How I Built This with Guy Raz

Advice Line with Bobbi Brown of Jones Road Beauty

September 18, 2025

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  • Launching a new venture after a non-compete expires, even amidst challenging times, can be driven by a desire to innovate and address perceived gaps in the market, rather than simply resting on past successes. 
  • Authenticity and a deep understanding of a product's unique value proposition are crucial for building a lasting brand, even when facing established competitors or niche market limitations. 
  • Successful entrepreneurs often leverage their existing expertise and personal experiences to identify unmet needs and develop innovative solutions, as demonstrated by the orthopedic surgeon creating a cabbage-based rub and the oral care founder addressing post-coffee mouth issues. 

Segments

Launching Jones Road Beauty
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(00:05:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Bobby Brown launched Jones Road Beauty after her non-compete expired, driven by a desire to create products with better texture and a more natural aesthetic than what was available in the ‘clean beauty’ market.
  • Summary: This segment discusses Bobby Brown’s decision to start a new beauty brand, Jones Road, after her non-compete with Estee Lauder ended. She explains her dissatisfaction with the existing clean beauty market and her motivation to create products that align with her vision of natural, effective makeup.
Cabbage Rub for Pain
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(00:11:14)
  • Key Takeaway: An orthopedic surgeon developed a muscle and joint rub called CabDab using cabbage leaf extract, inspired by patient anecdotes and scientific data supporting its anti-inflammatory properties, and found success through organic patient distribution.
  • Summary: Mark Sokolowski, an orthopedic surgeon, shares the origin of his product, CabDab, a rub made from cabbage leaf extract for muscle and joint pain. He explains how patient testimonials and his own research led him to create a convenient product that has been profitable since its inception.
Custom Phone Case Business
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(00:23:15)
  • Key Takeaway: A young entrepreneur, Abby Rosalier, scaled her custom phone case business, Abby Rose, from handmade creations to a family-run operation with significant organic growth driven by social media live streams, and is now exploring expansion strategies.
  • Summary: Abby Rosalier discusses her journey building Abby Rose, an online custom phone case business. She highlights her early entrepreneurial ventures, the impact of COVID-19 on her business growth, and her current challenge of scaling beyond her personal online presence, with advice from Bobby Brown and Guy Raz.
Post-Coffee Mouth Rinse
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(00:38:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Tannin Oral Care invented the world’s first post-coffee mouth rinse, Tannin, by re-engineering mouthwash with natural ingredients to address the specific oral health concerns of coffee drinkers and aims to expand into a broader wellness-focused oral care brand.
  • Summary: Henry Davis introduces Tannin Oral Care and their innovative post-coffee mouth rinse. He explains the inspiration behind the product, the research into natural ingredients, and the challenge of positioning the brand beyond its niche to become a recognized wellness-focused oral care company.