'Not just hand sanitizer': How Touchland built an $880 million brand

This week, we're joined by Touchland co-founder & CEO Andrea Lisbona, who turned an overlooked essential into a brand with $100 million in annual sales. Now, her company is being acquired for up to a whopping $880 million. From rebuilding after a "rock-bottom moment" to landing in Sephora and Ulta, Lisbona shares how she made people want to use hand sanitizer. With a cult following and expansion into all kinds of personal care products, Touchland now says one of its items sells roughly every two seconds.  In this interview, we get into:  | 00:00 — Introduction | 05:00 — Growing up in an entrepreneurial family and early influences in Spain | 09:10 — Coming up with the idea for Touchland | 11:40 - Financial crisis and deciding to help family rebuild | 14:00 — Lessons from Apple, Dyson and Nespresso — applying inspiration across industries | 15:50 — Moving to America and deciding to go all in on the US market | 19:00 — Financing the business and finding first investors | 21:40 — Finding success on Kickstarter and sharing crowdfunding tips | 23:15 — Designing the product | 25:10 — Why Touchland doesn't see itself as a direct competitor to Purell or Dettol | 27:34 — Strategic positioning in retail | 28:01 — Pitching Sephora and Ulta | 29:50 — Gaining traction as personal gifts | 32:14 — Disciplined approach to growth | 32:45 — Reaching $100M in annual sales | 33:30 —  Managing the pressure of always looking to what's next | 36:00 — Running a lean team of 13 full-time employees and working to scale efficiently | 38:30 — Team culture and hiring philosophy | 40:46 — Building a waitlist of nearly 35,000 customers | 41:20 — Post-Covid growth — revenue jump from ~$16M in 2022 to over $100M in 2024 | 42:00 — Supply chain crisis that left it without product for a year | 43:37 — Rebuilding from scratch after a "rock-bottom moment" | 46:00 — Pushing back on the misconception that Touchland only took off because of Covid | 46:58 — Partnerships with Disney, Blackpink, and Sanrio/Hello Kitty | 48:42 — Celebrity shoutouts and social strategy | 50:00 — Dealing with copycats | 52:00 — Hardest moments of the journey: overcoming judgment and skepticism | 53:20 — Company roadmap and new product launches | 53:50 — Social media listening and always reading all the comments | 55:00 — International plans — Canada & Middle East expansions | 56:00 – Long-term vision: building a legacy brand  | 57:03 – Working with her husband, a Touchland co-founder | 58:15 — Audience question and advice to entrepreneurs on retail expansion | 01:01:22 – Rapid-fire round: stress management, sleep, mental prep and lessons learned Note: This interview was recorded before the announcement of Touchland's sale to Church & Dwight for up to $880 million. 🎙️ About Behind the Business: Behind the Business is a video series and podcast hosted by Michelle Toh, CNN and Fortune alum, that explores the decisions and philosophies behind today's most influential leaders. Recorded in person across the US, the show is grounded in the belief that business is in fact personal, providing the backstories of founders, corporate leaders, investors and creators and how they push through to make the most of both work and life each day. What's the worst day you've faced at your company? How do you cope with crisis or rejection? Or what's a pinch-me moment you'll never forget? In each episode, guests get into it all. New episodes every Thursday.  About Michelle Toh: Michelle Toh is an award-winning international journalist. She has covered some of the top stories in global business and tech, most recently as a reporter based in Hong Kong appearing across CNN's digital and television platforms. Before joining CNN, she was an associate editor of Fortune Magazine, and her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, USA Today, and the South China Morning Post. Follow for episode clips and updates:Instagram: https://instagram.com/bymichelletoh  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behindthebusinessshow SUBSCRIBE + FOLLOW: - YouTube: https://bit.ly/YTBTB - Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/3IFGuIA - Spotify: https://bit.ly/SpotiBTB - Amazon Music: http://bit.ly/4pPZZPp #BehindTheBusiness #Podcast #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship

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