Laney Crowell (Saie Beauty) on Raising Her First $1 Million, Building a Top Sephora Brand, and Magazine Culture
What started as Laney Crowell's passion for magazines, beauty, and storytelling became Saie Beauty, one of the fastest-growing clean beauty brands in the world and a standout success story at Sephora.
In this episode, Laney joins Sammi to share how she went from working in editorial and at Estée Lauder to raising her first million dollars with no fundraising experience, launching Saie just months before the pandemic, and turning an early rejection from Sephora into a nationwide launch. She explains why she wanted Saie to be a top 10 Sephora brand from day one and the tactical fundraising lessons she wishes every founder knew.
Plus, she opens up about the realities of leading a fast-growing company, the trade-offs of building her dream business while raising two children, and what still keeps her up at night as CEO.
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Follow what Laney is working on with Saie
Here's What Sammi Covers with Laney:
00:00 Laney Crowell's Social Currency
02:00 Feeling Like She Was Meant to Be a Founder
06:34 Why Resilience Is a Founder's Greatest Skill
08:00 Storytelling as a Competitive Advantage
12:51 Fundraising Without Any Experience
14:21 The Power of "Expanders"
16:21 Raising Her First $1 Million
17:23 Why Every "No" Gets You Closer to a "Yes"
18:30 Perfecting the Pitch One Meeting at a Time
19:47 Building Saie to Be a Top Sephora Brand
21:03 Why Investors Bet on Founders, Not Ideas
23:52 Sephora's First Rejection
26:22 The Call That Changed Everything
28:18 Launching Through COVID
29:24 Building a Beauty Brand During a Downturn
31:21 The Three Most Important Early Hires
34:37 How Laney Hires Great People
36:13 Why Sustainability Has to Be Built Into the Business
41:16 What Actually Brings Customers to Saie
42:07 Staying Focused in a Crowded Industry
43:39 What Keeps Laney Up at Night
45:46 Why Community Is Beauty's Most Misused Buzzword
47:33 Creating Value Beyond the Product
48:28 Why Founder-Led Content Matters More Than Ever
49:45 The Trade-Offs of Building a Dream Company
51:05 Laney's Biggest Pinch-Me Moment
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, Laney joins Sammi to share how she went from working in editorial and at Estée Lauder to raising her first million dollars with no fundraising experience, launching Saie just months before the pandemic, and turning an early rejection from Sephora into a nationwide launch. She explains why she wanted Saie to be a top 10 Sephora brand from day one and the tactical fundraising lessons she wishes every founder knew.
Plus, she opens up about the realities of leading a fast-growing company, the trade-offs of building her dream business while raising two children, and what still keeps her up at night as CEO.
Follow Sammi Cohen on Instagram
Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter
Follow what Laney is working on with Saie
Here's What Sammi Covers with Laney:
00:00 Laney Crowell's Social Currency
02:00 Feeling Like She Was Meant to Be a Founder
06:34 Why Resilience Is a Founder's Greatest Skill
08:00 Storytelling as a Competitive Advantage
12:51 Fundraising Without Any Experience
14:21 The Power of "Expanders"
16:21 Raising Her First $1 Million
17:23 Why Every "No" Gets You Closer to a "Yes"
18:30 Perfecting the Pitch One Meeting at a Time
19:47 Building Saie to Be a Top Sephora Brand
21:03 Why Investors Bet on Founders, Not Ideas
23:52 Sephora's First Rejection
26:22 The Call That Changed Everything
28:18 Launching Through COVID
29:24 Building a Beauty Brand During a Downturn
31:21 The Three Most Important Early Hires
34:37 How Laney Hires Great People
36:13 Why Sustainability Has to Be Built Into the Business
41:16 What Actually Brings Customers to Saie
42:07 Staying Focused in a Crowded Industry
43:39 What Keeps Laney Up at Night
45:46 Why Community Is Beauty's Most Misused Buzzword
47:33 Creating Value Beyond the Product
48:28 Why Founder-Led Content Matters More Than Ever
49:45 The Trade-Offs of Building a Dream Company
51:05 Laney's Biggest Pinch-Me Moment
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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