand, you pitched Sephora, they bought in.
[00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:04.080] So you're launching with a retail partner as their first clean beauty brand.
[00:25:04.080 --> 00:25:09.280] But then now you're also introducing this and building a customer base.
[00:25:09.280 --> 00:25:14.560] So what was the response once you launched in Sephora, once you launched the brand?
[00:25:14.560 --> 00:25:21.920] When we launched, they originally purchased what they predicted to be four months of inventory.
[00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:24.240] We sold out in 10 days.
[00:25:24.560 --> 00:25:27.680] So it was very well received.
[00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:39.120] I think this explosive nature of the first black-owned clean makeup brand ever to be sold at Sephora opened people's eyes first to say, wait a minute, like she's just the first.
[00:25:39.760 --> 00:25:46.080] How is this, how are we still on anything just having the first of a black person ever doing it?
[00:25:46.080 --> 00:25:51.040] Like to me, that is like, let's just, let's just unpack that for a second.
[00:25:51.040 --> 00:25:55.280] Like, how are, is it still us being the first at anything at this point?
[00:25:55.280 --> 00:26:03.520] Like, like just so many opportunities that we have not been a part of or left out of is just a shame.
[00:26:03.520 --> 00:26:12.480] And so when you say, wow, she's just the first, that instantly made people think, wow, like, I can't believe she's the first one that they've ever had in Sephora.
[00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:15.280] And then you say, then you start to say, well, what are they all about?
[00:26:15.280 --> 00:26:16.000] What are they doing?
[00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:17.520] What are they doing differently?
[00:26:17.520 --> 00:26:26.800] And then you start to see the inclusives, the price point, the DNA behind the brand, the mission, everything we stand for, the luxurious packaging.
[00:26:26.800 --> 00:26:28.480] Like people were just like shocked.
[00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:34.920] They were like, how does a brand out of nowhere with no celebrity backing?
[00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:37.400] You know, I'm, nobody knows me.
[00:26:37.400 --> 00:26:40.040] At the time, I think I probably had like 5,000 followers.
[00:26:40.040 --> 00:26:42.440] Like, nobody knows who I am.
[00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:46.360] And like, and so I think people were like, where did this brand come from?
[00:26:46.360 --> 00:26:48.840] And I think it really intrigued people.
[00:26:48.840 --> 00:26:54.520] And when you launched in, did you launch in every single Sephora store or a limited number of doors?
[00:26:54.520 --> 00:26:56.360] Did you launch online as well?
[00:26:56.360 --> 00:26:56.600] Yeah.
[00:26:56.600 --> 00:26:59.560] So we originally only launched online.
[00:26:59.560 --> 00:27:04.040] So when we launched in February 2021, we launched online.
[00:27:04.040 --> 00:27:09.080] The discussion and conversation at the time was, let's launch online and let's watch it.
[00:27:09.080 --> 00:27:11.960] And in a year, let's see how things are going.
[00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:14.520] And then we'll consider going in store.
[00:27:14.520 --> 00:27:17.400] We were in stores by September.
[00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:20.440] So it was just a whirlwind.
[00:27:20.440 --> 00:27:23.800] We really just started to move really fast because of the success.
[00:27:23.800 --> 00:27:30.280] We started off with about 100 stores and then we just quickly added more over time.
[00:27:30.600 --> 00:27:32.840] I think, so we're in year four now.
[00:27:32.840 --> 00:27:37.080] By year two, year two and a half, we were in all doors.
[00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:41.480] And then now we're in also all coal stores.
[00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:45.400] So the whole Sephora's in coal, too.
[00:27:45.560 --> 00:27:49.720] So we're in almost over 1500 retail locations now.
[00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:51.480] So that is impressive.
[00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:52.280] Congrats.
[00:27:52.520 --> 00:27:54.040] Thank you.
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[00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:58.680] You mentioned something about like the presentation and people buying into the overall just ethos of the brand, not only what it's about, but who you are, the mission.
[00:30:58.680 --> 00:31:05.480] But when you are a consumer and you walk in and you see all these packages in Sephora, you don't necessarily know that, right?
[00:31:05.480 --> 00:31:14.920] So what's been your approach to merchandising to development to make sure your products stand out in the awesome oasis that is Sephora?
[00:31:14.920 --> 00:31:15.800] Yeah, I know.
[00:31:16.040 --> 00:31:20.120] It's so difficult because you're right, it's a sea of products, and how do you stand out?
[00:31:20.120 --> 00:31:20.920] What makes you different?
[00:31:20.920 --> 00:31:29.480] And one of the biggest things I did when I launched the brand was create a triangle packaging, which is very unique and different to anything in beauty.
[00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:36.920] And so, anyone who wears makeup out there, you know, most beauty products are round, square, or rectangular.
[00:31:36.920 --> 00:31:40.440] And we launched with triangle-shaped packaging.
[00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:42.440] Everything is triangular.
[00:31:42.840 --> 00:31:48.560] And so the triangle for me was a representation of the intentionality behind the brand.
[00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:51.600] It's the Delta symbol, and Delta means change.
[00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:57.760] And for me, it had a multitude of things of why change is so important to our brand and what we stand for.
[00:31:57.760 --> 00:32:02.480] The first thing is we, you know, I was on a mission to change really the clean beauty industry.
[00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:03.920] I wanted to help evolve it.
[00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:06.720] I wanted to make sure that everyone had access to it.
[00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:12.800] So I think change really rooted in what I wanted to do in terms of creating a legacy within the industry.
[00:32:12.800 --> 00:32:17.040] The other aspect of change for me is really more the personal side of it.
[00:32:17.040 --> 00:32:23.040] Because the brand is all about promoting self-love, self-confidence, and you being unapologetically yourself.
[00:32:23.040 --> 00:32:27.040] A lot of that starts with changing how we speak and treat ourselves.
[00:32:27.040 --> 00:32:38.320] You know, we really do have this old rooted mindset of being doubtful and intentionally rude and mean and cruel in my view to ourselves.
[00:32:38.560 --> 00:32:45.200] I think if we really think about it, we say things to ourselves that we probably would never say to another human being.
[00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:57.520] I mean, some people, you know, have the gall, but most of us would never be like, you look fat, which, you know, I think when, you know, I know I've experienced that many times where I'll look in the mirror and be like, I just look so fat.
[00:32:57.520 --> 00:33:01.760] And I would never say to my sister or my friend or whatever, you look fat.
[00:33:01.760 --> 00:33:04.640] Like it's just, it just, I would, it would never come out of my mouth.
[00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:09.840] And so I think that that, you know, why do we say those things to ourselves?
[00:33:09.840 --> 00:33:24.960] And so that reminder, when you pick that packaging up that, okay, this 15 minutes that I'm going to spend with myself doing my beauty routine, this is going to be a moment of reaffirming and self-affirming all of the best things about me.
[00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:29.440] And so, you know, that triangle is like, okay, you got to change your mindset right now.
[00:33:29.440 --> 00:33:34.200] And all of our products are named these reminders that we want people.
[00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:43.160] So you go to pick up your bronzer that's called worthy, or you go to pick up your highlighter that's called fearless, or you go to pick up your blush that's called confident.
[00:33:43.160 --> 00:33:48.280] Like, those are things that you are reminding yourself to be in that moment.
[00:33:48.280 --> 00:33:54.200] And so that for me was a catalyst of how we could stand out in the space.
[00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:59.800] First of all, have a shape that then people intrigues people to say, Yes, what is this about?
[00:33:59.800 --> 00:34:00.840] Right, right.
[00:34:00.840 --> 00:34:01.640] I love that.
[00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:06.040] That is so intentional in how you went about it.
[00:34:06.040 --> 00:34:08.440] And I mean, we can always use affirmation.
[00:34:08.440 --> 00:34:15.160] So pairing products with that, whether it's the title or even something on the back of it, I think that is so smart.
[00:34:15.160 --> 00:34:17.080] Now, what has changed?
[00:34:17.080 --> 00:34:24.120] Like, as you've been in business now for four years, we're experiencing a shift right now.
[00:34:24.120 --> 00:34:25.960] How has this impacted your business?
[00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:31.320] The attack on DEI, the attack on programs that uplift black and brown founders?
[00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:35.880] You know, I would say the positive thing is we're at Sephora.
[00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:49.160] And one thing I will say about Sephora: if they have doubled down and they've continued to say, listen, we are staying true to this because this was never a trend for us, and that this is really the DNA of who we are.
[00:34:49.160 --> 00:34:53.880] And so the support has not faltered, has not wavered.
[00:34:54.120 --> 00:35:00.040] And so we have not really experienced any challenges with our retail partner within Sephora.
[00:35:00.040 --> 00:35:07.240] I do think that there are some macro-related things that, you know, just naturally becomes an impact overall.
[00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:13.560] And it just naturally becomes kind of an unfortunate thing that kind of impacts our entire community.
[00:35:13.560 --> 00:35:23.680] But I think what we've tried to do is kind of continue to be that beacon of light, continue to remind founders and brands to say, hey, stay true to who you are.
[00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:32.560] You know, double down in any way that you can and remind people that you deserve to take the space that you are taking.
[00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:38.240] And, you know, as we always say, I know my grandma used to say, this too shall pass.
[00:35:38.240 --> 00:35:41.280] And so we just have to weather this storm right now.
[00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:55.360] And I think all holding hands together and reminding and supporting black businesses now more than ever is the most critical time because I think that is what's needed for us to kind of weather through this.
[00:35:55.360 --> 00:36:04.720] And you can see the impact that we have when we align and we say we're not supporting something and we all stick together in the power of our dollar.
[00:36:05.040 --> 00:36:08.320] People see we just have to stay together.
[00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:08.960] Yeah.
[00:36:09.600 --> 00:36:19.040] But at the same time, you know, some brands right now are experiencing people tightening up their purse strings, shopping less.
[00:36:19.040 --> 00:36:22.400] And as business owners, you have to get more creative, right?
[00:36:22.400 --> 00:36:24.960] Are you spending more to earn more?
[00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:28.400] Are you seeing that impact your profits?
[00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:30.720] Yeah, for us, I think we did.
[00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:33.760] We kind of, I foreshadowed a little bit in that.
[00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:38.560] The original mindset was to make the brand more affordable.
[00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:48.000] I don't think I ever predicted, you know, a recession or that, you know, we would have the challenges that we're having, whether it be with tariffs or, you know, this sort of thing.
[00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:51.360] So don't, you know, don't want to say, like, oh, I had the crystal ball in that.
[00:36:51.360 --> 00:36:57.280] But I do think, like, the strategy for me was always to kind of come in at a more accessible price point.
[00:36:57.280 --> 00:37:10.520] I think what we're seeing in terms of the data is we're on average, LYS is on average 40% cheaper than the average brand sold at Sephora and Ulta within the prestige beauty space.
[00:37:10.520 --> 00:37:24.200] And so, we're really priced at a really great point to where if someone's having to pull back and they normally would spend $40 on a bronzer or $40 on a foundation, ours is $20.
[00:37:24.200 --> 00:37:31.320] Now they're like, oh, let me try LYS because it's actually in the price point that I really want to be at.
[00:37:31.320 --> 00:37:37.400] And then they're like, oh, well, this is actually better quality than the $40 one that I was getting.
[00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:39.800] Like, why have I been spending so much all along?
[00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:53.000] So I think we're just primed right now in a position to where it really puts us in a good position for those people who are really looking for a lower cost but still high quality, high-value item.
[00:37:58.440 --> 00:38:05.960] Have you done any specific marketing campaigns to raise awareness of the brand and grow its popularity?
[00:38:05.960 --> 00:38:09.320] Yeah, we've been doing a lot of marketing campaigns.
[00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:14.760] We did a launch recently with some TikTok creators, which was very well received.
[00:38:15.080 --> 00:38:22.520] We've continued to kind of do campaigns with just everyday women, which I love.
[00:38:22.520 --> 00:38:34.280] So we're kind of doubling down and really just promoting, you know, the fact that the brand is really rooted in this ideation of inspiring you to be yourself and loving yourself.
[00:38:34.280 --> 00:38:37.320] And people are really identifying with that so much.
[00:38:37.800 --> 00:38:42.360] We're taking the brand on the road to essence coming up, which is really exciting.
[00:38:42.840 --> 00:38:45.000] Have you been before, or is this the first year?
[00:38:45.360 --> 00:38:46.880] So, the brand's first year.
[00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:49.200] I've attended, but this is the brand's first year.
[00:38:49.200 --> 00:38:54.240] And I'm excited to, you know, get the brand out there and continue to spread our wings.
[00:38:54.240 --> 00:39:00.480] I think the biggest thing for me is I think we've created something really cool and we've just kind of scratched the surface.
[00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:09.680] But what are the things and the places that we can be to really show up and let people who may have not heard about the brand know that we're out there and we exist?
[00:39:09.680 --> 00:39:13.280] Because awareness is probably our biggest hurdle today.
[00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:14.000] Of course.
[00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:14.480] Yeah.
[00:39:14.640 --> 00:39:26.880] Before we jump into the lightning round, I also want to ask about the fact that, yes, you were working in beauty, but you went after a lane that's very specific, the clean beauty lane.
[00:39:26.880 --> 00:39:28.400] What does that mean to you?
[00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:36.640] And then how did you go about finding the right chemists and manufacturers to truly make this the products that you had in mind, but make them clean?
[00:39:36.640 --> 00:39:40.480] So what is clean and how did you get it developed?
[00:39:40.480 --> 00:39:43.040] I think the biggest reason for me was kind of selfish.
[00:39:43.040 --> 00:39:44.800] It wasn't really probably intentional.
[00:39:44.800 --> 00:39:48.320] I mean, being a makeup artist, I've used so many different products.
[00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:50.480] And so performance was the most important.
[00:39:50.480 --> 00:40:02.080] But I think the problem is and the challenge that makeup artists have is a lot of clean products don't perform or they're not really designed for onset or high performance situations.
[00:40:02.080 --> 00:40:09.920] And so for me, I wanted to be the first to kind of start to like impact that because there are needs that I wanted that weren't being serviced.
[00:40:09.920 --> 00:40:12.880] But then also I had cystic acne really, really bad.
[00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:16.480] And so products, you know, that weren't clean were always breaking me out.
[00:40:16.480 --> 00:40:19.520] And I was like, oh my goodness, we got to figure this out.
[00:40:19.520 --> 00:40:22.560] And so I just, you know, went on to learning.
[00:40:22.560 --> 00:40:28.560] And the more information and insight I started to get and how, you know, my skin, I'm allergic to fragrance.
[00:40:28.560 --> 00:42:06.400] So it really irritates me on my skin when I use products that have fragrance and so taking that out of products you know that little change or you know silicones you know really do block up my skin and it actually gives me cystic acne and and so removing silicones from products so it was really out of a personal I think thing that I was having challenges with that made me say okay I'm gonna develop and formulate without that which naturally then was like well if you're gonna be that restrictive you just need to go full on and be clean break down barriers and let's start making performing products that makeup artists can use that are clean and that's essentially was the catalyst and and clean is it's highly it's like it's unregulated it's highly overused there's a lot of brands that green wash and so for us we just say our promise in clean is there's a level set of ingredients that we promote that we don't use like tal like fragrance like silicones like pegs um you know things that like are very commonly used in non-clean products that that can potentially be irritant some people are not irritated by it but it's potentially irritant and so we just don't use those and then we also add skincare ingredients as well so you know we add things that you would maybe eat in your normal diet we put that into our formulation like green tea mango pineapple um you know kale and and turmeric and like we put those things because they have benefits topically for the skin and so we put those ingredients in our formulas um so that's kind of how we approach clean and and and that's really um you know, kind of the rationale and reason and why why we kind of went that route.
[00:42:06.400 --> 00:42:13.360] And then, how did you go about finding the chemist to um you know, you didn't come from a background of making products, even though you're in beauty.
[00:42:13.360 --> 00:42:15.520] So, like, what was that process?
[00:42:15.520 --> 00:42:24.800] It was a 10-year journey of just developing products and going into the labs and building relationships and learning as I go.
[00:42:24.800 --> 00:42:29.120] And so, it just doesn't happen overnight.
[00:42:29.120 --> 00:42:32.240] It really is something that's fostered and nurtured.
[00:42:32.560 --> 00:42:35.600] I don't really take stuff off the shelf.
[00:42:35.600 --> 00:42:46.480] And if I take something like a formula that exists, by the time I'm finished with it, it's not even the original base because I'm like a mad scientist and like, I want this, add this, change this.
[00:42:46.480 --> 00:42:47.760] I needed to have this.
[00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:55.280] So, I'm very like, we don't work with labs that don't allow us to have that autonomy to really like, you know, create our formulas.
[00:42:55.680 --> 00:43:02.720] And that just has come from like, again, a decade of working with labs that I just already have relationships with.
[00:43:02.720 --> 00:43:10.320] And those relationships were through you reaching out, through a little bit of work, or just yeah, like I do trade.
[00:43:10.320 --> 00:43:16.240] Like, so I always tell like people I mentor, I say, go to shows like Cosmoprop or makeup.
[00:43:16.240 --> 00:43:18.400] They have these shows called Makeup Inn.
[00:43:18.400 --> 00:43:21.840] They have them in LA, New York, but they have it in Paris.
[00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:25.360] So you could go to these shows and they're basically like trade shows.
[00:43:25.360 --> 00:43:30.720] And all of the suppliers go there and they're all in one room under one roof.
[00:43:30.720 --> 00:43:34.800] And you can just go booth to booth and ask questions and learn about them.
[00:43:34.800 --> 00:43:39.200] They have packaging suppliers, they have formulation suppliers, they have ingredient suppliers.
[00:43:39.200 --> 00:43:45.120] And it literally is like, for anybody who's obsessed with product development, like me, it's literally like trick-or-treating.
[00:43:45.120 --> 00:43:45.920] It's like being expressed in the world.
[00:43:46.080 --> 00:43:47.280] It's like your Disney World?
[00:43:47.280 --> 00:43:49.040] It's like Mount Disney World, literally.
[00:43:49.040 --> 00:43:52.480] And you literally get to go and you interview and they show you products.
[00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:57.200] And then whoever you mesh well with, you can then set up meetings and fly to their facilities.
[00:43:57.360 --> 00:44:01.000] Like I've been to Korea and like, you know, worked in factories.
[00:43:59.840 --> 00:44:04.520] And it just, there's just a rapport that you can develop.
[00:44:04.680 --> 00:44:10.680] And I always tell people, if you're not sure where to start, that's where you would start is go to one of those trade shows.
[00:44:10.680 --> 00:44:13.560] And then you can start to build the relationships from there.
[00:44:13.560 --> 00:44:15.400] Ooh, that is an amazing tip.
[00:44:15.400 --> 00:44:17.560] Thank you for being so generous and for sharing that.
[00:44:17.560 --> 00:44:18.920] So what were the names again?
[00:44:19.160 --> 00:44:22.600] So Cosmoprof, they have a big one in Vegas.
[00:44:22.600 --> 00:44:25.960] They also have one in Miami, I believe, every year now.
[00:44:26.600 --> 00:44:29.960] And then there's Makeup in LA and Makeup in New York.
[00:44:30.200 --> 00:44:31.160] Those are two.
[00:44:31.160 --> 00:44:34.920] There's a show just for packaging called Lux Pack if anybody's interested.
[00:44:34.920 --> 00:44:40.440] But you can kind of Google any of those and they'll come up and you can see kind of when those shows are.
[00:44:40.440 --> 00:44:47.960] And anybody, I don't know when this is dropping, but the big Cosmoprof North America show is in Vegas in a couple weeks in July.
[00:44:47.960 --> 00:44:51.720] So that show is a massive show in Vegas.
[00:44:51.720 --> 00:44:57.560] So I would highly recommend if anybody's looking to get into okay, we will link to those in the show notes.
[00:44:57.560 --> 00:44:58.360] I love that.
[00:44:58.360 --> 00:45:01.080] And I'm reminded, like, this goes across industry.
[00:45:01.080 --> 00:45:06.680] I forget sometimes that there's literally a convention and a huge conference for everything.
[00:45:07.880 --> 00:45:08.520] 1,000.
[00:45:08.840 --> 00:45:09.800] Everything.
[00:45:10.120 --> 00:45:11.480] So find your convention.
[00:45:12.200 --> 00:45:14.200] There was like a dry cleaning, Prince.
[00:45:14.200 --> 00:45:17.240] And I'm like, is dry cleaning that big?
[00:45:17.560 --> 00:45:20.200] I was like, I haven't dry cleaned anything in years.
[00:45:20.200 --> 00:45:21.880] Like, what's going on?
[00:45:22.440 --> 00:45:26.360] And so, yeah, there's like a whole now there's clean and dry cleaning, right?
[00:45:26.360 --> 00:45:27.480] But you still want to perform.
[00:45:27.480 --> 00:45:28.760] You still want it to be good.
[00:45:28.760 --> 00:45:30.280] So there's so much going on.
[00:45:30.680 --> 00:45:31.080] So much.
[00:45:31.080 --> 00:45:33.480] So, yes, there is something for every industry.
[00:45:33.480 --> 00:45:34.680] You're absolutely right.
[00:45:34.680 --> 00:45:36.280] Thank you for that reminder.
[00:45:36.280 --> 00:45:38.040] Oh my gosh.
[00:45:43.080 --> 00:45:48.080] I am just fascinated by your journey again because it's you know, it's different than what I normally hear.
[00:45:44.600 --> 00:45:51.680] Like, I love the fact that partially it was your side hustle journey.
[00:45:52.160 --> 00:46:04.720] It was the fact that you worked for 25 years between like even doing makeup yourself to working accounting to working, you know, for a beauty company and then working up the ranks to exec level.
[00:46:04.720 --> 00:46:12.960] Like, you really learned and you had that patience to wait to develop your products on the side.
[00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:20.080] So, it's really just about staying the course as a side hustler and trusting and knowing that it doesn't have to happen right away.
[00:46:20.080 --> 00:46:21.600] You don't have to quit right away.
[00:46:21.600 --> 00:46:23.600] You certainly don't have to quit right away.
[00:46:24.400 --> 00:46:30.240] It really is interesting when people say that you're an overnight success and they're like, Oh, look what you've accomplished in four years.
[00:46:30.240 --> 00:46:31.760] And I go, You have no idea.
[00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:34.400] This was a 10-plus-year journey.
[00:46:34.400 --> 00:46:43.840] Like, this has been a long time behind the scenes and a lot of just personal development into getting where I am for sure.
[00:46:43.840 --> 00:46:49.120] When did you actually leave your job and go full-time for LYS Beauty?
[00:46:49.120 --> 00:46:58.080] Yeah, I went full-time in the end of 2020 is when I officially like stepped away from supporting that other business.
[00:46:58.080 --> 00:46:58.480] Okay.
[00:46:58.800 --> 00:47:09.920] And so, my full-time was like, you know, I'm no longer helping, you know, support them, you know, because I had kind of an agreement with my mentor who kind of helped me at the brand that I was working with.
[00:47:09.920 --> 00:47:11.600] Because, of course, I had been there for 15 years.
[00:47:11.600 --> 00:47:12.880] So, it was really a mutual thing.
[00:47:12.880 --> 00:47:22.720] It's like, okay, I understand you want to go follow this journey, but at the same time, you're so intertwined in the DNA and the success of this business.
[00:47:22.720 --> 00:47:25.920] So, what can we do to support the wind down effectively?
[00:47:25.920 --> 00:47:42.520] So, I kind of had that luxury because of that great relationship to really continue to like work and support them while I was weaning down and getting you know things in place for my predecessor, but then also being able to support my startup as well.
[00:47:42.520 --> 00:47:50.760] So, I know that is very uncommon for people to be able to have that opportunity, but that for me was a really important process.
[00:47:50.760 --> 00:47:56.520] It allowed me to build this on the side while I was still working my full-time job.
[00:47:56.520 --> 00:48:05.480] Was it difficult for you to then adjust to being a full-time entrepreneur and like start to reestablish everything for yourself?
[00:48:05.480 --> 00:48:11.000] So, reestablish your salary, what you're paying yourself, your business structure, and how that all is going to work.
[00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:15.560] It was definitely a learning curve, but it wasn't terrible.
[00:48:15.560 --> 00:48:18.760] It was really more of a work-life balance kind of thing.
[00:48:19.000 --> 00:48:33.160] You go from, you know, not having to worry about all the aspects of the business and really kind of just having your set role versus like now you're literally like you're doing everything.
[00:48:33.160 --> 00:48:37.720] And I was the first and only full-time employee for like the first year.
[00:48:37.720 --> 00:48:49.320] So, you know, I was doing the social media, I was, you know, packing out packages, writing notes to people, I was shipping stuff, you know, I was doing all of it.
[00:48:49.320 --> 00:48:59.960] And so, it went from like I would have the luxury of maybe clocking out at, you know, five or six and being like, I'm done, versus now you're 24/7.
[00:48:59.960 --> 00:49:08.520] So, it was a little bit of a work-life balance shift that first year or so, where I was just like, I was like, wow, like I'm working a lot.
[00:49:08.520 --> 00:49:11.080] I'm working a lot, but it was fine.
[00:49:11.080 --> 00:49:14.880] I mean, for me, I honestly say, and I, and people think I'm crazy.
[00:49:14.760 --> 00:49:19.520] Everybody thinks I'm crazy because I literally, it's not work.
[00:49:14.840 --> 00:49:21.200] So, this is my hobby.
[00:49:21.360 --> 00:49:22.800] I, this is what I do.
[00:49:22.800 --> 00:49:25.120] People are like, what do you do for fun?
[00:49:25.120 --> 00:49:27.840] And what are some things that you do to like unfit?
[00:49:28.080 --> 00:49:29.680] And I go, I work.
[00:49:29.680 --> 00:49:32.080] Like, it's not, no, this is not work for me.
[00:49:33.280 --> 00:49:35.040] You know, this is not work for me.
[00:49:35.920 --> 00:49:38.800] Yeah, but it doesn't feel like work.
[00:49:38.800 --> 00:49:41.280] Like, this is like what I love.
[00:49:41.280 --> 00:49:43.280] Have you expanded your team?
[00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:44.320] Yes.
[00:49:44.320 --> 00:49:44.560] Okay.
[00:49:45.040 --> 00:49:47.040] So you're not doing everything yourself.
[00:49:47.040 --> 00:49:48.320] No, materially.
[00:49:48.320 --> 00:49:52.560] And now I have had the luxuries to be able to take time off.
[00:49:52.560 --> 00:49:55.280] And like, I can go to all my kids' baseball games.
[00:49:55.280 --> 00:49:58.160] And like, life is life has been great.
[00:49:58.160 --> 00:50:02.400] And so I'm really excited about having my team now for sure.
[00:50:02.720 --> 00:50:06.320] And so a lot of people lose money in the first few years of their business.
[00:50:06.320 --> 00:50:08.640] What has been your experience?
[00:50:08.640 --> 00:50:12.080] We have been profitable every year since we launched the business.
[00:50:12.080 --> 00:50:27.360] And but you know, I always say, you know, I am probably a rare bunny in that I have that financial acumen and that skill set of really managing and balancing financials.
[00:50:27.360 --> 00:50:31.680] It's really what I started into my whole career doing.
[00:50:31.680 --> 00:50:41.200] So it probably, you know, it probably is just rooted in me and drilled in me for so many years of running business that had, you know, you have to make a profit.
[00:50:41.200 --> 00:50:48.720] And so it's just, I know how to be really strategic and smart in terms of making sure that we always protect the bottom line.
[00:50:48.720 --> 00:50:51.920] So it's just, it's just how I'm wired.
[00:50:52.240 --> 00:50:55.920] And my team always jokes and says, I don't know a better negotiator.
[00:50:55.920 --> 00:51:06.280] And it's like, I like, it's like, or I'm going to say, no, we can't do it because if I know that it's going to prevent me from being profitable at the end of the day, then I say we wait.
[00:51:06.280 --> 00:51:08.440] Like, so it's just in my DNA.
[00:51:08.440 --> 00:51:10.120] It's just how I'm wired.
[00:51:12.680 --> 00:51:16.040] We're going to transition into a quick lightning round.
[00:51:16.040 --> 00:51:16.920] You know the deal.
[00:51:16.920 --> 00:51:18.840] Just answer the very first thing that comes to mind.
[00:51:18.840 --> 00:51:19.720] Are you ready?
[00:51:19.720 --> 00:51:20.680] Yes.
[00:51:20.680 --> 00:51:21.080] Okay.
[00:51:21.400 --> 00:51:31.480] Number one, what is a top resource these days, not Google, that has helped you in your business that you can share with the Side Hustle Pro audience?
[00:51:31.480 --> 00:51:32.760] Oh my goodness.
[00:51:32.760 --> 00:51:40.680] So before, I probably would have said a social media tool that we've used, but I would say honestly, real talk lately, Chat GBT.
[00:51:41.880 --> 00:51:45.720] It literally, like it's a game changer.
[00:51:45.720 --> 00:51:51.480] And like, and I think so many people are kind of shying away from AI, but it's, it's extremely impactful when you talk about it.
[00:51:51.640 --> 00:51:53.560] What's the top way you use it these days?
[00:51:53.960 --> 00:52:08.760] Now we're really using it for, you know, whether it be for researching if something exists or copywriting, you know, just being able to help optimize our text and our usage, our application copy.
[00:52:08.760 --> 00:52:11.800] You know, education is a big element in beauty.
[00:52:11.800 --> 00:52:19.800] And so sometimes we can get really fluffy in our wording to say, you know, how to put a blush on.
[00:52:19.800 --> 00:52:25.960] But the way somebody really perceives or reads that is like, wait, like you read the box and you're like, wait, what do I do?
[00:52:25.960 --> 00:52:35.640] So like, it's like, like, now how do I word this in a really simplified way that, like, now just comes across so easy.
[00:52:35.640 --> 00:52:44.040] And so, little things like that, that really helps you versus having to go back and, you know, copywriting can be, I, oh, I hate writing, first of all.
[00:52:44.320 --> 00:52:45.840] So, yeah, I'm not good at it.
[00:52:45.840 --> 00:52:47.520] So, I'm so excited to have it.
[00:52:44.760 --> 00:52:52.000] But, um, I have someone on my team who's also really good at it and it's kind of helped me along the journey.
[00:52:52.240 --> 00:53:01.120] But those are kind of areas that we've been optimizing it lately with our emails and our SMS and just all of those ways that we communicate with our customer.
[00:53:01.120 --> 00:53:12.880] It allows us to talk now in a way that is less fluffy that we sometimes do as marketers, you know, and do it faster instead of taking like weeks to develop something, like really be able to workshop faster.
[00:53:12.880 --> 00:53:13.600] So, absolutely.
[00:53:13.760 --> 00:53:14.560] I like that.
[00:53:14.560 --> 00:53:19.120] Number three: What is a non-negotiable part of your day these days?
[00:53:19.120 --> 00:53:23.200] So, I think my non-negotiables now has been working out.
[00:53:23.200 --> 00:53:25.680] I've started since October of last year.
[00:53:25.680 --> 00:53:27.600] I'm on a weight loss journey.
[00:53:27.600 --> 00:53:28.240] Congratulations.
[00:53:28.640 --> 00:53:29.520] Thank you.
[00:53:29.520 --> 00:53:32.000] And so, for me, that is my non-negotiable.
[00:53:32.000 --> 00:53:35.760] Like, I need that time to go for my walk or my time at the gym.
[00:53:35.760 --> 00:53:37.920] Like, that just has to happen.
[00:53:37.920 --> 00:53:46.640] Also, I'm obsessed with coffee or, you know, I'm into acaibos, like, those, like, like, kind of little healthy treats that I like to do for myself.
[00:53:46.640 --> 00:53:53.680] Like, so those, those are like a part of my routine that I try to like incorporate in to make me kind of feel uplift me and feel better.
[00:53:53.680 --> 00:53:54.080] Yes.
[00:53:54.080 --> 00:53:56.240] My makeup routine: our brows.
[00:53:56.240 --> 00:53:57.920] You don't see me without my brows.
[00:53:57.920 --> 00:54:05.040] I always joke and say, if you see me without my brows, that means we're like on best friend status.
[00:54:05.040 --> 00:54:07.440] So, um, so yeah.
[00:54:07.840 --> 00:54:08.480] Oh, my God.
[00:54:09.200 --> 00:54:09.920] And are they?
[00:54:09.920 --> 00:54:14.000] Do you do microbladed or do you do eye draw pencil?
[00:54:14.160 --> 00:54:14.800] Eye pencil pencil.
[00:54:14.960 --> 00:54:15.520] Nice.
[00:54:15.520 --> 00:54:16.800] And they look gorgeous, guys.
[00:54:16.800 --> 00:54:18.480] Come over to YouTube if you're not here.
[00:54:18.480 --> 00:54:18.880] Yeah.
[00:54:18.880 --> 00:54:19.120] Yeah.
[00:54:19.120 --> 00:54:22.800] But without them, I'm guessing I got to get a LYS beauty pencil, right?
[00:54:22.800 --> 00:54:23.040] Yes.
[00:54:23.760 --> 00:54:24.240] Yes.
[00:54:24.880 --> 00:54:26.240] I'm bald without them.
[00:54:26.240 --> 00:54:26.960] So that's why.
[00:54:27.200 --> 00:54:27.520] Yeah.
[00:54:27.520 --> 00:54:27.760] Yeah.
[00:54:27.760 --> 00:54:28.960] It's like if you can't see them.
[00:54:29.040 --> 00:54:30.200] They're so natural.
[00:54:30.200 --> 00:54:30.840] Thank you.
[00:54:30.840 --> 00:54:31.320] Okay.
[00:54:31.640 --> 00:54:33.720] I'm going to be headed to the website after this.
[00:54:29.680 --> 00:54:34.520] Number four.
[00:54:35.160 --> 00:54:41.080] What's a personal trait that has significantly contributed to your success in business?
[00:54:41.080 --> 00:54:43.960] I would say my relationships with people.
[00:54:43.960 --> 00:54:47.880] Like, you know, I'm a big believer that people work for people.
[00:54:47.880 --> 00:55:00.360] And so being like, you know, kind and respectful and generous, giving back, like having those qualities of just being a good human being is what has really made me the most successful.
[00:55:00.760 --> 00:55:05.240] Like I, we were kind of like on our way as we started when it was just me.
[00:55:05.240 --> 00:55:23.000] But when I started to bring in my team and really them being able to come in and like help catapult and grow this business and like just hand over fist working 10, 12, 14 hour days, like helping grind out with me, like without a doubt, for me, it was like this success is because of my team.
[00:55:23.000 --> 00:55:32.120] Like they, we just are killing it because of them being inspired by what, you know, my mission is and for them and the success that they want them to have.
[00:55:32.120 --> 00:55:43.240] So I think that, you know, creating a culture and a team that, you know, wants to rock with you is like hands down the best way to be the most successful.
[00:55:43.240 --> 00:55:47.000] Because if you try to do it by yourself, like you will, you'll crash and burn.
[00:55:47.000 --> 00:55:48.360] Like it's so difficult.
[00:55:48.520 --> 00:55:51.080] You cannot, there's just literally no I and team.
[00:55:51.080 --> 00:55:52.040] You can't.
[00:55:52.040 --> 00:56:02.920] And then finally, what is your parting advice for fellow women entrepreneurs who want to start their own company, but are scared about losing a steady paycheck?
[00:56:02.920 --> 00:56:03.560] Yeah.
[00:56:03.880 --> 00:56:08.920] So I would say bet on yourself, but also find your tribe.
[00:56:08.920 --> 00:56:17.920] Find people that are going to be positive about what the journey you're about to take because you need that positive affirmation.
[00:56:18.240 --> 00:56:39.360] And find those women or men who can help support you when you are on this journey and that can help guide you, whether it be, you know, the support you may need for your kids because you have to work a few extra hours or whether it be somebody who can you can have on speed dial to give you advice or just a shoulder to cry on because there'll be days that you'll cry.
[00:56:39.360 --> 00:56:48.400] And just you just need to find your tribe and find those people that will help you during the process because it really is a journey for sure.
[00:56:48.400 --> 00:56:53.600] And I think as you go through that journey, just always continue to bet on you.
[00:56:53.600 --> 00:57:01.520] Just know like, you know, if you don't bet on yourself and continue this journey, no one else is going to do it for you.
[00:57:01.520 --> 00:57:10.000] Like if we sit around and wait for someone to show up on that white horse and, you know, ride you off into the sunset of success, it just doesn't happen.
[00:57:10.000 --> 00:57:16.400] You have to, you have to put the work in, but you have to have the confidence and belief in you to do it.
[00:57:16.400 --> 00:57:17.040] Amen.
[00:57:17.040 --> 00:57:17.760] Amen.
[00:57:18.080 --> 00:57:20.000] So thank you so much for that.
[00:57:20.000 --> 00:57:24.320] I know that's a needed reminder from somebody today that's listening.
[00:57:24.320 --> 00:57:27.520] So we thank you so much for joining us in the guest chair, Tisha.
[00:57:27.520 --> 00:57:31.200] And where can people connect with you and LYS after this?
[00:57:31.520 --> 00:57:35.120] You can connect with me on Instagram or TikTok.
[00:57:35.120 --> 00:57:46.800] Instagram, my personal handle is GlamourGirl5, but you can follow me also on the brand, which is LYS Beauty Official and on all platforms.
[00:57:46.800 --> 00:57:48.960] And yeah, that would be really the best way.
[00:57:48.960 --> 00:57:51.360] And I would really appreciate just connecting with all of you.
[00:57:51.360 --> 00:57:55.120] Just hit me up and let's let's talk and chat online.
[00:57:55.120 --> 00:57:55.600] Yeah.
[00:57:55.600 --> 00:57:58.320] Tell her side Hustle Pro sent you.
[00:57:58.320 --> 00:57:59.000] All right.
[00:57:59.880 --> 00:58:02.600] And with that, there you have it.
[00:57:58.720 --> 00:58:05.320] I will talk to you guys next week.
[00:58:06.920 --> 00:58:09.960] Hey guys, thanks for listening to Side Hustle Pro.
[00:58:09.960 --> 00:58:14.680] If you like the show, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts.
[00:58:14.680 --> 00:58:18.120] It helps other side hustlers just like you to find the show.
[00:58:18.440 --> 00:58:23.080] And if you want to hear more from me, you can follow me on Instagram at SideHustle Pro.
[00:58:23.080 --> 00:58:30.120] Plus, sign up for my six-foot Saturday newsletter at sidehustlepro.co slash newsletter.
[00:58:30.120 --> 00:58:37.560] When you sign up, you will receive weekly nuggets from me, including what I'm up to, personal lessons, and my business tip of the week.
[00:58:37.560 --> 00:58:42.280] Again, that's sidehustlepro.co/slash newsletter to sign up.
[00:58:42.280 --> 00:58:43.880] Talk to you soon.
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[00:59:17.800 --> 00:59:19.800] Can recruitment be beautiful?
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