Welcome back to the Too Smart for This podcast! In today’s episode, Alexis is joined by KJ Miller, the dynamic force and co-founder behind Mented Cosmetics. KJ's journey is one of inspiration, innovation, and sheer determination as she has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the beauty industry. In this exclusive interview, KJ will take us through her remarkable journey, sharing the behind-the-scenes process and experiences that led to the creation of Mented Cosmetics. If you’re passionate about entrepreneurship, inclusivity, and the world of cosmetics, this is an episode you won’t want to miss! 

Show Notes

5:06 Rapid fire questions!

11:08 Nurturing intimacy in your romantic relationships

14:26 Debunking the over-glamorized narrative of entrepreneurship

16:26 The history of Mented Cosmetics

21:14 Embracing the bumps along the road of entrepreneurship

24:06 How do you decide when to scale back?

25:53 Navigating burn-out 

27:18 KJ’s week in the life

28:11 Foregoing the grindset

30:23 Molding your fundraising process to fit the demands of the time

34:12 The undeniable purpose of a business plan

35:34 Learning and growing from initial feedback

38:47 How to build a positive community around your product

40:26 Navigating between direct-to-consumer and wholesale 

43:14 The importance of capital in the early stages of a business

44:31 Resources that enabled Mented Cosmetics to thrive

45:52 The necessity of building a founder network

47:40 KJ’s favorite founders/mentors

48:52 Juggling your personal brand with entrepreneurship

50:57 Learning from failure as the key to success

52:06 Taking constructive from feedback and growing from it

54:00 Importance of approaching every experience from a place of learning

55:13 The decision to start ‘Not Another Business Podcast’

57:49 Gatekeeping in the business-sphere

58:29 Why Harvard Business School?

1:00:59 Lessons learned from business school

1:03:05 Traits of a successful entrepreneur

1:07:05 Brands to watch!

1:09:43 Entrepreneur resources for starting a successful brand

Resources/Mentioned

Parfait Wigs

Keep up with KJ Miller!

@kjmiller on Instagram

@iam_kjmiller on TikTok

Not Another Business Podcast

Mented Cosmetics

NEW Too Classic Terry Cloth Robe

Too Collective Website

Too Collective Affirmation Texts

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