Laney Crowell launched Saie in November 2019, just months before the world shut down. Since then, she has built it into a beauty brand with more than $100 million in annual sales, growing over 50% year on year while staying profitable. Now, Saie is about to launch in the UK at Sephora, and Laney joins Rochelle on Ladies Who Launch to share the full journey.

Laney shares how a foundation that made her break out became the idea for a skincare-first makeup brand, why she raised $1 million and what it cost her, how Sephora first said no and then came back wanting every door, and why being the first beauty brand to sponsor the New York Knicks was a lightning-bolt marketing idea. She also talks about building the business from her bedroom during lockdown, why she believes the slower you go, the faster you get there, and the money advice every founder should hear before they raise.

In this episode:

• Launching Saie in the UK and why it took six years to get here
• The foundation breakout that sparked the idea for Saie
• How her community has shaped the brand, from the name to the very first products
• Laney’s path from Estée Lauder to founder
• Raising $1 million, launching with three products, and the $100K of mistakes
• Hand-delivering 200 mailers from a rented van with a decal
• Being rejected by Sephora, then signing a deal to launch in every door
• Going viral with the Glowy Super Gel
• Becoming the first beauty brand to sponsor the New York Knicks
• Celebrating $100M in sales
• Founder advice: invest in operations, rethink the org chart as you scale, and know your worth when you negotiate

If you're building a brand, thinking about raising investment, or curious how a founder turned a bold idea into a $100M business, this one is for you.

We Are Ladies Who Launch!

CHAPTERS

00:00 Saie’s Rocketship Growth

00:30 AD Starling Sponsor

05:07 The Breakout “aha” Moment

08:08 Estée Lauder Digital Roots

09:41 Important of Having A Start Up Tribe

14:33 Fundraising Advice

21:52 AD Starling Sponsor

23:33 Building TikTok Hype Early

24:03 Sephora Full Circle Deal

26:32 Scaling With A Small Team

27:41 The Power Of Slow & Steady Growth

29:35 Parenting Boundaries

33:51 Knicks Sponsorship

36:50 Celebrating 100 Million Sales

38:02 Founder Finance Advice

41:00 Future Proofing Family Time

41:47 Final Thanks And Wrap

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.

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FOLLOW LANEY

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laney/

Saie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saiebeauty/

Saie TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@saiebeauty?lang=en-GB

FOLLOW US

Instagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunch

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Weareladieswholaunch

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For our 100th episode, we're doing something we've never done before: our first ever round table. Rochelle is joined by Patricia Bright, Sam Faiers and Isobel Lorna for an honest conversation about why we celebrate women on the way up, then criticise them once they actually succeed.

Together they talk about ambition, money, backlash and the pressure on successful women to stay relatable, from Isobel's viral Agende launch to Patricia's decision to stop sharing her numbers, Sam's journey building Revive, and the double standards that still come with female success.

In this episode:

• The Agende launch: nearly £500K on day one, and the price backlash that followed
• Patricia on sharing her numbers, getting backlash and shutting down, and why she's opening up again
• Why people love an underdog until the underdog wins
• Sam on being mistaken for just the face of ReVive, and why she hid herself from her own brand
• Learning to be proud of your success without feeling unrelatable
• Handling trolls and haters, and using criticism as data
• Being taken seriously as a woman in business
• The double standard for women and men in business
• What happens to friendships when your success grows
• Why women play down their ambition, and how to stop
• "A successful woman should never apologise for..."

Whether you're building a business, growing an audience, or just have people around you who struggle with your wins, this one is for you.

We Are Ladies Who Launch!

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome To The 100th Episode Roundtable

03:38 Ioabel’s Launch Price Backlash

09:40 Patricia Defending Women Winning

12:14 Sam Reality TV Stigma

21:10 Should You Hide Success?

30:50 Turning Hate Into Growth

36:51 Being Taken Seriously As A Women In Business

47:30 Facing Pressure To Be Perfect

53:04 Who Funds Your Success?

55:32 Feminine Energy vs Respect

56:24 Money, Hate and Sexism

01:02:08 Finding Your Real Tribe

01:06:13 Stop Playing Small

01:12:10 Never Apologise For Your Success

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.

FOLLOW PATRICIA, SAM & ISOBEL

Patricia Bright: https://www.instagram.com/patriciabright/

Sam Faiers: https://www.instagram.com/samanthafaiers/

Isobel Lorna: https://www.instagram.com/isobellorna_/

FOLLOW US

Instagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunch

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Weareladieswholaunch

#LadiesWhoLaunch #LadiesWhoLaunchPodcast #PatriciaBright #SamFaiers #IsobelLorna #RochelleHumes #FemaleFounders #WomenInBusiness #SuccessfulWomen #TallPoppySyndrome #Agende #ReViveCollagen #Episode100 #RoundTable

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Millie Kendall OBE has spent more than 30 years shaping the British beauty industry. She launched Shu Uemura and Aveda in the UK, co-founded the iconic makeup brand Ruby & Millie with Ruby Hammer, and now leads the British Beauty Council as its founding CEO. In this episode of Ladies Who Launch, she shares the wisdom, mistakes and reinventions behind a career that has spanned the early days of modern beauty brands.

Millie tells Rochelle why she helped launch brands that sold for hundreds of millions without ever owning a stake, why she turned down Victoria Beckham, how Boots backed Ruby & Millie with £7 million to launch the brand, and what it really felt like to walk away from a business with her name on it.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why Millie says it's "invention, not reinvention"
• Launching Shu Uemura in London and turning a loss into a profit in three months
• The lesson of not taking equity in the brands she helped build
• Building Ruby & Millie, from Harvey Nichols and Selfridges to Boots
• The Victoria Beckham lipstick she turned down
• Why she and Ruby chose to walk away from Ruby & Millie
• Founding the British Beauty Council and raising the reputation of the beauty industry
• Millie's advice on pivoting careers, and her money habits

If you're building a brand, thinking about your next career move, or want an honest look at how the beauty industry grew, this one is for you.

We Are Ladies Who Launch!

CHAPTERS

00:00 Millie Kendall Intro

00:36 AD Starling Business

01:08 Reinvention Versus Invention

05:43 Growing Up In Salons

06:32 Shu Uemura Origin Story

10:34 Launching A PR Agency in Beauty

17:13 Meeting Ruby Millie

20:18 £7M Boots Deal And Launch

24:58 Inclusivity And Range Battles

34:30 Control Value Lessons

37:23 Leaving At Peak Growth

43:40 Building British Beauty Council

48:56 Industry Impact In Numbers

52:19 Pivot Advice For Change

57:41 Rocket Round: Money Habits

01:01:30 Financial Mistakes & Lessons

01:03:04 Launch Advice

🔔 New episodes every Wednesday — subscribe so you never miss a launch.

#AD Powered by @starlingbank

Access Starling Bank here: https://bit.ly/44sEaMf

FOLLOW MILLIE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliekendall/

FOLLOW US

Instagram: www.instagram.com/weareladieswholaunch/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@weareladieswholaunch

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Weareladieswholaunch

#LadiesWhoLaunch #MillieKendall #RubyAndMillie #BritishBeautyCouncil #BeautyIndustry #FemaleFounders #BeautyBusiness #RochelleHumes

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