A Hero’s Journey

Ju: [00:00:00] It's kind of true. We've always been kind of under the radar. I don't think anyone realized like, how big or how profitable we were. So when that press release went out, I loved seeing it all over Twitter. People were just like, "What?" So I think that was amazing to see. And that's why I always think substance over style because there are brands out there that get a lot of buzz, that look great, great brand, but still, I would choose substance over style.

Kristen: [00:00:31] Welcome to Archetypes, a podcast by Future Commerce. I'm Kristen Vencel. Even with just a glance over the course of history, it's easy to see how important and powerful story has been throughout time. We humans thrive on story, whether we are the storytellers or the listeners. We feel connected to others through story. Archetypes is an exploration of the roles that we play in the story of a brand and features interviews with people who create the brands and experiences that are changing our world. It's an investigation into how we as people take part in these stories, ultimately making them our own. No matter who you are in this world, you engage in commerce. Commerce touches every living soul. We all have a role to play. We all have a story to tell. Archetypes is the story of commerce. Hero, the protagonist who is victorious over struggles and trials. The Hero is a beacon of hope for generations of citizens who feel uncertain about their future or struggle in their daily lives. The Hero serves as an admirable example to us, and their behavior influences our own. The Hero's attitude is to do what is best, even when that involves sacrifice. The Hero learns as they go, learning from others and lifting others up. When we look at the brand landscape, who do we see as the Hero? What are the Hero brands doing to impact the story of commerce? Ju Rhyu, Founder of Hero Cosmetics, offers us a look at how her Hero's journey has impacted her partners, her team, her customers, and even her competitors. Welcome to this episode of Archetypes.

Phillip: [00:02:34] Where did you sell the first unit? Do you remember? When you finally got the actual package, where did the first unit get sold? Do you know?

Ju: [00:02:41] On Amazon.

Phillip: [00:02:43] Really? What was the brand called at that point? Was it Mighty Patch?

Ju: [00:02:47] So the product was always Mighty Patch. And we did have a brand name Hero, so it was called Mighty Patch. And I mean, interesting, earlier on we were talking about sort of like psychology and consumer behavior and stuff, and the name was really, really intentional because I think acne is such an emotional category and in a negative way because people who break out and have bad skin, you panic and you feel bad about yourself and you get really insecure. There was data that showed that people become a lot more introverted when they have bad skin. Like you don't want to see people because you're embarrassed. And so knowing what I knew the power of this product was, it was really important for me that the name be very kind of emotional and very positive. Because there were other... I remember there were other products that were called like Master Fit Hydrocolloid Acne Patch or something like that. It just wasn't emotional to me. It wasn't emotional enough. And so we were kind of debating names and it's actually my co-founder who came up with Mighty Patch, and I loved it. I was like, "Oh, I love it because it signifies strength. But also, I think optimism. It's really positive. It's punchy." And so even with the brand name Hero, it's sort of the same thing, and it's really simple, but it also evokes, I think, what the product does and the role that product plays in someone's life. And I think the naming we definitely got right in the beginning.

Phillip: [00:04:26] The brand says a lot without having to beat you over the head with it. It's funny there's definitely a necessary element to storytelling and people bringing their own context to it. And so Mighty Patch, to me, it's like, "Oh, well, it's strong, it can work. It does a good job." I wouldn't say it's an overly clinical brand. So you do have a little bit of whimsy. There's sort of like a hand-drawn arrow that I think is sort of indicative on the packaging and it shows sort of the... Yeah, and for me, having seen it on the shelf for years, that's to me, it brings a little air of this is not a clinical stuffy brand.

Ju: [00:05:16] Scary dermatologist, clinical brand.

Phillip: [00:05:18] Right.

Ju: [00:05:18] It's not too serious.

Phillip: [00:05:19] And that seems like it was a choice. It seems like it was a choice and very approachable from early on.

Ju: [00:05:25]  [00:05:25]When we started, even though we started on Amazon, I always knew this business would be an omnichannel business because when you have a pimple emergency, two day free shipping is great, but nothing sometimes is as good as being able to walk into a store and pick up a product that same day. [00:05:43] It's that kind of urgent. So we launched on Amazon and found traction pretty quickly on Amazon. I immediately started pitching retailers and we got ourselves into Anthropologie. So the chronology is September 2017 we launched on Amazon, and I started pitching retailers. January 2018,  we launched in Anthropologie with an 80 store test. It did extremely, extremely well after a week in market and she said, "I'm launching you nationwide." So the rest of 2018 was really specialty retailers like Neiman Marcus and Urban Outfitters and smaller kind of boutique type of specialty chains. And then we launched in Target in 2019. So 2022 now. So yeah, we've really been in Target for about three years and Target did not know what to do with us because they were like, "Oh, this is a really interesting product, but you don't have many SKUs." And when you're in store, you kind of need minimum like 3 to 5 SKUs to have some kind of presence. And so the compromise was they decided to launch us in the mini section with one SKU. So the mini section is kind of a discovery area. Everything's under $10. It's kind of like a trial and travel type of environment, kind of like a Cash Rabbit at Sephora. A lot of small things that you can just sort of pick up and add to your cart. And so we launched with a SKU there and that SKU, I mean, it became a multi-million dollar SKU in year one. And then after that, we got awarded a bunch more SKUs and the empire has slowly been building.

Phillip: [00:07:34] Okay, Amazing chronology. Thank you. The Anthropologie launch. So you focused on retail in 2018. Anthropologie was maybe the first place where you could go and go buy your own product on a shelf. Did you do that?

Ju: [00:07:48] That's right. I went to my local Anthropologie. I went to the store. I was so excited. I started taking photos. I took a video. So I definitely went into Anthropologie.

Phillip: [00:08:01] And did you message anyone and say, "Everybody go buy it! Quick!"

Ju: [00:08:06] Oh yeah.

Phillip: [00:08:06] Yeah. Oh, you do that, right? Everyone does that.

Ju: [00:08:09] Oh yeah. It's a proud moment.

Phillip: [00:08:10] Of course. What is that like when you see something that you've made in the real world? Are you numb to it now? To some degree?

Ju: [00:08:19] No.

Phillip: [00:08:20] No? It still blows you away every time. It seems like you've stayed extremely true to a very narrow category in which you are the standout success. And there's been others and I've mentioned them along the way. Starface definitely got a lot of love along the way. Not to make you comment on them, but it's a small world, and I'm sure you know who they are. I'm sure they know who you are. Did you ever have a moment where you're thinking, "Gosh, all these people are getting all this love? Why doesn't anyone love us?" And then fast forward and now everybody seems to have been your biggest supporters all along and you're like, "Where the hell have you been? No one was talking about us, right? We're over here crushing it, and now you're all on my coattails. Where have you been for two years?" Right?

Ju: [00:09:06] It's kind of true. We've always been kind of under the radar. I don't think anyone realized how big or how profitable we were. So when that press release went out, I think I mean, I loved seeing it all over Twitter. People were just like, "What?" So I think that was amazing to see. And I always think substance over style because there are brands out there that get a lot of buzz, that look great, they have a great brand. But still I would choose substance over style.

Phillip: [00:09:59] Did you ever, during these last few years, ever ask if you were really the person that's cut out to do this? I mean, 60 people is probably not too much. But when you're all over the place and you're spread thin, you're trying to launch new SKUs, you're constrained with suppliers, you're trying to raise money. Now that's your job. Your job is to also work on capital allocation. I don't want to put words in your mouth. Maybe at some point you might have said, "Wow, how did we get here? And am I going to be able to take us to where we need to go?" That ever crossed your mind?

Ju: [00:10:33] Not yet. But I think I do ask myself that in terms of the future because I do ask myself, "When is it going to be better for like a real professional CEO to come in and when is the right time for me to step aside and take another role?" I mean, so far things are going great. So now is not the time. And I don't know, maybe it's never. I have no idea. But [00:11:00] I definitely have the philosophy that I'll always do what's right for the business. And if I'm no longer the right person, then I will gladly step aside and make room for a real professional. [00:11:13] Part of the entrepreneurial journey and the hero journey is a lot of it you learn on the way. You learn from other people around you. But I think, yeah, sometimes there's a moment where you need someone who might already have a lot of the answers.

Phillip: [00:11:32] Who's your hero?

Ju: [00:11:33] Who's my hero? That's a really good question. I'm in this period where I really believe in having a really good founders network. And what happens is, as your business, as you see step changes in your business, sometimes your peers have to change because when you're running a sub $10 million business, you have one set of problems. When you're running a 50 million-plus-dollar business, you have another set of problems. When you're running a $100 million plus business and you've been acquired, you have a totally different set of problems. And so right now, I kind of am resetting to have a different kind of peer set. I talk to Scott Norton a lot. I don't know if you know him. He is one of the co-founders of Sir Kensington's condiments brand. They sold that to Unilever. He's just an awesome person and a great resource for kind of co-founder post-transaction life. I am very honored recently to have gotten to know Tom Rinks, who's the co-founder of Sunbeam and also a creative genius. And I really look up to the kind of instinct and gut that he has for the consumer space and he's just really talented, too.

Phillip: [00:13:01] Wow. I'm always impressed. So you might be able to tell I'm a former musician. Well, I'm still a musician, but formally tried to be a professional musician. And, you know, the most famous, I would say heroic, musicians always have some obscure person as the person that they hold in high esteem and to where their own... Honestly, Billy Corgan looks up to David Bowie, but he would cite some obscure other influences saying like, "Oh, no, no. It was actually it was..."  [00:13:34]I'm constantly amazed at people who are at the highest levels of success or fame or however we hold them, they pull out a Tom Rinks or a Scott Norton who has never been mentioned on Twitter, not once. I think that that's really interesting. [00:13:48]

Kristen: [00:13:50] Want to know the rest? You can read more of Ju's incredible Hero story by getting your copy of the Archetypes Journal at ArchetypesJournal.com. Archetypes is brought to you by Future Commerce. Discover the world of Archetypes, take the Archetypes quiz, and get the Archetypes Journal at ArchetypesJournal.com. You can find more episodes of this podcast and all Future Commerce properties at FutureCommerce.com.