Beauty Boss: Jillian Wright, Founder of Indie Beauty Expo

Jillian Wright. [Image courtesy of Indie Beauty Expo]

Our latest Beauty Boss is Jillian Wright, Founder and CEO of Indie Beauty Expo (IBE)—a curated annual event for those who love all things indie and emerging beauty. Since its conception in 2015, IBE has expanded across the United States and Europe, and serves as a platform for hundreds of brands to network with one other, promote their products, and share their stories.

“Our simple mission with IBE is to showcase great independent brands in a way that honors the hard work and innovative spirit these founders bring to the table,” says Wright. “After the positive feedback following our first show, it became clear that independent brands were going to play a big role in the future of beauty and wellness; but there were many unmet needs that needed to be addressed. We began to systematically go about building platforms to help independent innovators succeed.”

We recently sat down with Wright to chat about what inspired the creation of Indie Beauty Expo, her wellness and beauty tips, secrets to success, and more:

What inspired the creation of Indie Beauty Expo (IBE)?

I was a spa owner and clinical aesthetician for 18 years in New York City. I focused on niche, indie beauty brands to fill up much of my retail space, which made the assortment interesting for my clients who were always excited to discover what new products I had. About 10 years into my career, I decided to launch my own luxury indie skincare line. Because I was consistently booked on top of having family responsibilities, I found it difficult to capitalize on networking opportunities to promote my line.

I quickly realized that in order to attract buyers and press, I needed to get out there and meet people, but I had no idea how. I started doing research and wasn’t satisfied with my options; none of the trade shows or events seemed like the right fit for my brand. Out of frustration, I approached my then facial client Nader Naeymi-Rad and asked him if he would help me produce a show specific to independent beauty. Less than six months later, we launched the Indie Beauty Expo at the Altman Building with 80 brands—all who were in the same situation as me.

We eventually extended Indie Beauty Expo into a two-day event, so there was more time for attendees to interact with exhibitors, and then expanded the expo to other cities, giving more local brands, buyers, press and shoppers a chance to experience IBE. Next, we launched Beauty Independent, our digital publication, to provide a voice to all the great entrepreneurial stories out there that weren’t being heard.

Following that, we launched BeautyX, our educational and networking summits. We saw so many brand founders stumble because they didn’t have reliable resources to help them navigate key business issues.  Finally, with our Retail + Buyer Relation function, we now actively help buyers find the right brands and then help those brands onboard with the retailer.

When was IBE founded?

We produced our first show in New York City in August 2015. We just completed our 11th show in L.A. this past January.

Besides Los Angeles, where else is IBE held?

We have five shows across the U.S. and Europe. Los Angeles, Dallas, NYC, London and Berlin—which is debuting in March. Expanding across Europe, particularly into Germany, is an important milestone for 2019.

Indie Beauty Expo Los Angeles 2019. [Image by Kamala Kirk]

Who inspires you?

People! People who are hard-working, respectful, responsible, honest, trustworthy, fearless, and are on a mission to make this world a better place.

Secret to success?

Success is relative. If I were to do it over again, I wouldn’t leave so much up to chance. I would balance “the dreamer” and “the maker” side of my brain to have a better understanding of what it takes to launch, run and scale a business. It’s one thing to have a great idea—it’s another to execute that idea. If you’re more of a dreamer, I would take basic classes on how to run a business. I would learn how to take my own photographs, create my own graphics and emails, and take a deep dive into social media marketing. Knowledge is queen.

If you’re more of the maker, I would suggest immersing yourself in design and art, and reading about creative people and their processes to learn how our brains work. It’s important to build a team that is both right and left-brained, and respects one another. Respect leads to growth; growth leads to success if managed the right way. Many long-term relationships are made in the indie community because we build each other up. Though it is competitive, we genuinely want to see success for all of us. It’s our responsibility to facilitate these relationships through our platform.

Beauty secret?
Listen to your body. Give your body what it needs. You can delay premature aging by eating a plant-based diet, taking the time to sleep, staying out of the sun (and use a reef-safe sunscreen!), not smoking, stressing less, and following an AM/PM skincare routine.

Wellness tip?

A happy heart, a well-rested brain, a healthy body, good friends and family, and a positive attitude.

Best advice?

Treat others the way you want to be treated.  But, a precursor to that is to listen to yourself and be the person you are meant to be. Don’t let anyone hold you back. Find your tribe that supports you and get rid of any negative energy. Negativity can manifest in many different ways, but usually comes from other humans. Make an edit and get rid of them. Surround yourself by people who love you for who you are. When you’re happy and feel loved, then success follows.

For more information and to attend Indie Beauty Expo, visit the company’s website and follow them on Instagram: @indiebeautyexpo

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk