Finding the right funding is one of the biggest challenges for emerging beauty brands today.
In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, Monique is joined by Marshall Lebovits, a financing expert with 35+ years of lending experience. Marshall breaks down how early-stage brands can use asset-based funding to scale without giving up ownership — and what you need to know before taking on this type of loan.

They discuss real talk about what founders often miss when seeking funding, what financial documents you must have ready, and how to avoid costly mistakes when cash flow gets tight.

What you’ll learn:
✅ What asset-based funding is (and how it differs from VC or revenue-based loans)
✅ The pros and cons of asset-based funding for beauty and CPG brands
✅ Key financial systems and documents you need before applying
✅ What lenders look for — and what could disqualify you
✅ How to protect yourself and find the best funding partner for your business
✅ Why understanding your cash cycle is critical for success

If you're an emerging beauty founder thinking about how to finance your next stage of growth — this is an essential episode to tune into!

Links:
📌 Connect with Marshall Lebovits on LinkedIn
🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram
🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website

🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

Pricing isn't just a number — it's a strategy. In part one of this four-part pricing series, we're diving into how to set a competitive price that makes sense in your category and against your competitors. Whether you're launching your first product or reassessing your retail strategy, this episode will help you understand where you fit and how to price to stand out, not blend in.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What to research when evaluating your product category

• How pricing tiers vary across mass, masstige, and prestige

• Why benchmarking against direct competitors matters

• Tips to avoid being priced too high or too low
  
  

🎧 Tune in and start pricing with purpose!

Links:
🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram
🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website

🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

In this episode, Monique sits down with Erica Cocilova, CMO of Ethique, to discuss how mission-driven beauty brands can scale without compromising their core values. Erica shares lessons from her career at powerhouse brands like Dove, Happy Baby, and Briogeo, and dives deep into Ethique’s recent rebrand journey. You'll hear real talk on sustainability, retail expansion with Ulta Beauty, smart funding strategies, and why finding the right team is crucial for long-term success. If you’re an emerging founder looking for tactical advice on growing a values-based beauty brand, this one’s for you.

What you'll learn:

• Why sustainability and commercial success can go hand in hand
  
  

• The importance of focusing your brand story
  
  

• How to approach retail expansion strategically
  
  

• How to find financial partners that align with your mission
  
  

• Why sampling is a non-negotiable strategy for growth
  
  

• The two must-have hires for scaling an emerging brand
  
  

🎧 Listen now and learn how to build a brand that stays true to its purpose — and grows big!

Links:
📌 Connect with Erica Cocilova on LinkedIn
🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram
🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website

🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, I sit down with Kelly Bottenfield, co-founder and sales leader at The Honey Pot Company. Kelly has over 25 years of experience in the CPG industry, starting her career at Whole Foods before transitioning to sales and brand-building. She played a pivotal role in scaling The Honey Pot Company from a small, bootstrapped startup to a household name in mass retail.

We dive into:
✅ How a strategic focus on mass retail fueled The Honey Pot’s rapid growth
✅ The role of brokers in a brand’s sales strategy and how to choose the right partners
✅ Key lessons in fundraising and securing investors that align with your brand’s vision
✅ Managing explosive demand, especially during moments of unexpected virality
✅ Why prioritizing operations before sales is critical for long-term success

Kelly shares invaluable insights on navigating retail, building a resilient sales function, and balancing the realities of entrepreneurship with mental well-being. If you’re an early-stage beauty founder, this episode is packed with strategies to help you scale smarter.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!

Links:
Kelly Bottenfield – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellybottenfield/

Scaling Emerging Beauty & Monique Benoit –
🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram
🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website

Subscribe to the Scaling Emerging Beauty Podcast for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

In this episode of the Scaling Emerging Beauty Podcast, I sit down with Dwight Allen O’Neal and Karess Rosemé, the co-founders of Rose Neal Collective, a boutique agency dedicated to enhancing the beauty experience for BIPOC consumers and emerging brands. We dive into the critical role of in-store events, field sales teams, and trade marketing in building brand awareness and driving retail success.

We cover:
- How in-store events create memorable experiences that convert shoppers into loyal customers
- The importance of field sales teams in ensuring brand education, visibility, and advocacy at retail
- Strategies for measuring the ROI of in-store activations and event-driven sales
- Why trade marketing is a game-changer for emerging beauty brands
- How brands can leverage retail partnerships to scale successfully

If you’re a beauty entrepreneur, CPG founder, or retail professional, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you scale smarter and faster.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!

Links:
Rose Neal Collective – https://www.roseneal.com
Dwight Allen O’Neal on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwight-allen-oneal-8340b3103/
Karess Rosemé on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/karess-rosem%C3%A9-b10623111/

Scaling Emerging Beauty & Monique Benoit –
🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram
🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website

Subscribe to the Scaling Emerging Beauty Podcast for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, host Monique Benoit explores the power of a hero product and why it’s a game changer for early-stage beauty brands. Looking at brands like Fenty Beauty, Olaplex, Dyson, and K-18, Monique breaks down how a standout product can create brand recognition, build customer loyalty, and simplify operations.

A hero product isn’t just about strong sales—it can define your brand’s identity and streamline inventory, manufacturing, and marketing efforts. Monique highlights how Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Foundation and Olaplex No. 3 transformed their brands into household names. She also discusses financial benefits, explaining how focusing on a single product can improve cash flow and reduce dead stock.

She shares real-world insights, including her experience as a retail buyer when The Honey Pot Company launched with just four SKUs at Target. She also explains how Drunk Elephant and Glossier used hero products to drive growth—while warning against the risks of changing formulas without consumer buy-in.

If you’re a beauty entrepreneur, CPG founder, or retail professional, this episode is filled with actionable insights to help you scale your brand smarter and faster.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!

Scaling Emerging Beauty & Monique

https://www.instagram.com/moniquehbenoit/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquehbenoit/

https://www.instagram.com/scalingemergingbeauty

https://scalingemergingbeauty.com/

Remember to leave a review and subscribe for more tactical strategies and tips to grow from $0 to $20M.

In this episode, I sit down with Ashley Gilbert, a beauty industry expert who has worked behind the scenes at powerhouse brands like Glossier and The Lip Bar. Ashley takes us through the operational side of beauty, sharing how brands successfully scale—from warehouse moves to demand planning to ensuring products are retail-ready.

We break down:
- The role of operations in beauty brand growth
- How demand planning shapes product innovation and inventory decisions
- The difference between DTC vs. retail-first strategies
- The importance of custom vs. stock packaging—and when it's worth the investment
- How brands can use collaborations and limited editions to build loyalty and drive sales

Ashley shares a wealth of insights on how beauty brands can navigate the complexities of launching, scaling, and optimizing their business. If you’re a beauty entrepreneur, CPG founder, or retail professional, this episode is packed with tactical strategies to help you scale smarter and more profitably.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!

Links:
📌 Connect with Ashley Gilbert on LinkedIn
🔗 Monique Benoit on Instagram
🔗 Monique Benoit on LinkedIn
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty on Instagram
🔗 Scaling Emerging Beauty Website

🚀 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!

Ready to take your beauty brand from startup to retail success? In this episode of Scaling Emerging Beauty, host Monique Benoit sits down with retail expert Ray Richardson, a veteran with nearly 20 years of experience in sales, retail management, and advising. Ray has worked with top brands like WILL Perform by PBC with Serena Williams and understands the key challenges and strategies for scaling a brand in retail.

Many beauty founders can launch a brand, but few successfully scale it at major retailers. This episode breaks down the critical steps to retail expansion, including:

✔ How to land retail partnerships—even without celebrity backing
✔ The best strategies to pitch your brand and gain visibility with retailers
✔ Why product innovation is key to long-term success in beauty and wellness
✔ The biggest mistakes early-stage brands make when expanding distribution
✔ How to balance sales, margins, and retailer expectations to stay profitable
✔ The latest retail trends impacting beauty brands in 2025

If you’re a beauty entrepreneur, CPG founder, or retail professional, this episode is packed with insider knowledge to help you scale smarter and faster.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform!

Ray Richardson on LinkedIn

Scaling Emerging Beauty & Monique

https://www.instagram.com/moniquehbenoit/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquehbenoit/

https://www.instagram.com/scalingemergingbeauty

https://scalingemergingbeauty.com/

📌 Subscribe to Scaling Emerging Beauty for expert tips on growing your beauty brand!