Ep 02 | Nyakio Grieco
Why Pivoting in Life & Business is the Key to Success
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Nyakio Grieco is the founder of Nyakio Beauty, an award-winning skin-care brand that has been leading the clean beauty movement since 2002. While moving up the ranks in the entertainment industry, Nyakio realized that many cultures were under-represented in the prestige beauty space and saw a white space in the market.
She launched her company based on beauty secrets she learned as a child while visiting her grandmother, who was a coffee farmer, in Kenya and watching her use coffee beans to exfoliate & take care of her skin. She has sold her products in retail outlets nationwide, including Ulta, and is now exclusively available at Target. In 2015, Nyakio sold the company to Sundial Brands, which is now part of Unilever.
Although she has an incredible success story, Nyakio’s journey was far from easy. She’s managed the ups & down of entrepreneurship with so much grace, and is a firm believer that failure is not an option. She’s passionate about sharing her journey building a business from the ground up & inspiring others to also follow their passions and live a life with no regrets.
Show Notes
How Nyakio’s upbringing & Kenyan family inspired her clean beauty journey at a young age [3:50]
Nyakio shares why she decided to move to LA & begin her career in the entertainment industry [8:04]
How Nykaio saw an opportunity to create a product in the prestige beauty space [12:30]
Nyakio describes how she decided to go all-in with her business & the importance of living a life with no regrets [13:46]
Nyakio walks through the early days of the company, the power of storytelling & how she raised money as a first time entrepreneur [17:45]
Nyakio talks what it takes to support a high growth business [23:56]
The importance, as an entrepreneur, of always going back and editing your business plan [26:35]
How Nyakio thinks about partnerships and what led to Sundial’s acquisition of her company [29:35]
Why mentorship is important when building a business & why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help [33:10]
Nyakio shares words of advice for managing a high growth company and motherhood & why it’s important to have self compassion [38:09]
Nyakio talks about why women authentically supporting women is key to our collective success [41:35]
Nyakio explains why it’s important to know your numbers & how to pick the right business partners [43:55]
Nyakio discusses the realities of raising money as a women of color & why it only takes one “yes” to get your business off the ground [44:30]
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