Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting profitable girls who’ve made main profession adjustments—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content material officer at Who What Put on, every episode offers you a direct line to girls who’re sport changers of their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts to remain tuned.
Rebecca Zhou, founder and CEO of the transformative bodycare model Mushy Companies, has lengthy been a trailblazer within the direct-to-consumer (DTC) panorama. She’s constructed a profession doing technique, product innovation, and model growth and has performed pivotal roles in shaping a few of immediately’s most recognizable firms—all of which paved the way in which for her to create a standout model of her personal.
Zhou started her profession at Gin Lane Media, the place she honed her abilities as a strategist. The company, identified for its early investments in DTC giants like Quip, Harry’s, and Sweetgreen, supplied Zhou a useful basis for constructing manufacturers that join deeply with customers. Notably, she guided the transformation of Reformation, a small downtown New York boutique, into the e-commerce titan it’s immediately.
Her subsequent chapter took her to Glossier, the place she turned worker quantity three and served as head of digital product, the place she helped cement Glossier’s place as a magnificence trade disruptor, leveraging digital instruments to create seamless and personalised buyer experiences. After Glossier, Zhou prolonged her experience as a contract advisor, working with prestigious manufacturers comparable to Khaite, Diane von Furstenberg, and Peach & Lily, refining their DTC methods and elevating their digital footprints.
(Picture credit score: Mushy Companies)
In 2017, Zhou’s entrepreneurial instincts led her to co-found Offhours, a luxurious housecoat model, along with her husband. This enterprise additional showcased her knack for figuring out shopper wants and delivering impeccably designed merchandise. By 2019, Zhou had touched almost each aspect of the DTC enterprise, setting the stage for her subsequent main transfer.
offhours
Homecoat in Memphis
Mushy Companies, which launched in 2021, displays Zhou’s deep understanding of each the market and the buyer—an amalgamation of her profession. The model fills a niche within the bodycare trade by providing focused options for pores and skin issues usually missed in conventional skincare. Zhou’s dedication to rigorous analysis and growth has resulted in merchandise which are each extremely efficient and fantastically designed. Her experience in branding and advertising and marketing shines by way of Mushy Companies’ minimalist aesthetic and intelligent communication, which resonate strongly with immediately’s discerning clients. Earlier this yr, Mushy Companies launched at Sephora, changing into out there on-line and in 300 bodily shops nationwide.
Hearken to the newest episode of Second Life to find how Zhou has solidified her place as a visionary within the DTC house, proving that her considerate and progressive method to brand-building is nothing in need of extraordinary. And maintain scrolling to buy a few of Mushy Companies’ best-selling merchandise.
softservices
Cleaning soap Residence Drying Dish and Splash Cowl
softservices
Smoothing Set Buffing Bar, Smoothing Resolution, Carea Cream
Subsequent: Meet Lauren Caris Cohan, the Multifaceted Inventive and Chief Inventive Officer of Reformation.
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