Brand Architects: KJ Miller of Mented Cosmetics

KJ Miller always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. Even as she walked the hallowed halls of Harvard Business School, her mind was buzzing with ideas. "I went to business school knowing I wanted to be an entrepreneur," she recalls. "But I didn't really know how to get there."

Join Bora Celik as he chats with KJ Miller, the co-founder of Mented Cosmetics and currently the brand president of both Mented and Beauty Bakerie.

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After graduation, KJ found herself at a crossroads. She had a startup idea for a hair salon business, but her heart wasn't in it. She also had a job offer from Deloitte. So, she made a choice that might surprise some: she took the job.

"I'll find my way to the right company to run," KJ told herself. "It's not gonna happen right now, but I'm not giving up on this dream."

Little did she know, her dream was about to take shape in the most unexpected way.

The Lipstick that Wasn't There

One day, KJ's friend Amanda Johnson mentioned a problem she'd been having. "I've been looking for the perfect nude lipstick for three years," Amanda said. KJ's response? "That's so funny. I can't find any lipstick I like, much less a nude lipstick."

It was a lightbulb moment. These two successful women with money to spend couldn't find makeup that worked for them. They wondered: could this be a real problem for more than just the two of them?

YouTube University: Lipstick Edition

KJ and Amanda didn't wait for someone else to solve their problem. They decided to do it themselves. But how do you make lipstick when you've never done it before?

"I stand by that you can learn just about anything on YouTube," KJ laughs. And that's exactly what she did. She typed "how to make lipstick" into YouTube and pieced together the information she needed.

"You don't need much," KJ explains. "Some sort of oil, some sort of wax, and some sort of colorant. You need to heat it up, and then you need to let it cool in a lipstick mold. Okay? So it's not rocket science."

From Kitchen to Company

Every weekend, KJ and Amanda would make a big batch of lipsticks and mail them to as many people as possible. They reached out to influencers on Instagram and YouTube, saying, "Hey, we're two girls, we're starting a new brand, we'd love for you to try our lipsticks."

They didn't just make lipsticks; they built a community. They listened to feedback, tweaked their formulas, and slowly but surely, Mented Cosmetics was born.

The Leap of Faith

For a year, KJ and Amanda worked on Mented while keeping their day jobs. But they knew they'd have to go all-in eventually. KJ set herself a clear milestone: a term sheet from a venture capitalist.

"I said I wanted to wait until we had a term sheet in hand before we went full-time," KJ remembers. "That felt like enough of a vote of confidence for me for us to quit our jobs."

When that term sheet arrived, KJ didn't hesitate. She quit her job a week later.

Building a Brand, One Post at a Time

In the early days of Mented, social media was key. "It is how we grew. It's how we got on the map," KJ says. They weren't paying influencers; they were simply sending out products and getting organic traction.

But they didn't stop there. They hired a publicist, a woman of color with deep contacts in the beauty industry. She got them placements in major outlets like Cosmo, Glamour, and Essence.

The Challenges of Growth

As Mented grew, so did the challenges. "Inventory management... it's never not going to be a headache," KJ admits. "When you sell out of whatever your best seller is, no matter what channel it is, you feel it so acutely."

But through it all, KJ has remained focused on her mission. "It's a blessing to have people who want to work with you and work for you and help carry out your vision," she says. "And it's something that I don't want to squander."

From a Harvard classroom to a kitchen-turned-lab to a successful beauty brand, KJ Miller's journey is a testament to the power of identifying a problem, believing in your ability to solve it, and never giving up on your entrepreneurial dreams.

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