From Accountant to Clean Beauty CEO: How Tisha Thompson Launched LYS Beauty Into Sephora

This week in the guest chair, I’m joined by Tisha Thompson, the founder and CEO of LYS Beauty, the first Black-owned clean cosmetics brand to be carried at Sephora. Tisha shares her inspiring path from staff accountant and part-time makeup artist to leading her own beauty brand that launched during the pandemic and quickly sold out in 10 days.

In this episode, Tisha breaks down how she strategically pivoted from finance to beauty marketing, cold-pitched Sephora with a bold email (before she even launched!), and developed products that center clean ingredients and inclusivity. Her brand LYS, short for Love Yourself, is not only disrupting the beauty space with triangle packaging and affirmational product names—but it’s also remained profitable every year since launch.

In this episode she shares:
– How she got her foot in the beauty industry using her finance background
– Why she took a demotion to pivot industries
– How personal loss and purpose led her to finally launch LYS Beauty
– What made Sephora say “yes” to a brand that hadn’t even launched yet
– How she developed 35 inclusive foundation shades with a clean formulation
– Why representation and self-love are at the heart of her business model

Highlights Include:
00:00 Intro
02:10 How a staff accountant became a makeup artist
04:50 Taking a demotion to move into marketing
10:54 Losing her dad and finding the courage to launch
15:45 Cold-pitching Sephora and landing a deal pre-launch
20:00 What clean beauty means to her (and her skin)
27:00 Packaging, affirmations, and triangle symbolism
30:00 Navigating DEI backlash and economic shifts
45:00 Building a team and staying profitable

Watch episode 467 on YouTube and listen on all podcast apps

Links Mentioned:
LYS Beauty Website: https://lysbeauty.com
LYS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lysbeautyofficial/
Tisha’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glamourgirl5/
Cosmoprof: https://cosmoprofnorthamerica.com
MakeUp In Trade Shows: https://www.makeup-in.com
Luxepack: https://www.luxepack.com

Listen on:
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sidehustlepro
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Affiliate Disclosure: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend or share. If you purchase those items through my links, I may earn a commission. You will not pay more when you use my links.

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