617: How A Failing Skincare Brand Became An 8-Figure Makeup Empire | Aliett Buttelman - Total Greatness with Sam Barry | Interviewing World Class Guests in Health, Wealth & Spirituality Recap

Podcast: Total Greatness with Sam Barry | Interviewing World Class Guests in Health, Wealth & Spirituality

Published: 2025-12-25

Duration: 55 minutes

Guests: Aliet Buttelman

Summary

Aliett Buttelman transformed Phase It Beauty from a struggling skincare brand into a makeup powerhouse, leveraging a viral moment and strategic pivots to achieve rapid growth. This episode delves into her journey of resilience, innovative product development, and savvy marketing tactics.

What Happened

Aliett Buttelman's journey with Phase It Beauty began with a modest $13,000 investment, targeting acne patches, ingrown hair patches, and silicone scar patches. Despite initial traction, the brand plateaued at $20,000 monthly sales. The turning point came with a strategic pivot from skincare to makeup patches, driven by community interest and feedback, leading to an unprecedented viral success.

A fortuitous moment occurred when Taylor Swift wore Phase It's gold glitter freckles to a Chiefs game, leading to over a million dollars in sales within 48 hours. This success wasn't a mere stroke of luck but a result of meticulous groundwork, including Aliett's preparation for such a break by engaging journalists and hiring a publicist to maximize exposure.

Phase It's organic social strategy played a crucial role in its growth. Aliett focused on TikTok, posting 10 times a day, and utilized influencer seeding to build brand awareness. This approach helped the brand's content reach over 500,000 daily views, although converting these views to sales became feasible only after the launch of the TikTok Shop Beta program in the US.

Despite facing over 100 rejections from venture capitalists, Aliett's perseverance paid off with a $50,000 accelerator program and $175,000 from friends and family. Maintaining 98% ownership of the company, she emphasized profitability and broke industry norms by focusing on Amazon as a primary sales channel due to its impulse-buy nature.

Aliett highlighted the importance of aspirational products that offer self-expression and emotional connection, contrasting with purely problem-solving products. This strategic focus helped Phase It Beauty secure a 1,000-store rollout with Target, further solidifying its market presence.

Setting ambitious goals proved pivotal as Aliett publicly declared a $3 million revenue target for 2024, which was surpassed in just two days following the viral moment. This underscores the power of bold goal-setting and the readiness to capitalize on unexpected opportunities.

Aliett's story is one of resilience and strategic innovation, demonstrating how targeted pivots, leveraging social media, and maintaining lean operations can transform a struggling business into a market leader. Her journey offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs navigating competitive spaces.

Key Insights