How T3 Hit $4 Million in Sales Then Got Into Sephora
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview, hosted by Adam Levter (as spelled in the captions), with Dr. Julie Chung, co-founder of the premium hair tool brand T3 with her husband Kent Yu. She says that as a third-year medical student she struggled with ordinary hair dryers, Kent redesigned the dryer around airflow and weight, and they bet 50,000 dollars on 10,000 units, made 4 million dollars in the first year, and were approached by Sephora, which had sold no hair tools before. She also covers staying 100 percent owned, retailer expectations and the contrast between medicine and business. Sponsor: Shopify, which presents the show and links a free trial in the description. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the origin story, a middle section on ownership and retailers, the closing and the description, and does not cover every part of the roughly 33 minute conversation. All business claims and figures are the speakers' own and are not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
Zero tools at Sephora
She says before T3 there were no electric hair tools at Sephora, and the retailer came to them after about 4 million dollars in first-year sales.
The founder problem
She says she was a medical student struggling with a 20 dollar dryer, and that no elevated, technologically advanced hair tool existed for women like her.
Kent's redesign
She says Kent, who grew up in the salon world, set out to cut frizz with different airflow and to make the dryer lighter and more ergonomic.
Beauty aisle, not appliances
She says T3 insisted on sitting next to skincare and cosmetics rather than in the home appliance section, which was unheard of.
The 50,000 dollar bet
She says they manufactured 10,000 units in Korea and calls the investment a crapshoot.
Staying 100 percent owned
She says full ownership gives control over products and timing, without pressure to grow by a set percentage each year.
Retailer demands
She says brands must use the marketing levers retailers want, and that T3 was once taken off the Sephora shelf and brought back with innovative products.
The Conversation Breakdown
Zero tools at Sephora
⏱ Untimed topicShe says before T3 there were no electric hair tools at Sephora, and the retailer came to them after about 4 million dollars in first-year sales.
The founder problem
⏱ Untimed topicShe says she was a medical student struggling with a 20 dollar dryer, and that no elevated, technologically advanced hair tool existed for women like her.
Kent's redesign
⏱ Untimed topicShe says Kent, who grew up in the salon world, set out to cut frizz with different airflow and to make the dryer lighter and more ergonomic.
Beauty aisle, not appliances
⏱ Untimed topicShe says T3 insisted on sitting next to skincare and cosmetics rather than in the home appliance section, which was unheard of.
The 50,000 dollar bet
⏱ Untimed topicShe says they manufactured 10,000 units in Korea and calls the investment a crapshoot.
Staying 100 percent owned
⏱ Untimed topicShe says full ownership gives control over products and timing, without pressure to grow by a set percentage each year.
Retailer demands
⏱ Untimed topicShe says brands must use the marketing levers retailers want, and that T3 was once taken off the Sephora shelf and brought back with innovative products.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Change the aisle - T3's positioning
Put a product where the customer expects premium beauty, not where its category normally sits.
Look good and work well - her rule
Design must come with performance or the brand will not last.
Sell through or lose the shelf - retail rule
Meet the retailer's marketing and sales expectations to keep your space.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Ask where your category sits in stores and whether a different aisle would suit your customer better.
- ✓Test your product's performance as hard as its looks before launch.
- ✓Write down what a retailer would need from you to keep your shelf space.
- ✓Treat the revenue and investment figures as the speakers' own and verify them before repeating them.
Notable Quotes
“Before T3, there were zero tools at Sephora.”
“If we just made it really beautiful and it didn't work well, we wouldn't be here 20 years later.”
“In business, there are no guarantees”
The One Thing to Remember
Julie Chung says T3 won Sephora by making a beautiful, high-performing hair tool for consumers, placed in beauty retail instead of the appliance aisle, while keeping founder ownership.