founder Mabel Lee to chat all things beauty, including how growing up mega-independent shaped her as an entrepreneur.“I started Velour out of personal necessity. My go-to beauty product was false lashes. Growing up, I was really insecure about my small eyes, and what gave me confidence was false lashes. For some, that product could be foundation to cover up acne or lipstick to enlarge lips but for me, it wasfalse lashes.
“Once I realized the key was the materials being used, I came up with what I considered the perfect lash. A few friends helped me with the packaging and creating a very cheap website and in 2011, we launched Velour Lashes. This was really a side hustle for me as I was still set to finish school and achieve my dreams of becoming a corporate lawyer. But little did I know the launch of Velour would completely change my career path.
“March 2020 was probably one of the darkest periods for the brand. When Sephora and Ulta closed their doors due to COVID-19, our brand was hit significantly given that 70 percent of our revenue comes from retail. Direct-to-consumer was not our focus and so we had to pivot and shift strategy almost overnight to move all that traffic. Thankfully, we were able to do so, but having our retailers doors close was a hard hit for the brand.
“But when I told them I was going to pursue it full time, they said one thing that’s kept me motivated all of these years: ‘You are an adult now and the decision is yours, and no matter the outcome, whether you fail or succeed, it is 100 percent in your own control; you have to live with that. So you better work harder than anyone you know if you want to succeed. If you fail, it’s okay, but fail knowing you tried your hardest and believing that you are capable enough to move on from it.