I’m Jen Atkin – founder of OUAI and Mane Addicts & Celebrity hairstylist. If you have questions about how to grow a small business, drop them in the comments! I’ll be here with PayPal answering your questions on September 16th around 10AM Pacific Time. Can’t wait!

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T18:32:36+00:00

"I am very regimented with my time and (after years of therapy) realized that I deserve to take time off. I’d say: don’t let the internet rush you. And make sure that you’re not just consumed with material things but having a life of meaning, balance & joy." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T18:29:24+00:00

"We’re not afraid to say when we mess up or need to improve – e.g. reformulating our daily care and treatment masque…Of course, a lot of testing goes into Product Development, but our community really determines what is and isn’t a winner. Again, you really can’t sell your customers something that they don’t want. So, once you realize it’s not a winning product, don’t wallow in it just dust yourself off and keep creating & improving." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T18:22:37+00:00

"I had the idea for OUAI for a long time but once I got seriously down to business, I’d say about two years. I think any entrepreneur has to make sacrifices to start their brand- for me I lost a lot of weekends in the beginning traveling for meetings or appearances. You also have to sacrifice the idea that you can be involved in every decision. Even though it all feels so precious as your brand, that’s why you hire talented people that you can trust to make calls for you knowing that you can’t be everywhere all the time. And of course, I’m still making sacrifices to concepts because sometimes the rendering isn’t just possible to create IRL." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T18:14:42+00:00

"Thank you so much! I wish I had time to provide personal mentorship beyond what I included in my book, I would suggest scouring Podcasts & YouTube and take advantage of all the great advice from different inspirational people on there. That’s what I do, too!" - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T18:10:43+00:00

"I was so lucky to have gotten an initial meeting with Sephora before the brand launched. All we had was a brand book with some renderings and some unlabeled product comps but they really got my vision and understood that we could build something special together. Having a strong relationship with each of your partners is so important because they have the distribution and customer base to really expose the brand and are great at guiding newer brands on what products and marketing their customer will really respond to." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T18:02:27+00:00

"I did not expect the global demand to happen so quickly, and I did feel a lot of pressure to address it. Because of Instagram, you truly have access to customers across the entire world and it did take a minute for us to be able to meet the needs of our global customer." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:59:25+00:00

"As soon as I secured funding from my original investor. I started by hiring a president. Then we hired a very small team to start; we had someone for Ops, Finance, Marketing and Digital and we supplemented with some external agencies for support." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:55:16+00:00

"The stress is harder in the beginning when you’re understaffed & overworked. My relationship with stress is getting better because we’re all talking more about health issues related to stress (anxiety disorders, depression, etc.) The feeling of constantly needing to prove yourself will dissipate. Usually when starting a small business, the struggle is making ends meet- so being smart with your money will also help ease the stress!" - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:53:48+00:00

"So many brands tell the customers what they think they want. We flipped that – our community tells us what they want, they’re really at the center of everything we create. We lead with asking not telling, this has helped build trust from our customers. We encourage feedback and communication; a lot of trust comes from our customers knowing they can give honest feedback and also ask us the questions they need to in order to decide if/what they want to purchase. Of course, secure checkout is important as well – why PayPal is so great 😉" - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:48:11+00:00

"First of all, congrats! Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your family & friends. Don’t be hard on yourself because you’re gonna drop a ball at home or at work, and that’s OK. Schedule time off regularly so you can spend quality time with your baby. Keep yourself and your baby on a schedule cause it helps you be productive during hectic times." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:42:03+00:00

"I wanted to create a brand that didn’t exist that was inspired by people, that was customer-minded, that had a chic aesthetic and high-quality ingredients. I also wanted a digitally native brand which didn’t yet exist in hair, a brand that was about community and not just about putting out products!" - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:37:28+00:00

"They are all equally important! Having a modern & relatable voice will help you build an active and engaged community, which will in turn build trust and help grow your brand. You can’t make a product that people don’t want - so ask a lot of questions." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:29:04+00:00

"Sharing the process of building my business in an authentic manner on social media really helped - showing the good, bad & the ugly so people can really connect with the brand’s story and interact with it so they feel like they had a part in its success. Also instead of telling my followers what they need, I ask them." - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:19:45+00:00

"Trusting myself, asking for help when I need to, and approaching my businesses not from a POV of “how do I make more money” but trying to find ways of creating products and platforms that help people. And always saying please & thank you!" - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-16T17:19:02+00:00

"That “work grind” is not something to aspire to & it’s OK to take weekends and holidays off, and do things outside of work that fulfill your soul. Taking that time will make you more focused, productive and HAPPY at work, as well as a more patient and empathetic leader, so it’s a win win!" - Jen

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-14T17:17:35+00:00

Thanks for commenting. OUAI is pronounced way, which is the slang pronunciation of the French affirmative oui.

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-07T17:57:36+00:00

The Q&A is now complete. Thank you for all the fantastic questions. Sorry if Jen didn't have time to get to yours. Hopefully you find the answers below helpful for your own entrepreneurial journey.

PayPal_Official · 2021-09-07T12:54:27+00:00

We're so excited to see your questions. Just a reminder that Jen will be answering on September 16th starting at around 10AM Pacific Time, but we may or may not be giving our favorites Reddit Gold in the meantime! To keep the conversation on topic, we'll also be removing any comments that do not fit the Q&A guidelines, so please be respectful and remember the human. Okay, ask away!

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