# Carol's Daughter: Lisa Price

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2017-06-12
- Length: 41m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price

## Summary

Lisa Price, founder of Carol's Daughter, explains how she transitioned from a TV writer's assistant to building a beauty empire for women of color, starting with homemade body butters in her Brooklyn apartment. She details the early stages of selling at flea markets, the pivotal moment of appearing on Oprah that crashed her website, and the financial hurdles of opening her first brick-and-mortar store. The episode concludes with her decision to sell the company to L'Oreal in 2014 and the subsequent backlash from the community, alongside a brief story about Dan Gosling creating ChopSaver lip balm for musicians.

## Chapters

- [0:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=24) Introduction: Lisa Price and Carol's Daughter
- [3:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=198) From TV Writer to DIY Beauty Formulator
- [7:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=430) First Sales at Flea Markets and Baby Food Jars
- [13:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=824) Leaving TV and Growing from Home
- [21:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=1267) Opening the First Store and Financial Risks
- [25:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=1547) The Oprah Effect and Website Crash
- [28:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=1681) Investors, Jay-Z, and Scaling to Sephora
- [32:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=1929) Selling to L'Oreal and Community Backlash
- [37:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-06-12-carols-daughter-lisa-price#t=2242) Postscript: Dan Gosling and ChopSaver

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Carol's Daughter (product)
- L'Oreal (company)
- Cosby Show (other)
- Essence magazine (other)
- Oprah Winfrey Show (other)
- Sephora (company)
- Macy's (company)
- Pegasus Capital Advisors (company)
- ChopSaver (product)
- Jay-Z (other)
- Will Smith (other)
- Jada Pinkett Smith (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [019: Organic haircare products with Susana Stewart & Caroline Maina of Fro Butter](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-09-20-019-organic-haircare-products-with-susana-stewart-caroline-maina-of-fro-butter) (Product Startup)
- [From turning down Shark Tank offers to raising $2.7 million for Nopalera with Sandra Velasquez (2023)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-10-17-from-turning-down-shark-tank-offers-to-raising-2-7-million-for-nopalera-with-san) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [021: Using Public Research to Develop WINK Lash and Brow Oil with Megan Cox of Amalie Beauty](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-10-04-021-using-public-research-to-develop-wink-lash-and-brow-oil-with-megan-cox-of-am) (Product Startup)
- [Founder Feature: Akua Boakye Okunseinde of Karité](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-02-21-founder-feature-akua-boakye-okunseinde-of-karite) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Veena Krishnan and Whitney McElwain of Daybird](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-08-10-founder-feature-veena-krishnan-and-whitney-mcelwain-of-daybird) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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