Female Founder World

Inside the $20M Rise of Who Is Elijah

September 15, 2025

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  • Building a business is a powerful catalyst for personal growth and self-actualization, unlocking new levels of confidence and resilience with each challenge overcome. 
  • Scrappy, founder-led marketing and content creation can provide a significant competitive advantage over legacy brands by humanizing the brand and creating authentic connections. 
  • Navigating the simultaneous demands of building a business and raising a family requires leaning into the current season, making sacrifices, and embracing a flexible, albeit unstructured, approach to life. 

Segments

Brand Story and US Expansion
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(00:01:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Who is Elijah is a modern fragrance house that focuses on fragrances as characters or alter egos, and is actively expanding into the US market.
  • Summary: The host introduces the brand ‘Who is Elijah’ and its founder, Pamela Forrest. Pamela explains that the brand is a modern fragrance house that started in her garage. She highlights that their fragrances are positioned not around memories, but as different characters or alter egos. Pamela also shares exciting news about their upcoming launch in the US through Revolt and their work with a PR agency, indicating a significant push into the American market.
Guerrilla Marketing and Retail Strategy
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(00:07:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Guerrilla marketing and strategic retail partnerships have been key to Who is Elijah’s growth, but careful brand alignment is crucial.
  • Summary: Pamela discusses the brand’s success through ‘guerrilla marketing,’ emphasizing her personal involvement in these efforts. She shares the story of their UK expansion, where they handed out discovery sets outside a Boots store after being initially rejected, which eventually led to a partnership. However, she also reflects on the negative impact of partnering with retailers that didn’t align with their luxury brand positioning, leading to a need to ‘clean up the mess.’ The conversation touches on the importance of starting with premium retailers like David Jones and Sephora.
Sophia Ritchie Collaboration Story
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(00:13:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Bold, unconventional actions can lead to unexpected and highly valuable opportunities, even with celebrities.
  • Summary: Pamela recounts the viral TikTok moment where she compared her fragrance ‘Nomad’ to Sophia Ritchie. This led to Sophia ordering the fragrance, prompting Pamela to fly to LA with the product. This spontaneous trip resulted in a personal meeting with Sophia, wine and caviar, and ultimately, a partnership with Sophia’s PR agency. Pamela emphasizes the lesson of being ‘delusionally optimistic’ and not being afraid to take unconventional actions, as it can lead to significant business growth and opportunities.