Welcome to the first episode of Due Diligence. This season of the podcast is all about "Girlboss downfalls"—AKA the stories of the iconic female-founded brands we know and (used to) love. What are their stories? What were their success strategies? What can we learn from the challenges they eventually faced so publicly? And how can we approach this analysis in a way that's critical, curious, and kind? We're dissecting each company, case by case, in multiple parts so we can dissect them strategically, culturally, and sometimes even politically.

This first episode is Part 1 of 3 about a company that has—perhaps more than any other—defined the Girlboss era. We're diving into the full backstory of the Glossier—from Emily Weiss's stint at Teen Vogue and later Vogue Magazine to the Into The Gloss days and, finally, to the spectacular rise of Glossier, a beauty brand that would come to define a category and transform multiple industries spanning beauty, ecommerce, and DTC.

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And stay tuned for the next episode, Part 2, where we are analyzing the playbook Glossier used to become a $1.8B beauty behemoth.