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467: From Accountant to Clean Beauty CEO: How Tisha Thompson Launched LYS Beauty Into Sephora

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Manage episode 489423569 series 1048136
Content provided by Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

This week in the guest chair, I’m joined by Tisha Thompson, the founder and CEO of LYS Beauty, the first Black-owned clean cosmetics brand to be carried at Sephora. Tisha shares her inspiring path from staff accountant and part-time makeup artist to leading her own beauty brand that launched during the pandemic and quickly sold out in 10 days.


In this episode, Tisha breaks down how she strategically pivoted from finance to beauty marketing, cold-pitched Sephora with a bold email (before she even launched!), and developed products that center clean ingredients and inclusivity. Her brand LYS, short for Love Yourself, is not only disrupting the beauty space with triangle packaging and affirmational product names—but it’s also remained profitable every year since launch.


In this episode she shares:

  • How she got her foot in the beauty industry using her finance background
  • Why she took a demotion to pivot industries
  • How personal loss and purpose led her to finally launch LYS Beauty
  • What made Sephora say "yes" to a brand that hadn’t even launched yet
  • How she developed 35 inclusive foundation shades with a clean formulation
  • Why representation and self-love are at the heart of her business model

Highlights Include:

00:00 Intro

02:10 How a staff accountant became a makeup artist

04:50 Taking a demotion to move into marketing

10:54 Losing her dad and finding the courage to launch

15:45 Cold-pitching Sephora and landing a deal pre-launch

20:00 What clean beauty means to her (and her skin)

27:00 Packaging, affirmations, and triangle symbolism

30:00 Navigating DEI backlash and economic shifts

45:00 Building a team and staying profitable


Check out episode 467 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.


Links mentioned in this episode

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss


Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook


Guest Social Media Info


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  continue reading

475 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 489423569 series 1048136
Content provided by Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

This week in the guest chair, I’m joined by Tisha Thompson, the founder and CEO of LYS Beauty, the first Black-owned clean cosmetics brand to be carried at Sephora. Tisha shares her inspiring path from staff accountant and part-time makeup artist to leading her own beauty brand that launched during the pandemic and quickly sold out in 10 days.


In this episode, Tisha breaks down how she strategically pivoted from finance to beauty marketing, cold-pitched Sephora with a bold email (before she even launched!), and developed products that center clean ingredients and inclusivity. Her brand LYS, short for Love Yourself, is not only disrupting the beauty space with triangle packaging and affirmational product names—but it’s also remained profitable every year since launch.


In this episode she shares:

  • How she got her foot in the beauty industry using her finance background
  • Why she took a demotion to pivot industries
  • How personal loss and purpose led her to finally launch LYS Beauty
  • What made Sephora say "yes" to a brand that hadn’t even launched yet
  • How she developed 35 inclusive foundation shades with a clean formulation
  • Why representation and self-love are at the heart of her business model

Highlights Include:

00:00 Intro

02:10 How a staff accountant became a makeup artist

04:50 Taking a demotion to move into marketing

10:54 Losing her dad and finding the courage to launch

15:45 Cold-pitching Sephora and landing a deal pre-launch

20:00 What clean beauty means to her (and her skin)

27:00 Packaging, affirmations, and triangle symbolism

30:00 Navigating DEI backlash and economic shifts

45:00 Building a team and staying profitable


Check out episode 467 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.


Links mentioned in this episode

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss


Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook


Guest Social Media Info


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  continue reading

475 episodes

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