Ken Landis, Co-founder of Bobbi Brown, TULA & DIBS, on the Keys to Building Profitable Beauty Brands

In Ep. 68 of Earned, we sit down with beauty industry veteran Ken Landis. Ken has a proven track record of success, co-founding some of today’s top beauty brands, including Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, TULA Skincare, and DIBS Beauty.

To begin the episode, Ken reveals the core characteristics of a successful beauty brand, emphasizing the importance of a focused distribution strategy and unpacking his mantra of “narrowing deep.” He explains why Bobbi Brown Cosmetics started out in the ’90s by being “laser focused” on high-end specialty retail stores, and prioritized winning market share in the few doors they were in, rather than maximizing distribution. We then dive into Tula, and Ken shares why the skincare brand launched with a digital-first, influencer-centric strategy, which quickly paved a path to profitability. We explore the difficulties of building a brand identity through retail compared to DTC, and Ken unpacks the differences in marketing a color cosmetics brand versus a skincare brand. We then discuss how the creator economy has evolved over the years, and how DIBS and Tula approach organic relationships versus paid partnerships with influencers. To close the show, Ken details the key factors that have attracted him to invest in a variety of companies, from beauty to tech to art to cannabis, before sharing his philosophies on effective leadership.

Key Takeaways:
02:47 - The core elements of a successful beauty company
11:40 - How digital marketing has evolved since Ken began in the industry
14:40 - Utilizing influencer marketing to expand brand awareness
16:45 - Common mistakes brands make in retail
22:43 - Key qualities Ken looks for when investing in companies

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#bobbibrown #tula #influencermarketing