The Beauty Matchmakers

Come join us! Beauty founders, brand builders, and industry creatives - this one's for you.

Whether you’ve launched a brand, are in the early stages, or support founders behind the scenes, you’ll find a warm, inspiring group ready to network and genuinely connect. LINK in my bio 🔗

So grab a coffee. Pull up a chair. We’d love to have you join us! Lisa

As we lean into the holiday season, in-store associate trainings (or refreshers) should have started in September. Most department stores set their training cutoffs about two weeks before Thanksgiving.

Holiday is a huge opportunity for brand sales. Associates get asked all day: “What do you recommend?” Meanwhile, shoppers are inundated with too many options. Remember your "real influencer" is already in the store - it's the sales associate. When a shopper is holding two products, a skilled associate can quickly flip the sale for an undecided customer.

Number #1, Educate and build strong floor-level relationships. Win the love of the associate, and they’ll become your most powerful sales advocate.

Here are the dealbreakers:

1.Be generous with GRATIS - full-size products only. Mini samples scream “cheap brand energy.” If associates don’t fall in love with the product, they won’t sell it.
2.Make breakfast or lunch trainings worth it. A thoughtful spread says, “We value you.”
3. Don’t overtrain - 30 minutes max. High energy + fun.
4. Keep messaging 10-seconds easy. If they can’t say it in 10 seconds on the floor, it’s too long.

There’s been growing backlash around the word “clean beauty” and the reason is simple: its meaning has become very blurry. What started as a promise to avoid harmful ingredients is now being questioned by consumers, asking for more transparency, and pushing beyond retailers "no‑list.”

As the conversation evolves, I do believe we’ll move more toward real transparency: from where ingredients come from, how they’re processed, and whether claims are backed by verifiable proof. Traceability, third‑party verification, sourcing transparency. I’ve already seen this shift firsthand, with retailers asking for more proof.

A great example is Gwyneth Paltrow’s premium brand Goop. When she launched the lower-priced Good Clean Goop at Target, consumers questioned why her premium products hit $150 while the mass-market line was under $40 - even though both claimed to be “clean.” The messaging blurred in consumers’ minds, making them wonder: are the ingredient standards the same?

Consumers are starting to put “clean beauty” under the microscope. Many brands focus on what they don’t include - Versed is a great example, showing how it’s done.

Last month, 50 inspiring women gathered for the Texas Women in Business luncheon here in Austin - including my daughter-in-law . See you at the next one 🤍
**Thank you for snapping the photo 💕

The lip category is always moving - formulas, finishes, shades. And let’s be real, most of us have 5-10 in our bag at any moment. 😅

Appreciate you and for including me in this piece.

I truly admire beauty founders who take an idea and just start creating. But a big miss is when founders build their brand without thinking which shelf they’re building for. Nordstrom is not Target. Bloomingdale’s is not Ulta. Each shelf has its own shopper, a different buyer mindset, and its own set of expectations. Keep in mind, your shelf strategy is your brand strategy.

I’m so grateful for the amazing community and friendships that are being built. Last week marked our third coffee meet up .

Austin isn’t just a cool place to build a brand - it’s becoming a true hub for indie founders.

What started as a simple idea...getting beauty founders in the same room over coffee, has quickly grown into something bigger. Now, creatives, ops minds, startup entrepreneurs, AI thinkers, and finance are showing up, and it’s been an incredible mix of talent.

💄If you’re building something in beauty, we’d love to have you at the next one. The right people always seem to show up!

We couldn't capture everyone by photo. Thanks for the incredible energy and thank you for brining your camera!!

Best dinner with the best company! I moved to Austin 6 months ago to be closer to my son and his wife. Best adult decision + Austin is so alive and vibrant 🫶☀️

Best dinner with the best company!

I recently had a great webinar conversation with ALLWORK - a freelancer management and payments platform out of New York. One of the topics we discussed: Why freelancers can be your retail edge.

Swipe to learn more 💄