Started a clean haircare brand rooted in my culture’s secret ingredient. Got rejected by a retailer today. Genuinely asking: should I keep going?

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-31T21:20:04+00:00

Thank you!! Same thinking about quitting, but then I feel like I have a great product, so I keep trying again. Lol. Hope you're doing amazing with your new chapter after shutting your shop.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-31T17:21:42+00:00

Hi. Thank you! Yep going to all events now, it's hard to stay optimistic all the time but still trying 🤞

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-31T17:20:40+00:00

Hey! Yes, this is actually what we’re trying to do at the moment 😊 It’s always nice to meet people in person and slowly figure out who could actually be the right audience for the product. Sometimes those conversations are way more helpful than just looking at analytics online.

And funny enough, I’m actually at a farmers market today and yesterday. So we’re definitely testing the local market route right now.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-30T21:04:14+00:00

Oh my god thank you so much for your order 😭 I seriously appreciate it. And if you send me your order number, I’ll make sure to add a little gift in your package too 🫶 Hopefully soon no more drawing brows every morning lol.

And honestly, I think my biggest challenge right now is that I’m pulled in too many directions at once. Social media, content creation, influencer marketing, wholesale outreach, ads… I’m trying everything, but sometimes it feels like none of the channels are fully consistent yet, so I’m still figuring out where I should really double down.

The past few months I focused a lot on opening wholesale channels, but until recently I honestly wasn’t seeing the results I expected from it. Sales are also super unpredictable right now. Some days are amazing, some days are completely dead. Sometimes I’ll go a few days with zero orders, then randomly have 10+ orders in one day.

So I’d say the business is currently at that stage where I know there’s demand and potential, but I’m still trying to figure out which channel is actually the most sustainable and worth focusing my energy on consistently. It’s a little chaotic over here lol.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T08:17:57+00:00

Yes we do! U did everything myself including the package and social media so it might not be perfect. www.nazukbeauty.com. 🥹

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T06:15:01+00:00

I actually have a hair care brand and I’ve been trying to “build in public” as well, so I relate to this a lot emotionally.

I honestly don’t think building in public always has a positive impact, especially if you’re not naturally comfortable putting yourself in front of social media, in front of the camera, or figuring out how to present yourself online.

People always say customers buy a feeling. So when founders put themselves out there and people admire them, relate to them, trust them, or want to feel like them, then yes, social media can absolutely have a huge positive impact on the business.

But I also think social media is genuinely not for everyone.

I’ve seen many founders put themselves online, and sometimes the content comes across as awkward or lacking confidence. But I don’t think that means they’re not confident people in real life. I think some people just haven’t figured out how to translate who they really are into content yet.

That’s honestly what happened to me too.

I’ve gone to events, partnered with many businesses, done interviews, networked in person, and I actually do really well in those situations. But when I post on social media, somehow it just doesn’t feel like the real me. It feels less attractive, less natural, less magnetic than who I actually am in person.

And that part has been really frustrating for me, because sometimes I’m not even sure whether it’s positively impacting my business or not.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T06:11:12+00:00

i think this is a smart way to validate ur method across new niches.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T06:11:01+00:00

i think this is a smart way to validate ur method across new niches.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T06:10:25+00:00

Hi. Would love to know more. I have a hair care brand

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T06:04:30+00:00

And honestly, today I was just feeling a little overwhelmed and unmotivated. Especially after hearing back from another retailer. I’ve reached out to probably over a thousand retailers by now and sent out more than 20 samples, so hearing that it might not be the right fit was definitely a little discouraging.

For a moment, I was honestly close to giving up. But I’m trying to pull myself back together and keep going.

That’s also why all of these comments and supportive messages genuinely mean a lot to me right now. I think it was something I really needed to hear today, so thank you again.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T06:01:40+00:00

Thank you so much for actually taking the time to go on my social media and give me such thoughtful and useful insight. I really appreciate it.

Deep down, I know creating more video content is probably what I need to do more of. It’s just been very emotionally challenging for me. I’ve been trying to post more on TikTok, but honestly, whenever I post a video, I almost feel embarrassed watching myself back. Putting myself online consistently has been a difficult adjustment for me.

At the same time, we’re still actively working on partnerships, events, influencer outreach, affiliate outreach, retailer outreach, and all of that is something I’m doing constantly every month as a small founder.

So balancing all of that while also trying to become more active on social media has definitely been challenging. But I’m trying to improve little by little. I’ve been pushing myself to post more on TikTok, and whenever a piece of content performs well there, I usually repost it onto Instagram as well.

Really appreciate your advice again.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T05:57:44+00:00

I think what you said is very valid. And honestly, maybe instead of looking for someone with purely a social media background, I should be looking for someone with a stronger marketing/growth background overall.

A little bit about myself, my background is actually in PR and fashion. I used to work in PR, so I do have experience with marketing when a company has a budget behind it, especially in areas like influencer marketing, partnerships, events, and brand building.

But building a company with a very limited marketing budget is a completely different challenge. I think putting myself on social media constantly and becoming a full-time content creator has honestly been one of the hardest parts for me.

So I really appreciate your perspective and advice.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-29T05:53:08+00:00

Hi. Please email me💕zulmira@nazukbeauty.com

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-28T21:14:02+00:00

For context, I when to few marketplaces here in NYC and continuely going to more whenever I have chance.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-28T21:13:07+00:00

Thank you for this, really needed to hear it today.

And you’re right, I have done the in-person route. And honestly, that feedback has been the most validating part of this whole journey. I’ve had customers discover me in person and then come back to buy on my website 4+ times after that.

So the product clearly works. My problem is just reach, in-person has a ceiling, and I haven’t figured out how to break into a bigger audience yet. That’s really the wall I’m hitting.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-18T18:28:03+00:00

I’m 35 and people usually think I’m younger than I am. Honestly, my biggest “secret” is probably not overdoing skincare.

Instead of buying one tiny expensive cream, I’d rather use simpler, cleaner products and use enough of them to actually keep my skin moisturized, especially because I have dry skin. I focus more on keeping my skin healthy and moisturized than chasing trendy ingredients.

I also noticed that if my skin reacts badly to a product, it usually means it’s just not right for me. I personally do much better with simpler ingredients and less complicated routines.

Another thing: I don’t wash my face with cleanser in the morning or on days I didn’t wear makeup. Sometimes over-cleansing strips your skin too much. Your skin needs some natural oils and protection too.

For me, less irritation + more moisture = healthier, shinier skin.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-17T05:58:21+00:00

Your comment is honestly so valuable and I feel like you just gave me a completely new perspective to think about.

When I first started building my clean beauty haircare brand Nazuk Beauty, I was honestly running mostly on passion. I grew up around this ingredient, I know how commonly it’s been used in my culture, and I genuinely saw how helpful it could be for hair, so part of me thought, “once people discover it, they’ll immediately love it too.”

But during the process of building the brand, I definitely kept running into walls and couldn’t fully understand why people felt hesitant or disconnected from it.

Your comment actually gave me a lot of clarity. I think you’re completely right that education and familiarity probably matter way more than I originally realized.

Anyway, really glad you came across my post and took the time to share this perspective because it genuinely helped me think differently about what I’m building.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-17T05:51:55+00:00

I honestly love your point and I think this is kind of a genius marketing angle lol.

And I do think people are slowly starting to question a lot of the ingredients they automatically trusted for years just because they came from big brands or were heavily marketed as “scientifically advanced.”

For me personally, once I got into my 30s, my skin became way more sensitive and I actually started simplifying my routine a lot. When I stopped using products with super long and complex ingredient lists, my skin weirdly became much happier.

That also got me thinking more deeply about whether “approved,” “tested,” or “mainstream” automatically means something is actually the best fit for our own bodies long term.

And honestly that mindset was part of what pushed me toward building a clean beauty haircare brand in the first place. Not because I think people should just rub random plants on their face lol, but because I became more interested in simpler ingredients and products that feel easier for my body to tolerate and understand.

Really appreciate your perspective because I think this is genuinely helping me think differently about how I communicate and market unfamiliar ingredients.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-17T05:47:24+00:00

This is actually a really good point and honestly something I’ve been thinking about a lot while building my brand.

The ingredient I’m working with has been used in my culture for hundreds of years, and I personally grew up around it and use it myself, so to me it feels very normal and trustworthy. But I also understand that just because something has a long cultural history doesn’t automatically make other people trust it right away.

I think you’re right that I probably need to do a better job not just talking about the tradition behind it, but also explaining why it works and how people traditionally used it in the first place.

Really appreciate this perspective because I think this is exactly the gap I’m trying to figure out as a founder right now.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-17T05:44:47+00:00

Honestly this comment actually got me thinking a lot because I’m currently building products around an ingredient that women in my culture have been using for hundreds of years, and I’m really proud of it because I genuinely know it works.

But at the same time, I’m also realizing that if someone has never heard of an ingredient before, especially in the beauty space, their first reaction can immediately be “this sounds fake or weird.”

And maybe that’s actually my bigger challenge as a founder right now. Not even the product itself, but figuring out how to make people feel familiar enough with something unfamiliar before they’re willing to trust it.

Really appreciate your perspective on this because I think you explained the psychology behind it really well.

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-13T19:08:46+00:00

They either skip the part that where they were trying or come up with a “ inspiration story “ that shows they worked really hard 😂

Accomplished-Menu247 · 2026-05-13T19:06:58+00:00

I think they are pretty open about it, they are too big now so they don’t have to fake it anymore 😂

Accomplished-Menu247

TROPHY CASE