Designing Past Her Persona: Inside Desi Perkins’s $2.5 Million Eyewear Empire

0:00My phone, I'd never seen the screen just scroll up faster. I had gained thousands of followers overnight. For years, Desi Perkins was one of the internet's most trusted beauty creators. But her real masterclass is how she transitioned into a self-funded CEO. I've learned to see fear as a positive thing. When I fear something, that can only mean I'm growing. Her accessories brand Desi sold out at launch and reached$2.5 million in sales in just one day. Desi's here today to discuss how to scale independent brands and competitive markets and why it's worth it to bet on yourself. Desi, thanks so much for being here.

0:37Thank you for having me. Big news of the day. She's back on YouTube. Yes, she's back. You know, 2020 was a really transformative year for me. I not only became a mother, but I launched a business and I, you know, I think the time for makeup maybe wasn't the best time for 2020 because nobody's really going anywhere. So I think it was just a really perfect time for me to slow down and just have that transition into motherhood. So yeah, I did. I stepped away for a little bit. In hindsight, makes so much sense. But at the same time, you had created this career that was very much wrapped up in content creation.

1:14It's extremely hard to step away from that. Was there any fear of like, what happens to me and to this? I don't think I ever truly stepped away from content creation as a whole. I think everything I do, I find a way to create a moment because I love to create. It's just natural in me to, whether it's, you know, shifting my content to more of my journey through motherhood or documenting my infertility series, things like that. It's that I am creating, maybe it's not the beauty content, but I always stayed close with my community, especially through Instagram and other platforms. So I don't feel like I ever was like, I'm quitting content creation or I'm not, I'm stepping away.

1:57I was just transitioning and I was transforming. I was like a little caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Oh my God. I felt like a cockroach for a little bit. It was hard. I think everything happened the way it should be. I truly believe in everything just falling into place, even if it's not where I necessarily wanted to fall. But I think the time where everybody slowed down gave me the perfect window to also slow down because up until then, I was very much hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle, be everything all the time. And at that moment, I was just like, I just need to be a mom. Well, it becomes impossible.

2:34You realize you just think you can't push it in all the ways that maybe you had. Yeah. It's kind of stepping into this place where you can't truly be selfish anymore. Whereas everything leading up to that. I was very selfish with my time. There was no one else to look out for really. It was just, I could do whatever I wanted. And so, but I really loved that. And I had been, you know, on this journey to become a mom for so long that I think when I, when I had that and I was there, I wanted to be fully there because that's everything I ever dreamed of. Stepping away was the right call. Yes. And yet you're back.

3:09I am. Why now? Creating content on YouTube is very special to me because I do feel like that's where I best build community. I think it's a place for me to have real conversations with my audience where I don't have to edit myself down. I really tried other platforms, like new platforms, like TikTok. And although they are very fun, I don't necessarily feel as connected as I did creating YouTube videos because I don't have to edit so much of what I'm saying. I can be more open. I can have more conversations with my audience. And I'm a yapper. I've realized that I like to talk. So I do love doing makeup tutorials and not having to cut them down to 30 seconds.

3:51There's something to be said for long form. Yeah. And kind of like, you know, being able to watch an entire TV series versus just one episode. It's like people are going to be more connected and invested in you, the more they know about your story and your journey. You left in 2020. You had been doing it sort of all throughout the 2010s. The YouTube of today, it's kind of a different beast. Like, has it felt different coming back? I mean, I've obviously gone on YouTube, but I haven't as a creator, like uploading it. It was things looked different. And so that was a little bit shocking. But to be honest, I'm not really creating to like meet a certain expectation.

4:31I'm creating for the people that have been around with me this whole time and also for myself. So I'm not actually looking at everything as an outside influence as to like what's performing well on YouTube right now. How do I have to create? I just came on because it's truly a passion project, which is where my whole journey started to begin with. I didn't know that this was going to turn into a career. I just did it because I love to. And so I'm doing this as my hobby and something that I really, really like. In learning about your story, it's kind of remarkable to me the capacity that it seems like you've had over and over again to just say yes and figure it out and sort of follow the winds that were at your back.

5:15What was the first yes that really was transformative for you? The first yes to me was when I was working as a cocktail server. and it was not the best work experience. I'll just say that. And my husband, boyfriend at the time came in and I just started crying because it was so awful. And he looked at me and just said, just quit. And I'm like, well, how are we gonna pay the, how are we gonna survive? Like we both need to work. And he goes, we'll figure it out. We'll figure it out, just quit. And I think that was the first yes that I consider the yes that just steamrolled my journey. Like, that was the start of change for me because it took me out of this place where it wasn't allowing me to even think about what I wanted to do or be creative.

6:06I was just working, you know, and I was just on this hamster wheel. So that was the first yes. Then it actually turned into where my career went into makeup was with my husband again, but like on accident. He got this job doing photography at a bar and it was October. So they said, you need to show up in costume for work. And he didn't have a costume. So I said, well, I just saw this YouTube video and they did special effects. And at the time I was always into art, painting, all that stuff. So I thought I could probably just do that on your face, but it's the same just with makeup. I didn't have all the stuff, but I had enough to do this makeup look.

6:43So I did the special effects makeup. And when we went out, everyone thought he got it done professionally. So I was really excited about it. And they said, did you get this done? And he goes, yeah, it was my girlfriend. And they said, do you do this professionally? And I said, yes, I do, even though I didn't. And next thing I knew, I was like doing people's faces that whole season out of my house. And it was like$50 a person. I was just like, yeah, I guess that's a good amount to charge. Whatever they wanted, they just come in and I was just like, all right, I could do that. And that was really what started my career in makeup.

7:16You then at some point got asked if you could do makeup for TV and film. And you said yes and parlayed that into a TV makeup job. I'm so sorry. Yeah, I did. I started working on a show for ABC Family. So that was wild. I just showed up and just was like, I can figure this out. If I could see it, I can do it. That's my mindset. So I would go on YouTube and use it as a tool to learn, okay, what does TV makeup look like? Watching other artists doing that. Any way I could learn, I would just watch and I would show up to set and just do whatever it is that I taught myself the night before. Where do you think that inclination comes from in you?

7:58My mom, she sees a possibility in everything. And ever since I can remember, she has always taken a moment where either we didn't have something or let's just say, for example, when I was a kid, I really, these, all the girls at school had this doll and they were all bringing the doll to school and they all talked about it. It was like a really big deal and I didn't have this doll. So I went home and I told my mom about the doll. And that night my mom sketched out a paper doll on like hard paper cardstock. She colored it and everything and she cut it out for me and she gave it to me. And I was really excited and I brought it to school the next day.

8:39And all the kids wanted to play with my paper doll. Wow. And the following day, everybody came to school with a paper doll. So it's just been that find a way and figure it out mentality from my mom that has translated in everything I do. And to me, it feels very natural. It doesn't feel scary. It just feels like a natural way to be. And I think it's because I've always seen my mom be that way. God, that's amazing. I'm like, oh no, she shows up with this paper doll. Did she get made fun of? No, everybody wants the paper doll. I love this story, Desi. It's amazing. Could have gone either way. Do you think that that can be taught or developed in a person?

9:17Because I think that that's ultimately like what plagues so many founders and entrepreneurs, right? Is like, how am I going to get past this obstacle or an obstacle is in the way and it keeps them from moving forward or they're fearful to take the leap in the first place? I mean, who knows, right? It's something that has been instilled in me since I was a child. I think that you can find ways to talk differently to yourself. There's so many moments of self-doubt in growing a business. And to me, I've learned to see fear as a positive thing. So when I fear something, I think this is good. It means I'm doing something that is, I'm growing, essentially.

10:01I'm doing something outside of what I'm normally doing. So that can only mean I'm growing. And I'm taking this leap of faith. And maybe it fails, you know, and that's terrible. But also I'm going to learn something from this. Like I just look at fear as a positive thing. So I think the way that you speak to yourself is huge. I believe in manifestation and just putting positive thoughts out there. Anytime I start to have negative self-doubt or thoughts, I just try to refocus my brain. Was that fear present when you decided to get started on YouTube? No. I was not afraid to start YouTube. What was I fearful of?

10:38I had nothing to lose. I was living in like this tiny place that I'm pretty sure was a garage made into a little apartment. And I was wanting more from my life and I was trying to find myself. And I just felt like there was nothing to be scared of because I had nothing to lose. It was just a new adventure. How quickly did it take off? So it actually started with Instagram. I was doing these makeup looks. And again, a lot of this leads back to my very supportive, I've noticed telling these stories, my very supportive boyfriend at the time, now husband, I married him for this reason. Good choice.

11:14He was always there, like making sure that I felt supported. And I think that that was a huge role. He believed in you. Yeah. And he was like, you need to download this app called Instagram, which is crazy now to think that I didn't even know what it was. like, it feels like a long time ago. It was really early days. And I was like, oh no, I'm good. I have Facebook. I'm cool. And he was like, no, no, no, no. And he took a picture of me and put the little filter, you know, how before we were all just doing filters. And then I was like, ooh, that's cute. Okay. I'm going to download it all from the filter.

11:41I said, okay. And then I started posting my work in hopes that I would get more freelance work. I was doing bridal makeup, television makeup, special effects makeup. And there was a really huge reposting account. Her name was Vegas Nay. She reposted my work one day. And I was sitting in my living room with my friends. And all of a sudden, my phone started going off so much that I felt like the vibrations on the couch from my phone. Because I had notifications on who was tagging me. I was just, I didn't have a following. And my phone, I'd never seen the screen just scroll up faster. Back then, a repost was so valuable.

12:19It just meant life-changing. And she had reposted one of my Halloween looks, and I had gained so many thousands of followers overnight. People were just commenting, you should start a YouTube and show us how to do this on YouTube. So I kid you not, that week, I looked at my boyfriend and I said, can you help me set up YouTube? He had the camera from photography. So we just figured it out and set up YouTube and started that next week. And that was it. My first video is awful. The lighting is awful, but I did it. You then go on to become truly like one of the biggest beauty vloggers in the world.

13:01Thank you. At this stage of the game, where is your sense of identity? Like, are you like, I'm a makeup artist? Are you like, I'm a content creator? Are you like, I'm just on the adventure? Back then it was beauty guru, which was the, I hated that phrase, but it was beauty guru. It wasn't influencer. That phrase didn't exist. It wasn't content. Well, I mean, it didn't exist in that way. It wasn't content creator. No, that term didn't exist yet. It was beauty guru. And I had no sense of identity in my first few videos because I wasn't sure how to be myself. I felt like I needed to be perfect. And looking back at those videos, is pretty hard for me because I'm like, who is that?

13:42I was trying to really speak perfect, not have any stumbling on my words. I wasn't talking to camera naturally. It was very like, hi guys, today we're going to do this makeup look. That was just the way YouTube was back then. It was very perfect. It wasn't until I started creating more that I started to find my voice, started to figure out, oh, I can be myself online. I don't have to be polished. I can make mistakes. and I think that's when the connections really started to happen with my audience. You are a beauty guru, as you said, and it feels like the most natural move would have been, as you're moving into product, makeup, but instead you do this collaboration with Ki, which was like Ki at the time was peak, peak, peak, right?

14:27And you decide to work on sunglasses. Why? It's actually a very technical response to this, and that is that I was in a non-compete contract with beauty. So I had signed on as an Ipsy influencer, which was like my first big social media paid opportunity. At that point, I had not gotten paid from brands or anything like that. So I signed on as an Ipsy creator and I had a beauty non-compete. So I couldn't take any outside beauty deals. However, prior to my beauty journey, I actually took classes for design. I always wanted to design and fashion. So it was already a passion of mine. So when I got approached to do a collaboration outside of beauty, I thought, wow, this is amazing.

15:11I've always wanted to design. I never really imagined it being eyewear. I always pictured clothing, but this is still really cool. So I took that on and actually designed the sunglasses myself. They had approached me and said, we have frames ready to go. You can pick, change colors, lenses, whatever it is. And I was do you mind if I design my own? Is there a lead time for that? And they said, yeah, do it. So I did. I was sketched it out. Steven helped me put it in Photoshop. It actually took off and was their best selling sunglass. It was number two top seller across Nordstrom accessories. This is me competing against all the brands, which was crazy.

15:54And I believe it's still their number one until this date. That's bananas. Yeah. So I did several designs with them through the years, but that was the big design that just took off. And at that point, I had not sold anything. I hadn't made any sales. I didn't know what kind of selling power I had. I was just going. I didn't really understand how big my presence online felt to the outside world because I was still just at my house, creating, uploading. And the only thing metric I had was just my community and the engagement talking back and forth in the comments, but I had no idea I could sell anything.

16:32Yeah. There's this moment of like when things exist solely digitally. Yeah. Of like you throw the event and you're like, will people show up? Or like you design the sunglasses and you're like, will they buy it? You know, this moment when it becomes like tangible and physical and real and like, oh my God, did they buy it? What did that tell you about yourself? I can't explain that day because it was so, I think, exciting for all of us. I remember the site crashed, everything sold out. I think I was in a state of shock for sure. I don't even know how to explain the feeling, but it told me that I had an audience that was there and wanted to see something from me and they were excited to show up and support.

17:15It was very supportive feeling, I'll say that. Obviously, at some point, you leave Key to start Desi Eyewear. But in that moment, when the site crashes and you're like, oh, my God, like people are picking up what I'm throwing down. How soon does it start to sort of like marinate in your brain like, oh, maybe I should be doing my own thing? It didn't right away. I stayed designing with Key for about two and a half years. And I really enjoyed it. They went into acquisition. they sold. And it wasn't until that moment that I thought, oh my gosh, like people think I own this brand. There's a really heavy correlation because I just, I rode so hard for the collaboration too.

17:55I mean, I was having so much fun doing that. So I think it wasn't until that moment that I was like, you know what? I want to continue doing this further than a collaboration. This is something I'm really passionate about. I want to create so many different designs that I see in my head. So I'm just going to continue to do this because you can only do a collab for so long, right? So that in that moment is when I was like, I want this to be a forever thing. You at that point had the design savvy. You knew you could make sunglasses that sold. You didn't have really any operational experience, right?

18:33Not outside of what I learned while doing the collaboration, which as the creative side, I did learn a lot about product development. I did learn a lot about marketing. I was building PR lists and reaching out to stylists and trying to get any celebrity in my styles at the time. So I was already kind of learning all of these little things, but there's so much to building a business that I quite frankly didn't know. What felt hardest in those early days? I think the first thing was where do we start? Yeah, there's just like a mountain of things to do. Yeah, where do we start? and it was really helpful that we had a good network of people to talk to, get advice from.

19:16I'm fortunate to have, you know, some friends that are founders. Stephen had friends and we just met around with a lot of people and asked advice for a long time. I think learning before starting is so smart. Talk to whoever you can talk to, anyone who's already run a business. And we actually chose the route of consultants because I did not want to launch something this major at scale and just not know what I'm doing. And so I think that was the best route for us. Someone who's already worked in the industry to help, you know, get us to market. And because of the size of your following, you're essentially saying that you knew that you couldn't start small.

19:53Yeah, I knew I had to launch at scale. That was scary for me, I will say. How were you financing this at the time? That sounds expensive. Yes. So I think long before I ever invested or thought of the brand, I was always knowing that I wanted to invest in myself. So I treated my content creation and myself as a beauty guru or influencer as a brand. And everything that I made from those deals, everything I made from my collaborations, I had had other collaborations too outside of eyewear. I had just been saving away knowing that I was going to invest it back into myself one day down the line. So yeah, I self-financed everything myself.

20:31Smart. Okay. Take me to the launch day of Desi Eyewear. What were you and Steven anticipating and what happened? When we first announced the brand Desi, we did not post about what it was. We just posted, launched the Instagram. There was no pictures telling people what we were selling. And the first day that we posted the Instagram account alone, we got 300 ,000 followers. They didn't know what I was selling, what was happening. Nobody knew. And it was very exciting. I think that was like, I've always felt like I had a really strong, supportive community. Never, never, never did I ever feel like I didn't.

21:08So I was so excited. And I remember right before launching, it was peak pandemic. Nobody was going outside. And I was very stressed. I had put off the launch for a while because I was like, this just doesn't feel like the right time. And I was really scared in that moment because I'd put all of my money into this and it's just sitting there. So eventually Steven and I looked at each other and we're like, we do have to launch. And it was very scary. But when we launched, we sold out day one, which I did not anticipate. I never forget that day. What are we talking in terms of numbers? We sold 2.5 million day one.

21:47Wow. That's both like a good and bad problem to have. Yes. Yeah, it was bad. We couldn't restock for three months. Wow. Because we didn't expect to actually sell out everything. It is exciting to sell out because I think from the outside perspective, people look at you as a brand and they're like, oh my God, they're always sold out. It kind of creates hype. But you also don't make money after that. So it's, which is fine. You just sold out. That's a great success. But it is about a three-month lead time to get anything restocked. So we just kind of had three months of trying to get new inventory in.

22:21Then at restock, we sold over 3.6. It was amazing. Very, very surreal moment. I remember Stephen and I cried day one. So we had no idea. And it's a huge journey. It's a huge risk to take on yourself. and we definitely didn't expect to sell out, but it was a beautiful day and we just cried. We sat in the bathroom. I have a picture of both of us just tears in our eyes. You'd put your own money into it. It had real stakes behind it. Okay, it's another identity question, but like at this stage of the game now, are you like, okay, I've got my founder hat on? Yeah, I was excited, but I think you really feel your founder hat, at least for me, is when you really start to have not only successes, but failures.

23:10I mean, when you launch something, say I thought something was going to do really well. It, you know, turns out people don't like the color mint. Jade, that color will haunt me forever. But it's like you think something will do well and then it just doesn't. And you're always learning your audience. You're always learning your consumer. So I think that you need those failures in order to understand your customer and then how to pivot. That's the number one thing that I've learned as a founder is there's always going to be problems, issues. You just have to learn to pivot. You can't live in that problem.

23:42It'll just take you down. Have there been any really big pivots? You know, learning order quantities, learning like at first I just would order the same amount of a lot of different things. But I've learned now that it's like, okay, you have your A, your B, your C's. like what's going to do really, really well, what's more of a nice to have, even if it's a design that I really believe in. If it's not as easily wearable, I might order less. So I've really kind of learned that part of everything. You had Desi Eyewear. You pretty shortly thereafter also launched Desi Skin. You already have one brand that you're making and building.

24:25What was it that you felt like you needed to bring to the market with Desi Skin? Simultaneously, I was building Desi Skin at the same time because my beauty background, I had a really huge passion for the beauty side of things. And my passion along the way switched to skin because I struggled with my own skin. And I had shared that journey, again, very openly and vulnerably online. And I found that there was a lot of people like me that And we're asking for a certain product. And that's why I launched with one SKU, which was for hyperpigmentation. So me being Mexican, I tan really easily, but I also get dark spots and hyperpigmentation.

25:06And I just found this place where I didn't want to actually use any other vitamin C serum because it was pilling under makeup. It had a really crazy fragrance. Like it felt like a chore for me to use something like that. So I didn't. And I would just have these spots. So I kind of set out to create something that was, you know, going to be potent enough to really help with the hyperpigmentation and it wasn't going to pill under makeup. And I also wanted to bring something to market that reflected my culture and made other people feel seen, especially in the beauty space. Because for me, that was always something I really struggled with was to feel seen in the beauty space.

25:47And here we are, Desi Skin Launched with one SKU or vitamin C serum. It's a bold move. I know. It was very bold. And skincare is very different than I wear because there's a shelf life. So it's a totally different business to learn, but it's been really amazing. And again, I have a huge community behind me that is really excited for skincare. I love how much you rep your Mexican heritage in this and how much it really truly feels like it's infused through the whole brand. Was that always by design? Yeah, because I think that's one of the major pain points I had with the beauty industry at the time.