How Undefined Beauty Grew From Solo Startup to Major Retail Shelves

0:00Hey, guess what? Shopify Masters is now on YouTube. So if you want to watch this interview instead of just listen to it, head over to YouTube, search for Shopify Masters. You will not want to miss it. If they can see that I, as a solo founder who doesn't have investment, can launch within Target, it empowers them to do it as well.

0:24Hey, how's it going? I'm Schweng Esther Shan, and welcome to Shopify Masters, your companion for starting and building a business. One of the hardest things about entrepreneurship is that sometimes you have to do it all on your own. Today, I'm chatting with Dorian Morris, the founder and CEO of Undefined Beauty. As I, you know, mentor and guide other entrepreneurs, I tell them you have to jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down. She's had many breakthrough moments time and time again since launching Undefined Beauty in 2018. Building Undefined without having investors has been freeing for me, but I recognize that comes at a cost.

1:04Launching in Target and Ulta Beauty with no team and sole ownership, this solo founder is taking her brand to new heights. Welcome to the show, Dorian. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yeah, so excited to have you. Before launching your own brand, you actually had extensive experience helping to grow other brands like Johnson & Johnson, Kendo, Cody. It's truly amazing. But at what point did you think about starting something of your own? Yeah, so I was always a kid who was very creative. So I knew that there was something that I'd want to create in the future, but I never thought the path would be entrepreneurship.

1:44So my whole life story, I guess, in a quick little nutshell. So UCLA undergrad, started my career in retail. So at Robinson's May, which was a department store chain back in the day that Macy's acquired. So I moved on with Macy's. Then I went to Harvard Business School, really trying to get a general management foundation. Started my career after business school at General Mills. So food marketing, which I actually love food. I think it has such a special place and close place in our heart, which is very similar to beauty. Then I took a role at Kendo, which was a division of Sephora at the time, really working on their white space brands that are sold within Sephora.

2:15Then I joined Sundial. Makers of Shea Moisture. Oh my gosh. Pre-acquisition at Unilever. And then Cody. So this is like, you know, 2018, 2017. I realized that I had built brands for other people and it was time for me to build one for myself. And so Undefined was born. And it really was looking across the industry and recognizing that there was a couple things missing. And for me, it was really, you know, courage and the authenticity to do something different. And so I built Undefined in a very undefined way. Love it. So solo founder. I don't have any employees. self-funded. So I don't have, you know, deep VC backing to like really invest in growth.

2:52But I also operate under what I call conscious capitalism. So all my suppliers are female founded, minority owned, LGBTQ and small business, because I'm a strong believer that business empowers business. And so I've taken a very different approach to growing Undefined. It's really been like slow and steady wins the race and doing it in a very organic way. So really focusing on building a community first, listening to my community as I develop products, And yeah, this year is going to be my seventh year in business. Yeah, more than seven years. Which I mean, in entrepreneurship, that's like 20 years.

3:25But yeah, it's been a fun ride. I've definitely learned a lot along the way. But using a lot of the, I guess, we'll call it like the mosaic of experiences that I had previously to help me really, you know, develop, grow and build Undefined. It's an amazing career. And I feel like the way that you talk about Undefined's business structure is so unique. And I know that when you were launching, you were also thinking about how to differentiate the products as well. So what were you doing when you're thinking about differentiation in such a crowded industry? Yeah. So if we go back to 2018, which Undefined was founded, it was a very different place then.

4:02Also, the products themselves were very different. So back when I started, the focus was on the beautiful plant wisdom and plant magic of CBD. So I don't know if you remember like the whole green rush with CBD. And so products were like CBD infused, which I thought that was a great differentiator. Like I believe in the plant wisdom. It's very anti-inflammatory and all the good things. But unfortunately, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze in terms of the regulatory, you know, aspects of having a CBD brand. And so after a couple of years, I was meeting like buyers and they're like, we love you. We love what you stand for.

4:34We don't love CBD. And it was actually Target, like a buyer that I met at Target that was like, well, have you thought about just creating the products without CBD in them? Which I didn't do because I felt that I really wanted them to live together synergistically, but ultimately launched the R &R collection, which was like still having this, you know, umbrella concept of plant wisdom and plant magic, just not with any unregulated gray area ingredients. And so the R &R collection was really focused on adaptogenic mushrooms. So instead of CBD, it was the plant power of mushrooms. And that's what's unlocked a lot of retail growth and just growth for the brand overall was really taking that pivot away from CBD into other plant wisdom.

5:15Yeah. And I love that you got the feedback from the buyer at Target and really reassessed the business and pivoted. I feel like that is such great advice you otherwise wouldn't have get if you didn't launch. So are there any other kind of nuggets of wisdom you picked up along the way that you feel like new founders can think about when they're trying to enter into an established industry? Yeah. So as a perfectionist, I feel like a lot of times people get in their own way. And so as I, you know, mentor and guide other entrepreneurs, I tell them you have to jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.

5:50Let the market tell you, you know, what's right and what's wrong, as opposed to trying to overanalyze and analysis paralysis products. Really let the market tell you. And so I'm an advocate of throw something out there, see what sticks and evolve and pivot. So even some of my products, they've been reformulated because I'm always listening and optimizing and tinkering behind the scenes. Really with the goal of creating these, you know, plant powered, results driven products that perform but don't cost your firstborn child because economic inclusivity is really core to the brand. And so I have kind of like four pillars that I use as I think about developing products as well as just growing the business.

6:27So it's clean. So clinical, meaning that I pair ancient plant wisdom with clinically proven active. So you're not compromising on performance. The second pillar is conscious, which is the conscious capitalism element that I mentioned. Inclusive is the third. And for me, inclusivity goes, you know, deeper than the color of your skin. It's really about bringing people into the conversation that have been historically left out, either because they don't know where to start. So there's an information gap that I'm solving for or they can't afford it. So there's an economic gap. As you see, like the products have diverse illustrations, which is really important to me because representation matters, especially now in the current society that we're living in.

7:03And I'm a strong believer that seeing is believing is becoming. So when someone sees the diverse representation on shelf at Target, they'll feel seen. And I hopefully think it's empowering kind of the next phase of entrepreneurs to really be thoughtful in how they think about inclusivity and not just have it be this performative action. For me, it's about like bringing it into the fold. And it's not just racial inclusivity. So like age inclusivity is also important. Sexual orientation inclusivity. So it's all of the aspects and being very thoughtful, both in how I'm developing products and how they can be inclusive, but also how I market those products.

7:39And then the fourth pillar is plant magic. And so that's the mushrooms and all of the ingredients that are in the products. They have to ladder back to that end benefit. It's not just about throwing in some plants for the sake of plants. It's like, what is this product going to do? How can I create or find a beautiful plant-based ingredient that's going to reinforce that benefit? it. So like, for example, the Sun Elixir, it's a SPF glow oil that has like vitamin C and it's got a bunch of brighteners. And so I included amla, which is a beautiful ingredient that's been used across Ayurvedic and Indian wisdom for years because it's a brightener.

8:15And so it's like really being thoughtful in how I'm bringing forth these indigenous ingredients and elevating them alongside kind of the known clinically proven ingredients. Yeah. And I love hearing about you thinking about the ingredients and looking after its function to really incorporate it into the values you want to instill. I do want to dig deeper in the fact that you mentioned there's multi-layers to inclusivity. And I love the fact that you mentioned pricing as well as education. In my previous life, I used to be a pricing analyst and I feel like people don't talk about that enough, right?

8:50By having such a high-end price, you actually are cutting people out of the the entry point of the market and also educating customers is really hard. How are you finding that balance of profit, but still accessibility, education, but still making it approachable and fun for the customer? Yeah. So I think it's multifaceted. So a lot of it comes down to supply chain strategy. And so really being thoughtful in who I partner with and building in enough flexibility in the supply chain. So that way I'm, you know, even though I'm not maybe purchasing 50 ,000 units, because a lot of companies have large MOQs or minimum order quantities.

9:28But it's about being in bed and being partnered with other suppliers that are like me that want to bring forward this, you know, new phase of beauty. And they'll partner with me even if I'm not, you know, the big guy. Like I'm small, small and mighty. And cute. Hopefully big one day. So I think it comes down to supply chain strategy, me being very, you know, thoughtful in how I negotiate. And then on the other end of it, the economic inclusivity is important. So like I am a daughter of two amazing kids from South Central that fell in love and they were super bootstrapping, had full rights to college.

10:03My mom to USC and my dad to Cal. And surprise, they got pregnant her freshman year and they had me. So they dropped out of school. And so I, as I'm building Undefined, I'm also building it for them because they sacrifice so much. or even my late grandma. She was a postal worker from Mississippi who wasn't really given a lot of opportunity. And so as I think about building, it's not just about me. It's about all of the legacy and all of my ancestors, but also paying it forward for the next generation of entrepreneurs. So if they can see that I, as a solo founder who doesn't have investment, can launch within Target and be successful, it empowers them to do it as well.

10:42And then I feel like I went around the question, but like on the pricing piece, I actually last month decided to bring the pricing down. So like with inflation, as everyone's, you know, increasing pricing, I did the opposite because I recognize that people are pinched just across all aspects of their life. And so all the products on my Shopify site are now$24 or below. So it's really like giving the value to my consumers. I might be a little bit more expensive if they're shopping at an Ulta or Target, but if they're coming to me on my website, they're going to get the best price, but they're also going to get samples.

11:17So that way they can try some of the other products and fall in love with them. So like there's a lot of reasons I'm trying to bring forward for someone to shop me DTC versus my retail partners, as much as I love my retail partners and they're very important to me scaling. I feel like through my website, I can offer more value. For the concept of a solopreneur, you are like the epitome of it. And we're so lucky to have you with us to share your journey. And I think like what you've done really well is to also get help that is through like freelancers or consultants. And that is so important as well.

11:49So any tips there when new founders are starting out and they're seeking help on those like kind of freelance basis? I would say events. So I have this amazing designer named Orlando who's actually been with me since the beginning. And I met him at Cosmoprof. He worked for a big packaging house. and I was too small to work with them, but he's like, I believe in your vision. And he created like the first iteration of everything. And so he's been around all seven years. He also has a full-time job. So he's helping me on the side, but it's like finding people that really want to ride for you. And I have found people through events, through like networking, a lot of it's word of mouth, because I am a little bit different.

12:30Like I don't have deep pockets to pay people. And so it's finding people that really believe in my vision of democratizing beauty and want to be part of, you know, this journey with me. Yeah. I mean, I think working with talent on freelance and consulting basis is so important. What other advice would you give to people who wish to be a solopreneur and start something on their own? Yeah, I would say be very thoughtful and self-aware and where your strengths lie. And then that's where you bring in people to fill in the gaps. And so like for me, I hate marketing. I actually don't really like a lot of the like creative directiony stuff.

13:09Really? Or like photography. I'm yeah, no, I am a like I'm an operator. Like I love Excel. I like sales. I like talking to people. And so recognizing like I don't have the chops from a marketing standpoint, I probably should hire someone to help me in marketing. I've tried. It's been tricky in that category to define good people. But I think for my advice would be to really think about one, what you're good at and what you like doing, because then you're going to feel super passionate about it. And then just fill in the gaps. Like I love product. Like I am a product. Like I love development. I love going from like, how can I solve a pinch point into it being in market?

13:50And so like, you know, if I was to grow and, you know, bring on an actual team, there's things I would own. I would own sales. I would own product development. Like, you know, all the other stuff I can outsource. Yeah. Well, speaking to, you know, future of possibly expanding and hiring a team, how has your philosophy on solopreneurship kind of changed or? Yeah, it's hard, especially through this vantage point of hiring freelance talent, because a lot of times they're also working other places. And so like getting their, you know, mental bandwidth sometimes can be hard. And I'm also recognizing, because again, I'm self-aware, I'm trying to unlearn some of these bad behaviors that I've had to develop as a solo founder.

14:37So that way I can delegate and I can, you know, trust. I think most founders probably have a little bit of control freak in them, maybe a lot. I'm probably like medium amount. And so I'm trying to learn how to give people ownership and accountability. So that way, you know, I'm not having to micromanage, but it's hard because it's my baby. And so it's like, and I'm so close to it. A lot of this lives in my brain. So I think another lesson learned would be as I bring on new talent to help me is like a lot of it's like, I'll sit down with someone and like, you know, we'll go through everything, but there's not like physical assets that can be handed off just because that takes time.

15:17Like I'm a, let's just talk about it type of gal, but I think I could probably do a better job of like formalizing like procedures and things like that. I also do most things for my phone. The only time I really open up my laptop is like Excel, Canva, and that's it. 90 % of my day is on my phone, which is why like having platforms like Shopify is important because I can just quickly do updates for my phone. You're right. I mean, the reason why you want to control so many things is because you care about your brand. So I think that's also very important. And then, of course, we mentioned incredible opportunities like being a part of Shea Moisture's program, and the experience was aired on TV.

15:58How did that experience influence your business? As I mentioned, self-funded, but I've had the amazing opportunity to get equity-free grants from pitch competitions. So I've done a couple, and New Voices is an amazing platform. They were the sponsor with shame moisture of this program. And when I won, super excited because it was $100 ,000 equity free money. Great. And then they threw this whole like, oh, we're going to shoot a documentary. So that was not part of the plan. I'm a very private person. Like, I don't like being in front of the camera. Well, thank you for doing this with us. You're very welcome.

16:31And so like, honestly, if I had known there was going to be a TV element, I probably wouldn't have done it. Okay. But it all worked out for the best. We had this docu-series on Roku, which really journaled and chronicled our lives as entrepreneurs, three different brands across different categories, different stages of their business. And it kind of gave people a peek behind the curtain on like what it's like as a solo founder, just, you know, the things I have to consider, a sneak peek into like how I, you know, interact with my freelancers. And there's also an NCAP and Target, which was great exposure to really get off shelf.

17:05So most times in retail, NCAP, so like the things that are at the end of the aisle are the most like big space for displays. Yes. Are very expensive. And as a small brand, it's something that I wouldn't be able to afford on my own, but Shea Moisture so graciously co-opted it. And so I was able to get the exposure and the incremental store distribution through this program. So a lot of really good exposure for the brand. What a great experience. And I think also the injection of like non-equity financing is so important. What was your thought process like when you're thinking about, okay, I have a bit more runway.

17:42How were you investing that grant money? A lot of it was spent on like products. My Hero product, Sun Serum. It was a big year for Sun Serum. I expanded the shades. And so a little bit went into like the development to further the inclusivity of My Hero product. Some of it went into Target. Some of it went into like the team. What it didn't go into is marketing. And that's, again, the area that I know that I need to focus on. Like I'm a strange bird. Like I haven't spent any money on like traditional marketing. It's all been word of mouth. Like I've never done like Facebook ads or anything like that.

18:16And so I've kind of grown through, you know, organic influencer has been a big piece of it. And now I need to put my big girl panties on and like actually invest in marketing. So this is going to be the year. It's also been something I've been thinking about just in light of all of the DEI conversations and how I've invested so much of my time and energy into retail. And I probably need to shift a bit of that focus into, you know, really reengaging with my community and my own platforms like my website, because I can't really be at, you know, the whim of what happens in retail. The fact that you've grown organically for so long and so well is really commendable.

18:59And I think that ties back. And also it just shows how well you've developed these products because the only way that people talk about them is because they truly love it. So that's really incredible. There was actually one influencer that I still to this day don't know how she discovered it. It had to have been in retail. Like that's the beauty of retail. Like, you know, people peruse the shelves and they find you. And she named my mineral sunscreen sun serum her holy grail sunscreen. And that is what kind of like exploded the growth. And it was in a demographic that I wasn't talking to. So her platform is called Hot and Flashy.

19:33Her name is Angie. And it's all about being like sassy and sexy over 60. Oh, my goodness. So it wasn't like a demographic that I was overtly, you know, part of my community then. Now, hopefully. And so that really exposed me to a whole nother demographic. Age inclusivity is super important. And the product just happens to work really well for mature skin. So it's kind of a win-win. And I love the fact that, you know, the grant allowed you to expand shade range and also invest in retail. I think like founders, especially nowadays, need to think more differently about investing and fundraising, which is so important.

20:10What's your advice there to look for different opportunities similar to grants that are not traditional investments. Yeah, I feel like it's changed a lot. Unfortunately, a lot of the grant funding has dried up. You know, with the whole Black Lives Matter movement, and I'm talking specifically to grants for Black founders, there was just this avalanche of opportunities that unfortunately are not there anymore. So from an investment standpoint, I wish I had the answer, like the magic, you know, crystal ball. Because again, I'm self-funded and I made that strategic choice not to get investors. I think a bit of it was just probably a bit of the control freaking me.

20:49I like the fact that I don't have a monkey on my shoulder dictating decisions and allows me to kind of pivot and, you know, go left when others go right. Because the brand now in its seventh year, like we've had multiple like chapters. We had the CBD chapter. So like there's just, you know, different phases of the brand. And I think without having investors has been freeing for me. But I recognize that comes at a cost, right? Like everything's a trade-off. You are a solopreneur who's self-funded. That means you do have really strong financial discipline to pave your own runway. So any tips there to be, you know, savvy with your financials so that you can create opportunities for yourself with what you've got?

21:30Yeah, I think I'm just naturally cheap. So even in my previous like career path, like Like when I was at CoverGirl, I think my marketing budget was$186 million, which is just stupid. Blows my mind. Yeah, like there was never even time to be like, how does this spin ladder up to strategy? And that's why I didn't like that. So now I'm on the very end of it where like every single dollar matters. I want to make sure that every, you know, dollar that I'm investing is for something. There's no waste. And so I think it's taught me really good financial acumen and really understanding what drives value, both from value for the consumer.

22:05Because again, at the end of the day, if it's not something that the consumer wants or needs, like why am I investing in it? And then the other piece of it, which I think is the harder piece, is just the mental bandwidth. Because my time is my most valuable resource as a solo founder. And so just being thoughtful in like the meetings that I have or things that I'm exploring because I can't get those hours back. Yeah. Yeah. So important. And I feel like nowadays, even if you wanted traditional funding, it's harder to get. So you need to prove yourself and be profitable from day one. So, yeah, I've been lucky that I, you know, run a lean ship.

22:42So like I am profitable. And so, yeah, I don't think I need investment now. I mean, but I'm also OK with not being the rocket ship, right? Like people get VC funding because they're building a rocket ship and they need that fuel. I'm OK with it not being a rocket ship on my own terms. Yeah, love it. And you also have entered into Alta Beauty. How did that relationship come to be? I'm a big brain. Like, I love learning. I'm like a sponge. I'm like, what can I learn today? And so I'd met them at an event, and we just maintained our friendship. And there was also, now I think about it, a woman named Jess, who I adore.

23:18We actually started at Kendo and Sephora together, like literally probably within the same week. She was on the merchant team. I was at Kendo, which is like, you know, the brand incubation team. And we just became friends. and then fast forward when I left Kendo to work for Sundial. So it was actually a brand that was launching in Sephora, basically doing the same thing I was doing at Kendo, just for another company. She was my merchant. And so like, you know, we went from friends to like, now we have this professional situation where like I'm selling into you. Then she left Sephora to go to Ulta.

23:48And so, yeah, and she kind of, you know, believes in me and my vision and she was very helpful in like guiding me into Ulta. But Target's my number one. Like that is the only place that you can find Undefined on shelf. So they are kind of my most important partner. Yeah, I'm in the dot-com business. Yeah. I love the fact that you mentioned how much you love events, which I think is also interesting, right? Because picking an event, investing into attending, that is taking up your time and also financial investment. So how do you pick the right event for you to make sure it's worth your time and your investment?