My Messy Start with Struggling Brands
Okay so I noticed a bunch of small makeup brands totally flopping online. Like, beautiful products but zero sales. Felt bad ’cause I chat with some owners on Instagram. Decided to test-drive some fixes using my buddy Lisa’s failing lipstick biz as guinea pig.
First thing? I stalked her Instagram for a whole week. Oof. Her posts felt like a museum – pretty but dead. Comments? Crickets. Reels? Nada. I grabbed my phone and filmed her mixing lipstick colors with kitchen spoons right there in her garage. Posted it raw with “POV: Your lipstick’s born in my messy kitchen” caption.
- Changed posting time: Switched from 3pm to 8am when her followers actually scrolled
- Ditched fancy photos: Used phone videos showing pigment smears on napkins
- Reposted customer stories: Even blurry bathroom selfies with her products
The Packaging Disaster Turnaround
Her packaging looked like hospital supplies – sterile white boxes. I raided Dollar Tree for glitter glue and neon stickers. Made ten sample boxes:
- One with kiss-mark stamps around the logo
- One with handwritten thank-you notes
- One stuffed with confetti (messy but fun)
We sent these to repeat customers. Next week, three posted unboxings. Boom. Free ads. Lisa panicked about costs so we used scrap fabric from her mom’s quilt stash for wrapping. Total spend? $11.
What Actually Moved Needles
After three months of trial/error chaos:
- Sales jumped 40% just by showing her garage “lab” daily
- Return customers doubled after handwritten notes in packages
- DM inquiries went nuts when we started posting “ugly swatches” on elbows
Wild part? Her website still sucks. Photos still amateur. But people now care about her story – the burnt batches, the messy kitchen sink cleanups. I pushed her to post failures which got more likes than professional shoots. Moral? Stop pretending you’re Sephora. Your dumpster-fire journey sells better.
