21 - Sasha Plavsic, ILIA Beauty

In Episode 21 of Earned, Conor chats with Sasha Plavsic, founder of clean beauty brand ILIA Beauty, which achieved a jaw-dropping 400% year-over-year growth in sales in 2020. We start the episode by discussing the “major breakout year” for the brand, and learn about the “risks that led to great results,” including the launch of its popular Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40, pivoting to a DTC model amid the pandemic, and reappropriating its field team. We hear about the challenges that come with such rapid growth, and learn why Sasha decided to bring on Lynda Berkowitz as CEO. We talk about the importance of cultivating a great internal team and culture, before Conor and Sasha dive into ILIA Beauty’s mutually beneficial partnership with Sephora. Sasha explains why transparency is a core value for the brand, and reveals a few pages from the marketing playbook that launched ILIA Beauty to soaring success. Finally, Sasha discusses her influencer philosophy and the brand’s plans for a vaccinated future, before lending sage advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and brand builders.