YouSaid · the spoken record

Melissa Butler

lines on the record: 100
first: 2020-11-23
most recent: 2020-11-23
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Yes, I'm a beauty founder, but no, I don't know how to do makeup. And people who I would meet would say, you shouldn't say that. And I'm like, why it's true? I don't know how to do my makeup. And I've tried to do a YouTube video and I came out looking like a fool. I looked nothing like that tutorial.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And of course, I know this question is coming, but it's a really tough question. I think earlier on it was all hard work and I think that hard work is still you know I'm still receiving the fruits of that labor and nowadays I'm thinking it's luck so I don't think anyone can fully take credit. I think that sometimes the universe is just in alignment and right now I really feel good”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Know I can be more creative than them, but that creativity only goes so far because I can only reach so many people. And so if we had the opportunity to really become like this world-renowned brand, then I think that that would be the perfect way to submit the legacy and all of the hard work that myself and my team has been doing over the last eight years. Because having all of these high and low moments, you know, they've come at the expense of lots of things. There have been times where I've been, you know, a bad sister or a bad friend or a bad girlfriend or a bad daughter because I've been sacrificing for the business. So I think the ultimate way to say this was worth it is having this brand that really makes makeup more inclusive and makes makeup easy. And really has this landmark and this leaves its mark on the beauty industry.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I mean, I think as an entrepreneur, when you build something, you want it to fly as high as it possibly can. And what you see within the beauty space is like typically small businesses end up selling because there's a constant need for money and to outcompete these bigger brands. And the reality is like. I can't outmark it Maybelline in dollars.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“But we stayed true to who we are. We still have a black lipstick. We still have a blue lipstick. We have tons of purple. So it's a balance between how do we leave something for people to get creative or, you know, reimagine themselves even if it's just for one night.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So over time, we've, I mean, we've, of course, evolved, you know, when we first launched, we were really just trying to make a statement. And we had to introduce some practicalities. So now we have, you know, we have everything. We have like over 16 nudes because again, we're really driving that whole like beauty for every single complexion. And we have the best reds. Like Michelle Obama just wore our red, which is our bestseller in the whole company. Yes, it's crazy.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Our sales have sustained, but that level of support, no, I think that I mean, for me, I didn't expect it to. So, I remember when it was happening, I call an all-hands meeting with my team and I said, look, we're getting flooded right now and it's our goal and it's our job to make sure that these aren't charity dollars. And that's the thing. Like we don't, as a black business owner, I don't want you to support my business. I want you to shop my product because you think that's great. Exactly. Because we make it easy for you to understand what products work for your complexion. Not because you feel bad about something. Because if you shop with that intention in mind, then it doesn't actually allow us to build a relationship with you. And like our goal is to have lifetime value with our customer and have this more than transactional relationship with our customer.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I was like, by putting on this lip color, like, I look a little bit more alive. I look more confident. I look like I'm ready for the day. And we pivoted our messaging. And then very quickly our sales rebounded. So while March was a tough month, April was, we had grown back to like our norm. And then June with the whole Black Lives Matter and this more apparent need to support small businesses and particularly small black-owned businesses. We had our best month ever. So throughout this pandemic, even though it is uncertain”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“The goal and the approach was really to just do the things that we had always done, which is like just continuously connect with our customers and meet them where they are. Our relationship with our customer is so strong because we actually are our customer. So, you know, I'm not married. I'm on online dates right now. And so I'm looking, you know, how do I update my profile? How do I look cute for my FaceTime date? How do I instill confidence to my team? And for me, that was like very easily lip color.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, what's crazy is like February was such a good month for us. February was unprecedented. But, you know, I think it was just preparing us for what was next. It was so crazy because then in March, I think we officially closed the store on March 15th. And that was our worst month in probably a year. You know, people always talk about the lipstick effect, which is this idea that even in an economic recession or even a depression, women will still rely on those small novelties that make them feel good. But you typically only put on makeup when you're leaving the house. And no one was leaving. And we were really concerned, if I'm going to be just completely honest. I was like, I don't know how we're going to survive this business.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“People were so excited. This is a city where there, frankly, isn't a lot of opportunity. And so typically people have to leave to build something. You know, and I am a person who left, but then I came back. And I think that they're really proud about that. And they've shown me so much love. Like the lip bar has grown since we've come back. Like we 5x the business since I've moved back to Detroit.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“We're right behind the Shinola store. We're basically in their alley and I never even wanted a store just because like, no, I don't want to maintain a store or think about a store. We were already in Target. But the thing about Detroit is even with its resurgence, there's still very little within the city limits. Like we actually don't have a target, for instance, in the entire city of Detroit. Like not within the city limits. We also don't have a national chain movie theater in the city of Detroit. So, you know, I felt like this was my opportunity to really like, again, be a part of that renaissance and really give people the opportunity to shop high quality makeup. And it really warmed my heart, guy, because, you know, we open in the dead of winter. We opened on our birthday, essentially. And we opened to a line of maybe 200 people.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It's been reported that we spend nine times. Anyone else on beauty, but meanwhile, you know, black businesses, black beauty businesses aren't well funded. So for a smaller company, it's like we have to fight tooth and nail to get a little funding.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, because this is inventory, and the beauty industry is not necessarily replenishable. So, the average woman, it may take her eight months to even use her favorite lipstick. And I remember having calls with investors and pitching people, and they would all say like, Melissa, you're so impressive. Like, you're such an impressive founder, but we're not gonna invest. The reality is, guy, black women are starting businesses faster than any other group of people in this country, but we're not getting funding. And also because we're not getting funding, we can't really grow our ideas. So if we really want to like. Reduce the wealth gap in this country, we're going to have to start giving opportunities to women who look like me.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, it's a mixture of both. So now we're in Target stores, right? And we're growing in Target. We need it money. We need it money to work.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“She got us placed in maybe two websites, I think Allure was one, and I don't remember the other. But everyone shared it. Everyone shared that. And then, you know, a lot of people started talking about it. Refinery 29 talked about it. Teen Vogue talked about it. And we had the number one selling lipstick for the first month of our launch with no marketing budget. And Target was like, whoa, we weren't expecting this of this brand. And so we grew very quickly. So we went from 40 stores to, I think, 144 stores. And then we went into like 400 stores. And now we're in about 500 stores about to expand again.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, so we launched and we went into 44 stores. That was the test that was offered. We didn't have a marketing budget, but we had a publicist. We hired a publicist to really promote and push out this idea that this small business that's vegan, I think we were one of the only vegan brands in Target. And the reality is the makeup aisle didn't really have any small businesses. So, the fact that we have shelf space in Target as this really small brand was like an anomaly.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So the thing about launching in a retailer is it's not their job to sell your product, it's your job to sell your product. So we literally pushed all of our emails, our social media followers, all our friends and family. It was like a brand new launch. Like, oh my God, we're in Target. We were so excited. We shared it with our community in a way where it was a win for all of us. Like, can you believe that the lit bar is now on Target.com? And they bought that color, and it sold out actually. And she was like, okay, I want to introduce you to the store buyer, essentially. And we pitched and we were launching in Target nine months later.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And so on my second follow up, she came back and was like, Oh, wait, your packaging actually is really cool. Can you send me some samples? And I probably screamed. I don't know. I screamed and I probably took a lap around my house because that's what I do and I'm really excited. And then we had a call. And she was like, Look, I think that your brand is really cool. But also, I know that your brand is really small and like maybe too small for Target. I don't know. And she was like, but I'm willing to take a chance and allow you to drop shit on Target.com. Do you want a launch from Target.com? And I'm like, absolutely. And so, what we did was we launched a brand new color and we blasted it to our audience, but you couldn't get it on our website. You could only get it on target.com.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Oh, I mean, I threw the whole kitchen sink in. I told her a little bit about the story and about our truck and how cool we are and how, you know, I think we had maybe 40,000 followers on social media or something. I told her that everything was vegan and cruelty-free. I talked about her cool our packaging was. But I think the real thing that stood out was that I talked more than anything about what we could do for Target instead of what Target could do for us. Like my customer shopping there, and she's not shopping there for makeup It's because you don't have me basically.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I had no connections and I so I couldn't call anyone. But I'm going to just start reaching out to the buyers. And so I went on LinkedIn and I started searching for target buyers like Color Cosmetics buyers. Like I was searching everything. Beauty buyer, Color Cosmetics Buyer, Target Buyer. And I think I was like emailing like 12 different people. So this is probably an eight months eight month process of me stalking people at Target.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Really, just paying them a small salary. And we're hiring entry level people Basically, like hourly workers to just help us ship the orders. And we had just started transitioning into getting the product manufactured. So that was my goal. Like, okay, well, Melissa, you need to get your product manufacturer so that you can then launch into retail So that was the goal for 2015. Let's find a manufacturing partner. And then it was time. I was like, I'm going to find a retailer and target was our goal.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Oh, it's crazy. Oh, our website crashed that night. I want to say we had like 40,000 hits to the website within just a couple of minutes. Wow. We had all this stuff on like back order. We couldn't like maintain the orders. I was still shipping the orders, I think. And Shark Tank really likes fast tracked us into like hiring people.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It did, and it forced me to start thinking more so about how we market the company. Mark Cuban was really adamant around me being at the forefront of the brand. He was like, Look, your story is really cool. You need to step into your brand. You need to be your storyteller. At this time, I was not at the forefront of the business. I didn't want Melissa Butler to be the lip bar. I wanted the lit bar to be the lip bar and for Melissa Butler to be Melissa Butler. And so over time, I did realize that that was hurting the company with me not being at the forefront because today people are looking for brands that are going to be more transparent. And they want to know who's a person. Yeah.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No, I wasn't angry. I was just sad I was sad that we had, that I felt so strongly that we had something special and that they didn't see it. And what we're doing is representing that population that's not a part of, you know, the fine line that you have established and that the country has decided is beautiful. And we're here for that person. We're here for the woman with a low haircut and tattoos. We're here for the woman who's plus sized and who had at that time not been used in beauty campaigns. We're here for the black women. We're here for the brown women. We're here for the Asian women. There has to be increased representation. So I was like, I'm not stopping.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And what they didn't show on air is that when he said, don't waste your time trying to sell lipstick, they then went into this whole internal debate on like what we actually should be doing. They're like, listen, you're beautiful girls. Your dresses are nice. Why don't you go into the fashion business, which is so offensive. And I had been so prepared to talk numbers because like here I am like a former finance girl. And like, I'm ready to talk business. And they didn't, I think the most disappointing thing for us wasn't that they called us colorful cockroaches. Like I actually didn't even care about that statement at the time. I think that it was more offensive that they.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yep, she had on green, and I think I had on purple. It's difficult for women of all these different complexions and undertones to find colors that are perfect for them, which you end up seeing is probably seven or eight minutes, but we were recording for maybe an hour. So I'm explaining to them that the industry is changing and that the bigger companies are slow to change. And we're the smaller company and we're fast to change. And that's our strength. And they were like, well, if the big companies wanted to do it, they just would, and they would crush you like the colorful cockroaches you are, is exactly what they said.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Maybe a month after we submitted that video, they reached out and they were like, you know, we're the producers of Shark Tank and we're interested in your business. Can we ask you a bunch of questions? So I think we went back and forth for maybe six weeks of them just collecting a ton of paperwork and asking us a ton of questions. And the next thing you know, we're in California filming.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, I think Shark Tank picked us because we were fun and we were being ourselves. So we submitted a video where we were talking about the product, but also we were hula hooping. And I think we were talking about the product while hula hooping. So it was kind of gimmicky, but enough to like make you pay attention to what we were saying”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, there are tons of influential women who are a member of Delta Sigma Theta. And when you join the sorority, like it's all about sisterhood and it's all about support and it's all about building up your community. So by leaning on them and making sure that they were super aware of what I was doing, I was also baking in a business model, essentially. And I think that's part of the reason why the lit bar has been able to grow because it's just been this strong community of people who look at me and say, wow, she's doing something for us.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So the first tour was wonderful and that inspired us to go on a second tour. And that's when we went on this like black college tour. So we went back to my alma mater. And to drive from Detroit to Florida is crazy. And a truck that's not so great. And so guy on the way back from this black college tour that we did and we actually made a lot of money and we were really excited about it. The truck started breaking down. And, like, I remember maybe four hours away, and we just kind of stopped the truck and we parked it. And we were like, okay, maybe she just needs a rest. Okay, maybe if we just give her some time off. And I think we just let it sit for an hour. And then she took us home. And that was the last time we really drove it. But I'm so emotional about the truck so I can't get rid of it”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And then, like, oftentimes, the woman would come up because she was so intrigued. She's like, You have lipstick on there? And she would come up and the whole truck was mirrors. And she would come on and she would try on the product, and you know, she would more often than not love the product and make a purchase.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, so we were able to open up the side doors and we put a TV right there so that if people are just walking by, they can kind of see our messages like flashing in display. So people would naturally stop because they're like, this truck looks cool. So many people thought that it was like drinks naturally. So they would come up, guys would come up and say, what do you got in there? You got beer? We're like, no, we have lipstick. Come on up. Bring your wife.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And this was like the major plot twist because I didn't have time. So, if we parked in front of a store that we had a relationship with, then we could do it without the permit. So I started finding partners in all these different cities that I wanted to go to. And our most impressive partnership is that we got urban outfitters to agree, and this is the urban outfitters in DC to agree to partner with us. And they brought in like water and drinks and they allowed us to park in front and they kind of rolled a red carpet so that it was clearly like a part of urban outfitters.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So, the plan, the initial plan was that I was just gonna go to different cities and park on the street. But then what I learned is that you're supposed to have a permit.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It's basically like a shuttle bus. So, you know, he took out the old funky seats and built a countertop, like wrapped around the entire bus, built a cash register in the back because the goal was always we're going to build this truck and then we're going to go on this tour and we're going to go across the country spreading our message about, you know, these vegan and cruelty free and inclusive lip colors.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“From his bare hand. Wow. And I had the idea. I was like, I want you to build me basically a beauty store on wheels where people could come in, sit down, try on their product. We have music and we really make it into an experience so that I can get my product in front of more people.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So I knew that I wanted to be in retail, but I knew that we also weren't ready, so I decided that in order to get our products in front of customers, that we would instead of trying to figure out what counter can we get behind, how do we bring the counter to our customers. And so we built the lip bar truck, which was what we deemed the most glamorous beauty experience on wheels. And we went on a tour.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And so I'm like, I knew that New York didn't need me and that I could do a lot more in my hometown. You know, I never thought that Detroit really deserved the bad reputation that it had gotten. And I wanted to be a part of like this new thing and to meet the movers and shakers that were making it happen. So I was excited for the city. I just wanted to make sure that black people were a part of the resurgence.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I was like, maybe it's time for me to go home to build this business. And number one, I can be a part of this renaissance. I can make sure that people who look like me are a part of this renaissance because, you know, I had been experiencing firsthand with gentrification looks like because I was living in Brooklyn.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, yeah. So, you know, in 2012, when I first started the company, it was all about Detroit and Detroit's ruins. Yeah. In 2014, the narrative was changing. Shinola had just come to Detroit and people were investing in Detroit. And downtown was becoming cool again. And I was like, wait. Bakery.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, number one, I was running out of money. Know we had, we weren't making much money. I had been thinking about it, like, should I stay in New York? We already made a lot of connections with beauty editors. We had been getting pressed. So I felt like we made a mark and we could still grow without being there. And then on top of that, I saw the narrative of Detroit changing.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So I was still making the product to my kitchen. So I was focusing on innovation. I'm making new colors and I'm thinking of new marketing ideas because, you know, Roscoe is handling. The creative in terms of our photo shoots, but basically, I'm handling every single thing else because my first team of friends, that first team had all fizzled out probably within the first, I don't know, nine months. So, yeah, I'm on social media. I'm documenting the process of me making lipstick. And people are really intrigued by that. People can't believe that I'm actually making lipstick in my kitchen.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yep, she's doing freelance work sometimes, and I'm full time and I say full-time with air quotes because it's not like I had any benefits or a salary, but I'm giving this my full attention.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“My goodness, we're literally dead broke. Me and Roscoe ended up like Airbnb her bedroom and she moved into my room so that we could like cover our expenses. You know, if the first year we made $26,000, then I think the next year we may have made like $56,000, which is great. We're double. That's gross.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Oh, they thought I was crazy. My mom, she was like, what? And then I remember her literally explicitly saying, who's going to pay your bills? And I was like, well With the idea of failure, then I am with regret. And that's what made me say, I can do it.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I was like, wait, what? I think my job at Berkeley's. You know, I think I had been making like $70,000 or something at that time. And so to make, you know, essentially a quarter of my salary, I was like, this is a thing.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I was still making and packing all of the products and my friends were like, you know, maybe doing social media or helping with PR or, you know, Roscoe was planning the photo shoots. Roscoe's lane has always been like, she's the visual person. Yeah. But that $26,000, even though it's not a ton of money, I was so proud to make that $26,000. I couldn't believe it”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No, I wasn't nervous. I think you're absolutely right. I think one of the magical things about being a first time founder, especially in an industry, that you don't know anything about, you're completely naive. And you think that everything is going to work. Like, I didn't have a plan, but I knew that it was going to work somehow. And our first year in business, we launched in 2012, I think we made $26,000, right?”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So she wanted to start a career in fashion. So New York was attractive to her anyway. And all of my friends, they just kind of were like, what's the lip bar? I told them. And then they were like, okay, cool. And so now here we are where we have a business And so I remember at our launch party the very first person who showed up, we weren't even finished setting up yet. She came like 30 minutes early. It was a beauty editor from Teen Vogue. And I think we were all stunned like, wait, people care. People are listening. And so it was a really fun event. And we got a lot of people to come, which was really interesting because We didn't really have a big budget and we didn't really know anyone in New York City and we had gotten the attention of some beauty editors. So that was super cool. We were sober out.”
2020-11-23 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · The Lip Bar: Melissa Butler · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT