"Trust your instincts and not let negative opinions deter you."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Oliver Goulden, a dynamic entrepreneur and co-founder of FounderSix, a groundbreaking beauty brand incubator that has been making waves in the beauty industry.
In this in-depth conversation, we have the privilege of delving into the innovative world of beauty brand incubation and entrepreneurship as we explore Oliver Goulden’s remarkable journey.
Goulden’s journey from influencer collaboration to co-founding FounderSix is a testament to his visionary approach to the ever-evolving beauty industry. With a keen eye for identifying untapped potential, FounderSix partners with influencers to transform their creative visions into thriving beauty brands.
From product development to legal intricacies, marketing strategies to market delivery, FounderSix offers comprehensive support every step of the way.
In this interview, Oliver Goulden shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities of the beauty industry, the importance of employee engagement in the modern workplace, and the valuable lessons he has learned in the past years.
As we dive into this candid conversation, we gain a unique perspective on the beauty business landscape and the entrepreneurial spirit that propels it forward.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Oliver Goulden: Thank you for having me. I’m Oliver (Oli) Goulden, co-founder of FounderSix. We are a beauty brand incubator that funds and partners with influencers to launch their own brands.
We provide comprehensive support from the initial concept to market delivery, managing all aspects of the business, including product development, operations, legal, finance, marketing, and sales.
Our expertise lies in efficiently transforming influencers’ visions into thriving consumer goods businesses, ensuring a seamless and impactful market entry.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Oliver Goulden: One of our most significant achievements in the past year was the successful launch of ‘Ravie Beauty’ with Allie Glines and her husband, Tylan.
In just the first 30 minutes of the brand being announced on YouTube, we hit our annual sales target. This remarkable achievement was a showcase of the incredible vision of the founder, Allie Glines but also a testament to the FounderSix infrastructure behind the scenes.
The brand was meticulously built around the north star of “Makeup Made Effortless™,” and its debut product, “Effortless Lips™,” which was handmade in Italy, received an overwhelming response from customers, signaling the brand’s immense potential.
As co-owners of the business, we are immensely proud of Allie and our team for doing such incredible work.
What advice do you wish you had received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
Oliver Goulden: Know the value of patience and the importance of not rushing into decisions. While launching a business can happen relatively quickly these days, building trust and authenticity with customers takes time. Building a very large buffer into your timeline is crucial to ensure financial stability, avoid tension with stakeholders, and limit your own stress levels.
Another invaluable piece of advice is to trust your instincts and not let negative opinions deter you. Take all criticism constructively, even if that is not how it is conveyed to you, as everything has the potential to make you and your business stronger.
In the upcoming quarter, we’re focusing on optimizing our operational efficiency. We understand that as the demand for our products grows and the more brands we launch, our processes must evolve accordingly.
By refining our operational procedures, we aim to ensure that our operations run smoothly and that we continue to meet the high standards our brands’ co-founders and customers expect. We are also exploring innovative ways to streamline our manufacturing lead times, given the current challenges in the industry.
This will help us stay competitive and meet the growing market demand. Lastly, we will be looking for the next influencer who is ready to become a successful entrepreneur with our help!
Here is a two-fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Oliver Goulden: I read “Losing My Virginity” by Sir Richard Branson just before I left school in 1999. While I generally don’t gravitate towards business books – I think the real world teaches much better lessons – this autobiographical account of the charismatic British businessman really struck a chord with me.
Branson’s storytelling takes readers on an extraordinary journey, starting from his early entrepreneurial ventures as a student to the establishment and expansion of the Virgin Group, a global conglomerate comprising diverse businesses, from music and airlines to space exploration.
I connected deeply with Branson’s adventurous spirit and his willingness to embrace challenges, experiment with new business ventures, and push boundaries.
His story reinforced my belief in taking on my own adventures in both my personal and business life. For instance, at the age of 31, I cycled 16,000 kilometers from Shanghai to London through 16 countries to raise money for 107 kids to have cleft lip surgery with Operation Smile. Sir Richard planted the seed that a successful career and a successful life was about having a healthy appetite for risk.
Beyond the adventure, Branson’s emphasis on nurturing relationships, focusing on customer experience, and fostering an organizational culture that encourages innovation and creativity has profoundly influenced my approach to business. His philosophy centers on pursuing passions, seizing opportunities, and fostering a positive and adventurous spirit.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Oliver Goulden: The prevailing political instability and economic pressures are significantly impacting everyday life, and these macro-level issues have become a real challenge for businesses worldwide. It’s a dynamic and complex environment that requires constant adaptation and response.
For our business, we face unique challenges due to our beauty brand co-founders being public figures. They are often under pressure to take sides or speak out on behalf of various groups or causes, given the power of social media to influence global narratives. This is concerning, especially considering the prevalence of misinformation. Influencers are now not allowed to remain quiet even on subjects that are far too complex even for experts.
Another challenge we confront is the extended product manufacturing lead times. This aspect of our industry has become extremely challenging, making it difficult to launch new products and manage inventory effectively.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Oliver Goulden: One of the most underestimated aspects of running a company is managing people, which has become even more challenging in the post-COVID years. The rules of employment and the dynamics of the employer-employee relationship have evolved significantly, which necessitates new strategies for talent retention and optimization.
Many companies find it challenging to navigate the changing dynamics of in-office employment and remote work. The shift towards remote work requires organizations to adapt their management style and engagement approaches, ensuring that employees remain motivated, connected, and productive.
FounderSix was started in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have fully embraced the new working rules. We have worked remotely from day one, and most of our operations are outsourced to trusted partners. While this may entail higher costs, it saves us a significant amount of time on hiring and managing an extensive team for our brands.
By outsourcing operational activities, we are able to focus on larger, more strategic decisions that are going to have a broader impact on the future of the company.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Oliver Goulden: My business superpower is to have the extraordinary ability to bestow this very same wish to each of my beauty brand co-founders. They have all worked so hard with us to make their brands succeed, and they truly deserve to have their entrepreneurial dreams realized.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Oliver Goulden for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Oliver Goulden or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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