Working Hard with Grace Beverley How to Build an Iconic Brand: Mindset Shifts & Strategy Lessons from Olamide Olowe
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Oct 6, 2025 Olamide Olowe, Founder and CEO of Topicals, is a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur known for her culturally resonant skincare brand. She shares her journey from co-founding Shea Girl to acquiring haircare brand Bread. Olamide discusses the importance of storytelling, raising venture capital as a young Black founder, and maintaining vision amidst market pressure. She gives practical advice for budding entrepreneurs, emphasizing community engagement and authenticity while navigating the challenges of growth and burnout. Her mantra? Embrace ambition and authenticity!
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From Dorm Room To Brand Builder
- Olamide co-founded Shea Girl at UCLA after meeting a roommate whose family owned Shea Moisture.
- That early experience taught her community commerce and hands-on brand building.
Storytelling As Competitive Moat
- Good products are table stakes but storytelling and cultural positioning create differentiation.
- Olamide mixes film and streetwear culture to make skincare an expression of style.
Product Smell Became Proof
- Faded serum became a cult hit despite initial manufacturing scent issues that customers equated with efficacy.
- After five years they re-engineered the formula to remove the smell and relaunched with a film-inspired campaign.