In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie Sellers and Katie Sellers break down the five biggest stories shaping beauty, retail, and the startup lifestyle—$50M lawsuits, fake Birkins, rebrand flops, and the future of K-beauty.

We get into:

• The truth about K-beauty medical tourism (and what went wrong for one woman who lost her vision)
• Why Olive Young might eat Sephora’s lunch—and what beauty from the inside out really looks like
• How Boy Smells lost the plot with their rebrand (and their core customer)
• How TikTok creators in China are exposing luxury markups—and what that means for the future of fashion houses and consumer trust

• What the Revolve lawsuit reveals about influencer marketing, taxes, and the fine print no one talks about

📌 Like what you hear? Rate + review the pod to support women who are redefining what it means to build power—through culture, capital, and consumer. 

Brands, Products & Things Mentioned in This Episode

• Olive Young

• Sephora

• Revolve

• Boy Smells

• 4AM Skin

• Phlur by Chriselle Lim

• Freja New York

• Polène

• DHGate

• Amore Vintage Tokyo

CONNECT WITH MAGGIE:

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers ⁠⁠⁠

TIKTOK: ⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers_ ⁠⁠⁠

LINKEDIN: ⁠⁠⁠Maggie Sellers ⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH KATIE:

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@katiesellers_ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

LINKEDIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Katie Sellers⁠⁠ ⁠

READ THE NEWSLETTER:

⁠⁠⁠HSR ICYMI ⁠⁠⁠

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This episode is produced by HSR Media.

In this week’s solo episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie Sellers takes you behind the scenes of her trip to Tokyo and Kyoto with the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), where business, beauty, burnout, and inspiration collide.

This isn’t your typical travel vlog. It’s a raw, unfiltered look at what it means to build a business while living out of a suitcase, navigate elite global networks, and stay grounded when your skin’s breaking out and your schedule is maxed.

Maggie opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of stepping into high-pressure rooms while not feeling her best physically, how changing your environment can shift your self-image, and what it’s really like to network with billion-dollar business leaders over sushi in Japan.

This first-of-its-kind episode blends travel diary, business insights, beauty commentary, and personal reflection. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “not doing enough” while on the road or wondered what really goes on at invite-only global business trips, this one’s for you.

Join the HSR Global Angels Community

💌 Link to join: ⁠Click here to join⁠

This is a community by you, for you. It’s peer-led, community-driven, and built for ambitious, like-minded women. Whether you’re looking to connect with business besties, discover the best Pilates class in your city, or find new friends—this is where it happens.

CONNECT WITH MAGGIE SELLERS

Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers_⁠⁠⁠

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hotsmartrich⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Maggie Sellers⁠⁠⁠⁠

READ THE NEWSLETTER

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ABOUT MAGGIE SELLERS

Maggie Sellers is the founder of Hot Smart Rich, an investment and media company designed to empower women in business and entrepreneurship. A multi-hyphenate creator, investor, and entrepreneur, she’s redefined female empowerment with her sharp, candid insights into business, wealth-building, and startup investing. As a leading voice on TikTok and LinkedIn, Maggie’s content reaches over 180,000 ambitious women looking to elevate their careers, finances, and businesses.

Maggie is also an angel investor in brands like Allara Health, Mixlab, and De Soi and a venture partner in HSR Ventures, where she backs the next generation of consumer startups. Forget outdated notions of female empowerment—Maggie is reshaping what it means to be a modern power player in business and investing.

📢 This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC.

In this raw and unfiltered episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie opens up about something she’s never talked about publicly before—her recent natural breast augmentation, also known as an NFTBA (Natural Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation). From the real cost of the procedure to the unexpected emotional rollercoaster of recovery, this is the tell-all she wishes had existed when she was making her decision.

She breaks down exactly what the experience was like—both physically and professionally. From downtime as a founder and managing brand campaigns while recovering, to the mental load of plastic surgery as a high-achieving woman, Maggie shares the part no one talks about.

If you’ve ever typed “fat transfer breast augmentation reviews” into Reddit, wondered whether fat transfer actually lasts, or debated between implants vs natural enhancement—this is your go-to guide. She also reveals why Dr. Steven Teitelbaum was her surgeon of choice, what no one tells you about post-op depression, and how this surgery intersected with her identity, body image, and ambition.

What This Episode Covers:

• Why Maggie chose fat transfer over implants (and what she’d do differently)
• What to expect with plastic surgery downtime while running a business
• What Maggie wore during recovery, what helped her heal, and what no one warned her about
• The actual cost and why it was over $17K
• The business of beauty and how investors and VCs are capitalizing on medical aesthetics and plastic surgery
• How to approach elective surgery as a working woman in the corporate world

This is for the woman who’s ambitious, informed, and unapologetic about wanting to feel confident in her body—and still wants the full breakdown before making a decision.

Whether you’re in your “research era” or just here for the tea, Maggie’s story will leave you feeling informed, empowered, and maybe a little less alone.

In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie Sellers sits down with Dianna Cohen—the founder of Crown Affair, the premium beauty brand redefining clean luxury in haircare. Dianna’s journey started long before building her own brand—she launched her career working alongside Emily Weiss at Into The Gloss, then went on to shape the stories of modern DTC icons like Away. That background gave her a masterclass in brand building.

By 2024, she had scaled Crown Affair to $20M in sales and raised $15M in venture funding. Then she did something few founders would dare to do: she fired herself as CEO.

This episode isn’t about quitting—it’s about redefining. Dianna opens up about what it means to build a premium, emotionally resonant brand in the age of hustle culture, and how stepping into a more creative, intuitive role has become her most powerful chapter yet.

What You'll Hear In This Episode:

• From working with Emily Weiss to building her own brand—Dianna’s evolution from beauty insider to beauty founder
• The early days of Crown Affair and how her time at Away shaped her approach to brand strategy and storytelling
• Why Dianna stepped down as CEO—and how it unlocked a new creative chapter
• The clean luxury playbook: how she built Crown Affair into a category-defining brand
• Raising $15M and scaling to $20M in revenue—without compromising brand integrity
• Maggie’s take on the identity shifts every founder faces—and the freedom of letting go
• Dianna’s blueprint for building brands that feel personal, purposeful, and powerful

CONNECT WITH MAGGIE:

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers ⁠⁠⁠

TIKTOK: ⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers_ ⁠⁠⁠

YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠@hotsmartrich ⁠⁠⁠

LINKEDIN: ⁠⁠⁠Maggie Sellers ⁠⁠⁠

NEWSLETTER: HSR ICYMI ⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH DIANNA:

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠Dianna Cohen⁠⁠

TIKTOK: ⁠⁠Dianna Cohen⁠⁠

SUBSTACK: Take Your Time

SHOP CROWN AFFAIR:

WEBSITE

SEPHORA

SHOP HSR:

⁠⁠⁠HSR MERCH⁠⁠⁠

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This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC, with support from Coldea Productions.

On this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie Sellers sits down with her sister and former CFO of billion-dollar DTC brands, Katie Sellers, to talk about the Hot Smart Rich Money Mindset. The truth? Women are being lied to about money—and it’s making our boyfriends, husbands, brothers, and the men in our lives richer by default. They’re not smarter. They’re just in the room when financial decisions are being made.

Meanwhile, women control 85% of consumer spending—we decide what to buy, where to shop, and which brands blow up. We are the market. But we’re still being left out of wealth-building conversations, especially when it comes to things like angel investing, equity, and financial freedom.

This week, Maggie and Katie go deep on the real money rules that changed their lives—from the 50-20-20-10 budgeting framework to the mental blocks women face when managing money. It’s not just about spreadsheets and savings—this is about power, access, and confidence.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How the wrong money mindset is keeping women from getting rich

• How women are unintentionally transferring wealth to men—and how to stop doing it

• Why 50-20-20-10 is the budgeting method for ambitious women who want to save, invest, and still live well

• Why “being good with money” isn’t about coupons or coffee—it’s about knowing your numbers and owning your worth

• What Maggie and Katie wish more women knew about cash flow, investing, and building wealth on your own terms

This isn’t financial advice—it’s a financial awakening. If you’ve ever felt behind, ashamed, or confused when it comes to money, this episode will change the way you think about your bank account, your habits, and your power.

Listen now and start acting like the investor you are.

CONNECT WITH MAGGIE:

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠@maggiesellers ⁠⁠

TIKTOK: ⁠⁠@maggiesellers_ ⁠⁠

YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠@hotsmartrich ⁠⁠

LINKEDIN: ⁠⁠Maggie Sellers ⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH KATIE:

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠@katiesellers_ ⁠⁠⁠

TIKTOK: ⁠⁠⁠@katiesellers_ ⁠⁠⁠

YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠@hotsmartrich ⁠⁠⁠

LINKEDIN: ⁠⁠⁠Katie Sellers⁠ ⁠

READ THE NEWSLETTER:

⁠⁠HSR ICYMI ⁠⁠

SHOP HSR:

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This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC, with support from Spotify.

On this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie Sellers sits down with Natalie Holloway, co-founder of Bala, the brand that made fitness hot. Natalie built Bala into a $20M business with a Shark Tank deal from Mark Cuban, faced near bankruptcy, and navigated the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship—all while raising three kids under four.

The conversation gets real as Natalie shares the hardest moments of scaling Bala, from the chaos of explosive growth during COVID to nearly losing the company. She breaks down what saved the business, why she prioritizes profit overgrowth, and how she made the tough call to lay off nearly her entire team while pregnant.

Maggie and Natalie also dive into motherhood, ambition, and the reality of balancing it all—plus, Natalie shares what really happened with Bala’s Drunk Elephant drama, how she deals with copycats, and why she believes affiliate marketing is the future for brands.

Key Takeaways

• You can build a $20M brand without raising big VC money. Bala’s success proves that profitability is more important than endless fundraising. Natalie and her husband bootstrapped their way to the top—then nearly lost it all.
• Scaling fast can break you. Bala blew up overnight after Shark Tank and COVID, but hypergrowth almost killed the business. Natalie shares the hard truth about layoffs, cash flow, and surviving the free fall.
• Motherhood and entrepreneurship? There’s no perfect balance. Natalie had to make brutal business decisions while pregnant. The real talk: founders don’t get maternity leave, and work-life balance is a myth.
• Copycats and competition will come—so stay ahead. Drunk Elephant launched a Bala-inspired product. Knockoffs are everywhere. The only way to win is to innovate faster than they can copy.
• The smartest founders are shifting from influencers to affiliates. Natalie shares why paying influencers big bucks is outdated and why affiliate marketing is the new power move for brands.
• Negotiate like a man. Women are still underpricing themselves in business. Natalie learned to ask for more, own her worth, and not settle for the first offer.
• Bala is just getting started. NYC fitness studio? More retail expansion? Natalie spills what’s next and why she’s betting big on IRL experiences and digital fitness.

Items Mentioned in This Episode

• Bala — the original workout bangles. Shop here.
• Form x Bala — the set. Shop here.

Connect with Maggie

Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers_⁠⁠⁠

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hotsmartrich⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Maggie Sellers⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Natalie

Instagram: @natalieholloway, @bala & @balacize

Substack: working out in heels

Read the Newsletter

⁠⁠⁠HSR ICYMI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Stay ahead with consumer startup trends, business news, and investing insights.

Shop Maggie's Favorites

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⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC, with support from Coldea Productions and Vandana Ravi.

In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie takes you behind the scenes of her latest trip to London—where business, wellness, and exclusivity collide. From securing high-level meetings with potential LPs and Unilever Ventures to stepping inside the ultra-exclusive Neko Health body scan (with a 100,000-person waitlist), this episode pulls back the curtain on what it looks like to build a global empire while living life in the fast lane.

Maggie also takes you inside one of London’s most talked-about events with her boyfriend, Courtney Reum—Bryony Deery’s wedding, a Vogue-worthy affair celebrating the Pilates entrepreneur and Dior’s Global Wellness Expert. Plus, she’s launching something major: the HSR Global Angels WhatsApp community, a new way for ambitious women to connect, network, and build their own power circles.

This episode is a first-of-its-kind vlog-style format—so if you want to see the full experience, make sure to watch on Spotify or YouTube.

Episode Highlights

This episode isn’t just about business—it’s about building a life that blends ambition, wellness, and connection. Maggie shares an inside look at her week in London, including:

• Neko Health Body Scan: Maggie experiences one of the most high-tech, data-driven wellness scans available today, founded by Daniel Ek (CEO of Spotify).
• Bryony Deery’s Wedding: A behind-the-scenes look at the stunning wedding of fitness entrepreneur Bryony Deery, founder of Pilates by Bryony and Dior Global Wellness Expert, to Kaspar Basse, Founder of Joe & The Juice.
• HSR Angels Meet-Up: 30 HSR community members gathered at Joe & The Juice for an impromptu event—proving the power of real-life connections.
• Doing Business on the Go: Maggie shares how she maximizes travel time for work, from taking investor meetings between events to leveraging her global network.
• Working the Network: Meetings with potential LPs and Unilever Ventures—how Maggie is making strategic connections for future investments.

Join the HSR Global Angels Community

💌 Link to join: Click here to join

This is a community by you, for you. It’s peer-led, community-driven, and built for ambitious, like-minded women. Whether you’re looking to connect with business besties, discover the best Pilates class in your city, or find new friends—this is where it happens.

Places & Items Mentioned in This Episode

• Neko Health Body Scan – The future of personalized healthcare. Get on the waitlist.
• Pants from Revolve (The Everywhere Pant) – Maggie’s go-to travel pants. Shop here.
• Milk Makeup – Hydro Grip Primer. Shop here.
• FlyKitt – Jet lag relief kit. Shop here.
• Arrae – Siff & Nish's brand. HSR15 for 15% off. Shop here.
• Pilates By Bryony – Bryony's pilates method. Join here.

✨CONNECT WITH MAGGIE SELLERS✨

Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers_⁠⁠

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠@hotsmartrich⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠Maggie Sellers⁠⁠⁠

✨READ THE NEWSLETTER✨

⁠⁠HSR ICYMI⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Stay ahead with consumer startup trends, business news, and investing insights.

✨SHOP HOT SMART RICH✨

⁠⁠HSR Merch⁠⁠⁠ ⁠

⁠⁠Shop My⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠

✨ABOUT MAGGIE SELLERS✨

Maggie Sellers is the founder of Hot Smart Rich, an investment and media company designed to empower women in business and entrepreneurship. A multi-hyphenate creator, investor, and entrepreneur, she’s redefined female empowerment with her sharp, candid insights into business, wealth-building, and startup investing. As a leading voice on TikTok and LinkedIn, Maggie’s content reaches over 180,000 ambitious women looking to elevate their careers, finances, and businesses.

Maggie is also an angel investor in brands like Allara Health, Mixlab, and De Soi and a venture partner in HSR Ventures, where she backs the next generation of consumer startups. Forget outdated notions of female empowerment—Maggie is reshaping what it means to be a modern power player in business and investing.

📢 This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC.

Investing $60M to Find the Next Mr. Beast—The Future of Influencers, Creators, and Venture Capital with Megan Lightcap

In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie sits down with Megan Lightcap, Partner at Slow Ventures, one of the leading venture capital firms backing content creators and digital-first businesses. With a $60M seed-stage fund, Megan and Sam Lessin are betting big on the creator economy, where social media platforms, personal brands, and original content are shaping the future of digital entrepreneurship.

From investing in early-stage startups to finding the next Mr. Beast, Megan breaks down how venture capital is shifting toward creators and why influencers are the new entrepreneurs to bet on.

Episode Highlights

The creator economy is booming, and Slow Ventures is proving that content creators are the next generation of entrepreneurs. Megan unpacks Goldman Sachs’ $500 billion projection for the creator economy, what it means for venture capital firms, and where social media platforms are heading in a post-Instagram world.

She also dives into how creators are turning personal brands into multi-million dollar businesses and why Mr. Beast is the blueprint for the next wave of content entrepreneurs. Megan shares an inside look at raising a creator-led fund and how she and Sam Lessin structured Slow Ventures’ $60M fund to back the next era of digital-first founders.

Key Takeaways

• Creators Are the New Entrepreneurs – Investors are treating influencers like startups, changing the entire business model of social media.
• How to Secure VC Funding as a Creator – What venture firms like Slow Ventures look for when backing creator-led businesses.
• The Future of Monetization – Why brand deals aren’t enough and how creators can build scalable revenue streams.
• Social Media’s Next Evolution – Where new platforms will drive the next wave of digital entrepreneurship.
• The Mr. Beast Playbook – The business model behind the world’s biggest creator—and how others can apply his strategy.

Resources & Items Mentioned in This Episode

• Apply for the Slow Ventures Creator Fund Associate Role – Interested in venture capital and the creator economy? Apply for the Slow Ventures Associate role and let them know HSR sent you: Apply Here
• Megan’s Go-To Skincare for Hydrated Skin – She swears by Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid for its affordability and effectiveness. Shop Here
• Must-Listen Podcast on the Future of Social & AI – Check out the Telepathy Tapes Podcast, where Sam Lessin and Slow Ventures break down the evolving landscape of AI, social media, and the internet. Listen Here
• 90% of Young People Want To Be an Influencer - Read Here

Listen now for an inside look at how venture capital is evolving, why creators are building billion-dollar businesses, and how Slow Ventures is shaping the future of content, social platforms, and digital entrepreneurship.

✨CONNECT WITH MAGGIE SELLERS✨

Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers⁠⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers_⁠⁠

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠@hotsmartrich⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠Maggie Sellers⁠⁠⁠

✨CONNECT WITH MEGAN LIGHTCAP✨

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Megan Lightcap⁠⁠

Websites: ⁠Slow Ventures⁠

✨READ THE NEWSLETTER✨

⁠⁠HSR ICYMI⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Stay ahead with consumer startup trends, business news, and investing insights.

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📢 This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC, with support from Coldea Productions.

Gab Waller On Celebrity Luxury Fashion Sourcing, The Coat That Changed Her Life, And Building Fashion's Next Big AI App

In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, Maggie sits down with Gab Waller—the fashion sourcer-turned-tech founder—who built a global empire from a single Instagram DM. Known for finding the most coveted luxury pieces for celebrities like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Hailey Bieber, and Khloé Kardashian, Gab has pioneered fashion sourcing and is now reshaping the future of luxury shopping with her tech platform, Sourced By.

✨ Episode Highlights:

Gab’s journey from a small town in Australia to becoming one of the most sought-after fashion sourcers is nothing short of remarkable. Starting her career in the Australian government, she took a leap into fashion, driven by a passion for luxury items and an eye for hard-to-find pieces. What began as a personal mission quickly turned global as she tapped into the high-demand market for sold-out luxury fashion.

Her big break came through an Instagram DM when she sourced an iconic Old Celine coat for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. That single moment changed her career trajectory, positioning her as the go-to for celebrity clients seeking rare fashion. With names like Hailey Bieber, Sofia Richie Grainge, and Chiara Ferragni on her roster, Gab became the fashion world’s best-kept secret.

As demand skyrocketed, Gab saw an opportunity to scale beyond 1:1 sourcing. Enter Sourced By—the ultimate platform shaping the future of luxury shopping. Using AI to connect shoppers to rare items worldwide, the platform is the backbone of the fashion sourcing industry—a proof of concept that’s creating an entirely new space in fashion tech.

Key Takeaways:

• Passion to Personal Brand: Gab shows how focusing on a niche—like fashion sourcing—can build a global personal brand.
• Scaling a Brand into a Business: She transformed her personal success into Sourced By, proving personal brands can evolve into scalable businesses.
• Spotting Market Gaps: Identifying the unmet demand for sold-out luxury pieces was key to her entrepreneurial success.
• Scaling Without Losing Authenticity: Even as she moves into tech, Gab maintains the personalized touch that made her stand out.
• Building in Public: Her transparency—sharing wins and challenges—offers a blueprint for founders growing personal brands into global empires.

✨CONNECT WITH MAGGIE SELLERS✨ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠@maggiesellers_⁠

YouTube:⁠⁠⁠@hotsmartrich⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠Maggie Sellers⁠⁠

✨CONNECT WITH GAB WALLER✨

Instagram: ⁠@gabwaller⁠, ⁠@gabwallerdotcom⁠, ⁠@sourcedby⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@gabwaller⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Gab Waller⁠

Websites: Shop with Gab Waller⁠ & Sourced By⁠

✨READ THE NEWSLETTER✨

⁠HSR ICYMI⁠⁠⁠ – Stay ahead with consumer startup trends, business news, and investing insights.

✨SHOP HOT SMART RICH✨

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✨ABOUT MAGGIE SELLERS✨

Maggie Sellers is the founder of Hot Smart Rich, an investment and media company designed to empower women in business and entrepreneurship. A multi-hyphenate creator, investor, and entrepreneur, she’s redefined female empowerment with her sharp, candid insights into business, wealth-building, and startup investing. As a leading voice on TikTok and LinkedIn, Maggie’s content reaches over 180,000 ambitious women looking to elevate their careers, finances, and businesses.

Maggie is also an angel investor in brands like Allara Health, Mixlab, and De Soi and a venture partner in HSR Ventures, where she backs the next generation of consumer startups. Forget outdated notions of female empowerment—Maggie is reshaping what it means to be a modern power player in business and investing.

📢 This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC.

In this episode of Hot Smart Rich, I sit down with Kristine Locker—founder & CEO of Locker, the social shopping platform that’s redefining how we shop, save, and discover products online. From starting her career in real estate finance at Goldman Sachs to self-funding her startup for two years with $225,000 before landing a game-changing $1M angel investment, Kristine’s journey is proof that big risks lead to even bigger rewards.

But building a multi-million dollar consumer startup isn’t just about great ideas—it’s about navigating investor rejection, learning from bad decisions (like an $8K influencer campaign gone wrong), and understanding what today’s consumers actually want.

We also dive into the new wave of creator-led brands—like Parke, Dairy Boy, and Set Active—and the backlash some are facing for bootstrapping their businesses through supplier terms, the drop model, and negative cash conversion cycles. Kristine shares her perspective as a founder on how these strategies impact growth, customer loyalty, and whether this is the future of consumer brands.

If you’ve ever had 100 open tabs while debating a purchase, returned a wish list item you finally bought, or wondered why brands keep pushing affiliate links instead of listening to consumers, this episode is for you.

Kristine and I get into the real talk about startup life, from fundraising challenges to the mental toll of being a founder, and why she’s betting everything on what’s next for Locker and social commerce.

WHAT WE COVER:

• The Wishlist Struggle Is Real – Why we overthink purchases and how Locker is changing that
• From Open Tabs to Millions – Kristine’s path from bootstrapping to landing a $1M angel investment
• The Influencer vs. Community Debate – Why Locker is built for real shoppers, not influencers
• How Locker Grew to 200K Users With Zero Paid Ads – Kristine’s strategy for scaling without big marketing budgets
• Creator-Led Brands Under Fire – The backlash against brands like Parke, Dairy Boy, and Set Active for their drop model and supplier-backed scaling strategies
• Running a Startup and Having a Life? – How Kristine balances marriage, career, and the pressure of building a billion-dollar business
• Lessons for Founders – The best (and worst) $8K Kristine ever spent on marketing, and why brand loyalty matters more than ever

✨CONNECT WITH MAGGIE SELLERS✨ Instagram:⁠⁠@maggiesellers⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠@maggiesellers_

YouTube:⁠⁠@hotsmartrich⁠⁠

LinkedIn:⁠⁠Maggie Sellers⁠⁠

✨CONNECT WITH KRISTINE LOCKER✨

Instagram: ⁠⁠@kristinelocker

Shop With Kristine on Locker

✨READ THE NEWSLETTER✨

HSR ICYMI⁠⁠ – Stay ahead with consumer startup trends, business news, and investing insights.

✨SHOP HOT SMART RICH✨

HSR Merch⁠⁠

Shop My⁠⁠

Amazon⁠⁠

✨ABOUT MAGGIE SELLERS✨

Maggie Sellers is the founder of Hot Smart Rich, an investment and media company designed to empower women in business and entrepreneurship. A multi-hyphenate creator, investor, and entrepreneur, she’s redefined female empowerment with her sharp, candid insights into business, wealth-building, and startup investing. As a leading voice on TikTok and LinkedIn, Maggie’s content reaches over 180,000 ambitious women looking to elevate their careers, finances, and businesses.

Maggie is also an angel investor in brands like Allara Health, Mixlab, and De Soi and a venture partner in HSR Ventures, where she backs the next generation of consumer startups. Forget outdated notions of female empowerment—Maggie is reshaping what it means to be a modern power player in business and investing.

📢 This episode is produced by HSR Media, a division of Creative MES LLC. Hot Smart Rich & HSR Ventures is an advisor to and investor in Locker.