Scaling Emerging Beauty

Monique Hutcherson Benoit
  • 5.0 (9)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The Scaling Emerging Beauty podcast offers actionable insights and strategies to scale beauty brands from $0 to $20M, focusing on growth through retail opportunities. Join host Monique Benoit, a former merchant at Target and Anthropologie, as she talks with founders, retailers, and other experts to offer relevant tactics for brands in the trenches, and valuable content for the industry enthusiast.

  1. E 813: How to Scale a Beauty Brand from DTC to Retail—with Anthony Standifer

    07/22/2025

    E 813: How to Scale a Beauty Brand from DTC to Retail—with Anthony Standifer

    Summary In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, I sit down with Anthony Standifer—co-founder of MSeed Group and a 25-year beauty industry veteran. We get into the real talk around what it takes to scale from direct-to-consumer to retail—and how to stay profitable while doing it. We discuss: - How to stand out in crowded beauty categories through niche positioning - Why building emotional connections with your customers is key to scaling - What early-stage brands need to know about innovation cadence and product development - The truth about manufacturing partnerships—and why it should never be a transactional relationship - How to finance growth and manage the cash flow gap when transitioning to retail If you're a beauty founder looking to grow your brand from six figures to multimillion-dollar retail distribution, this episode is full of expert insights, strategic frameworks, and the kind of candid advice most people don't say out loud. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!   Links: 📌 Connect with Anthony Standifer on LinkedIn 📌 Check out MSeed Group: https://mseedgroup.com/ 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram 🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website  🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    59 min
  2. E 812: Financial Strategy for Beauty Brands: Cash Flow, Retail Growth, and Smart Funding

    07/16/2025

    E 812: Financial Strategy for Beauty Brands: Cash Flow, Retail Growth, and Smart Funding

    Summary In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, I'm joined by Matt Putra, fractional CFO and founder of Eightx, a financial advisory firm helping CPG and beauty brands scale responsibly. If you've ever felt unsure about forecasting cash flow, managing inventory costs, or figuring out how to fund retail growth—this is your episode. Matt shares his proven frameworks for financial planning, with a focus on what beauty brands need to know when transitioning from DTC to retail. He breaks down complex financial concepts in a way that's clear, actionable, and rooted in real-world experience. We cover: ✅ How to prepare your beauty brand financially before entering retail ✅ The difference between short-term sales growth and long-term financial health ✅ Smart approaches to funding—debt vs equity, and how to choose what's right ✅ Cash flow strategies to avoid inventory shortages and payment crunches ✅ Why forecasting matters—and how to use your numbers to make better decisions If you're a founder navigating the leap into retail, or trying to build a more sustainable, profitable brand, Matt's insights will help you move forward with confidence. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform! Links: 📌 Connect with Matt Putra on LinkedIn 📌 Check out Eightx Group: https://eightx.co/ 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram  🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn  🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram  🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website  🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    41 min
  3. E 811: Winning Beauty Customers with Storytelling, Site Experience, and Loyalty

    07/08/2025

    E 811: Winning Beauty Customers with Storytelling, Site Experience, and Loyalty

    In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, I'm joined by Sarah Gallagher—founder of e-commerce agency Gamma Waves and a marketing strategist behind powerhouse brands like Supergoop. Sarah has helped both emerging and established brands scale through digital optimization, brand storytelling, and smart consumer engagement strategies. We explore: ✅ What makes a beauty brand story stick—and why clarity matters more than complexity ✅ How to optimize your website to boost conversion (spoiler: it's not just about design) ✅ The keys to customer retention and how to increase lifetime value through personalization ✅ How testing and A/B optimization unlock meaningful growth—even for smaller brands ✅ Lessons from scaling Supergoop pre-acquisition, and how loyalty programs drive repeat business Whether you're refining your DTC site, launching new SKUs, or growing your loyal customer base, Sarah shares practical tips to help you build a better digital experience and tell your brand story with impact. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform! Links: 📌 Connect with Sarah Gallagher on LinkedIn 📌 Check out Gamma Waves: https://gammawaves.io/ 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram 🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website  🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    31 min
  4. E 810: Trademark Essentials for Emerging Brands with Lauren Bercuson of Storylock Legal

    07/01/2025

    E 810: Trademark Essentials for Emerging Brands with Lauren Bercuson of Storylock Legal

    Trademark protection isn't just for big brands — it's essential for emerging founders too. In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique sits down with Lauren Bercuson, founder of Storylock Legal, to break down the basics of trademarks, common mistakes founders make, and how protecting your brand early can save you major time and money later. Lauren shares her experience helping CPG and beauty founders secure their brand names, logos, and even colors, while explaining the risks of skipping this crucial step. Whether you're launching your first product or prepping for retail expansion, this conversation will make you rethink how you protect your brand's future. We'll dive into: ✅ Why trademarking is a must, not a "nice to have" ✅ The most common trademark mistakes emerging brands make ✅ What to know about using your personal name as a brand name ✅ The basics of trademarking logos, slogans, and even colors ✅ How to spot potential trademark infringement early ✅ What to know about international trademark protection ✅ When to prioritize trademarking additional brand elements (like logos and packaging) If you're serious about scaling your brand and building long-term value, this is a must-listen episode! Links: 📌 Connect with Lauren Bercuson on LinkedIn 📌 Check out Storylock Legal: https://www.storylocklegal.com/ 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram 🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website 🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    37 min

  5. 06/24/2025

    E 809: Scaling Smarter: DTC Profitability and Website Simplicity with Ben Sharf of Platter

    Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have more tools than ever — but scaling profitably online? That's still a huge challenge. In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique sits down with Ben Sharf, founder of Platter, to talk about why profitability and simplicity are the new superpowers for growing your DTC business. Ben shares insights from building Platter, a tech-enabled service that's simplified Shopify storefronts for brands like Everyman Jack and Mrs. Meyer's. He breaks down what early-stage brands often miss when it comes to building effective e-commerce sites — and how fixing a few basic elements can dramatically improve your conversion rate, AOV, and operating margins. We'll dive into: ✅ Why profitability must be a priority from Day 1 in today's market ✅ How to simplify your Shopify storefront for more sales (and fewer expenses) ✅ What emerging brands get wrong about conversion and AOV strategies ✅ When you should hire help vs. DIY your website ✅ How small tweaks to your checkout experience can boost revenue ✅ Why a good website is critical even for retail-first brands ✅ Real case studies showing how simplifying saved brands hundreds of thousands If you're looking to build a profitable brand that wins online and at retail, this conversation is packed with actionable strategies! Links: 📌 Connect with Ben Sharf on LinkedIn 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram 🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website 🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    26 min

  6. 06/17/2025

    E 808: What Your Price Says About Your Brand

    Your price is part of your story. In the final part of the pricing series, we explore how pricing ties into your brand's perception, positioning, and customer expectations. Your packaging, claims, and storytelling all need to back up your price — especially if you're playing in premium or prestige spaces. In this episode, you'll learn: How price communicates brand value before anyone tries your product Examples of what different price points say about your brand Why consumers feel your price before they rationalize it Tips to align your packaging, claims, and price with your brand identity 💡 A strong brand needs a strong pricing strategy — one that feels right to your customer. Links: 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram 🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website 🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    13 min
  7. E 807: How Adam Callinan Built an 8-Figure Brand Without a Big Team — and Why Profitability is the New Superpower

    06/10/2025

    E 807: How Adam Callinan Built an 8-Figure Brand Without a Big Team — and Why Profitability is the New Superpower

    Is it possible to build a multi-million-dollar brand without investors — or even a full-time team? Adam Callinan, founder of Bottlekeeper and now CEO of Pentane, proves it can be done. In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique sits down with Adam to discuss how he scaled Bottlekeeper to over $8M in annual revenue without taking on outside funding or massive headcount. Adam shares the systems he built to keep the business profitable, lessons from Shark Tank, and why today's founders need to obsess over cash flow and omnichannel growth. We'll dive into: ✅ How to scale your brand while keeping fixed costs low ✅ Why he said no to early retail expansion — and why that decision paid off ✅ The story behind Bottlekeeper's viral Facebook video moment ✅ Lessons from negotiating a million-dollar deal on Shark Tank ✅ Why profitability is simply a math problem founders must solve ✅ How founders today must think differently to scale ✅ How Adam's new company Pentane helps brands boost profitability through smarter finance and marketing systems If you're building a brand today and want real-world strategies for profitable growth — this episode is a must-listen! Links: 📌 Connect with Adam Callinan on LinkedIn 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram 🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website 🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    54 min

  8. 06/03/2025

    E 806: COGs & Margins - The Math Behind Profitable Pricing

    You can't scale your brand if you don't understand your numbers. In part three of the pricing series, we're talking all about COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) and margin — what they are, why they matter, and how to reverse-engineer your retail price to protect your profits. This is the financial foundation you must have before stepping into retail. In this episode, you'll learn: What's included in your true COGS (hint: it's more than ingredients) How to calculate margin and why it's non-negotiable for growth What "retail math" looks like in real scenarios Why margin protects your business through retailer asks and promos 🧮 Get your calculator and take notes — your future margins will thank you. Links: 🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram 🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram 🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website 🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

    13 min
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About

The Scaling Emerging Beauty podcast offers actionable insights and strategies to scale beauty brands from $0 to $20M, focusing on growth through retail opportunities. Join host Monique Benoit, a former merchant at Target and Anthropologie, as she talks with founders, retailers, and other experts to offer relevant tactics for brands in the trenches, and valuable content for the industry enthusiast.

Information

  • Creator
    Monique Hutcherson Benoit
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    72
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Scaling Emerging Beauty