119 - Kyle Leahy, Glossier

Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

In Ep. 119 of Earned, Conor sits down with Kyle Leahy, CEO of Glossier—the skin first, makeup second, multi-generational brand that generated nearly $300M in retail sales last year. To start, we dive into Kyle’s philosophy to “work hard and be nice to people,” which has guided her through not only her professional career, but her personal life as well. With Glossier's impressive revenue in 2023, we learn about the strategy behind the rapid growth that has led to the brand’s massive comeback success. Next, we explore how Kyle works with Emily Weiss (Glossier’s founder) to propel the company forward, chasing their 100-year trajectory of becoming a “generation-defining” brand. Kyle speaks to Glossier’s entirely female executive team, and how proud she is to work with such accomplished and driven women with notable experiences at companies such as Conde Nast, L’Oreal, Stripe, Snapped, and Chanel. We discuss what makes Glossier uniquely Glossier, and Kyle shares that the idea of continuity for the brand is what excites her the most. By keeping strategy at the forefront of everything they do, Kyle describes the brand’s employees as a “mosaic of talent” who are empowered to “run in the same direction, to the same north star.” We learn about how Glossier has worked to genuinely meet their community where they’re at, generating immense success with creators. Between growing up on Instagram, their 2.7 billion mentions of “#glossier,” and viral moments on TikTok, Kyle walks us through how Glossier built the muscle to react and respond, organically. Kyle then lets us in on Glossier’s intentions behind the brand’s recent entrance to beauty retail giant Sephora. To close the show, Kyle shares how, as a mom, unique experiences fill her cup while she works to build a world that her little ones will enjoy.

In this episode, you will learn:

1. The art of balancing creativity with analytical thinking to foster brand authenticity and community-driven success.

2. The pivotal role of intentional influencer partnerships in creating viral brand moments and genuine audience engagement on platforms like TikTok.

3. The significance of customer-driven decisions in retail expansion and how it can lead to a halo effect on a brand's own channels.

Resources:

• Glossier - https://life.glossier.com/

Connect with the Guest:

• Kyle’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-leahy-7898844/

Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ:

• Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley

• CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq

Follow us on social:

• CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics

• CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq

• CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq

• CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ