Photo: Courtesy of Starface
Watch the full conversation between Kara Brothers and Fashionista’s Beauty + Style Director Steph Saltzman on The Fashionista Network.
When Kara Brothers first met with Starface co-founders Julie Schott and Brian Bordainick, she admittedly knew very little about beauty, and nothing about the then-one-year-old pimple-patch brand. “I’m kind of one of those that just follows what feels right at the time,” she told Steph live on The Fashionista Network. (Watch it here!)
Brothers, who has an MBA from NYU Stern, had spent her career in the tech industry, starting in ad sales. She spent several years at Google after it acquired her previous employer, where she ended up in a corporate strategy role. But ultimately, she decided that type of “big, corporate environment” just wasn’t for her. “It was so cool and so visible, and I was around the most senior people I’ve ever been, but I just wasn’t lit up,” she explained.
She left in March of 2020 to join an AI company in her first true leadership role as VP of business development and operations. She loved the challenge, but began questioning whether tech was really the right space for her at the time.
“I was feeling like I wanted something a little lighter, a little more fun,” Brothers shared. “Obviously, it was Covid, so everything was a little heavy, a little dark. So I was just looking for some brightness, and I happened to be introduced to the founders of Starface… and it was kinda lightning bolts in terms of fit.”
That is, despite Brothers having no experience in beauty: “I think having that conversation was the first time that I learned what a pimple patch was, frankly,” she admitted. “Some people ask me, ‘Was that hard leap?’ And, of course. I will say, there’s so much legacy [beauty] information about what’s worked, what deals were done, what this leader did or why that product was lighting in a bottle at that time, that I just will never have. But my team has it.”
With customers wearing their star-shaped patches both in and out of quarantine, the young brand was growing quickly, and Brothers came in as SVP of Strategic Initiatives: “It was literally just a third senior business woman in the room with Brian and Julie to help them scale the business. So in the beginning, it was really basic stuff. Like, what does it mean to have an all-hands [meeting] in a virtual company? Or what does it mean to organize a Dropbox?” Today, as president of the company, she oversees a growing staff of 54, with all teams — from finance to creative to marketing — reporting to her. “My day-to-day is a lot of problem solving and people management,” she shared.
Starface has since launched in a slew of big-box retailers like Walmart, Target and, most recently, Ulta; and expanded outside of pimple patches with new lip– and skin-care products. “We kind of think of ourselves as a fashion brand, too. We’re not just acne. We’re not just skincare. So then we started thinking, where else can we show up?” she explained. “We’re building out our universe.”
Many decisions (including launching lip balm and partnering with Ulta) are fueled by data and feedback from customers, alongside more traditional market research, Brothers shared. “We always ask our customers… Does this make sense? Do you want this from us? Do you even care about this?”
During the show, the executive expanded further on the future of Starface, as well as the similarities and differences between tech and beauty, her “direct” and “honest” leadership style and the challenges of overseeing a remote company. Watch the full interview here.
This conversation was hosted on The Fashionista Network powered by interactive media platform Fireside, where viewers get the chance to participate and speak directly with industry figures. Learn more about The Fashionista Network here.
Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.
Source: Fashionista.com
