Secrets to Building a Viral Brand in a Competitive Market with Natalie Mackey, Co-Founder of Winky Lux

Starting a business is always a risk, particularly if you’re forfeiting a stable career trajectory to do so. Our guest today is living proof that pursuing your passions pays off. Natalie Mackey is the founder and CEO of clean makeup and skincare brand, Winky Lux. Natalie took the bold leap of leaving her career in finance to start her own business (which came from a “failed” idea) and Winky Lux has now grown to over $100 million in sales, both online and in Target and Ulta Beauty stores nationwide.

In our conversation with Natalie, we find out all about her entrepreneurship journey, from raising funds to choosing and building relationships with suppliers and creating brand awareness and virality with your product. Natalie shares Winky Lux’s commitment to its customers and how the brand is differentiated in such a saturated, competitive market. In life and in business, women, in particular, feel like they have to do it all, and today, we hear Natalie’s advice for letting go of the pressure of perfectionism, as well as how having a kid helped her become a better entrepreneur and a stronger leader, and so much more.

In this episode, we'll talk to Natalie about:

* What it takes to be great, according to Natalie. [2:13]

* What motivated her to leave her finance career and start her own business. [4:23]

* Her first foray into the world of business. [8:03]

* Why she chose to pivot to the beauty products industry. [9:28]

* The fascinating genesis story of Winky Lux. [13:59]

* How Natalie differentiated Winky Lux in such a saturated market. [18:18]

* Winky Lux’s first products. [20:22]

* The process of choosing suppliers and building supplier relationships. [22:04]

* How Natalie and co. built awareness around the brand early on. [29:35]

* An example of the surprising success of an experimental product. [32:30]

* Examples of failed ideas and investments. [34:41]

* Natalie shares the story of Winky Lux inventory catching alight and how they handled it. [35:57]

* Winky Lux’s commitment to pleasing and communicating with its customers. [37:44]

* Winky Lux’s fundraising journey. [39:18]

* How having a kid helped her become a better entrepreneur and a stronger leader. [48:11]

* Natalie’s advice for letting go of perfectionism and feeling like you have to do it all. [52:55]

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Follow Natalie:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natmack1/ 

* Winky Lux Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winky_lux/ 

* Website: https://www.winkylux.com/ 

Follow Yasmin: 

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/

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