Category creation is hard: building Hairstory into retail from zero

Dina Rosenbloom didn't join Hairstory to maintain a brand. She joined to rebuild one and get it to retail. As CEO of a 10-year-old company built on a product that asks customers to stop shampooing, she's learned that category creation isn't a launch moment. It's a long, deliberate accumulation of trust, repetition, and the right advocates.

Dina breaks down the affiliate model that predated influencer marketing, the proprietary HairChat tool that turns hair concerns into personalized product recommendations, and what the transition from CMO to CEO actually taught her about running a business, managing people, and finally getting Hairstory into Ulta.

Topics discussed:

Building a brand on an innovative product with no existing category
Why great brand building requires patience and letting the product steep
Hairstory's affiliate model with independent hairdressers and how it generates passive income
The role of a best-in-class customer service team in category creation
HairChat, a proprietary chatbot built in the voice of a lead hairdresser
Subscription strategy and building a loyalty program designed for retention
Transitioning from CMO to CEO at a startup and leaning on subject matter experts
Getting Hairstory into Ulta as the payoff of a retail-first strategy

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