Claudia Sulewski: How I Built A Sephora Beauty Empire (& Why I Might Reject Finneas' Last Name)

Claudia Sulewski, YouTuber, actress and Cyklar founder, joins Maggie Sellers Reum on Hot Smart Rich to reveal how she went from 2.4M subscribers to self-funding one $58 product and landing in Sephora! Claudia started posting online at 13 under ‘Beyond Beauty Star’, building one of the internet’s most loyal beauty audiences! Then turned that trust into Cyklar - a body care brand now stocked in Sephora. She opens up about the risk of putting her own money behind the brand, why she refused to make it “just another influencer beauty brand,” and the founder lessons behind TikTok Shop, product, community and scale. Plus, Claudia talks love, acting and building a life with Finneas - from him seeing every panic moment to the “cougar” joke, wedding planning, and why her name still matters… Get unselfish access to the insights that will help you own the room. Sign up now https://linkly.link/2jPXJ ⸻ (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:54) Starting YouTube at 13 (00:07:41) Building A Personal Brand (00:09:17) Boundaries With Online Fame (00:11:49) The Overnight Success Myth (00:13:19) From Creator To Founder (00:17:45) Not Another Influencer Brand (00:19:21) Risking One $58 Product (00:22:34) Founder-Led Content Strategy (00:24:58) Showing The Messy Parts (00:26:23) Fiverr Pro Ad (00:27:28) Ollie Ad (00:28:29) Building The Door Yourself (00:29:47) Getting Into Sephora (00:30:29) Designing For Body Care (00:33:18) TikTok Shop To Sephora (00:34:21) Celebrating With Finneas (00:35:21) Meeting Finneas On Raya (00:37:55) Mixing Love And Business (00:39:00) Unsexy Money Conversations (00:40:11) Money, Impact And Risk (00:41:31) Cyklar’s $70M Reality (00:43:07) Talking About Money (00:43:54) Pique Ad (00:44:46) Rella Ad (00:45:47) Betting On Herself (00:46:16) Cyklar’s Best Investment (00:47:58) Private Creator Zooms (00:50:02) Founder Brain Never Stops (00:50:39) Rapid Fire (00:50:41) Her Credit Card Spend (00:51:16) The Expensive Plates (00:51:39) Her Amex Points Strategy (00:52:45) Finneas Travelling Less (00:53:05) Actress, Creator Or Founder? (00:53:32) Favourite Beauty Brand (00:53:55) Oscar, Emmy Or Allure? (00:54:16) Coachella Or Sephora? (00:54:41) Sephora Demo Over Carpet (00:55:24) Best Red Carpet Moment (00:55:46) Song Or Product? (00:56:11) Her HSR Love Note (00:58:00) Working And Loving Hard (00:58:49) Changing Her Last Name (00:59:35) How To Support Claudia ⸻ Sponsors: Fiverr - If you are scaling a business, then you need to visit https://pro.fiverr.com Ollie: Use code HSR for 70% off at http://ollie.com/hsr Pique - https://piquelife.com/hsr for 15% off Rella - http://getrella.com use code HSR for 10% off your first 3 months or annual plan ⸻ Hot Smart Rich: Your Business & Culture GossipFor ambitious women wanting to own the room, gain power, and build wealth.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotsmartrich/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotsmartrichMaggie Sellers Reum:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiesellersreum/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maggiesellersreumLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sellersmaggie/Locker: https://www.wantlocker.com/users/maggiesellersShopMy: https://shopmy.us/maggiesellersAmazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/maggiesellers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices