Former OUAI CEO Reveals $300M Marketing Secrets
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview, hosted by Serena Smith, with Hannah, the outgoing CEO of the hair care brand OUAI (spelled Wei in the captions), in her final interview as CEO. She was the brand's third employee under founder Jen Atkin and says the company grew to a $300 million global brand with distribution at Sephora, Ulta and Nordstrom. She covers the scrappy early days, quiet minimalist packaging, luxury fragrance, an emotional and funny tone of voice, admitting she does not know everything as a CEO, and getting unstuck by leaving her routine. Sponsor: Shopify, which presents the show. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, a middle section on becoming CEO, the closing section and the description, and does not cover every part of the roughly 40 minute conversation. Brand and name spellings follow the video title and may differ from the captions. All business claims and figures are the speakers' own and are not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
A scrappy start
She says the early days were a near constant dumpster fire with a tiny team, no budget and a Sephora launch out of the gate.
Why she joined
She says she joined because the founder, Jen Atkin, spoke with a clear vision and references from outside beauty, such as car and shoe ads.
Packaging that stood out
She says the packaging was quiet and minimalist in a noisy retail aisle, with intuitive product names.
Fragrance as brand DNA
She says the aim was a scent that smells like expensive perfume so people ask what you are wearing.
Tone of voice
She says the brand speaks to emotional reasons rather than technical ones, using candor, humor and boldness.
Admitting you do not know
She says no CEO who claims to know what they are doing is being fully honest, and that admitting it lets you ask better questions.
Getting unstuck
She says she gets out of her routine by visiting stores, talking to beauty advisors or travelling, because a change of environment shifts her mindset.
The Conversation Breakdown
A scrappy start
⏱ Untimed topicShe says the early days were a near constant dumpster fire with a tiny team, no budget and a Sephora launch out of the gate.
Why she joined
⏱ Untimed topicShe says she joined because the founder, Jen Atkin, spoke with a clear vision and references from outside beauty, such as car and shoe ads.
Packaging that stood out
⏱ Untimed topicShe says the packaging was quiet and minimalist in a noisy retail aisle, with intuitive product names.
Fragrance as brand DNA
⏱ Untimed topicShe says the aim was a scent that smells like expensive perfume so people ask what you are wearing.
Tone of voice
⏱ Untimed topicShe says the brand speaks to emotional reasons rather than technical ones, using candor, humor and boldness.
Admitting you do not know
⏱ Untimed topicShe says no CEO who claims to know what they are doing is being fully honest, and that admitting it lets you ask better questions.
Getting unstuck
⏱ Untimed topicShe says she gets out of her routine by visiting stores, talking to beauty advisors or travelling, because a change of environment shifts her mindset.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Talk like a friend - her copy rule
Replace technical claims with friend-to-friend language such as fine hair, we got you.
Honest leadership - her stance
Admit what you do not know so your team can challenge and add information.
Leave the routine - her unstick method
Spend a day in the field or somewhere new to reset your mindset.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Rewrite one ad line in plain friend-to-friend language.
- ✓Tell your team one thing you do not know and ask for their input.
- ✓Spend a day in a store or at a competitor's shelf this month.
- ✓Treat the revenue and growth figures as the speakers' claims and verify them before repeating them.
Notable Quotes
“Any CEO that tells you that they know what they're doing is kind of lying”
“Like a near constant dumpster fire at the time”
“we just say fine hair, we got you”
The One Thing to Remember
The guest says the brand stood out through quiet packaging, expensive-smelling fragrance and a friendly tone, and that honest leadership means admitting nobody has the full map.