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“What was your big break?”
InMy Beauty Break, we’ll dig into the behind-the-scenes details the money, the aha!
ALLURE: Okay Char… can I call your Char?
ALLURE: Char, this series is called My Beauty Break.
Courtesy of brand
What was your big beauty break?
CC:I love this question because I think our story is so unique.
I’m not sure if you remember this…
Courtesy of brand
I talked about it on [the podcast you co-host]Gloss Angeles.
Soko Glam was always a passion project.
I fell in love with the ingredient formulations, the format, even the delivery systems.
Courtesy of brand
It was so unique and innovative compared to what I found in the United States.
I’m also not motivated by money.
We got this letter from someone who had been following our journey in the early years.
Courtesy of brand
They personally struggled with really severe acne throughout their teens and young adult life.
They were so traumatized by it and it was so persistent that they never really went outside.
They couldn’t even look people in the eye that was the kind of severity of acne.
Dave and I were reading that letter and it was so thoughtful.
It was so emotional that we even teared up reading it.
She just tried everything.
I get chills even retelling that story because it was so powerful to us.
That was our special moment.
We’re actually impacting people’s lives."
Our mission is to help all people believe there are only good (skin) days ahead.
We were bolstered by the fact that there’s this bigger mission let’s follow the bigger mission.
That will help our community grow authentically and really help people.
ALLURE: Was there a gleaming moment of special recognition?
They just wanted the small little blurb about us.
The last names weren’t the typical Kims, Parks, or Lees.
And there’s a definite interest in this skin-care culture and philosophy and products.
ALLURE: Let’s talk about funding.
How in the hell do you get money to figure this out?
You have this idea.
How were you able to bring thattofruition?
Did you have a nest egg saved?
For the first three years, Dave and I poured our savings into it.
That was a very daunting and scary time for us.
Dave and I, we both came from immigrant families.
They all kind of roughed it.
They have a lot of grit because they had nothing and they owned businesses themselves.
We learned from that technique from our parents and we have that same philosophy with Soko Glam.
We sold our TV, our TV stand, our exercise bike in our small Upper West Side apartment.
We had stacks of boxes because we were fulfilling all the orders.
We were taping everything, sending it out, walking it to the post office.
That allowed us to sustain ourselves.
We did everything by ourselves for like, two to three years.
Then we raised a small round [of funding] in 2016, a $2 million round.
We’ve been able to navigate these uncharted COVID waters pretty seamlessly because we’re a very lean team.
We don’t throw money at our challenges.
ALLURE: You said this twice and now I’m intrigued!
“Don’t throw money at your challenges.”
Give an example of what that would be.
CC: Oh, [there’s] so many as a growing startup.
So Facebook, Instagram; it’s a black hole.
You could spend a million dollars a day.
They say it’s a new rent, right?
Of course, you’re gonna grow if you’re going to throw millions of dollars at that.
We have grown through word of mouth and people hearing about us and spreading the word.
And those are our core customers that are still with us today.
CC:Institutional investors.
They’re not [private equity or venture capital].
It was really important to not need it so it put us in control.
There’s a difference when you need the money to sustain.
I am actually part of this founders group and I meet with them every Tuesday.
You have to be really scrappy and everyone’s just trying to stay lean right now.
Because they don’t know what’s going to happen.
It is a harder path.
They ask me, “Oh, what fulfillment centers should I use?”
Or “What PR agency should I find?”
They always ask me these questions and they want referrals.
And I’m like, you should definitely pack that yourself.
Because it’s not even just about saving money.
You learn so much in that process.
Are they overcharging you?
You become more your own subject matter expert.
And actually, they might not even take you because you’re not a proven model yet.
You don’t know how many orders you’re gonna get in a week or a month.
How many returns are you getting?
How many times do your product packages get delayed?
Also, you get to write handwritten notes.
That’s such a powerful moment and impact that you make in the beginning stages.
And those are going to be your core customers that you could always reach out to.
ALLURE: What are your thoughts on the beauty industry right now and being able to succeed?
CC:I think thebeauty industryis very saturated.
But I think it’s really important to be hyper-focused on your community and be hyper-focused on trust.
That’s the next step.
Dave and I were just like, wait, what?
We just got started, we’re not experts in the field.
We have so much more to learn.
We have so much more to talk about with our customers.
We’re not even close.
It wasn’t until year six that we actually started creating our own products.
So we were truly ready.
And we felt like we could make a great impact in the space by creating our own products.
It is really important to ensure that we create custom formulas.
Those are the things that matter.
And it’s not just about trying to capitalize on trends.
Again, it’s about doing it the right way.
Making sure trust is the number one, first and foremost in the entire process.
And I think that’s really important for the industry to be credible.
ALLURE: And now, some rapid-fire questions.
First, what are five products you wear daily?
It’s our best selling serum onSoko Glam.
KoreanHanbok style pajama set from Soft Seoul
It’s ALL about leisurewear.
I’ll wear this on my Zoom calls too.
What’s your favorite K-beauty brand?
This is a loaded question!
These two brands consistently seem to make the cut onSoko Glam’s annual Best of K-beauty awards.
What’s your favorite makeup brand?
I’ve seen the effort she pours into the product development process, and I’m constantly impressed.
Who would you consider to be your mentor?
Dave is my mentor and the CEO of our company.
But the truth is, we wouldn’t have made it this far without him.
What’s a trend to look out for in 2021?
Protective facial masks [we’re wearing during COVID-19] are causing all types of skin issues.
Our exclusiveMaskne Relief Duoand ourMaskne Treatment Duowere curated to specifically target this skin concern.
How do you take a “beauty break?”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors.
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