How Tisha Thompson Launched the First Black-Owned Clean Makeup Brand at Sephora

“There's a lot of things that come with being able to support a retailer like that… If you're not ready for those things, then go DTC first because you also have to have: Is your product merchandisable? Do you have unit cartons? Do you have UPCs?  All of these kinds of operational tactical things that you can really kind of speak to, but high-level it's like, ‘Do you have enough money?’ It would be my very first question.”

In this episode of Entreprenista, we sat down with Tisha Thompson, founder and CEO of LYS Beauty, a brand conceptualized with skin-loving formulas that redefine the definition of beauty. LYS is the first Black-owned Sephora clean makeup brand, created to fill a void in the market for clean, high-performance makeup that serves all skin tones. Drawing on her 18-year career in beauty, Tisha is dedicated to offering products that not only enhance natural beauty but also promote skin health, embodying her commitment to empowering individuals to feel confident and beautiful inside and out. Tune in to hear how Tisha’s passion for makeup and beauty stems from her love of transformation, why representation is so important, and how she has managed to keep LYS self-funded. 

We talked about: 

• Tisha started her career in beauty with a makeup artist side hustle (04:46)
• Knowing when the time is right to start a business (11:36)
• The process of pitching to Sephora (19:09)
• Best practices for promoting a brand (32:29)
• Using project management software (35:32)

Connect with Tisha:

• Instagram
• LYS Beauty
• LYS on Instagram

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