What if I told you that selling fewer units could actually make you more money?

In this episode of Beauty and the Brand, I’m joined by Danielle Monogue—former corporate retail exec and now founder of The RetailOI—who helps Indie Beauty Brands like yours get crystal clear on inventory strategy, margins, and retail readiness. And trust me, she drops some serious truth bombs.

Danielle breaks down a real pricing scenario where one shift led to 5x profit—yep, with fewer units sold. We also get into the messy side of inventory planning, hidden costs in your packaging decisions, scrappy forecasting tips, and what big retailers expect that most founders don’t realize until it’s too late.

If you’ve been chasing more sales but feeling the squeeze in your cash flow, this episode is going to flip the script. Let’s talk about making your inventory work smarter, not harder.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - The Truth About Sales vs. Profit
• 00:02:26 - Inventory Mistakes That Could Kill Your Margins
• 00:05:50 - Run Lean, Scale Smart: Inventory Hacks That Work
• 00:10:46 - Beating Tariffs & Rethinking Your Supply Chain
• 00:15:04 - Forecast Like a Pro (Even Without Data)
• 00:23:46 - Ready for Retail? What Founders Need to Know
• 00:29:09 - Tools That Make Inventory Less Painful
• 00:34:10 - Final Takeaways That Could Save You Thousands

Links and Resources:

• 👉Take our 5 Days to Growing Your Iconic Beauty Brand Challenge for only $17! -
• https://abcreativenyc.com/signup
• 👉 Scale from 0 to 7 figures without spinning your wheels with the Beauty Brand Roadmap: https://abcreativenyc.com/the-beauty-brand-roadmap
• Aggie on LinkedIn
• AB Creative
• Aggie on Instagram
• TheRetailOI Website
• Danielle Monogue on LinkedIn

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Beauty and the Brand? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube to leave us a review!

Mentioned in this episode:

5 Days to Growing Your Iconic Beauty Brand Challenge

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by PR—unsure where to start, convinced you need connections or a hefty budget—this episode will flip that belief on its head. PR strategist and host of the Small Business PR Podcast, Gloria Chou, joins Aggie Burnett to unpack the CPR method, a proven pitching framework that has helped beauty and wellness founders land features in Forbes, Oprah’s Favorite Things, Vogue, and more—all without pay-to-play schemes or traditional gatekeepers.

Gloria shares exactly how to craft irresistible, relevant PR pitches, how to break into holiday gift guides, and which four free tools will instantly level up your media outreach game. This is the ultimate guide for beauty brand founders who want to build credibility, generate organic traffic, and become the go-to name in their niche—starting now.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - The DIY PR Revolution Begins
• 00:00:55 - Gloria Chou’s No-Fluff Founder Journey
• 00:01:35 - Why Traditional PR is Broken
• 00:02:48 - The Secret Sauce of Earned Media
• 00:04:42 - Crafting Pitches That Actually Land
• 00:10:23 - Finding Your Perfect Media Match
• 00:12:00 - Tools That Make You a PR Powerhouse
• 00:16:29 - Start Before You’re Ready
• 00:17:03 - How Editors Really Work Behind the Scenes
• 00:17:57 - Follow-Up Like a Pro
• 00:20:06 - Choosing Outlets That Move the Needle
• 00:22:57 - Cracking the Gift Guide Game
• 00:27:27 - What’s Next for PR in 2025?
• 00:28:38 - From Scratch to Spotlight: Building Your PR Momentum
• 00:30:16 - Gloria’s Go-To Beauty Faves
• 00:31:52 - Free Tools & Pitching Resources to Keep Going

Links and Resources:

• 👉Take our 5 Days to Growing Your Iconic Beauty Brand Challenge for only $17! -
• https://abcreativenyc.com/signup
• 👉 Scale from 0 to 7 figures without spinning your wheels with the Beauty Brand Roadmap: https://abcreativenyc.com/the-beauty-brand-roadmap
• Aggie on LinkedIn
• AB Creative
• Aggie on Instagram
• Website
• Gloria on Instagram: @gloriachoupr
• Gloria on LinkedIn
• DM “beauty” to Gloria on Instagram for a pitching bonus made just for beauty founders

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Beauty and the Brand? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube to leave us a review!

Mentioned in this episode:

5 Days to Growing Your Iconic Beauty Brand Challenge

What if you didn’t have to choose between scaling a wildly successful eCommerce brand and living life on your terms? In this episode, Aggie Burnett sits down with Marissa Rodriguez—former COO turned 8-figure eCommerce growth strategist—who’s helped founders generate over $100 million in online revenue while working remotely from Greece. Marissa shares her playbook for building “boring businesses” that are anything but—ones grounded in performance, clarity, and a freedom-first mindset. You’ll learn the 3 clicks that actually drive revenue, how to avoid the “go viral” trap, and why being a generalist might be your most powerful founder trait. If you’ve ever felt scattered, undercapitalized, or uncertain about your next growth step—this one’s for you.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - Intro: Scaling Without Burnout—The “Boring” Business Advantage
• 00:01:01 - Meet Marissa: From Corporate Executive to $100M Ecom Mentor
• 00:01:39 - The Wake-Up Call: When Comfort Crashed and Freedom Called
• 00:03:35 - Greece, Guts & Growth: Why I Left Everything Behind
• 00:06:08 - Time Zones & Traction: The Global Edge You’re Not Using
• 00:07:56 - Proof It Works: How My Clients Earned 8 Figures Online
• 00:15:15 - Revenue That Lasts: My 3-Click Framework for Predictable Sales
• 00:20:57 - DTC Brands, Listen Up: Why Your Growth Strategy Feels Scattered
• 00:28:07 - The Meta Misunderstanding: What You’re Getting Wrong About Paid Ads
• 00:29:26 - Funnels Aren’t Dead—You’re Just Not Using Them Right
• 00:30:17 - Growth Is a System: Why Ecosystem Thinking Wins
• 00:37:22 - Nobody Wins Alone: The Hidden Power of Mentors & Strategic Allies
• 00:44:14 - AI in Ecom: What Founders Should Actually Be Paying Attention To
• 00:49:50 - How to Increase AOV Without Getting Gimmicky
• 00:51:14 - Founders, Track This: The Metrics That Matter Most
• 00:52:34 - Want to Work Together? Mentorship, Resources & What’s Next
• 00:53:59 - Wrap Up: Your Brand, Your Terms, Your Timeline

Links and Resources:

• 👉Take our 5 Days to Growing Your Iconic Beauty Brand Challenge for only $17! -
• https://abcreativenyc.com/signup
• 👉 Scale from 0 to 7 figures without spinning your wheels with the Beauty Brand Roadmap: https://abcreativenyc.com/the-beauty-brand-roadmap
• Aggie on LinkedIn
• AB Creative
• Aggie on Instagram
• Through Experience® Website
• Marissa Rodriguez on LinkedIn

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Beauty and the Brand? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube to leave us a review!

Mentioned in this...