Ep 394 | Steph Hon

Written By Yasmin Nouri

She Worked for Everyone Else Before Betting on Herself — How Beyoncé's Makeup Artist Finally Built Her Own Brand

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Steph Hon is the founder and CEO of Cadence, the design company behind the magnetic Capsules that keep your whole routine in one place.

What I love about Steph's story is that she really had no idea what she was doing when she started. She was a dancer turned video editor, with no background in engineering, manufacturing, or entrepreneurship. She didn't have investors lined up or a network of people in the industry. She just had a problem she wanted to solve and was willing to figure things out along the way.

She went through hundreds of prototypes, had people tell her over and over again that her idea wasn't possible, and somehow managed to raise money from 180 investors, many of whom she found through cold outreach and putting herself out there. She eventually launched Cadence in February 2020, sold out in just 16 days, and then had to navigate a global pandemic almost immediately.

What I especially loved about this conversation is how incredibly practical Steph gets. She doesn't just share the big lessons, she walks us through how she actually did it. From what to do when you first have a business idea, to finding engineers, manufacturers, and mentors with little money or experience, and raising her first investment check without knowing any investors. She also shares why putting yourself out there and asking for help can open unexpected doors, why building a great product should come before marketing, and how small changes made a huge difference for her business during the pandemic. If you've been dreaming about starting your own business but aren't sure where to begin, or you're already building one, there's so much in this conversation I think you’ll find helpful. 

Show Notes:

  • Why you don’t need a traditional background to start a company. [02:39]

  • Feeling lost in college and learning to trust her intuition. [03:25]

  • How dance, psychology, and video editing led her to entrepreneurship. [05:12]

  • What her parents taught her about meaningful work over money. [06:11]

  • Learning the value of curiosity, listening, and asking better questions. [08:58] 

  • Why finding what genuinely interests you can change the way you work. [10:22]

  • How mentors became pivotal in her journey to building Cadence. [12:20]

  • Finding mentors by putting yourself out there and asking for help. [12:39]

  • Why sharing your ideas can create unexpected connections and opportunities. [15:32]

  • How a personal frustration with traveling sparked Cadence. [19:56]

  • Realizing that carrying everyday routines was becoming a shared burden. [21:50]

  • What to do after you have an idea: start with the problem. [24:48]

  • Finding the engineers, designers, and mentors needed to build from scratch. [26:56]

  • Why an operations mentor can unlock critical early relationships. [28:09]

  • Learning not to let “impossible” stop you from pursuing an idea. [32:35]

  • Going through hundreds of prototypes to refine Cadence. [36:37]

  • How designers and engineers turn a vision into a manufacturable product. [38:31]

  • Raising money without traditional friends-and-family capital. [41:52]

  • Launching Cadence, selling out in 16 days, and navigating COVID. [50:05]

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Ep 393 | Mally Roncal