Most people only show you the glossy finish product launches, sold-out collections, and beautiful reviews. But behind every polished beauty brand is a backstory most founders rarely tell.
In this debut edition of The Founder’s Files, we’re pulling back the curtain.
What happens when the dream doesn’t go as planned?
We had a candid conversation with our founder and she opened up about launching her very first beauty brand, one filled with high hopes and lessons that came wrapped in failure. She shares what really happened, the mistakes that cost her everything, and what others must know. If you’re thinking of launching your own beauty business, you would enjoy this one.
Where it all started
The first question we asked her was simple: What inspired your very first beauty brand?
Awele’s answer was clear.
“I was always working on celebrity clients, weddings, red carpets and I noticed how much time we wasted rubbing bronzers directly onto the skin,” she says. “People were using highlighters on their legs, arms, chest. I just kept thinking: why hasn’t anyone made this a spray?”
She didn’t stop at the idea. She created three products: a true setting spray (to lock in makeup), a neutralizing spray (to reduce powdery finishes), and a bronzing illuminator in spray form. By late 2019 into early 2020, the brand had quietly launched.
But the launch didn’t go as expected.
The quiet launch
Awele didn’t do a pre-launch campaign. She didn’t share the behind-the-scenes. She didn’t announce the idea or document the process.
“I didn’t talk about it. I didn’t show anything,” she admits. “I just launched and expected people to show up.”
But most people didn’t. Sales came from friends and family, not strangers.
“Unless you’re already famous or people deeply trust your work, launching in silence will keep you hidden,” she says.
She had built a brand. But no one knew it existed.
Trying to do everything alone
We also asked what mistakes she now recognizes clearly.
“I was doing everything; photos, packaging, marketing, social media, logistics, everything,” she says.
So when she got busy with client bookings or had to travel, the business paused. Nothing moved unless she moved. That made growth impossible.
“I thought I could do it all. But when you’re the only one holding the entire business together, it breaks the moment you need to rest.”
She continued, “There were times I relocated and couldn’t take inventory with me. I’d end up leaving products in Nigeria and asking friends or my sister to help post. Eventually, I just started giving them away.”
What she wishes she had known
“I thought launching was the finish line. I didn’t realize it was the starting line,” she says. “I had done all the work and just assumed people would find me.”
She reflects on how the beauty industry doesn’t always show the “how.”
“People announce perfect brands. They don’t share the process. If I had seen someone’s behind-the-scenes, or even a coach who had launched before, I would have done things differently.”
She also noted something critical that often gets overlooked.
“People don’t buy from businesses. They buy from people. If they don’t see you, they won’t buy from it,” she said.
That clarity came when she realized that nearly every buyer had known her personally.
What changed after that
We asked what helped her bounce back after that experience.
“I didn’t launch another product immediately. I started working on myself instead,” she says. “I had to become visible even as an introvert.”
She started talking to strangers. On buses. In salons. In stores. She introduced herself as a makeup artist. She stopped hiding.
“Now, even though I’m still shy, I know I have to show up. If I want people to trust me, they need to see me.”
That shift shaped her new approach to business and community.
So what advice would she give someone else building a beauty brand?
“So what advice would she give someone else building a beauty brand?
“Go ahead and launch. But don’t do it in silence,” she says. “You don’t need to have it all figured out. But you do need to show up.”
Then she added something that cuts through all the fluff.
“If you can learn from someone else’s mistakes; a coach, a mentor, anyone, that’s great. Do that. But if you can’t find anyone to guide you, then still go ahead. Make the mistakes yourself.”
She paused, then continued:
“You’ll either learn from someone’s experience, or you’ll learn from your own. But either way, you’ll learn.”
And one final note that stuck:
“If you can afford to get help, do it. And if you can’t yet, plan for it. Because trying to carry everything on your own will eventually slow you down.”
READ MORE ARTICLES:
The Founder’s Files: From Self-taught Artist to Working with MAC, Estée Lauder & More
How Colorbox Cosmetics is Making Luxury Beauty Accessible to All
What is The Founder’s Files about?
It’s our way of spotlighting our own founder, Awele, the woman behind the vision, the voice behind the brand.
Through this ongoing series, we’ll be unpacking her journey, lessons, and insider wisdom across beauty, business, and beyond. Real stories, honest answers, and the kind of insight you don’t always see online.
Got questions you’d love us to ask Awele in future editions? Let us know.
If you’d like to be featured in one of our e-interview series or you have a favourite founder you think we should speak with, feel free to send us a DM.