Creating a New Product Category with Brea Fullerton of Shinery

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Brea Fullerton is the Founder & CEO of Shinery, a luxury jewelry care brand that is good for you and your jewelry. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia and lives in Georgia Atlanta. After her engagement and being unable to find a jewelry cleaner without harsh chemicals or damaging effects on her skin, Brea launched Shinery. The company has a range of plant-based products that easily fit your daily beauty routine. 

Today, Brea shares the inspiration behind her business, Shinery, and how her previous work experience helped her navigate building a business. She shares the lessons she learned during the startup phase and how it felt when the company started gaining traction. She shares tips on launching a new product, creating a new product category, and what you need to bear in mind when working with a publicist. Brea shares why she decided to self-fund her business and the first retail stores to sell her products. She also shares how you can find the right person to get your products into retail stores and a method to approach them to build a successful partnership.

“When launching a new category, there’s no roadmap, so you have to wake up every day knowing that you’re going into uncharted territories, but the reward is worth the risk.”- Brea Fullerton

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

This week on Startups in Stilettos:

  • The inspiration that led to Brea starting her business
  • How Brea’s career experience helped her when launching her business
  • The lessons she had to learn along the way in the startup phase
  • How it felt when Shinery started gaining traction in the market
  • Tips on launching a product in a new product category
  • What you need to consider when working with a publicist
  • The strategies Brea used for sending out samples to the press
  • Why Brea decided to bootstrap the business rather than use other funding sources 
  • What made Brea choose to work with wholesalers
  • The first retail stores Shinery got into and how it felt to get those orders
  • Finding the right person to get your product into retail stores and how to reach out to them
  • How to prepare for press interviews
  • What is next for Shinery

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “It’s OK that you don’t have the answers; you just have to put one foot in front of the other.” – Brea Fullerton
  • “Never underestimate the power of educating the consumer base and building that community.” – Brea Fullerton
  • “Don’t be afraid to email people when it’s their personal time, even though that’s like an invasion of privacy. That’s when you are probably going to get responded to.” – Brea Fullerton

Connect with Brea Fullerton:

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This episode is sponsored by… Hershey’s Her For She Sorority

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Nominate a woman that inspires you to be featured on Entreprenista’s social media using the hashtag: #HerForShe and tag us @Entreprenistas and @Hersheys

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Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website,  social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!

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We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

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