LEMON DROP | The Man Behind Hailey Bieber's $1 Billion Rhode Deal
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello, everyone. Welcome to a very special edition of the Don Lemon Show. Today, I have the honor of chatting with one of the most beautiful men and the most successful men and brilliant men in business. And I don't mean just in the business that I'm talking about that he's dealing with, but in business in general, and one who has made major headlines right now. I'm talking about Ron Robinson. Ron is an award-winning cosmetic chemist and the founder and CEO of BeautyStat. He also happens to be a key advisor to Rode. Rode is a lifestyle brand started by Haley Bieber that was just sold for a whopping $1 billion.
I feel like we remember $1 billion. Ron, thank you. Don, thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Beautiful, brilliant, smart intellect. Thank you. Look, I'm so proud of you. Thank you. I'm so proud of you. When I read this, I was like, this is really great, and this man needs to be Profiled, elevated.
Appreciate that, Don.
All of your flowers in the moment. I want to get down to brass tacks. Okay. $1 billion. How does it feel to be the man behind such a huge, huge deal? And how did this go down?
Well, this deal has shook the beauty industry and the business industry worldwide. It's been a phenomenon because it hasn't been the biggest deal ever, but it's the fastest. It's the fastest brand that's gone from zero to $1 billion in less than three years. Wow.
Less than three years. Less than three years. That is beyond like Kardashian levels.
That is fast. That is super fast. And I'm just thrilled to be part of the ride.
How did that happen? Why so quickly?
Well, first of all, I think Hailey had this brilliant idea about this brand, Rode. She had a vision for it. And she had the followers. She had the fact that she loved skincare and her followers loved her, but she needed some cred. And I think she wanted to partner with a cosmetic chemist like myself that is a veteran, tons of experience, and could add value and cred to this brand road.
Yeah. We're going to get back to that because I'm going to talk to you about brand building. I used to hate that word, brand. You know what I mean?
It's like, what are you, a Coca-Cola? Are you right?
So listen, I've read this piece in Essence Magazine, and you have been referred to in Essence Magazine as the accidental cosmetic chemist.
Right.
Accidental cosmetic chemist to now one of the most successful men in the beauty business. How did that happen? Why is it accidental? Because you're a med school dropout?
Yeah, that's it. My parents wanted me to become a doctor. And that was the only profession they really recognized. So I happened to do well in sciences. So pre-med, graduated magna cum laude from university, went to med school because they didn't know what else I wanted to do, realized it was not for me, and I dropped out. They were disappointed, very disappointed in me.
Were you disappointed in yourself?
I was. I just felt lost. I didn't know what else to do. So this is back in the late 80s before the internet. So when you applied for a job, you had to use the classifieds. You had to fold your resume and put it in the mail. And I didn't know what else to do. So I applied for jobs as a cosmetic chemist because –
How did Hailey Bieber’s Rhode reach a $1 billion sale in under three years?
That's what I studied in school, chemistry. And Estee Lauder Clinique, division of Estee Lauder Companies, hired me. So back in 1990, I became a cosmetic chemist by accident. Yeah.
So this overnight success, right?
Right. 35 years. 35 years.
And often that's what usually happens. It's like overnight sensation. Like I've been working on this for a long, long time. Long time. Did you ever think that when you became an accidental cosmetic chemist that you would ever get to this point with a billion dollar deal?
No way. Because keep in mind, I'm this nerd with the thick glasses, lab coat in the lab, formulating products. the Band-Aid around the glasses, holding it together. And now we're in an age where consumers are recognizing experts. And I evolved into this beauty entrepreneur, starting my own brand, BeautyStat, and now being front-facing and really helping consumers understand I'm educating.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:13–3:15
2
How did Hailey Bieber’s Rhode reach a $1 billion sale in under three years?
3:15–8:32
3
How did Ron Robinson transition from med school to becoming an 'accidental' cosmetic chemist?
8:32–13:04
4
What role did Ron’s industry experience play in shaping BeautyStat and Rhode’s product credibility?
13:04–13:51
5
How should influencers and chemists collaborate when building a beauty brand?
13:51–19:26
6
What branding and product advice does Ron give to entrepreneurs, especially founders of color?
19:26–24:28
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Don Lemon Show
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