So you want to launch products?
As you can imagine, I have many conversations with makeup artists, almost daily. I love hearing about their dreams, wishes, aspirations and goals. One of the biggest and most common aspirations I hear, are makeup artists looking to get into the product world! You guys have wishes and dreams of being the next Charlotte Tilbury (yes!), launching your own lash line or brush line, creating beyond the magic we create with our hands. I often hear “how do I do this?” “How do I get into this” ect ect.. This blog post isn’t a how-to of creating your own makeup line, but rather, some tips I learnt along the way. I truly believe in the power of Google, you can learn anything on the Internet nowadays, how to source products, find products, create products. But nobody tells you HOW to sell them beyond that, so hopefully these tips will help you if you are an aspiring shop owner!
1) Grow your mail list
Any successful business, sells in the emails. Hold your hands up if ASOS have emailed you a cheeky 20% off and you have ran to your wishlist. This kind of brand loyalty takes years to build up, but you can start today but growing and nurturing your own email list. Start with your basics, get your website domain and custom email set up first, then your Instagram. Those are the absolute must do’s. Then tease your product or new offering alongside collecting emails to find out more. Having an email list of loyal could-be customers is crucial, and the sooner you start collecting, the better!
2) Google is your friend
I get asked a lot - how. How did I know what to do? How did I find X supplier? How did I know what I was doing? One of the biggest tips I can give to any entrepreneur, is become self sufficient. Learn yourself how to find answers. Use that grit and drive and determination to learn things, listen to podcasts, read books and really learn about what it is you want to do. It is so so frustrating, when I get a DM that asks me “How do I get on X PR list” or “Kayleigh, how do I set up a Facebook group?” - not because I can’t be bothered to answer the question, but because it is such a lifelong SKILL to be able to do things for yourself. You will gain infinite education and lifelong tools if you learn how to find answers yourself. It is the BIGGEST thing for any entrepreneur. If you can’t figure it out, ask yourself, how did Elon Musk, Bobbi Brown, Ariana Huffington figure out their biggest business questions? They went to the source, they invested in people that do know and they were self sufficient.
3) Create a business plan (and then some)
Any article on launching a product or service will tell you, step 1 - do a business plan. This is valuable (but overdone) advice that immediately makes people click off because we hear it so much. But it is super important, that if you have an idea or product in mind, to know and understand the market you are diving into. Poll your audience, create focus groups and read statistics of the big businesses who are out there doing it. Don’t get caught up in the term “oversaturated market”. If Rihanna thought the makeup market was oversaturated, we wouldn’t have the insane Fenty Beauty. There is always room for more, its just being able to market it correctly. Creating plans, knowing the market, knowing the trends and having an audience interested are all key things to note when launching a product.
4) Don’t rush
Did you know, the insanely successful brand Summer Friday’s took 2 years to launch from concept to actually teasing and launching the brand? Rome wasn't built in a day, so don’t rush this process. Rushing is a surefire way to overlook something, or create a subpar product. Even I look at my MUA PA and wish I had maybe had another year on it (but then again, perfectionism isn’t always a good thing!). This pre launch is the most exciting part (apart from, of course, launching!) but often, creators and founders look back and say, they wish they could go back to this time when the product is just being built, simply because it is such a special and unique time. Enjoy it and don’t rush it. Create the product of your dreams, no matter how long it takes.
5) Remember these 3 things.
It will cost twice as much, take twice as long and be double the effort. As long as you know that and get comfortable with those 3 things, nothing will sway you. I now prepare for any launch, to take double the time, cost twice as much as I initially thought (so I now budget for that) and be twice as hard as I initially thought. These aren’t bad things! As long as you are prepared for them and know about them and anticipate them - you will be fine.