In 2010, Katia Beauchamp changed the face of the beauty business. She and her co-founder Hayley Barna launched Birchbox, which sent monthly boxes of the newest beauty samples to customers who paid a small fee. Six years after the business launched, the beauty industry had changed and Katia faced challenges affecting the subscription-box model.
Birchbox pioneered what would become known as the subscription economy category and was eventually valued at more than $500 million. One of the first direct to consumer companies, it seemed like a simple concept, for just $10 a month, customers would receive monthly boxes of beauty samples tailored to their needs. They were solving a big problem in the beauty industry, getting consumers to discover new products at home. However, other players in the market evolved, many similar companies were launched and Katia had to make some tough decisions as a CEO which resulted in getting Birchbox to profitability and raising more money from investors for further growth.
Katia kindly took the time to have a catch up call with me to discuss life as a mother of four and as CEO of Birchbox.
You have a really interesting background; please could we discuss how that shaped you as a person?
I’m from Texas. I was born in Austin, but I grew up in El Paso with my single mom and my brother. I grew up in the desert, and I would spend the summers where my dad lived, which was Germany and then to where his parents lived which was Greece. The only parts of the world I saw growing up were the desert, El Paso which is predominantly Hispanic (my mother is Mexican) and then going to Germany and Greece and seeing a totally different way of life. Those were my two touchpoints until I went to college up in the Northeast which was just on the whole, a very different experience.
“I have four kids and it’s by far the best thing that I have ever done.”
From a young age I was always very ambitious, I was hungry to reach my full potential. In my early twenties and after a few years of finance I was ready for something different, I applied to business school and that’s where I found entrepreneurship.
After your Bachelor’s degree you went into Investment Banking, what was your thought process behind leaving a prestigious career track and becoming an entrepreneur?
I worked in commercial real estate investing which is very male-dominated and I found it hard to navigate. I tried to speak-up and was told it wasn’t my place to have a perspective, I was frustrated and unhappy. At the time I didn’t directly associate this problem with being female because I was somewhat in denial. I was young and naïve and coming from a top undergraduate college, I thought opportunities for men and women would be equal. Reflecting back on it now I realise it is really hard to navigate your career when you don’t have senior people who are like you.
“... coming from a top undergraduate college, I thought opportunities for men and women would be equal.... now I realise it is really hard to navigate your career when you don’t have senior people who are like you.”
It led to a realisation; I didn’t want to be in a job where I had to keep my head down for five to ten years before someone would allow me to have an idea. Entrepreneurship would give me the freedom to make my ideas tangible, so I went on to be a co-founder of a start-up. When we first shared our idea for Birchbox almost everyone said, “that’s a bad idea” and we grew it into one of the largest subscription e-commerce companies in the world.
I found the Marie Claire article about how you ran Birchbox from your hospital bed after a high risk pregnancy incredibly moving. How has being a mother of four changed you as a leader? (see below for link to the article)
I have four kids and it’s by far the best thing that I have ever done. For half of my career I was pregnant or nursing and right now I am exploring a time in my life where I am not doing either! It feels a little bizarre not to have to worry about hooking myself up to someone between talks or on aeroplanes.
“When we first shared our idea for Birchbox almost everyone said, “that’s a bad idea” and we grew it into one of the largest subscription e-commerce companies in the world.”
My high risk pregnancy was a life changing experience. I had never really ruminated on what women go through to become a mother, or the trauma some of them go through. When I shared my experience on social media, I was astounded by so many people responding with their stories on becoming a mother. I'm flabbergasted that we’re still debating the ability of women. As I stated in the Marie Claire article, women are infinitely stronger, women are infinitely better, women are infinitely more capable, because of this additional perspective of trying to, or becoming, a mother.
The strength and the ability to understand what really matters has such an impact on the ability to do your job. Perspective had such an impact on my ability to be fearless and take risks.
When you started Birchbox it was a pioneering concept, since then the market has shifted and you have gone through some difficult times. How did you manage those difficult times?
I see everything as a learning experience. I have stopped viewing tough situations with fear or as insurmountable and instead realise that defeat is not inevitable. It’s about shifting your mindset instead of seeing the hard moment as something that will conquer you. You always get to the other side and starting to feel that in the moment makes it feel less dramatic and more manageable.
“I have faced the challenges Birchbox has faced head-on. It feels exciting and engaging to try to push the boundaries of what you thought you could weather.”
I have faced the challenges Birchbox has faced head-on. It feels exciting and engaging to try to push the boundaries of what you thought you could weather. The worst-case scenario for me — with Birchbox, is if Birchbox goes away, everything is fine, we’ll all be fine. I will miss it. I am sure consumers would miss it, but knowing that everything is really okay and that you are okay is very powerful. Eventually, it doesn’t end up feeling so brave, it just feels logical.
Lastly, for those people out there thinking of starting a venture in the beauty industry what would your advice be to them?
My biggest piece of advice is that if you have a specific idea, just start! The way to do that is to share your idea. There are a lot of really great ideas out there, however, execution is the hardest thing and you have to put one foot in front of the other to start.
Katia’s article with Marie Claire, “How I Ran My Company on Bed Rest”:
https://www.marieclaire.com/career-advice/a28747661/katia-beauchamp-birchbox-bed-rest/
You can find out more about Birchbox at https://www.birchbox.co.uk/
Photography courtesy of Katia Beauchamp, Birchbox and Aaliyah Hunt
