How To Create A Brand That Grows On It's Own

Organic growth is the number one trait for all successful brands. Here's how the Ellis Brooklyn founder reached it.

Startup founders are by definition, folks who see a white space in a given market and create something to fill it and make it colorful. I started PRÊTE because I wanted to support small businesses and be more efficient with my own personal routine, Sofia Amoruso started Nasty Gal because she knew how to shop for vintage clothing and "flip it," Sarah Blakely started Spanx because she needed stockings without feet, and Emily Weiss launched Glossier because her blog, Into The Gloss, saw tons of trends and products that weren't quite right for her millennial reader.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across Ellis Brooklyn, a New York based sustainable fragrance company. I didn't make the connection right away, but its founder turned out to be the Bee Shapiro, a popular New York Times beauty writer. You would think that I would have made that connection quickly given my PR background (I blame lack of sleep), but I digress...

Ellis Brooklyn is not only sustainable, but trendy in the classiest of ways. Their branding is simple and sleek with a little personality -- catching the eye of women and editors everywhere. Bee even called it "farm to fragrance" because of how closely she works with her product manufacturers. One would assume that the press coverage of Ellis Brooklyn was due to its founders connections and PR contacts, but when I spoke with Bee, turns out, she's not represented by anyone and her coverage and growth has been organic.

Not unlike Glossier, who has a similar story. Read more

Nina Ojeda - INC. - 15 May 2017