Travel Inspiration for Makeup Innovation with Fiona Chan, Founder & CEO of Youthforia

Description: Joining the show today is Fiona Chan, the Founder and CEO of Youthforia, a beauty brand creating innovative makeup that acts as a part of your skincare routine. Join us as she shares her story of starting a business during the pandemic, self-funding before finding Shark Tank support, and much more! Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors: AWESOME CX by Transcom provides high-touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at lee@stairwaytoceo.com to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats. In This Episode You’ll Hear About:[01:56] Fiona paints the picture of her early life, education and early jobs.[10:44] Working in tech and a startup accelerator before becoming a founder. [14:41] How travel inspired the Youthforia brand and the hands-on process behind perfecting the product. [21:06] Building the brand on social media through storytelling and education. [24:49] Solving the funding problem through prioritizing inventory.[25:48] The Shark Tank experience and the story of getting funded.[29:21] Navigating new ways to get necessary data in a B2B context. [31:32] Product development and what’s next for Youthforia. To Find Out More: Fiona Chan on LinkedIn Fiona Chan on Instagram Youthforia  Youthforia on TikTok Lee Greene on LinkedIn Stairway to CEO Stairway to CEO on Instagram Awesome CXQuotes: “You learn so much through osmosis.”  [0:12:13] “There was something about the pandemic that really made me think about what I actually wanted to do.” [0:14:13] “The sharks, the way I perceived it, really love and support entrepreneurship and enjoy what they’re doing. They’re really happy to see deals go through” [0:27:24] “When I had the idea to create makeup that you could sleep in, my first idea was to make a really nice foundation.”  [0:28:42] “When you switch from a purely B2C business to having a few sales channels, you don’t get data the same way as you would directly from Shopify.”  [0:29:22] “Once you have a retail partner, there are more complexities, especially on the operations side.” [0:30:06] “I did not start this business to be in legal docs and spreadsheets all day, but it is a big part of fundraising.” [0:30:58] “I am always in a state of product development. I would say that product development is my number one passion in what I get to do.” [0:31:39] “I always like to tell people exactly what to expect from me.” [0:32:18] “Finding people whose working style aligns with mine has been really helpful.” [0:34:24] “I really love sitting down and just defining what I expect in a role and what the best outcomes are. Doing that really makes the hiring process a lot easier” [0:34:52] “When I onboard people, I tell them, this is what you can expect from my personality and my working style.” [0:35:07] “My biggest advice would be just to start. It’s never going to be the right time.” [0:36:28]