Advice Line with Bobbi Brown of Jones Road Beauty
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
This episode of the Advice Line on How I Built This Lab features legendary entrepreneur Bobby Brown, founder of Bobby Brown Cosmetics and Jones Road Beauty, alongside host Guy Raz. (05:00) Bobby discusses her decision to launch Jones Road Beauty at age 62 after her 25-year non-compete expired, emphasizing the importance of staying true to your vision and maintaining control over your business decisions. (06:28) The episode features three entrepreneur callers seeking advice on scaling their businesses.
- Main themes: The conversation centers around scaling businesses beyond the founder's personal involvement, transitioning from niche products to broader market appeal, and maintaining authenticity while growing sustainably.
Speakers
Guy Raz
Guy Raz is the host and creator of How I Built This, one of the most popular business podcasts in the world. He's also the host of TED Radio Hour and has been recognized as one of the most influential media personalities covering entrepreneurship and innovation.
Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown is a legendary makeup artist turned entrepreneur who revolutionized the beauty industry by pioneering the "nude makeup" look in the 1980s. After selling Bobby Brown Cosmetics to Estée Lauder, she launched Jones Road Beauty at age 62, proving that entrepreneurial success can happen at any stage of life.
Key Takeaways
Pioneer Natural Beauty Movements Instead of Following Trends
Bobby Brown's success came from creating the "nude makeup" look when the industry was dominated by over-the-top glamour. (09:35) She explains that people initially called it a "fad," but decades later, natural makeup remains dominant because it addressed a genuine consumer need. The key lesson is that lasting business success comes from identifying authentic market gaps rather than following existing trends. Bobby emphasizes that entrepreneurs should "look at what you're doing and make sure it's the best thing on the market so people will come back for it." (10:40) This approach requires courage to go against conventional wisdom, but it creates products with genuine staying power rather than temporary popularity.
Scale Your Presence Without Losing Your Personal Touch
When caller Abby from Abby Rose Custom Phone Cases expressed concern about her business depending entirely on her personal presence for sales, Bobby provided practical scaling advice. (31:00) She suggested training family members and other charismatic people to represent the brand during live sales sessions. The strategy involves maintaining the personal connection customers love while multiplying the brand's ability to engage. Bobby recommended starting with just one experimental session using existing accounts to test the concept. This approach allows entrepreneurs to scale their most effective sales channels without losing the authenticity that drives customer loyalty.
Focus on Product Excellence Before Marketing Complexity
Throughout the episode, Bobby emphasized that great products sell themselves through word-of-mouth and organic growth. (08:50) She advocates for giving away products to build genuine customer relationships rather than investing heavily in advertising early on. For Dr. Mark's cabbage-based pain relief balm, she suggested creating smaller samples and using old-fashioned grassroots marketing. Bobby's philosophy is "you always have to make sure that it's the best thing on the market so people will come back for it, people will tell their friends about it, and people will rebuy the same thing over and over again." (10:40) This approach builds sustainable businesses based on genuine customer satisfaction.
Start Local and Expand Strategically
Each caller demonstrated success in their local markets, and Bobby consistently advised building from strength rather than jumping to national distribution. (14:52) She warned against the rush to get into major retail chains, noting "that is a whole another set of problems and issues. It sounds great. It's really expensive." Instead, she recommended testing concepts through pop-ups, local partnerships, and targeted experiments. This strategy allows entrepreneurs to refine their products and operations before taking on the complexity and costs of broader distribution, reducing risk while building sustainable growth.
Maintain Control of Your Vision
Bobby's decision to start Jones Road Beauty at 62, despite already having massive success, stemmed from her desire to maintain creative control. (07:08) She explained that working for a large corporation made it difficult to implement changes, "even when your name is on the label." Her advice to entrepreneurs is to stay scrappy and focus on what truly matters to customers rather than getting caught up in corporate bureaucracy or external pressure. (08:47) She emphasized loving being "in charge" and making decisions about spending and strategy that align with the brand's core values rather than following industry standards.
Statistics & Facts
- Bobby Brown launched Jones Road Beauty at age 62 and is now 68, proving entrepreneurial success can happen at any stage of life. (08:38)
- Abby Rose Custom Phone Cases has generated over $2 million in total sales since starting when the founder was 16, now at age 23, with 50% growth in the past year. (26:26)
- The company has distributed 30,000 tubes of their cabbage-based pain relief product since 2021, with orders of 10,000 more tubes in progress. (13:43)
