Masterson has retained the title of founder and creative director, and is still heavily involved in day-to-day operations.
Whats the hardest part of your role as a creative director and brand founder?
But that goes along with being a public brand with that kind of audience.
My problem is, this brands my baby, so I always want to set the record straight.
Whats the most fun part of your job?
I think the most fun part is creating.
I love recreating products that already exist and improving them.
Whats the biggest skin care lesson youve learned?
What are some of the biggest business lessons you learned in your first year of starting Drunk Elephant?
Listen to your gut.
Thats not always right.
From brand to brand, founder to founder, the approach can be completely different.
It needs to be.
Because you have to stay unique thats the way you stand out as a brand.
So many helpful people did.
Do you have any advice for beauty entrepreneurs or small business owners?
I was a stay-at-home mom [before starting Drunk Elephant].
Id never been in the beauty industry.
I live in Houston, Texas.
We were all doing this together and approaching it with fresh eyes.
When and how did you decide to bring in key hires?
To continue growing the brand and to help me scale up, they became super important.
How do you stay organized when running a company?
Im sort of just fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants in that regard.
I get it done, but Im a procrastinator for sure, so I sometimes get it done last-minute.
Do you have a set morning routine?
Every morning I have the same routine.
The companys become so big now.
[Post-acquisition], there are a lot of moving parts.
You dont want to lose touch with it.
And listen in on some of the financial stuff on occasion.
Do you have any tips on hiring good people?
I just didnt like that kind of personality because I wanted my culture to be happy and in harmony.
I wanted to act like a big brand even when I was a small brand.
I kind of had this sense from the very beginning of Drunk Elephant.
We cant cut corners, because if we do that, were that brand that cut corners.
We want the very best available.
I never got away from that line of thinking.
How do you stay inspired?
Im a little bit of a health and wellness freak.
Im inspired by nutrition, for sure.
I just love learning about what the skin and body actually respond to.
What do you think the beauty industry will look like five years from now?
Now, theyre not.
Customers are demanding theyve got high standards for every single thing a brand does.
A brand should [be], and is, held accountable for all of those things.
The consumers, they are telling you what they need and want and what they dont like.
I think were just headed for more of that better and more innovation and better formulations.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onNovember 30, 2021
