Prompt Cast
How Holly Thaggard Built Supergoop from School Bans to Sephora Success
TLDR Holly Thaggard founded Supergoop to promote daily sunscreen use, pivoting her initial business model to focus on creating a sunscreen brand with safe ingredients. Despite setbacks, she secured distribution deals with Sephora and Nordstrom, leading to significant growth and success for Supergoop.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Holly Thaggard founded Super Goop to promote daily, year-round sunscreen use, pivoting her initial business model to build a market for the product.
06:11
Holly Thaggard, the founder of Supergoop, initially pursued music and teaching before transitioning into entrepreneurship.
11:57
Holly Thaggard faced setbacks in her teaching career due to not fitting in well with other teachers, leading her to explore other opportunities, eventually transitioning to a successful career as a harpist in Dallas.
18:02
Holly Thaggard was inspired to start Supergoop! after realizing the lack of sunscreen education and access in schools, leading her to create a sunscreen brand with safe ingredients and a focus on daily use.
23:54
Holly Thaggard sought to create sunscreen products that were both chemically effective and aesthetically pleasing, aiming to provide daily wear options that could help prevent skin cancer.
29:32
Holly Thaggard worked closely with a chemist to develop an SPF product that was both effective and aesthetically pleasing, while also focusing on creating a fun and playful marketing approach to encourage behavioral change towards sun protection.
35:29
Holly Thaggard faced a setback when she discovered that sunscreen was prohibited in schools, leading her to pivot towards retail and make strategic connections to grow her business.
41:33
Holly Thaggard faced financial challenges while trying to scale her business, relying on creative strategies like convincing suppliers to warehouse products for her and taking up side jobs to cover costs.
47:50
Holly Thaggard connected with Sephora through a personal phone number on her product, receiving advice from Kim Holt to focus on getting press placements to grow her brand, leading her to seek out a PR firm in New York with the help of Roxanne Quimby.
53:43
Holly Thaggard invested in a 12-month retainer with a publicist to secure press placements for Super Goop in beauty magazines, which eventually led to collaborations with influential entities like Barney's New York and opportunities to feature the product in high-profile events like the TED conference and Elon Musk's roadsters.
59:41
Holly Thaggard successfully secured a 12-month distribution deal with Sephora for Super Goop despite initial challenges and uncertainty.
01:05:21
Holly Thaggard's Super Goop saw significant growth and success after debuting at Sephora and Nordstrom, leading to increased revenue and the need for external funding to scale the business.
01:10:49
Holly Thaggard hired a brand president to help scale Supergoop and expand their team, leading to increased profitability and successful launches despite recent challenges in the retail industry.
Categories:
Business
