E 702: A Founder’s Story on Scaling - Mindset Matters, Enjoy the Journey
Release Date: 01/14/2025
E 810: Trademark Essentials for Emerging Brands with Lauren Bercuson of Storylock Legal
Scaling Emerging Beauty
Summary Trademark protection isn’t just for big brands — it’s essential for emerging founders too. In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique sits down with Lauren Bercuson, founder of Storylock Legal, to break down the basics of trademarks, common mistakes founders make, and how protecting your brand early can save you major time and money later. Lauren shares her experience helping CPG and beauty founders secure their brand names, logos, and even colors, while explaining the risks of skipping this crucial step. Whether you’re launching your first product or prepping for...
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E 809: Scaling Smarter: DTC Profitability and Website Simplicity with Ben Sharf of Platter
Scaling Emerging Beauty
Summary Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have more tools than ever — but scaling profitably online? That’s still a huge challenge. In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique sits down with Ben Sharf, founder of Platter, to talk about why profitability and simplicity are the new superpowers for growing your DTC business. Ben shares insights from building Platter, a tech-enabled service that’s simplified Shopify storefronts for brands like Everyman Jack and Mrs. Meyer's. He breaks down what early-stage brands often miss when it comes to building effective e-commerce sites — and...
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E 808: What Your Price Says About Your Brand
Scaling Emerging Beauty
Your price is part of your story. In the final part of the pricing series, we explore how pricing ties into your brand’s perception, positioning, and customer expectations. Your packaging, claims, and storytelling all need to back up your price — especially if you're playing in premium or prestige spaces. In this episode, you’ll learn: How price communicates brand value before anyone tries your product Examples of what different price points say about your brand Why consumers feel your price before they rationalize it Tips to align your packaging, claims, and price with your...
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E 807: How Adam Callinan Built an 8-Figure Brand Without a Big Team — and Why Profitability is the New Superpower
Scaling Emerging Beauty
Is it possible to build a multi-million-dollar brand without investors — or even a full-time team? Adam Callinan, founder of Bottlekeeper and now CEO of Pentane, proves it can be done. In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique sits down with Adam to discuss how he scaled Bottlekeeper to over $8M in annual revenue without taking on outside funding or massive headcount. Adam shares the systems he built to keep the business profitable, lessons from Shark Tank, and why today’s founders need to obsess over cash flow and omnichannel growth. We’ll dive into: ✅ How to scale your...
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E 806: COGs & Margins - The Math Behind Profitable Pricing
Scaling Emerging Beauty
You can't scale your brand if you don’t understand your numbers. In part three of the pricing series, we’re talking all about COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) and margin — what they are, why they matter, and how to reverse-engineer your retail price to protect your profits. This is the financial foundation you must have before stepping into retail. In this episode, you’ll learn: What’s included in your true COGS (hint: it's more than ingredients) How to calculate margin and why it’s non-negotiable for growth What “retail math” looks like in real scenarios Why margin...
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E 805: Building a $10M+ Brand from Scratch with Brooks Powell of Cheers
Scaling Emerging Beauty
What if you could launch your brand, scale it to 8 figures in revenue, and land 32,000 retail doors — all without a traditional background in business? In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique sits down with Brooks Powell, Founder and CEO of Cheers, a category-creating brand in the after-alcohol wellness space. Brooks shares how he turned a neuroscience research paper into a multimillion-dollar brand starting straight out of college, with no formal business training. We cover everything from Cheers' explosive Shark Tank moment, surviving the iOS privacy changes that wrecked...
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E 804: Why Your Price Might Change Depending on the Retailer
Scaling Emerging Beauty
Pricing doesn’t exist in a vacuum — it shifts based on where you’re selling. In part two of the pricing series, we explore how your price needs to align with your retailer’s expectations. From mass to specialty to club stores, we’ll talk strategy, margins, and what happens when your price doesn’t match the store environment. In this episode, you’ll learn: How pricing varies across mass, drug, natural, and specialty retailers Why retail channel strategy matters for pricing Retail margin expectations and how they affect your bottom line When (and if) it makes sense to vary...
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E 803: How to Fund Your Beauty Brand Growth Without Giving Up Equity — with Marshall Lebovits
Scaling Emerging Beauty
Finding the right funding is one of the biggest challenges for emerging beauty brands today. In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique is joined by Marshall Lebovits, a financing expert with 35+ years of lending experience. Marshall breaks down how early-stage brands can use asset-based funding to scale without giving up ownership — and what you need to know before taking on this type of loan. They discuss real talk about what founders often miss when seeking funding, what financial documents you must have ready, and how to avoid costly mistakes when cash flow gets tight. What...
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E 802: How to Price Your Product to Compete in Your Category
Scaling Emerging Beauty
Pricing isn't just a number — it's a strategy. In part one of this four-part pricing series, we're diving into how to set a competitive price that makes sense in your category and against your competitors. Whether you're launching your first product or reassessing your retail strategy, this episode will help you understand where you fit and how to price to stand out, not blend in. In this episode, you’ll learn: What to research when evaluating your product category How pricing tiers vary across mass, masstige, and prestige Why benchmarking against direct competitors matters ...
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E 801: Rebranding with Sustainability and Purpose: Ethique Beauty’s Story
Scaling Emerging Beauty
In this episode, Monique sits down with Erica Cocilova, CMO of Ethique, to discuss how mission-driven beauty brands can scale without compromising their core values. Erica shares lessons from her career at powerhouse brands like Dove, Happy Baby, and Briogeo, and dives deep into Ethique’s recent rebrand journey. You'll hear real talk on sustainability, retail expansion with Ulta Beauty, smart funding strategies, and why finding the right team is crucial for long-term success. If you’re an emerging founder looking for tactical advice on growing a values-based beauty brand, this one’s for...
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In this episode, Janell Stephens, CEO and founder of Camille Rose, shares her inspiring journey of creating a textured hair and beauty brand from her kitchen to major retailers like Target. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, the importance of mindset, and the lessons learned along the way. Janell emphasizes the significance of taking one's time in business, trusting others, and enjoying the journey of building a brand.
Links
Janell Stephens & Camille Rose
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janell-stephens-0b6b15a6/
https://www.instagram.com/janell_stephens/
https://www.instagram.com/camillerosenaturals/
Scaling Emerging Beauty & Monique
https://www.instagram.com/moniquehbenoit/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquehbenoit/
https://www.instagram.com/scalingemergingbeauty
https://scalingemergingbeauty.com/
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