5 Lessons In Running A Successful Business, According To Kylie Jenner

In the world of the Kardashians, it is hard to imagine that any of them would feel out of place or lack self-esteem. But there was a time when the youngest, Kylie Jenner, would ask her mom, Kris, about what she could be good at. Fast forward to years after and the youngest turns into a successful entrepreneur, selling a product that’s been marketed smartly using Kylie’s and the rest of the Kardashian’s carefully crafted brand.

Since its launch in 2016, Kylie Cosmetics has been moving up with its massive sales. In fact, most of the Kylie Lip Kits (liquid lipstick + lip liner duo) are often sold out in online beauty shops. Seed Beauty, the company that manufactures Kylie Cosmetics in California, swears by the quick moving stock.

“We are running the factory 24-7 to meet demand,” said Laura Nelson, co-founder of Seed Beauty, in a phone call with Vanity Fair. “It’s truly as much as we can make.”

What does it take to run a successful business like Kylie Jenner’s? Here are lessons we picked up from the young entrepreneur.

Focus on what you know

Kylie was only 9-years-old when reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, premiered. As the public saw her growing up, she was often criticized for having the smallest lips in the brood. Then in 2014, she suddenly debuted a fuller pout, which led to suspicions of cosmetic surgery. Kylie back then denied that she had her lips enhanced, but in 2015, she finally admitted to using temporary lip fillers for months.

Now, banking on her lip obsession, Kylie Jenner has revealed in Daily Record UK that she cannot leave the house without any lipstick on or she will have an anxiety attack.

“I can’t leave the house without lipstick. Everyone was so interested in the color I was wearing. But nothing was ever perfect for me. I just thought, ‘Why not make my own lip kit with a liner and lipstick?'”

Be hands-on

Contrary to what others may think, Kylie is actually hands-on when it comes to running her business. She may only be 19-years-old, but she already thinks like most successful business owners.

“I wake up and immediately check what orders are coming in—what’s selling the best,” Kylie shares with Fast Company. “My manufacturer brings me products every day. I have a spot in my house, my creative room, and we just have meetings after meetings.”

Anticipate market needs

Kylie’s lip kits were once accused of being the overpriced version of ColourPop, another makeup brand which were also being produced in Spatz Laboratories, the same lab where Kylie’s products are being produced. According to social media forums like Reddit, both products have identical formulation and ingredients. However, known beauty vlogger, Stephanie Nicole, refuted claims of similar formulation for the liquid lipstick, on one of her reviews of the Kylie Jenner product.

“With each of the brands, it’s going to be a little different how we leverage the resources and the infrastructure,” said Seed Beauty co-founder John Nelson explaining that the ColourPop team was even in a totally different building from Kylie Cosmetics. “Everyone is coming up with their own formulas and their own exclusive products.”

On Kylie Jenner’s part, she reveals thinking about what she wants and then what people would want. With the smell of the lipsticks, she knows she wants them to smell sweet. She shares that she was given options where she was asked to pick her favorite. She also answered a market need which she has experienced.

“Usually, when girls do their lipstick, they use a lip liner and a lipstick, and they never have a match. So I created a perfect match, because that’s what I’ve always wanted,” the youngest KUWTK reality star said.

Be social media savvy

Kylie Jenner boasts of 96.3 million Instagram followers. A minimum of ten percent of those would probably be potential customers of Kylie Cosmetics.

“I don’t pay for advertisements. I don’t do commercials. Social media is the only way I push it: Snapchat, Instagram.”

Kylie also reveals having an assistant who helps her out with her social media posts, but in the end, she still has the final say. She says that when the posts don’t reflect her brand, she often deletes the pictures. This is actually one of the basic fundamentals in marketing a product: Consistency.

Use your available resources

Kylie reveals that when she’s releasing a product on Snapchat, she would be MIA for a couple of hours. The young entrepreneur would mostly be running around the house to find the perfect lighting to match the perfect swatch. Kylie also says she uses her housekeeper’s arm—which she says is the best arm—for her product’s swatches.

Her latest product is a new lipstick set sprung from her collaboration with her more famous sibling, Kim Kardashian. KKW by Kylie Cosmetics comes in a pack of four almost similar shades of crème liquid nude lippies. As expected, the newly-released product was already out of stock, and was said to restock only three days after its release. KKW is currently still out of stock in the Kylie Cosmetics official website.

[Featured Image by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images]