In this episode of How They Scaled It, I sit down with Corina Pfeffer, co-founder and COO of Pipa Skin Care, to unpack how a Venezuelan trio of moms turned a gap in the skincare market into a viral, best-selling DTC brand for tweens. 

With almost no paid ads, zero outside funding, and hands-on everything from fulfillment to customer service, Pipa is proving that thoughtful branding, organic growth, and a deep understanding of your customer can beat big budgets. 

Corina shares the scrappy strategies, operational lessons, and brand-building mindset that have powered their rapid rise—and what’s next as they scale.

00:00:13 – Why customer experience is a core value at Pipa

00:00:40 – Meet Corina Pfeffer and the founding story behind Pipa Skincare

00:01:41 – How three childhood friends built a brand from a parenting problem

00:02:52 – The moment they realized there was a real market gap

00:04:27 – How each co-founder’s strengths shaped their success

00:05:43 – The surprisingly sentimental story behind the name “Pipa”

00:07:03 – Corina’s career path: from math to entrepreneurship

00:09:18 – Lessons from a failed startup that shaped Pipa’s strategy

00:10:59 – Why they insist on doing everything themselves—at first

00:13:29 – How a focus on delight drives their customer experience

00:15:31 – Their biggest challenge: explosive, unpredictable growth

00:18:24 – Why they ran out of stock during their first holiday season

00:19:12 – How they grew entirely through organic influencer buzz

00:21:30 – The role of PR and how British Vogue found them

00:23:17 – Pivotal moments that made them realize Pipa was taking off

00:25:32 – New products, sunscreen success, and what’s coming next

00:27:59 – Preparing for retail and what’s driving that shift

00:28:59 – Selling out on Amazon—even without optimization

00:30:23 – How living with their target customer (tweens!) helps

00:32:44 – Navigating international demand (and expensive shipping)

00:35:10 – Why they’re staying scrappy and bootstrapped

00:37:55 – The surprising power of email marketing for DTC

00:40:12 – Advice for career-changers and lifelong learners

00:44:15 – What Corina would tell herself when starting out