Makeup brushes may seem like a simple product, but there are tons of factors that play into succeeding in the industry, and BK Beauty knows how to do it right.
In Ep. 140 of Earned, Conor Begley sits down with Paul Jauregui, co-founder of BK Beauty, the viral brush brand that has taken over TikTok. The brand's $24M EMV total in H1 2024 marked a 48% YoY surge, proving that it's not slowing down anytime soon.
To start, Paul unpacks the remarkable journey of building a successful beauty brand with his wife, professional makeup artist and YouTube sensation Lisa J, from her early days as a makeup artist at MAC Cosmetics, to building a community of over 300k subscribers on YouTube. Next, we dive into the intricacies of social commerce, exploring how BK Beauty harnesses the power of TikTok, YouTube, and Shopify to streamline processes and cultivate authentic relationships with creators. Paul explains his strategic decision to build in-house distribution, and how it has been pivotal in scaling their operations. We then explore the critical role of influencer partnerships in e-commerce, and discuss the important balance between paid acquisition and organic growth. Paul also emphasizes the importance of maintaining brand integrity and positive values, and sheds light on BK Beauty's collaboration with the Kindness Campaign. To close the show, we take a look at the brand’s exciting upcoming events and collaborations, so keep an eye out!
We’ve included a couple of highlights from the episode below, but be sure to check out the full video above, or tune into the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen!
The following interview has been lightly edited for concision.
“No one can do it better, faster or cheaper than us”: BK Beauty Co-founder Paul Jauregui on The Decision to Own Distribution
Conor Begley: Choosing to do your own distribution can't be super common. What made you decide to go that route, and what were the investments on your side? You have to buy or rent a warehouse, you have to buy a forklift, right? There's just so much process and structure there. What made you decide to go with self-distribution?
Paul Jauregui: Five years ago, we started in our living room, and every step along the way has been an incremental step up. Over the course of five years, we are shipping upwards of 50,000 orders a month, and that is continuing to increase. We've been able to get to the point where we can deliver at that level because we have made incremental improvements, small baby steps, to get up to this point.
When I started in e-commerce (my background is in business and marketing), the biggest thing I underestimated was the operational complexity that comes into play when you're moving physical goods around the world. What I've found is that I really enjoy it. I learn new things. Every day is a new challenge. Three months ago, my business looked very different operationally than it does today, and three months from today it's going to look very different. So it keeps things fresh, it keeps me engaged, and I can physically see what's happening by seeing these packages go out the door.
I would say another big benefit is the stories we get to tell from a content perspective. Our desks are within arm's reach of where these orders are being packed up, so the content and stories that we're able to share and bring people into this authenticity, we couldn't tell those stories if we outsourced that component. So that certainly does provide a lot of value as well. And at the end of the day, we've certainly spoken with 3PLs, but we're just really good, and no one, I'm convinced, can do it better, faster or cheaper than us.
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