Driving the Business: Beauty Brands & Entrepreneurship
Episodes
Ep 037- 4 Components That Beauty Manufacturers Use for Pricing
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why does one moisturizer cost $15… while another sells for $65? The answer isn't as simple as it seems. In Episode 37 of Driving the Business: Beaut...
Ep 036- The Comeback Episode:Things No One Tells You Before Starting a Beauty Brand
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm so glad you're here. After a little break, we're back with a fresh new chapter of Driving the Business. In this episode, I'm catching you up on th...
Ep 035 - Interview with Jason Mercer: Key Insights from a Venture Capital (VC) Investor for Raising Money
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As business founders raising money can sometimes feel like a complex mystery with lots of questions. What do investors want to see from a business ...
Ep 034 - Interview with Winnie Awa: Why Brad Pitt Should Not Launch in Beauty & The Journey to Data Driven Haircare
24 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I love bold people! Winnie Awa is a bold Black woman doing amazing work in the beauty space as the founder of an AI driven platform that is serving cu...
Ep 033 - Interview with Justin Dawkins: Silicon Valley Bank & Its Impact on Beauty
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does the Silicon Valley Bank or SVB discussion completely confuse you? This is the podcast episode for you. Do you see the direct impact of how ...
Ep 032 - 8 Incredible Lessons After 8 Years of Entrepreneurship
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Things rarely turn out exactly like how I think they should when planning big things in life. For me starting a business meant the promise of ultimate...
Ep 031 - Diversity & Racial Inclusion in the Beauty Media Landscape with Claire McCormack
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since 2020 I have leaned hard into having conversations about the impact of race in my personal life and business with my non-Black friends and associ...
Ep 030 - Why Taking a Non-Traditional Path to Skin Care is Both Insane & Necessary with Jayme & Nick Valo
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I love talking with indie beauty brand start up founders and on this episode I sit and chat with a married couple who are taking a deliberate, disrupt...
Ep 029 - How Leveraging a Sales Management Firm Increases Your Chances of Success in Retail Distribution with Demar Roberts
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Somebody hand me my soap box cause I need it right now. Going into formal retail chains without being prepared is the kiss of death or some very pa...
Ep 028 - Therapy for Entrepreneurs When Friendship Is Not Enough
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are getting extra cozy and familiar for this episode. I've recognized in my own journey as a Black man living in America with abundant blessings al...
Ep 027 - Launching Your Beauty Brand's Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
By far the biggest business challenge I hear from entrepreneurs entering the space or thinking of launching products is they don't have enough money t...
Ep 026 - How I Realigned My Purpose for this Podcast
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'M BACK! But I don't want to do things exactly like we were doing them before. This includes how I show up for one of my passions which is this podca...
Ep 025 - How a Virtual Assistant Changed the Game for Me & My Hiring Process
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I admit at first I was admittedly against the idea of hiring a virtual assistant. I did not see how their could be value in having an assistant that I...
Ep 024 - 5 Tips for Pricing Your Products with Profit in Mind
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As a beauty product manufacturer and brand consultant I have worked with more than 200 brand owners over the last 7 years the topic of pricing and I'v...
Ep 023 - Interview with Christian Maxwell: Insider Tips on Social Media Influencers & Content Creators
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Calling all social media influencers & those who engage them. This is the content you need. The concept of brands paying content creators and ...
Ep 022 - 6 Questions to Answer Before Speaking with a Manufacturer
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Working with a manufacturer can seem like an overwhelming, daunting project. But it does not have to be. After 6 1/2 years and literally more than ...
Ep 021 - 2020: A Sh*t Show & An Opportunity
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are coming up on the 1 year anniversary of COVID-19 shutting down the world and it's been almost a year since my last episode. We've got a lot to...
Ep 020 - Interview with Shawn Tollerson & Teneya Gholston: Thriving as an Employee Inside a Beauty Company
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Not everybody should become an entrepreneur today! Many are best served working inside a beauty company. Navigating your career can be tricky so ...
Ep 019 - Interview with Stephanie Scott-Bradshaw CEO First and Last PR on Public Relations in the Beauty Industry
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding the role of public relations as part of a beauty brand's marketing mix is a tough and sometimes confusing topic. What is PR? How is it d...
Ep 18: 8 Quick Tips for Managing Customer Complaints
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As part of every beauty brand experience you are going to receive customer complaints about your product. As an owner or someone who works in custom...
Ep 017 - Kiley Russell Big Girl Cosmetics & The Untold Story of Department Store Distribution
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What would you do if Oprah Winfrey funded the start of your business? Well find out what one woman with an idea, passion and the guts to take multiple...
Ep 016 - Interview: Kim Roxie of LAMIK Beauty - What She is Doing When Black Women Founders Only Get .002% of Venture Funding
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The REALITY is that Black women founders are getting a dismal 0.002% of all venture funding. Hear what beauty brand founder Kim Roxie decided to do wh...
Ep 015 - Interview with Craig Brimm: Ad Agency Owner, Beauty Brand Content Creator & OG Entrepreneur
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I sat down with Craig Brimm who has successfully managed a creative career spanning two decades in the advertising world. Craig has created content fo...
Ep 014 - Nugget: Nobody's Coming to Save You
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is a new episode formatting I'm trying out. Life reflections that may or may not be directly related to the beauty business or entrepreneurship...
Ep 013 - Interview with Pekela Riley: Celebrity Hair Stylist & Ulta Beauty Pro Team Member
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready to have the FIRE brought to you in this one. I talked my way into an interview with one of the industry's busiest, most celebrated hair styl...
Ep 012: Your Guide to Executing Trade Shows
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
19 years of selling beauty products at live events and trade shows and I have the inside cheat sheet for you. This episode is filled with tangible tac...
Ep 011 - Let's Catch Up
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's been way too long! But I'm back in the studio and ready to help you drive the business. First thing...let's catch up on life and what's been happ...
Ep 010 - A Discussion on the Hustle & Grind of Entrepreneurship with Transient Intellect Jason
06 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Surround yourself with smart, ambitious people. The team that helps me produce this show - the transient intellects - are a talented group of people t...
Ep 009 - Facing Disappointing Nos & Cosmoprof 2018 Review
21 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After watching a young man's response to a disappointing professional set back I'm reminded how important perspective is in life. I share a hard no I ...
Ep 008 - Instagram's IGTV & How Email Marketing Can Change Your Beauty Business
16 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I'm baaaack and excited to be back in front of the mic and sharing with you. In this episode I share whats been happening with me the last few weeks.....
Ep 007 - Karonda Cook: Is Your Beauty Brand Ready for Retail Distribution
13 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Y'all this episode is pure FIRE. I'm bringing you the inside track on what retail buyers are looking for when assessing new brands. Karonda Cook is th...
Ep 006 - Industry Shows & Why Every Entrepreneur MUST Have a Tribe of Advisers
07 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is more of a rant that the typical structure of other episodes. I tackle upcoming industry shows you should attend and why. Then I d...
Ep 005 - How to Engage a Manufacturer to Get Your Beauty Products Made
01 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
My thoughts on Revlon's new first female CEO, Debra Perelman. I then dive deep and provide the cheat sheet for engaging with a private label or contra...
Eps 004: Gerilyn Hayes - NaturallyCurly.com Senior Copywriter on Career & How to Engage Media Platforms
18 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Gerilyn Hayes is a professional writer. She hosts CurlTalk TV and is the Senior Copywriter for NaturallyCurly, a large online media beauty platform th...
Eps 003 - From Cosmetic Chemist to CEO: The Journey Towards Launching mSEED group
07 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Our first podcast could be no one else other than my business partner, Erica Douglas. On this episode we talk about Erica's journey from cosmetic chem...
Eps 002: How to Build Your Marketing Plan & J Lo's Cosmetic Line
26 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If you have ever wondered what goes into a marketing plan that allows you move quickly and efficiently in the market with your idea then this episode ...
Eps 001: Who The Hell Am I & Why You Need This Podcast
23 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Introductory episode for Driving the Business podcast. Find out who is Anthony Standifer and why this a MUST podcast if you are a beauty brand owner, ...