Ladies Who Launch

Millie Kendall OBE has spent more than 30 years shaping the British beauty industry. She launched Shu Uemura and Aveda in the UK, co-founded the iconic makeup brand Ruby & Millie with Ruby Hammer, and now leads the British Beauty Council as its founding CEO. In this episode of Ladies Who Launch, she shares the wisdom, mistakes and reinventions behind a career that has spanned the early days of modern beauty brands.Millie tells Rochelle why she helped launch brands that sold for hundreds of millions without ever owning a stake, why she turned down Victoria Beckham, how Boots backed Ruby & Millie with £7 million to launch the brand, and what it really felt like to walk away from a business with her name on it.In this episode, we cover:Why Millie says it's "invention, not reinvention"Launching Shu Uemura in London and turning a loss into a profit in three monthsThe lesson of not taking equity in the brands she helped buildBuilding Ruby & Millie, from Harvey Nichols and Selfridges to BootsThe Victoria Beckham lipstick she turned downWhy she and Ruby chose to walk away from Ruby & MillieFounding the British Beauty Council and raising the reputation of the beauty industryMillie's advice on pivoting careers, and her money habitsIf you're building a brand, thinking about your next career move, or want an honest look at how the beauty industry grew, this one is for you.We Are Ladies Who Launch! CHAPTERS00:00 Millie Kendall Intro00:36 AD Starling Business01:08 Reinvention Versus Invention05:43 Growing Up In Salons06:32 Shu Uemura Origin Story10:34 Launching A PR Agency in Beauty17:13 Meeting Ruby Millie20:18 £7M Boots Deal And Launch24:58 Inclusivity And Range Battles34:30 Control Value Lessons37:23 Leaving At Peak Growth43:40 Building British Beauty Council48:56 Industry Impact In Numbers52:19 Pivot Advice For Change57:41 Rocket Round: Money Habits 01:01:30 Financial Mistakes & Lessons01:03:04 Launch Advice🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.#AD Powered by @starlingbankAccess Starling Bank here: https://bit.ly/44sEaMfFOLLOW MILLIEInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliekendall/FOLLOW USInstagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunchYouTube: www.youtube.com/@Weareladieswholaunch#LadiesWhoLaunch #MillieKendall #RubyAndMillie #BritishBeautyCouncil #BeautyIndustry #FemaleFounders #BeautyBusiness #RochelleHumes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rochelle sits down with Karlee Zhang, founder of Hello Klean, who opens up about her journey from self-funding an idea that nobody had believed in, to having half a million loyal worldwide customers and expanding into luxury retail spaces.Karlee unpacks the discovery that turned a plumbing issue into a beauty revelation, and the reality of bootstrapping until you find the right investors. From a sealed social strategy to navigating rapid growth, Karlee shares an insight into her honest founder lessons and top tips.In this episode we cover:The moment a plumbing problem became a beauty product The importance of educating consumers, and how Hello Klean earned trust with a free trialHow to navigate retail launches and streamlining the consumer experienceBuilding a social strategy that cuts through the noiseNavigating rapid growth and defining your successIf you’re an aspiring innovator with no clue where to start, this one’s for you!We Are Ladies Who Launch! CHAPTERS00:00 Introducing Hello Klean04:24 Identifying The Water Origin Problem07:40 Turning Plumbing Into A Wellness Brand10:07 Educating Before Selling13:35 Building Co-Founder Roles Efficiently 15:05 Funding R&D And Our Subscription Model16:57 Customers Don’t Understand Category 20:04 Social Was Our First Hire23:13 Building A Brand Narrative24:45 Balancing Brand and Conversion26:52 Creating Creator Partnerships That Feel Real28:00 My Dragons’ Den Experience 34:39 Post Dragons’ Den Growth Surge - 600%!36:19 Finding The Right Investor Fit39:54 Expanding Shower Care Category41:33 Redefining Success Metrics44:30 Karlee’s Leaving Advice🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.FOLLOW HELLO KLEANInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/helloklean/Karlee: https://www.instagram.com/karleee/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hellokleanFOLLOW USInstagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunchYouTube: www.youtube.com/@Weareladieswholaunch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colette Laxton co-founded The INKEY List in 2018 to make skincare less confusing and has since sold over 90 million products worldwide.In this episode, she breaks down exactly how she split her first £300K starting budget between stock, marketing and running costs, including why most of her marketing spend went on one person: Caroline Hirons!We all know the success of The INKEY List but the growth came at a cost. Colette opens up about nearly going bankrupt, the burnout that put her in bed for two weeks straight, and the unpredictability of virality including how a product she never planned to sell became the number one body product on TikTok Shop. It's an honest look at what building a brand from nothing actually takes, budget breakdown included.In this episode, we cover:Leaving a decade-long career at Boots to join a scrappy startupExactly how she split her first £300K investmentWhy most of her marketing budget went on: Caroline HironsThe Cult Beauty call on launch day that changed everythingLaunching The INKEY List into Sephora across North America within six monthsNearly going bankrupt, and what it actually takes to get "retail ready"The burnout that put her in bed for two weeks straightHow a product she never planned to sell became #1 on TikTok ShopIf you’re looking to launch in the skincare space, this one’s for you!We Are Ladies Who Launch!00:00 Cult Beauty Calls Day One00:55 Introducing Colette Laxton03:10 Learning the Corporate Ropes at Boots10:21 Realising The Skincare Gap18:41 Leveraging PR for Launch21:44 Early Funding and Brand Blow Up27:05 Launching in Sephora US33:10 Figuring Out Stock and Logistics37:10 Virality and TikTok Shop39:09 Our 1 Million Unit Order40:14 Why Micro Influencers Win46:23 Leadership at 100 Staff50:47 Founder Burnout Reality55:32 Rocket Round01:06:51 Staying in the Game🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.FOLLOW COLETTEInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/colette.theinkeylist/The Inkey List: https://www.instagram.com/theinkeylist/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colette.laxtonFOLLOW USInstagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunchYouTube: www.youtube.com/@Weareladieswholaunch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.