141. Mented Cosmetics Founder KJ Miller Shares the Realities of Entrepreneurship, Pivots, and Her Take on The Beauty Industry Today

Welcome back to the Too Smart for This podcast! In today’s episode, Alexis is joined by KJ Miller, the dynamic force and co-founder behind Mented Cosmetics. KJ's journey is one of inspiration, innovation, and sheer determination as she has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the beauty industry. In this exclusive interview, KJ will take us through her remarkable journey, sharing the behind-the-scenes process and experiences that led to the creation of Mented Cosmetics. If you’re passionate about entrepreneurship, inclusivity, and the world of cosmetics, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! Show Notes5:06 Rapid fire questions!11:08 Nurturing intimacy in your romantic relationships14:26 Debunking the over-glamorized narrative of entrepreneurship16:26 The history of Mented Cosmetics21:14 Embracing the bumps along the road of entrepreneurship24:06 How do you decide when to scale back?25:53 Navigating burn-out 27:18 KJ’s week in the life28:11 Foregoing the grindset30:23 Molding your fundraising process to fit the demands of the time34:12 The undeniable purpose of a business plan35:34 Learning and growing from initial feedback38:47 How to build a positive community around your product40:26 Navigating between direct-to-consumer and wholesale 43:14 The importance of capital in the early stages of a business44:31 Resources that enabled Mented Cosmetics to thrive45:52 The necessity of building a founder network47:40 KJ’s favorite founders/mentors48:52 Juggling your personal brand with entrepreneurship50:57 Learning from failure as the key to success52:06 Taking constructive from feedback and growing from it54:00 Importance of approaching every experience from a place of learning55:13 The decision to start ‘Not Another Business Podcast’57:49 Gatekeeping in the business-sphere58:29 Why Harvard Business School?1:00:59 Lessons learned from business school1:03:05 Traits of a successful entrepreneur1:07:05 Brands to watch!1:09:43 Entrepreneur resources for starting a successful brandResources/MentionedParfait WigsKeep up with KJ Miller!@kjmiller on Instagram@iam_kjmiller on TikTokNot Another Business PodcastMented CosmeticsNEW Too Classic Terry Cloth RobeToo Collective WebsiteToo Collective Affirmation TextsFollow Too Collective on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toocollective/?hl=enFollow Alexis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexisbarber/?hl=enFollow Alexis on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisbarber_?lang=enSubscribe to Alexis on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-YnRrflV9g6nLMWUkwDtAAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy