How to Win as a Content Creator: Advice from Experts Who've Done It

He Built a $120M Beauty Brand With 5 People. Here's Exactly How He Did It

Ryan Babenzien didn't follow the playbook. He's managed celebrity talent, ran marketing at Puma and K-Swiss, and pioneered men’s footwear with Greats (which he sold to Steve Madden). Ryan’s non-linear career path has given him unparalleled knowledge of what it means to be a successful entrepreneur.  Now, Ryan is running Jolie, a beauty wellness company that's made $120 million in revenue in four years, profitably, with only a 5-person core team. Julian and Ryan get into the literal shower thought that changed everything and the full journey from entertainment to footwear to beauty. They’ll share what the future of brand building looks like, and why growing faster isn’t always better for the longevity of a business.  CHAPTERS: * 0:00 Introducing Ryan Babenzien * 3:29 Ryan's Early Career Path: Hollywood, Puma, & K-Swiss * 9:56 Why Ryan Started Greats & Selling to Steven Madden * 12:52 Ryan’s Jump from Footwear to Beauty * 14:44 The Shower Thought That Began Jolie * 16:25 Pioneering the Water Filtration Market  * 17:20 How Jolie Saves Hair and Skin From Chlorine and Heavy Metals * 20:27 Educating the Market on a New Category in Beauty  * 24:02 The 5-Person Team Behind Jolie: Fractional Groups & AI Tools * 30:19 Moving to London & Launching Jolie in the UK * 33:26 Retail Expansion: Erewhon, Ulta, Target, & Costco * 37:15 Profitability & Longevity – Ryan’s Perspective on Growth  * 41:40 The Future of Wellness, Beauty, and Brand Building * 44:08 The Jolie Sauna Concept * 47:07 What to Expect from the Jolie Experience  Watch On the Record with Julian Reis on YouTube here. [https://www.youtube.com/@OntheRecordwithJulianReis]  Comment who you want Julian to interview next!  TAGS: creators, content, commerce, SuperOrdinary, Julian Reis, e-commerce, sales, business, podcast, Ryan Babenzien, Jolie Beauty, Jolie showerhead, On the Record podcast, D2C brands, direct to consumer, beauty brand founder, entrepreneur interview, bootstrapped business, profitable startup, beauty wellness, shower filter, hair shedding, skin health, chlorine water, hard water, soft water, Greats sneakers, Steve Madden, Puma, K-Swiss, AI tools, fractional teams, UGC marketing, Nectar AI, Erewhon, Ulta Beauty, Target beauty, Costco, Space NK, UK beauty launch, sauna wellness, brand building strategy, entrepreneurship, bootstrapped brand

She Built Charlotte Tilbury's Social Media from Scratch (Before Influencers Existed)

Sophie Blowfield has been inside some of the most iconic beauty brands in the world, before the beauty marketing playbooks existed. From joining Charlotte Tilbury as part of the founding social team to heading up global content at Soap & Glory, she's watched the industry transform from newsletter culture to TikTok virality in real time.  Now running her own consultancy, Sophie works with founders and global brands on storytelling, their launch strategies, and building real community. Julian and Sophie get into what it actually took to build Charlotte Tilbury's social presence from scratch and everything she learned along the way. They’ll share why the beauty industry is drowning in product launches and what truly separates the brands that last from the ones that fade…  Watch On the Record with Julian Reis on YouTube here. [https://www.youtube.com/@OntheRecordwithJulianReis]  Comment who you want Julian to interview next!  CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introducing Sophie Blowfield, Brand & Influencer Consultant 2:00 How to Get a Job in Beauty 4:30 The Magazine Golden Age & London as a Cultural Capital 6:00 Getting Headhunted for Charlotte Tilbury's Founding Team 11:30 What made Charlotte Tilbury's Brand Magic Work 15:00 How Brands can Win Social-First Consumers 16:00 US vs. UK Beauty Consumers 18:30 This Is What Makes a Brand Last 29:30 Taking a Leap of Faith to Go Freelance  31:00 How to Tell Amazing Stories in Beauty Marketing 41:00 The #1 Influencer Strategy Today (Why Transactional is Over) 45:30 The Last Piece of Content that Stopped Sophie Mid-Scroll TAGS: creators, content, commerce, SuperOrdinary, JulianReis, e-commerce, sales, business, podcast, Sophie Blowfield, Charlotte Tilbury, brand building, beauty marketing, social media strategy, beauty founder, influencer marketing, community building, Merit Beauty, Rhode Beauty, Summer Fridays, Heaven Mayhem, Victoria Beckham Beauty, BYREDO, beauty branding, founder story, beauty consultant, beauty podcast, luxury beauty, quiet luxury, micro influencers, Substack, brand strategy, beauty business

The Agency That Sold TikTok's First Item Tells You How to Win as a Brand

What does it actually take to build a brand on TikTok Shop? Today the SuperOrdinary executive team sits down to cover how to build success on the platform from viral moments to sustainable, long-term brand growth. You'll hear from Emma Rafalski, Director of Brand Success, and Gary Sang, VP of TikTok Operations (and the person who sold the very first item on TikTok Shop in the US). Together, they break down what brands consistently get wrong, how to course correct, and why the right product and creator match is everything. Discover how SuperOrdinary helped a single skincare launch become one of the most successful new arrivals campaigns in TikTok Shop history, and what it takes to 5X sales on the platform. Whether you're considering launching on TikTok Shop, already are on it trying to scale, or you’re just looking for your next move, this is the playbook to help you succeed. Watch On the Record with Julian Reis on YouTube here. Comment who you want Julian to interview next! CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome to SuperOrdinary HQ 1:30 Introducing Emma Rafalski: Director of Brand Success 3:20 Is Your Product Right for TikTok Shop? 4:34 Why the First 3 Seconds Of Your Video are Everything 5:50 Peter Thomas Roth: A Viral Relaunch Case Study 8:07 How Does the Halo Effect Work? How TikTok Drives DTC & In-Store Sales 10:05 What Emma Is Watching (and Buying) on TikTok Right Now 11:30 Introducing Gary Sang, VP of TikTok Operations + The Man Who Sold TikTok's First Item 11:45 Why He Bet on Social Commerce Before Anyone Else 12:10 How to Bridge the Gap Between Brands & Creators 14:50 How to Use Your TikTok Data to Identify New Audiences 18:00 Why Authenticity Is the Long-Term Recipe for Brands 21:00 How to Go From a Viral Moment to Sustained Growth 22:20 When Should a Brand Start Live Shopping? 24:00 The Untapped Categories on TikTok Shop 26:06 The Future of Social Commerce…

Gary Vee: Live Commerce Is the Biggest Opportunity Since the Early Internet

In this one-of-a-kind interview Gary Vee and Julian Reis sit down to get to the root of why American brands are still sleeping on live commerce…even as TikTok’s GMV in China crossed $700 billion.  Gary breaks down the corporate inertia keeping Fortune 500 marketers stuck in TV-era thinking, where the current US commerce market is at, plus where it’s going.  Together they uncover what the live shopping revolution actually means for individual creators, small businesses, and the future of brand-building.  Watch On the Record with Julian Reis on YouTube here. [https://www.youtube.com/@OntheRecordwithJulianReis]  Comment who you want Julian to interview next!  CHAPTERS: 00:00 Gary Vee Supports SuperOrdinary  1:45 What Brands Still get Wrong about TikTok  3:30 How to Earn Attention Online Today  5:45 Retail vs. Social Commerce  7:45 TikTok GMV: $700 billion in China 8:30 What We Can Learn from QVC Today 9:45 The Power of Communal Commerce 13:45 Gary's new book: Your Individual Empire 15:00 Building Creator Infrastructure at SuperOrdinary 16:45 The Power of Pattern Recognition & E-commerce in 1997 21:30 Buying Koi fish on Whatnot  22:27 Chief Attention Officer: The Role Every Brand Needs 24:45 AI Agents vs. Live Commerce 31:30 Brand Equity in the Age of TikTok 38:00 Gary's #1 Piece of Advice 39:30 The Album that Changed Gary's Life

The 3 Things Every Successful TikTok Affiliate Has (From TikTok Shop’s #1 Agency)

What does it actually take to win on TikTok Shop: as a creator, as an affiliate, as someone just figuring out where to start? SuperOrdinary’s executive team sits down to get transparent on it all. You’ll hear from the agency behind some of the biggest brand success stories on the platform, to get the real answers. In Part One, hear from two of SuperOrdinary's leaders, Vivien Wu, Director, Brand Success and Cesar Villavicencio, Executive Producer, on what separates creators who convert from those who don't. They share tips on converting viewers to customers, building long term success, and working with brands. This episode will leave you with a better understanding of the biggest affiliate opportunity right now, and where the future of social commerce is heading. Watch On the Record with Julian Reis on YouTube here. Comment who you want Julian to interview next! CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome to SuperOrdinary HQ 1:08 Introducing Vivien: Director of Brand Success 1:22 Why Bet on Social Commerce? 3:02 3 Things Every Successful Affiliate Has 4:40 What TikTok Consumers Actually Want to See 5:29 The Future of Social Commerce (and AI's Role) 7:33 Rapid Fire q&a: The Next Creator to Blow Up & Last Purchase on TikTok Shop 8:26 Introducing Cesar: Executive Producer of Creator & Livestream 10:23 The Ins & Outs of Building a Livestream Business from Scratch 11:50 This is What Makes the Best Creators  12:48 Short Video Is the Window to Your Shop 16:23 The Strategic Choices No Other TSP Is Making 17:24 Rapid Fire q&a: The Next Creator to Blow Up & Last Purchase on TikTok Shop