Madison Reed: Amy Errett

How I Built This · 18 Aug 2025 · 1h 18m

What this episode covers

Amy Errett, founder and CEO of Madison Reed, explains how she pivoted from a career in finance and venture capital to launch a hair color brand at age 56. She details the product development process with Italian manufacturers, the strategic use of a color-matching algorithm, and the company's evolution from direct-to-consumer sales to a multi-channel model including 100 Color Bars and retail partnerships with Ulta. Errett also candidly discusses the painful separation from three co-founders, a failed Groupon trial, and the challenges of raising capital in a consumer market dominated by AI narratives.

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