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

25:57People do want to see the founder behind a brand and they want to hear the story and the whys and all those things. And that's very important. But then also creating that clear, distinct line, because I do want this brand to have its own identity and its own vibe and getting to sort of just like grow with the brand. Like I look at it as this like parallel journey where we're kind of like in our own lanes, but we're riding it together. Well, it's so interesting because I think honestly, I can speak very vulnerably. I, for so long, why I called the company Hot Smart Rich was because I felt like if I looked a certain way or my voice has this inflection at the end, which everyone hates on YouTube, like I couldn't be taken seriously.

26:39And so my whole content journey has been me trying to take off the mask of like having to prove how smart I am, because that is like the deep rooted childhood wound that I have, where it's like, I know that I'm one of the smartest people in the room, but like people for whatever reason don't see that upon meeting me. And so every single content decision that I've made has been like, will people see how smart I am? Am I proving these people right or wrong? And I think a lot of the time people don't often think about all of the things that are working against influencer brands or celebrity brands because there is an assumption made where it's like, oh, she's just putting her name on it.

27:13She can't be that involved. And I think I'm so interested in how you think about really showing the like, wow, I had to make a really tough packaging decision because the top didn't match the bottle. And, whoa, we just blew$50 ,000 on the wrong production run. Like, are you afraid to show those sides of things? Because you also know that you have this fan base that looks at you as like, oh, maybe she's just the influencer that's a part of this brand. I think it's so important to show those things and talk about those things. also as a reminder to show that there are people behind this brand too, right?

27:45I think when a brand reaches a certain level of success, it sort of like takes a life of its own, right? And I think it's important to remind our customers that there are people behind this brand. We're making mistakes. We're adjusting. We're pivoting. We're learning lessons as we go. And so to get to be able to do a version of that on my own platforms, I think is awesome and so important. Right. And so whether that's sprinkled in to like a vlog of mine or an Instagram story or TikTok or something, I think it is important to show those, you know, little like mishaps and those little small fires.

28:22Totally. I just asked all of you guys this one question. What is the one thing holding you and your team back from using AI properly? The answers were fascinating because everyone was basically circling the same problem, the same one that I had. They don't know where to start. People said things like, we don't know the right prompts. We don't know how to set up an AI agent. Our systems don't talk to each other. I think every company today needs someone thinking about this properly. How can AI save time or increase output? How can it make your business smarter without replacing the human judgment that actually makes the work really good and unique?

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30:47Stock your fridge now. How about a creamy mocha frappuccino drink? Or a sweet vanilla. Smooth caramel, maybe. Or white chocolate mocha. Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries. I didn't even really know this about you until I started doing so much research on you. Like, you had this original idea from therapy in 2021. You then launched it in 2023, self-funded it. Yes. A lot of people have an idea right now. They don't execute on it. What did it take for you to finally be like, I'm going to go and do this? Oh, my gosh. The best piece of advice I can give and what I feel that I've really learned with building a brand is like, you cannot wait for someone to just open a door for you.

31:32You might need to build that door and open it yourself. Right. And so I didn't know what I was doing at all. And I in some ways, I think that blind confidence is what I needed at the time to just get my like build a door and step into it. Right. Because if I had known now what it takes to run a company and keep it alive and keep innovating every single week, like I don't know if I would have started back then because it is a lot of work. And so I think there was like a bit of blind confidence and feeling like, you know what, this is something that I've been itching at and I really feel like I'm onto something and I feel passionate about this.

32:16But you're just going to regret the things that you don't do and you don't try. Talk to me about how it feels to have your brand at Sephora. It is so, so crazy and I cry about it often. A funny or like a cute little story that I can share is my first check that I got from YouTube. This was back when I was like 14 years old. My first check from AdSense took it straight to Sephora. We went there. I think it was like maybe$200, bought a bunch of products to then go home and film a haul. So Sephora has always been like my destination for beauty, makeup, hair, all these things, right? And so from the get-go, day one of ideating Cycler, I always hoped and dreamt that it would get to be in Sephora.

33:02So it is a dream, dream, dream come true. And they are a dream retailer to be collaborating with. Okay. As a Sephora connoisseur, how would you describe the body care aisle from, like, color cosmetics? I feel like everyone gets color cosmetics. Yeah. But can you break down the difference between these two aisles? Okay. All right. It's where my brain is going is so hilarious because I'm just like less shelf space. These products are bigger. We're often like right now we're having to navigate, you know, new launches going into our end caps and where we're fitting them and how, you know, we're adding certain info cards to then slide them out and have room for other cards.

33:42And so I am just thinking about the fact that color cosmetic businesses have physically smaller components so they can fit more on the shelves. And we really have to, the real estate is precious with a body care brand. So if I'm looking visually at the two different aisles, one has a lot of space and freedom to really get crafty. While, you know, the other, these products are big. You know, these tubs, these bottles, we got to get crafty. Are you attracting the 13-year-old girl that's obsessed with color cosmetics and skincare the same way that, like, body care is? Or is it just, like, a different consumer?

34:19I'm having so much fun with color and packaging with Cycler. You know, we like to kind of stay in like the jewel tone moody colors with accents of gold, which kind of plays into this like 70s vibe that we're trying to like always kind of have running through like the veins of Cycler. And, you know, I think that was done for so many reasons. I wanted the brand to feel fun and sexy, but like approachably sexy, you know, and that was something that I learned after my first launch was craving color and craving this like visual story that helped to tell the story that I felt my first fragrance was starting to tell and then my future fragrances.

35:02Right. And so thinking about like our products on shelves and who's walking up, I'm so grateful and so excited that we decided to, you know, play with color because it definitely it's fun. It's fun to look at it on shelves and see those bright colors. Do you think it attracts a younger consumer? maybe a little bit older if anything because the colors are a bit moodier but ultimately I really see the customer as everyone and so I think finding kind of like that middle point of like fun playful while still also feeling chic and luxurious and you know picturing like you know an adult anyone of any age having it proudly in their shower or on their bathroom sink.

35:48Well, at least 200 ,000 people have it on their bathroom sink because you've sold that many products just through TikTok shop, which is crazy. So crazy. Do you think that Sephora and TikTok shop complement each other or do they compete a little bit? I think ultimately, like as a brand, it's all about brand exposure. Right. And so I just think about like, what are the platforms that are able to that help support the growth of the brand? Right. And so we were on TikTok Shop before we launched in Sephora. And I think TikTok Shop did such a great job and it was such a great vehicle to create that brand awareness that helped, you know, build that momentum and that excitement for people to go into Sephora locations and smell the fragrances that they're hearing about TikTok Shop.

36:37So I think there is so much support happening everywhere that's like not just in the numbers, but just the storytelling of the brand. So you launched in Sephora February 2026. You also signed with WME in this month. Yes. Can you talk to me a little bit about how you celebrate milestones like that? Do you celebrate milestones like that? Oh, my God. I'm going to get emotional because this is such a cute answer that I just thought of in my head, which is the first person I tell is my fiance. Like, he is such a huge supporter of what I do. And I'm such a huge supporter of his. And he's seen every part of it.

37:17Like he's been in bed with me as I'm like, what am I doing? What am I doing? This was this was the craziest risk I ever took, you know, to then getting to celebrate these insane moments. And it's like my version of getting to celebrate it is getting to call him or, you know, running home and telling him. So with that story specifically, like I got in the car and I told him. you remind me so much of myself like that is the exact answer i would give like when you find your person i feel like everything starts to make sense and i think there's a lot of women that listen to this show that are searching for that so let's talk about you and phineas for a second i love it uh i love the smile you got when you get to talk about them uh okay let's start with the basics how did you guys meet oh my gosh okay so that let's see we've been dating for over seven and a half years.

38:09So this was a long time ago. I was 22. He was 21. We technically. Oh, are you a cougar? I'm a cougar. For half of the year, I'm like two years older than him. And then for the second half, I'm like one year. I'm like, thank God. So he's 28 right now and I'm 30 and he never lets me forget that. So we technically met on Raya, the dating app. But sort of like the cuter backstory is that two of my very close friends had like two years leading up to matching. They had worked with him a few times because they both work in music and he is a music producer. And every so often, like every five months, I'd hear from one of those two friends, I just had a session with this guy and I just kept thinking of you the whole time.

38:51Like, I feel like you guys would really get along, but I don't know if he's single. He's always out of town. Like, I don't know if it's worth it. He's always out of town. And so in my head for like two years, I would hear the name Phineas because who else's name? Phineas. So like noted. OK, but there's something about he's always out of town that made me think like, oh, he lives in Europe. He's like some. I don't know. I never thought to look him up. I never thought to inquire about this. Two years later, I'm out to breakfast with one of those friends. We're complaining about men in Los Angeles.

39:21And I'm like, you know what? I haven't been on this app in a while. Like, let's just go through. And the third person I landed on was him. And I was like, is this the guy that you've been telling me about for two years? And my friend like nearly did like a coffee spit take. She was like, I'm calling it. You're falling in love with him. He's falling in love with you. This is it. Like we're done. Like this is it. And she fully called it. We immediately matched. He gave me his number. I was hesitant because I'm like, modern love. We're meeting on a dating app. I hate that this is our story. But we, a week later, I hit him up because I was going to see a movie with those two friends.

40:00and just like, I was like, do you want to come to this movie in a few hours? And that was our first date. And then from then on, I mean, everything moved so quickly. So that's my long-winded how we moved. How did you guys first start mixing business with your relationship? Well, he's been such a good sport about being in content that you could almost say it happened very quickly. And I think in some ways it's because we fell for each other so hard and so fast And so honestly, there were no games. Like we just were so straightforward with each other. I think when you know, you just kind of know.

40:36There's no reason to like hold off on sending a text message or making them jealous or anything. We just were like, wow. Yep. I love you. and so kind of later into our relationship we've been able to work together a little bit more last year I directed two of his music videos one for just his personal project Phineas and one for the favors and that was a dream dream dream to get to do and I'm just so grateful that he trusts me creatively so many women want that and I talk very openly with about it with my husband we do so much collaboration together but one of the unsexy parts of what we do is like before we start anything we have a conversation that's super uncomfortable and we're like here's what it's going to look like here's the splits of stuff like here's how we're going to negotiate this and it's I think a lot of people were really confused by that at the beginning because it's like you guys are in love you're married but I'm like every single thing once you have a more complex life needs to be talked about up front yeah when you're even thinking about like directing his music video Do you have uncomfortable conversations where you're like, I want to get paid for this or like, I want to be given executive producer credits or like, how do you have those types of conversations when it can be so unsexy, but actually protects both people in the end?

41:52I think it's important to approach any of those conversations the same way that you would approach any argument in your relationship, which is honest communication, being vulnerable and just addressing things as quickly as possible. Right. So in the case of those music videos, I was so excited by the idea of just getting to flex that muscle and get to do that, that I was like, you know, I technically got paid for those. But I was like, I don't care what it is. Like, I just want the experience. I want to get to do this. And so it was more so creating an idea and then having to negotiate, OK, how much budget do we have to be able to execute this idea?

42:36And that was more important to me than how much money I was receiving. Do you think that money motivates you or is it impact or something else? Ooh, I think, I think it's like a blend of everything because you, you can't just let impact or like creative fulfillment be the only thing that, you know, is sort of like your drive because you have to be smart with your finances and you have to understand what is worth pursuing and what is not. And what are we doing for fun here? And what are we doing that's going to help keep the lights on and keep the bills paid? And so I think it needs to be a blend of all of those things.

43:19Right. And so that's why any of these risks that, you know, you're taking, for example, starting Cycler, it was so scary because I was understanding that, like, this is a financial risk that I'm putting money into and so much time into. but the the purpose and like it's like a it's a mixture of all the things you just kind of have to pick and choose on like you know what you feel is the right call to make at any given time i'm so happy you said that and i a thousand percent agree because i think we live in a capitalist society you need money to be able to live a certain life and i'm so interested now as someone who like self-finance this business you own your business this is not just a brand deal i've seen a source online that Cycler is projected to make$70 million by the end of this year.

44:10How does a number that big make you feel when you self-financed one product? It is very, very wild. So that number, we're estimated to make that this year, by the end of this year. And is that total since you started or just for this year? That's for this year, revenue for this year, which is, yeah, it is very hard to wrap your brain around. But ultimately, it speaks to, I guess, what is so, so important, which is behind every brand, you need to have a well-oiled machine and an operation team, right? And so to me, it's a reminder that we really figured it out. We figured out our cash flow and our supply chain.

45:02And yeah, it definitely, it is a huge responsibility, but it is obviously so exciting because I think, you know, my goal, Cycler, is to continue to expand and grow it into different markets. And all of those things require, you know, a very strong, solid foundation, right? And money. Yes. Like to make money, you have to spend money. And I think a lot of the time people hear Cycler is going to make$70 million this year. And you think, wow, is Claudia making that? And you're like, no, that's going back into running the business that it needs to have to build a globally recognized brand. How comfortable are you talking about money?

45:43Like what was the money environment you grew up in? I'm pretty comfortable talking about money with like my closest friends. But it's tricky because I think you always want to be sensitive to everyone's situation. You know, I think I've I definitely grew up watching money being like a pain point between my parents. Like my parents worked so, so, so hard to provide a life for us that was comfortable. And I think as a woman today, it is really important to not be afraid to talk about money, to ask about money, to to hear from friends what they are doing with their money. if they have any that they can invest.

46:28I need a matcha. So we're going to take a little break and make one with our show sponsor, Peak. They have my favorite sun goddess matcha. I use this all the time, especially when I'm traveling, but also because it's just the best ingredients. It's ceremonial grade organic made from the highest quality tea leaves and the added oxidants don't hurt either. Now we're going to add a little bit of hot water first. I'm an iced matcha girl, but I'm also a latte girl. And to be able to do this the best at home, I use Peak Carrara Marine Collagen, which turns my matcha into a latte. Today, we're going to do two scoops because it's that good.

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49:04Visualize your trades in a new light on Thinkorswim Desktop with robust charting and analysis tools. All while you uncover new opportunities with up-to-the-minute market news and insights. Binkerswim is available on desktop, web, and mobile to meet you where you are. It's built by the trading obsessed to help you trade brilliantly. Learn more at schwab.com slash trading. Or annual plan. So many women think about money so scarcity-wise, and I think the biggest risk that I've ever taken is like putting everything I had into my business because I believed in betting on myself. And like, I don't think that was the best personal finance advice.

49:39Like, you know, I actually have some of the networks that initially told me no for my show where like you should do personal finance. And I said, I am the worst personal finance expert because I put everything I had into staying in America on an E2 visa and like betting everything that I had on myself. But I think a lot of the time we think these things just happen, but to build a brand to what you've built for$70 million, it takes money. It takes investment. It takes hiring people. You're investing back into your community. You're investing into people. What is the best investment you've made for Cycler?

50:12Product, people, branding. I mean, people 100%, you need to surround yourself with others that are experts in what they do and that are experts in what you're not, right? Like really understanding your strengths and your weaknesses as a founder. So important. I think also I often like to say this, but like from the outside, anyone that's starting a brand, if you're feeling any sort of pressure to like go flashy with events and traditional marketing and all these things, like there are so many better ways to sort of invest that money into your business that are not that. Right. And so I often like to say that, like, the I think one of the most important decisions we made very, very early on was like, we're going to put a lot of time and money and attention into just getting product into people's hands.

51:11Right. And so our PR list is large. Wait, I'm so offended. I'm not on it. I'm just kidding. Are you not on it? I'm just joking. Who's getting product? Production? I'm kidding. We're getting your ad. I have your ad list, actually. So you're. No, but I think it's so important to say that because people often overlook these things. And there was actually a question I was going to ask you and I skipped on it. But I really want to ask it because I know so many founders are going to relate to this. Yeah. When you see a competitor like Sol de Janeiro do something with like Sophia Richie Grange and Jake Shane.

51:43And like, is there a part of you inside that's like, damn it. Like, I wish that I could do that. And if so, what are those other things that you do that like helps build this brand that's a$70 million brand that you don't need to do those things? Right. That's such a good question. I love seeing when other brands like collaborate with other celebrities. Like I think Rode has done it to such an unbelievably successful degree. Like so good. So good. And I think for us personally, I still, you know, even though we're growing quickly, I still really view Cycler as sort of this indie brand. And so much of what we were doing in the beginning, we're still doing today.

52:26And we haven't really changed that much. We're just consistent. um and so sort of like to parallel you know maybe our version of that for example um i love building community and putting time and attention into tiktok shop creators so for example with every single product launch like i'm getting on a zoom and having like a private little like seminar conversation with tiktok shop creators to help them educate on like here's what the here's the new product. Here's how I like to talk about it. Here are the different ways that you can start your TikTok to kind of hook in the viewer. And sort of like putting time and attention into creators has really been very successful for us.

53:15And I think also jumping back to like PR and gifting, so, so important to focus on all of those different levels from like micro influencers to, you know, traditional celebrities if we can get them onto our PR lists, but like really putting your time and attention into all sizes of different creators. So important. When you're walking around events now as just Claudia, like not the founder, are you just constantly thinking of things for your brand? Oh my gosh, absolutely. For me, like anything that is interactive, anything that is physical, tactile. It's so fun to now get to be in the space and be able to appreciate like those smaller details that a brand will put into an event that I would have otherwise looked over.

54:01You know, anything that's branded, anything that's personalized, anything that feels just like an extra added experience for the person that's attending. So it is really fun to be able to like pick up on those things and like take little notes and be like, that was really cute. That is adorable. Okay. Claudia Saluski, I can talk to you forever. We have to do some rapid fire. Okay. What is the last thing you put on your credit card? Yesterday I was shopping for like nice plates. I think they're called Lennox. Like there's my, I grew up with these plates that my mom, I was on the phone with my mom and I was like, I want to get nice plates.

54:35We just moved back into our home. We did a renovation. So like everything I'm putting on my credit card right now is just like a home item. Okay, love. The next question was going to be what's the most last expensive thing, but would it be the plates? It was certainly the plates. Yes. Does it break your heart a little when you have to spend something that's a lot of money on home stuff now that you're in your 30s? Or is that like right of passage? I, for me, like Phineas and I love to host. So I can very easily be like plates hosting worth it because they're going to be used so much. It's almost like the cost per wear argument about clothing.

55:12I'm like, these plates are going to be on our dining table serving up food for our friends and family for the rest of our life. So I love how you just tied that together. I just started asking people this. Credit cards have somehow become a status symbol, but I really want to understand what's your credit card and why did you get it? Like, was it for the points? Oh, my gosh. What do you use? I have an Amex. Okay. Platinum. Okay, I think. and I think it has good points on it. Like I'll use it for flights or sometimes it's connected to my like Amazon and I'll use the points there. I am like not very savvy with like credit card points.

55:52I think I could be a little bit better about that. And also like being loyal to an airline, need to get better. Same. The tricky thing is oftentimes like a work trip, I'll have flights booked for me. And so I'm not choosing. You kind of have to have an account with every airline to like slowly garner those points. But then it's just like. It's a sad reality that my husband is like the top echelon of every single airline. I'm like, you're always away. Yeah. Like it's horrible. Exactly. We can't compete. This just came to me. Does Phineas still travel as much as he used to when your friends are always like, he's always gone.

56:28He's not as much. Not as much. So he used to tour with his sister and perform on stage with her. And he no longer has to tour with her. And so he just tours for his own music, which at this point now he likes to keep it kind of at a lower volume, which I love. Yeah. Yeah. This is really hard for you. You can only pick one for the rest of your life. Acting, creator, founder. Your face. Brutal. Brutal. Oh, my gosh. Founder. Founder. Oh, I love that. 100%. You can always act in like a short forms film for Cycler one day. Exactly. Exactly. Okay. What is your favorite beauty brand that isn't yours?

57:12Ooh. Okay. I am really loving MPH. Yeah. That foundation. I'm wearing it right now. Love it. I do love the underpainting technique too. Let's just say you can only pick one for the rest of your life. An Oscar, an Emmy, or an Allure Beauty Award. Oh my gosh. um well we have received an alert beauty award okay so now it's so we check out that fox um i will have the audacity to say oscar as you should don't even say audacity like you're just going an oscar um okay you can only pick one for the rest of your life coachella or sephoria oh I have to say Coachella. I'm sorry. I'm such a fan of music. I truly like going back to the desert.

58:02There's something about like something within my body where I'm like, I'm back home. Which do you prefer, walking a red carpet or doing an in-store demo at Sephora? In-store demo at Sephora. Walking a carpet is weird and stressful and scary because you're just thinking about like shifting. Okay. And they're like over the shoulder. and then someone yells this way. You know what always happens? Phineas and I never dare to look in the same camera at the same time. Every photo, I'm looking here, he's looking here. Like we're, because they're just shouting, right? So never do we have a photo where we're looking in the same.

58:37But is that intentional? No. But at this point it feels intentional because they're like, over here, guys. Over, over here. What's the best carpet you've walked? I think getting to walk any of those like big, crazy Oscar Grammys, those are crazy. But there's something really fun about them, too. It's very pinch me. So getting to like support my fiance and be his guest at those things is really crazy. I'm obsessed. What would you rather have a song written about you or a product? Oh, my God. What would the product be? I could never make up these questions. just so everyone knows I did not all myself yes not chat not Claude um ooh I think I'm gonna say song because it's so romantic and also I'm making the products like let that be leave that you're the inventor I'm the inventor we can we can I can be the muse on the side you know I love that she can do it all she's hot smart rich people um okay two more these ones are more serious okay i have a very toxic brain so every day i do these hsr love notes it's like almost an affirmation to kind of retrain my brain to think positively yeah if you could only tell yourself one thing for the rest of your life to get through anything what would it be hmm what's your hsr love now i'm enough is that is that vague no that's amazing I think I'd say that because so much of my childhood and in my 20s, like I was such a people pleaser and just always so worried about everyone's feelings around me and just making sure that like I was never the reason for any sort of, I don't know, friction or anything in the room.

1:00:36Right. And I think growing up is like recognizing that we are all enough. We are all, you know, a full human being. You don't need another person to fill up your other half. And like, yeah. I resonate so much that I actually spent thousands of dollars on therapy for my therapist one day to say you have to change am I am I am I am I to I am and I remember when he said that like I just started bawling because similar to you I'm just like asking my whole life am I gonna am I this yeah and then as soon as you just re-switch that yeah everything opens up for you can I tell you just yeah corny little thing literally on my way here in the car I was of course a little bit nervous.

1:01:20And I was out loud saying to myself, like, I am excited. I am grateful. I am lucky. I am like, I have something to say. I have like, I love saying affirmations physically out loud to myself. If I'm like on the way to anything that makes me a little bit nervous. So. Wait, I'm so happy you said that. Also, just like you did not seem nervous at all. You smashed it um okay what would you call this season of your life um okay it's like this season of um like working hard and loving hard like big theme of working hard big themes of love we're planning a wedding right so i just i am like a puddle of just yeah feeling so in love and excited for that new chapter of my life.

1:02:16And also like understanding don't have kids yet, not saying that we can't continue to work once we have kids, but like understanding how much time I have to be able to really hone in on, you know, all my dreams. And so we're working hard. We're loving hard. Love. Big. So are you changing your last name? Big. Huge. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about it oh my gosh this has been like a topic of discussion for all my friends in that I think what I'm going to do is I think I'm gonna like my public name will probably stay Claudia Saluski it has a good flow to it I've built a personal brand but I think legally I'll change it to Claudia Saluski O 'Connell I don't have a middle name so we're just gonna shift the last name into the middle name spot basically right it was meant for you claudia sussi o 'connell has a ring to it i love it i thought i did i did um margaret sellers rain and beautiful yeah but call me maggie because i hate him to call me margaret um i'm obsessed claudia sussi where can people find you and how can hsr help you right now oh my gosh um well you can find me of course on just at claudia sussi on any the the youtuber me wants to like i know You can't do it now.

1:03:33I give you permission. So you can follow me anywhere. It's just my name, Claudia Salewski. And the best way to support is just try out Cycler, you know. The first product that I always love to recommend to any new customer is our Sensorial Body Wash. It's so special. Yeah, it's the big bottle. It has a multi-oil complex in it, glycerin. And it just leaves, like, the most slippy, hydrating layer on your skin that once you step out, like, it just does so much. much more than just wash your body it's so special and that fragrance sacred santal is addicting oh i can't wait to try this yeah uh claudia saluski thank you so much for coming on hot smart rich we absolutely loved you and congratulations on everything it's absolutely incredible oh thank you so much this was so much fun i don't want it to end

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