What happens when your biggest competitor isn't another brand?
It's the belief that your customer doesn't need what you're selling.
In this episode of the eCom Collab Club® Podcast, Adam Pearce sits down with Jake Xu, Co-Founder of Shakeup Cosmetics, to talk about the realities of building a men's skincare and cosmetics brand in a market where stigma, stereotypes and customer education are all part of the acquisition strategy.
And Jake's journey hasn't exactly been straightforward.
He and his identical twin brother Shane went from running a creative agency together to launching Shakeup into Harvey Nichols in 2019.
Three months later... COVID hit.
With UK retail effectively disappearing overnight, they accelerated their international plans and launched into China — a move Jake says helped save the business.
Today, Shakeup is a certified B Corp selling through more than 1,300 stores globally.
Adam and Jake unpack what they've learned along the way, including why educating a market comes with a hefty price tag, why the same product can attract completely different customers in different countries, and why localisation needs to go much further than translating some website copy.
They also get into omni-channel growth, cash flow, the dangers of trying to run two businesses at once and Jake's refreshingly flexible attitude towards five-year plans.
But some of the best lessons come from the customers themselves.
Jake shares the story of one man with rosacea whose reaction to trying Shakeup completely reframed what the brand was really selling.
Not makeup.
Confidence.
In this episode:
– Going from agency owner to consumer brand founder
– Building a business with your identical twin
– Launching Shakeup just before COVID
– Why expanding into China helped save the company
– The cost of educating customers in a new category
– Challenging stigma around men's skincare and cosmetics
– Why Shakeup chose omnichannel over DTC-only
– How customer behaviour changes across international markets
– Localisation and giving distributors creative freedom
– Balancing ambitious growth with cash flow
– Why Jake isn't a fan of rigid long-term plans
– The customer story that changed how he thought about Shakeup
If you're building a challenger brand, entering a new category or trying to sell something your audience doesn't immediately understand, there's loads in this one.
About the guest
Jake Xu is Co-Founder of Shakeup Cosmetics, the men's skincare and cosmetics brand he launched alongside his identical twin brother, Shane.
After spending 12 years running a creative agency, Jake moved into the world of consumer brands with Shakeup in 2019. Since then, the business has become a certified B Corp and grown into more than 1,300 stores globally, challenging stereotypes around men's skincare and cosmetics along the way.
About the host
Adam Pearce is Co-Founder of Blend Commerce and eCom Collab Club®, where he brings together the founders, operators and people actually doing the work behind growing eCommerce brands.
On the eCom Collab Club® Podcast, Adam gets into the decisions, disasters, lessons and occasional bits of brilliance that don't tend to make it into the polished LinkedIn version of running a business.
Having a brilliant product is only half the battle.
First, you've got to convince people to give a sh*t.
🎧 Listen now to find out how this epic brand did exactly that.
