Black HerStory Month Day 9
“The makeup industry is huge, a multi-billion dollar industry. If blues, greens, and purples would sell more lipsticks, wouldn’t the big companies already have them on the shelves? There is no market for a product like that if there was, the big companies would crush you for the colorful cockroaches you are.”
She’s a rebel with a cause to change the way people think about beauty! She doesn’t take NO for an answer! She is the definition of NOT letting other people tell you how to live your life! She has developed a multi-million dollar cosmetics empire in 9 years that started in her kitchen!! Have you figured it out yet? It is none other than the GORGEOUS, FEARLESS, DETERMINED Miss Melissa Butler, Founder and CEO of The Lip Bar!!!
How It Started: Melissa was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan! She is a graduate of FAMU (Florida A&M University-HBCU Salute!!) where she received a Bachelor’s in Business Finance! #GorgeousAndEducated #BlackToo. Upon Graduating from FAMU, this Queen moved to New York City to work on Wall Street as a licensed stock broker! While there, she still had a NEED to be CUTE! Melissa found herself in a constant battle, NO, STRUGGLE, of frustration with the beauty industry, she could not find any products that she felt represented themselves well, without all of the “extra stuff”. So, what does an educated, woman of color do when she can’t find what she is looking for?? SHE MAKES IT of course, and that’s what she did! The very definition of “If you can’t find a way, MAKE a way”. Melissa sought to create a brand that would be inclusive, yet different, non-toxic, yet colorful, and easy to use so everyone could look in the mirror and say “I’m beautiful”. In her words “Everyone deserves to have representation. Without it, we are left seeking validation!!!!” #PowerfulTruths! This desire led her to create The Lip Bar, maybe you’ve heard of it! The Lip Bar is a vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand that aims to help change the way you think about beauty, by reminding you that YOU ARE ENOUGH!
Melissa began her journey to the lipsticks of her dreams by mixing batches in her kitchen while still working on Wall Street! Stock Broker by day, mixologist by night! For the first three years of her company’s existence, this Queen made every last one of the products she sold….BY HAND!!! She WAS the company, from processing, to packaging, to customer service, she did it ALL. With colors like Cosmo and Sour Apple Martini she was determined to create shades that complimented all skin tones! #YouGoQueen, making those dreams happen by any means necessary! In her first year, this queen brought in $27,000!!!! #SheIsTheBag! Two years later, she moved back to Detroit to focus full-time on The Lip Bar! Here is where it gets fun!! Between 2012 and 2015 she made $100,000 in revenue!! Mind you, at this time she is STILL working out of her kitchen! She KNEW her product was good and just needed help getting it to the next level! So, she made her way to Shark Tank! She thought if she could land a deal with one of “The Sharks” she would surely be on her way! This did not happen! Her and her business partner were rejected by ALL FIVE judges, called “colorful cockroaches”, met with insults, criticisms, doubt, mockery, and the like! On top of that, she was told that “she would never even get market share” and no one would buy that! 😲
“ I don’t take NO for an answer. So what that means for me is that I’m a risk taker just by nature. It’s just like in my blood. ”
How It’s Going: For some, that horrible Shark Tank experience would have been the end, some would have felt defeated and wanted to give up! NOT Queen Melissa, she persevered, she KNEW her worth, she knew her product was good, and she knew people needed it! Regardless of what “The Sharks” said! I mean, who are they anyway?? Are they the ones that have the last say? I think NOT! Melissa was asked “What did your Shark Tank experience teach you about yourself and your business?” Her answer was nothing short of AMAZING:
“Be open to failure and receiving advice. Be open to learning. But also, be confident in your ability to move the ship in the right direction. If you aren’t confident, those moments of resistance will eat you alive. Shark Tank taught me a lot; it taught me that I was stronger than I thought and to focus on my North Star. It proved to me that I wouldn’t let anything get in my way of changing the way women think about beauty. So listen and learn in those moments of doubt but keep pushing forward. People are always going to have opinions and in today’s world with social forums, comments, etc., people are going to share their thoughts. Feedback is a blessing and a curse because it can be hurtful but that’s where growth happens, for you and for the company or product. To this day I always follow my instinct and my advice would be for young entrepreneurs to do the same, but be open to an unbiased outside opinion.”-Melissa Butler CEO/ Founder The Lip Bar
What a phenomenal woman! “Our rejection on Shark Tank was not easy, but at that moment, I had to make a decision. And I decided that I would not give someone else power over my dreams.” Once getting turned down on Shark Tank, Melissa lit the fire under herself. She used social media to contact possible buyers!! #GirlYouBetta!! Her determination and belief in herself paid off!! She eventually made contact with a buyer FROM TARGET!!!!! In 2018, The Lip Bar was on shelves at 40 U.S. based Target stores!!
“My goal is just to expand,” Butler told the Free Press last year. “The goal is to create beauty that’s affordable, that’s accessible and that’s high performing. We want to be in stores like Ulta. We want to be in more Targets. That’s the ultimate goal.”
What did I tell ya’ll about GOALS!!! Set Them and CRUSH Them!! This girl just goes on 10 at all times!! They went from being in 40 Target stores to 450 stores nationwide!!! Since her MAJOR deal with Target, Melissa and The Lip Bar have been featured in, Essence, People, Elle and Cosmopolitan Magazines as well as LinkedIn, Fast Company and The Huffington Post. In February 2019, The Lip Bar opened a flagship store in downtown Detroit. She took it home ya’ll!! Melissa and her team were surrounded by a congratulatory community of women in business! This success story is a reminder that dreams do come true!! Hers did and YOURS can TOO!!! In 2020, this Queen was celebrated by INC Magazine as a top entrepreneur!! Her views on business and beauty have been recognized by industry giants like Forbes, Women’s Wear Daily and so many more!!
“For a brief moment I felt defeated. I was like, ‘Oh my god, they didn’t love it, what do I do now?’ Then I snapped out of it and asked myself that question. My answer was you keep going; you don’t allow someone else to dictate your future or create your destiny. That’s something that you have to write. You have to be the author of your own book. It went from this feeling of defeat to a feeling of determination, and it gave me a little bit of extra steam. So I’ve always believed to play by your own rule book. Create your own destiny and create your own standard.”
Where to Find More: The story of Melissa Butler is amazing! She got told NO on national television, she was insulted, she was told that no one would buy her products! But, she did not let this deter her! if you want to learn more about this Queen click here. If you want to check out her gorgeous cosmetics line click here!
Miss Butler, you are a fantastic inspiration! Thank you for not giving up! Thank you for your determination! Thank you for having a dream and proving that the only person that needs to believe in your dream is YOU! You are an inspiration and I am so glad you are you!!
As always, thank you ALL for allowing me to share my passions with you and I hope that my blog inspires you to go after what you want and believe in yourself in every aspect, because I believe in you! Now strike your POWER POSE 🕺💃- We got this, NOW LET’S GET TO IT!!!
Keep Shining Loves
-💕 Jazz
References
