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Ep 039- The Real Cost of Going Retail: A Founder’s Guide to Big-Box Expansion
02/09/2026
Ep 039- The Real Cost of Going Retail: A Founder’s Guide to Big-Box Expansion
Want your beauty brand in Walmart or Sephora? Here’s what you need to know first. Taking your beauty brand from direct-to-consumer (DTC) into big-box retail sounds like the dream. Target. Sephora. Walmart. National shelves. Bigger visibility. Bigger orders. But what most founders don’t see is how complex, expensive, and risky that leap can actually be. In this episode of Driving the Business: Beauty Brands & Entrepreneurship, I break down what really happens when a brand moves from DTC into retail, from the two sometimes competing perspectives that show up (the brand founder and the retailer). We talk pricing pressure, margin erosion, supply challenges, inventory risk, and the unspoken expectation that you, the founder, are still responsible for driving demand once you hit the shelves. If retail expansion is on your vision board, this episode is about preparation, not fear. Knowing the rules before you play the game can save you time, money, and your brand. Lean in, take notes, and listen before you make the jump.
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