How Starface’s President Lead Her Team to Sell 77 Million Units

0:00If you see someone walking on a street with a star on your face, it's instantly recognizable. You almost feel like you're part of this tribe, part of this community. Hi, I'm your host, Shuang Esser Shan, and welcome to another episode of Shopify Masters. Have you ever gotten a blemish or a pimple and wanted to make it disappear? Well, Starface actually wants us to highlight it. Starface embraces blemishes with its eye-catching, star-shaped acne treatment patches that we can wear anytime a pimple pops up. Ever since launching in 2019, Starface sold over 77 million stars to date. One of the ways Starface scales so quickly is through partnerships.

0:45Working with brands like Hello Kitty and Spongebob allowed Starface to reach new customers and change their behavior around skincare. Today, we are joined by Cara Brothers, president at Starface World, to hear how these incredible partnerships came to be. Welcome to the show, Cara. Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here. It's so great to have you here. I would love to start things off asking you, what were some of the early projects you took on jumping into Starface? And why did you decide partnerships was such a key component? Yes, I love that. So I joined Starface after a really long tenure at Google.

1:28And at Google, I learned a bunch of different things. And my goal there was really just to soak up as much as possible. And leaving Google, I kind of concluded that journey doing strategic partnerships and corporate strategy. So I was fresh in that mindset of how different companies partner together and become better together. And that's kind of the lens that I brought to Starface in my initial role as Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. And at that time, I was the seventh employee. And Brian and Julie, our founders of Starface, had already achieved product market fit. And we were just starting to go into retail.

2:12So there was a lot of good things happening. Sales were coming in. It was really resonating with customers. But the internal organization was fresh. And so things like roles and responsibilities, building a culture, building a system of people that communicated well within each other was still ripe for opportunity, of course, being so small. So that's also something that I leaned into in that role. And what that means was bringing out some very bare bones communications practices. So things like all hands or just how do people communicate via Slack or where do we share our documents? And is it Dropbox?

2:49Is it Google Drive? So just really organizing a set of systems to make everyone's job a little bit easier. It's really cool to hear that your past experience was super helpful in establishing these partnerships at Starface. I think working with brands like Hello Kitty and SpongeBob offers that nostalgia feel. And it also gives existing customers a chance with something new while reaching new demographics. So for founders who are hoping to do the same, have that kind of synergy with partnerships, what are some key steps you think that they should take when thinking about who to partner with? Yes, I love that you brought up Hello Kitty.

3:31It's such a fun moment for Starface and it continues to be. It was our very first collaboration and it resonated so well with customers that we keep bringing it back year over year, which is just, it's hard to stay fresh. And that's exactly the goal for us. So for Starface, we pride ourselves of really being part of that cultural conversation, especially for our core demographic, the Gen Z audience. And for us, that's done really well and it amplifies our brand through these partnerships and through these collaborations. So what that really means for us is we have this marquee character, Big Yellow, who is just the cutest thing in the world.

4:13It's an approachable character, uses very simple language, is a very earnest voice that we use throughout our social media and our campaigns. So for us, when we think about collaborations, we go back to kind of some of those core values and missions. And one of those is the approachability, the playfulness that comes through Big Yellow. And so how we thought about a partnership such as Hello Kitty, well, you can't get a more iconic character who kind of exudes some of those same values as Hello Kitty. So we really dreamed big and we were thinking, what if Big Yellow and Hello Kitty merged in some way, merged through a patch, merged through other social media properties and other IRL forms, maybe a stuffed animal one day.

5:00And so for us, how we think about our partnerships is we think like, what's going to bring that Starface mission to life and that character of Big Yellow? So we did Sesame Street, of course, which has several iconic characters. And you can't see here, but they're bringing them to life on our patches and our compacts. It's just like the cutest thing. And that cute and emotional reaction is what we're really trying to elicit with a lot of these partnerships. It sounds like by focusing on Starface's character, you're actually ingesting so much of the value from the brand when evaluating who to work with.

5:37So you had extensive experience in tech, and you also started your own business. What are some experiences you take from your career to running a business now? I think what really draws me to companies, Starface, Google, launching my own thing, is that connection to humans and what makes us all excited, what makes us tick, what makes us kind of wake up and face the world each day. And so at Google specifically, I think it was a little bit of everything. As a leader of an organization, there is a lot of things you do know and things you don't. And I find that being a generalist, having a wide range of experience and opportunities facing different challenges really prepared me for this.

6:26For example, at Google, I started my career in sales. So asking for money and asking for contract signed and pushing people on deadlines, it can be uncomfortable. But keeping the revenue top of mind, keeping people focused and aligned is certainly part of my job here at Starface as well. Also in corporate strategy, that was a really fun job for me because the assessing risk and assessing opportunity at such a large scale across all of Google and all of Google's products was big job and quite scary at times. But that kind of like working through fear and working through big decisions and breaking it down into smaller chunks has really helped me grow as a leader at Starface.

7:11We've grown 100 % year over year. We're a profitable company at this point. And all of that seemed so big to me when I joined two and a half years ago. But breaking it down into chunks and small goals is kind of what I've learned from Google and otherwise. And I would love to ask you about the transition because Google is an established corporation with great systems in place, also huge teams. How did you make that shift into a smaller team where a lot of the systems you had to set up and how did you mentally prepare yourself for this transition? I love that question so much because mentally preparing yourself for transitions is something I think about a lot and try to bring to the culture of Starface and my team specifically.

7:58It certainly wasn't easy, you know, being honest. I think it takes a lot of intentionality, daily intentionality, even going into specific meetings or projects and kind of keeping, you know, your core values in mind. And for me at Starface, it was quite easy because I'm in love with this brand. I love what Brian and Julie built. bringing such playfulness and self-expression to skincare, it really makes my teenage girl self so happy. Like having the creativity that's within this company is energizing. Also, I think the people surrounding yourself as much as possible with people who also share those values.

8:37And I certainly saw that with our founders. They are energizing people and care a lot about the companies and the organizations that they're building alongside me, you know, leaning on that. I also, to be honest, I do not shy away from asking for help whenever I need it, whether that is paid help through career coaches, which I've had several times in the past and I do right now, or if I see someone that I admire on LinkedIn, I will certainly reach out and ask. Building that network and that community of people who are here for each other has been a real challenge, but it's been really helpful for me transitioning.

9:16I love hearing about your journey because I think there is a demographic of our listeners that are not founders themselves or they might've started business in the past. They've specialized in e-commerce or business expansion and they hope to actually join another business and help founders scale their vision. What are some tips you have for those individuals who are potentially looking for their next role and looking for businesses that they can join, how do they make sure that they stand out in the eyes of a founder? Yeah, it's such a fun dynamic that's happening for me and for Starface and for a lot of founders right now where creating something from thin air and achieving product market fit, let alone a sustainable, healthy business or culture is pure magic in my eyes.

10:07And I believe that it kind of starts there. Having the utmost respect for what the founders have built and genuinely loving it, I think, makes that whole dynamic a lot easier because people draw the analogy to having a child, which I totally agree with. You are literally birthing this thing. And anybody who comes on, as long as you have that like ownership and responsibility and quite frankly, love for what you're scaling or growing, I think that it just it provides such a strong foundation for the relationship. also for me in my journey of finding this opportunity again i was clear leaving google that while i love technology and will for the rest of my life i was yearning for experience in the physical space coming off covid you know i was really interested in just like physical emotional reactions that we can get we can see on people's faces etc so having that clear intentionality allowed me to find an opportunity that was a match.

11:12And so I think getting really clear about what you want and what you don't want as much as you can up front. And I won't even say that you have to be that prescriptive because a lot of this is learning as you go. And so another thing that I would really lean on is transparency and communication, of course. But that's what allows Brian, Julie, and I to just work so well together because we're constantly talking. We're constantly dividing and conquering. It's a collaborative process. We all have our own specific skills that we bring to the table and just constantly revisiting those and checking in is something that's really working well for us.

11:50Another tough job of entering someone else's business, I think, is building a culture. It is quite elusive. And I feel like there's also a push and pull and a balance between creating a culture that benefits the team and that also reaches your business goals. Tell us about how you approach constantly building on the team's culture while reaching those goals. This is my very favorite part of running a business and being in a leadership position. I think all of us have had experiences where we are in a workplace and it's just not the right fit, or we don't feel seen or heard, or we don't quite understand the objectives.

12:34And all of that, for me, has been energizing and building a culture that I'm really proud of. And I think for me, it kind of leans on a couple of pillars. And I think one which I talked about is like that transparency. And for me, what that means is, of course, there are things that you might not share at any moment because there's a time and a place for everything. But in a business environment, it's really easy for individuals to guess, guess what your leaders are thinking, guess what your peers are thinking, guess what the goals are. And it takes a lot of energy. And I find for me personally, added anxiety.

13:14So as much as possible, I try to speak the truth. I try to speak the facts as they stand today. Of course, they change tomorrow, but as much as possible, I just try to reiterate the goals, why decisions are made, where we need to be, where we aren't right now. And so that just provides a little context for a lot of decisions, which I find is really important. Also, I believe that it's about each individual. Of course, it starts at the top. And as a leader, I try to be my best self every day as much as I possibly can. But I also try to hire people that feel that same way. So through the hiring process, I ask a lot about culture.

14:00I ask a lot about how do you manage teams? How do you like to be managed? How do you work well with peers? You know, how do you work through disagreements? So actually having those tough conversations as much as possible during the interview process, I find that I'm able to find like-minded individuals who want to have fun at work, who want to grow a business and try to just lead with as much kind of transparency and authenticity as much as possible. I think lastly, you know, we're in a really interesting moment where we're coming off of COVID and a lot of people are at home, but also big corporations are calling people back to the office.

14:38We are a 100 % remote team. We have a founder in New York City. We have a founder in Los Angeles. We have teams in Alabama and Texas and all across. We have people who decide to work from Paris and Mexico. And it's so, so, so exciting. And it's challenging because there's a real accountability that needs to come from that. And also it's quite hard to strike up casual conversations when people are all over the world together. But I do. I try to foster that as much as possible. You know, like maybe on Slack, a team member is asking what you had for breakfast, or we have a little coffee chat together and we bring people in person as much as possible.

15:19So I think it's that balance between working hard, playing hard, you know, quote unquote, but I try to live that as much as possible. Very great to hear. I'm chatting with my guest, Cara Brothers, the president of Starface World. If you enjoy hearing from talented entrepreneurs like Cara, give Shopify Masters a follow wherever you're listening to your podcast and share this episode with a friend. We appreciate all your support and want to continue making episodes that you love. So leave us a review with your feedback. Thank you. So in addition to brands, Starface also works a lot with influencers and content creators.

15:58How did the team approach this aspect of marketing? Yes, we're so lucky to have this very visual product. It's unbelievable that, you know, we're one of the first branded skincare items. If you see someone walking on a street with a star on your face, it's instantly recognizable. You almost feel like you're part of this tribe, part of this community. And that's an asset for us. And quite frankly, we blow that asset out as much as possible. So for example, knowing that it plays really well on social media, you know, like our community takes a lot of pride in showing their looks with the different stars and dressing it up as a fashion accessory, as a moment for them.

16:39And so whenever we seed influencers, for example, giving out free product to our community, we seed as many people as possible. And so we have an influencer team led by Kenya and Paige who specifically find different corners of the internet, as they all say, you know, different people who have big followings or small followings in their own individual talented areas, for example, musicians or artists or business owners. and we seed and reach out to them and see if they want product. And then from there, we kind of leave it completely up to them on what they do with the product. A lot of them, of course, wear it, incorporate it into their lives, post pictures.

17:26And for us, that's kind of that free marketing UGC, if you will. And so we will repost it.

17:35We love it. So our entire feed on Instagram, on our stories, is our community wearing stars in public, wearing them in their house, just showing up exactly who they are with our product. And so that's kind of the flywheel for us. We give out as much product as possible to people who genuinely want it. And then those fans of the brand, those who kind of resonate with it, amplify it for us by wearing it and sharing pictures. And we just go right back and spread that love back to them. The aspect I love the most is I think Starface is not only just changing skincare, but I think it's bringing a bigger narrative within social media.

18:16Because for a while we had so much perfectly curated shots or using filters and airbrushed skin. So how is the team continuing to use content to change that narrative and really embrace acne and blemishes and skincare in a new way? This all came to be because of our co-founder, Julie, who spent over a decade in the beauty industry and really saw that opportunity to glamorize a breakout, you know, instead of it being a moment of self-consciousness and wanting to stay home, like why not make it a statement moment? And so that thesis that she led with is how we run the company today. So that bright yellow packaging that we use is fun, is exciting.

19:02It's not what you would see on shelves right when we launched in the acne aisle. So that branding, I know I talked about Big Yellow, but that approachable character that we love, you know, is fun and it doesn't talk down to you. It's not prescriptive, you know, it's really kind of, it feels like a friend. It feels like a bestie. And I believe it's that really innate human desire that I feel all of us share about just wanting to feel good in our skin and like turn moments that don't feel so great into empowerment. And I believe that that's the thread that really worked for us. And so another fun thing that we do is whenever someone tweets about us, again, we blow that up and just make it just such a fun moment for them and for us.

19:46So we see a lot of people tweeting about how confident the pimple patches make them feel. And we'll put them on a billboard, for example. So I think it just reiterates the confidence and the love for the community and the brand. And I also think it's a really cool strategy where you're touching so many different channels and you're also experimenting with traditional channels like a billboard that stems from social media, which almost feels like the inverse flow of how marketing plans go. But I love that. Yeah, it's super fun. I mean, I always thought of billboards as, you know, just very, very big companies, very traditional.

20:26And so I love that our brand team, you know, led by Meredith, thinks a lot about what the placement should be and what has the highest impact and, you know, what will cause a conversation. Because, again, like being part of that conversation and having people talk about you really helps your brand move forward. Yeah, sounds like the engagement from the community is at the core of different marketing strategies. I would love to understand how Starface has also expanded into different product categories. It's not just the pimple patches anymore. There are so many different steps of the routine that Starface is creating products in.

21:02How did the team decide where to expand into and what to tackle next? You know, when we thought about how the patch came to life and how it's really about flipping this whole experience on its head into something fun and joyful, we thought about, well, what What other moments in young people's lives could stand a little bit of refresh, some energy, some confidence building? And also, you know, what is really complementary to that pimple patch because it is just such a recognizable product for us? And skincare was just a really natural extension because there are such strong skincare brands out there.

21:39Of course, there are several and it's only getting more crowded day by day. But we feel and felt that there is an opportunity for something that speaks directly to our consumer, which again is that Gen Z range. They're very into self-expression. They love to have fun. They pride themselves on self-expression. And so for us, you know, having those products that feel good on your shelf, that are cute, that you want to show off for us was a really nice next step for us. Has there been a bit of a challenge to establish more authority in these new categories and change in consumers' minds that, hey, we're more than pimple patches.

22:21You can also try all of these new product categories with us as well. Yeah, that's a really good question. And it makes a ton of sense why, you know, everyone has their hero SKUs, you know, their marquee product, what they really stand for and what drives their business forward. And for us, of course, it's these patches that we can iterate on with different ingredients, different sizes, like we talked about with the collaborations and bringing them to life in so many different ways that we put such a shoulder behind that. It can be hard for our customers to realize that we actually have a ton more to offer them.

22:55So it is an area of opportunity that we continue to think about. And so we think about the patch, you know, it's best on a cleansed face before moisturizer. So for us, it fits into that routine in the bathroom. So whenever we think about marketing or telling a story around our products, it's the patch in conjunction with other products. It is hard to be known for something other than your hero skew for sure, but we're finding what resonates and we're finding why people come to us for our face wash, for example, which is so popular. They love that it's not irritating. They love that it's gentle.

23:31People use it in the shower. So we really pull on that thread and hear from our customers of what's resonating with them outside of the patch and run with that. Great to hear and excited to see how Starface expands even more. I would love to wrap up the show to go back to what you mentioned during your transition into this role was how mentorship was so important to you. Can you talk to some of the different resources you turned to when you were looking for support and mentorship? It can be a lonely job, you know, being an entrepreneur, working remotely for all of us, leading a company, supporting a company.

24:10All of that can feel isolating because you're doing a very specific job, it feels like. And for me, my personal journey, you know, my family is mostly in the medical profession. So I'm the first businesswoman in my family. So I didn't have that kind of natural family support here. So it was super important to me to find resources and individuals and networks that I can lean on and learn from. So for me, I quickly reached out to every entrepreneur that I've met before. I asked them, what groups are you in? What's working? And people are so happy to share resources for you. One that I've been involved with for a while is Career Contessa.

24:52I've been a mentor on that platform for several years. There's so many different resources on this platform. let alone coaches and mentors, but also different articles about interviewing or sending a follow-up email, you know, all of that. Also, I'm not afraid to slide in DMs on Instagram or on LinkedIn, and I just reach out and see they want to connect. And I find that my advice here would just be, be as intentional and clear as possible for yourself and for the people that you're reaching out to. If you want advice, ask for it. But if you just want to network and hear someone's story, be clear on that too, and give them the opportunity to decide how and when they want to engage with you in that way.

25:34And I know I mentioned before, but I would not shy away from paid support. There are such wonderful individuals who are coming from building companies, launching companies, coaching people through companies, and they are making their career now on supporting entrepreneurs and business leaders in various different ways. So you can use Career Contessa. But frankly, even if you Google LinkedIn career coaches, I find that a lot more coming up these days lately. And even having that intro call and seeing if you need help with organization or motivating your team or doubling your business, there are different coaches that have different expertise in that area.

26:11So I lean on that quite a bit. Amazing. Okay, one last last question, only because we also get a lot of pitches from different founders coming onto the show. And you just mentioned sending direct messages to people you admire. What makes a great cold message when trying to reach out to a potential mentor? I love that question. And I have to just be so honest here that I'm still figuring it out. And what I lean on is just being true and authentic to yourself. And I've gotten ghosted plenty of times reaching out because it's not the right fit or or it's not the right time in someone's life. But I find that I get tripped up or I get scared or intimidated to reach out when I overthink trying to be right or thinking about exactly what to say that'll work.

27:02So I genuinely will look them up, of course, see what they've been up to, see if there's something that they're doing that they seem excited about, that I seem excited about as well. Did they just launch a podcast? Did they just launch a project? Did they quit their job? Do they just have a child? Like, is there something personal in their life that I can connect to in a very real way? And if so, I might lead there. And I really leave it casual. I say, you know, if you ever want to do a virtual chat, I'm always here. If not, I'm a fan of from afar. And for me, I find it takes the pressure off that moment and they can engage with me whenever they're ready.