She built a skincare empire from a YouTube channel, survived a very public launch controversy, and walked away with a $355M exit. Naturium founder Susan Yara is giving us the unfiltered story of how she built one of beauty's most unexpected brands — and why the best advice she ever got was to never fall in love with what she was building. From predicting her own creator peak to landing in all 1,400 Target doors to selling to E.L.F. Beauty, this is the blueprint ambitious founders actually need.
In this episode, we cover:
🎥 Why Susan started planning her exit from the creator economy before anyone else saw it coming
📊 The analytics move that proved she could convert her audience into real customers
🔥 The launch controversy that could have killed Naturium — and why it didn't
🏪 How Naturium went into all 1,400 Target doors and why you should always ask for more
💰 When and why to take investment as a founder scaling into big box retail
🤝 What the E.L.F. acquisition process actually looked like from the inside — including the Spain trademark that almost killed the deal
🚀 Why Susan stayed with the brand after the sale and what she's building next
✨ Tune in to hear how one of beauty's most unlikely founders built, scaled, and sold a brand entirely on her own terms.
To follow Susan Yara:
https://www.instagram.com/susanyara
To learn more about Naturium:
https://www.naturium.com
Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival
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To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
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To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton
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