In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Gabrielle Melchionda, founder of Mad Gab’s, a pioneering natural and organic beauty brand.

Gabrielle shares how she built a business from a homemade lip balm recipe in her mother’s kitchen into a nationally recognized brand featured on QVC and in publications like Vogue, eventually securing retail partnerships with major retailers. She explains the realities of bootstrapped entrepreneurship, the importance of building relationships with retailers and industry mentors, and how persistence helped her navigate business setbacks, market changes, and the challenges of balancing entrepreneurship with family life.

Gabrielle also shares valuable insights into retail expansion, including how to evaluate trade show investments, choose the right sales brokers, understand retailer requirements, and differentiate products in a competitive market dominated by established brands.

As Mad Gab’s continues to grow after more than 35 years in business, she discusses the importance of authentic founder-led marketing, building brand awareness through social media, and maintaining a sustainable business model without outside investment.

Mad Gab’s website: https://www.madgabs.com

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There are a lot of "experts" out there giving advice who’ve never built a thing. They’ve never stayed up all night sweating a product launch. Never had to scale a team. Never had to meet payroll.

They’re just regurgitating what they read in someone else’s book.

That’s not me.
I’ve built brands. I’ve scaled them. I’ve exited them. I’ve failed, won, and fought through it all.

And now, my team and I help brands do it every single day — across eCommerce, retail, and digital.
We don’t just advise — we execute.
We write the playbook.

So if you’re done with fluff, fake gurus, and marketers who’ve never sold anything outside of a slide deck — you’re in the right place.

This show is real strategies, real tactics, and real talk.

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