Hey! It’s Doone, your hype girl in biz. A little reminder that it’s the tiny actions that create impact. Last year I donated $5,000 to the next gen of women founders at UNSW - and it’s still the only donation made specifically to the women’s program (despite the milllllllllions and millions that go to the other programs). That’s $5,000 that went directly into the pockets of women innovating to change the world ✨

And here’s the thing: Tiny actions don’t have to be money related. Here’s a few that don’t cost a cent:

• ⭐ Your time is such a valuable asset, finding mentor opportunities or sharing your learnings over a coffee can unlock huge opportunities

• ⭐ Even simply sharing your brainpower in a text or a DM… It’s low lift but high value

• ⭐ And connecting the dots is one of my absolute favourites. All these tiny actions make a difference!

Right, on the agenda today:

• 💖 Indie brands vs celeb brands. What do you think?

• 💖 We’re breaking down FSC’s ✨content system✨ 

• 💖 A list of female-founder friendly investors you can swipe

• 💖 $700,000 in Funding for women + 5 other reccies

• 💖 3 Remote jobs ops to work alongside building your dream biz

More celebs enter the group chat 💭

Can you think of a single celebrity who hasn’t launched their own beauty line? Tough, right? Just this week, Brooke Shields introduced Commence, and Blake Lively jumped in with Blake Brown Beauty for haircare. They’re joining a star-studded lineup including Rihanna, Gwyneth Paltrow, and the Kardashian-Jenners. So, it makes you wonder: is there still room for indie brands to shine?

The Celebrity Takeover

Celebs like Priyanka Chopra, Jennifer Aniston, and Tracee Ellis Ross have dived into the beauty market, focusing on niches like curly hair or clean beauty. But let's be real—the market is pretty crowded. Nowadays, consumers want more than just a famous face on a label—they crave authenticity, innovation, and products that genuinely add value to their lives.

The Indie Brand Struggle

Indie beauty brands have it tough. Competing with celebrity-backed brands that come with ready-made fan bases and massive marketing budgets? Not easy! Celebs can attract investment, strategic partners and customers overnight, while indie brands will hustle for years to build their presence and credibility.

So… Why Support Indie Brands?

Supporting indie beauty brands is super important for several reasons:

Innovation and Authenticity: Indie brands often bring fresh, unique perspectives to the market. They’re usually founded by passionate people with a personal connection to their products.

Sustainability and Ethics: Many indie brands focus on sustainability and ethical practices. They’re more likely to use clean ingredients and eco-friendly packaging.

Community and Connection: Indie brands foster a sense of community and genuine customer relationships. Their founder stories are often compelling and resonate with consumers.

The beauty industry is vast ($646B in 2024 👀) and there is room for everyone, from celebrity lines to indie brands. However, as consumers, we have the power to shape the market with our choices and when you’re supporting indie brands you’re supporting their small business and truly making someone’s day. Just something to think about.

What’s your opinion on the rise of celeb brands? Join the conversation here →

Breaking Down Our Content System 👉

This week we're diving into one of the most requested topics ever – how we manage to produce so much content and keep it all organised. Creating a ✨seamless✨ content system is crucial for maximising reach and engagement across all your platforms (and today we’re pulling back the curtain!) 👉

• Repurpose Strategically: we kick things off by producing hero content that is then repurposed across our primary channels. For example we record the podcast and create assets that will live on the Newsletter, Instagram or TikTok, and then find creative ways to repurpose it across other channels that are less of a focus for us (like YouTube Shorts, or the blog)

• Consistency and Scheduling: we schedule a base layer of content weekly using Instagram’s native tools, ensuring we stay relevant and on-trend without the hassle of buggy third-party schedulers and then add in reactive content as it pops up

• Daily Content Consumption: staying updated is key, we dedicate time daily on IG and other channels to understand trends, gather inspiration, and see what resonates (staying engaged & relevant) while also engaging with other creators and brands

• Swipe Files: we save swipe files ongoing and use notes apps to save ideas and content inspirations (this means that when it’s time to create, we have a so much of material to draw from!)

• Have Fun: social media should be fun! (enjoy the process of creating and experimenting with new content; your audience will feel it too)

Listen to the full breakdown on the pod →

• Femtech: a man's world? Our thoughts on the first femtech unicorn…

• Canva buys the hot generative AI startup Leonardo.AI

• Spring Health boosts valuation to $3.3B with $100M raise

• Throwback! Urban Decay is finally bringing this OG Palette back

• FemaleInvest just smashed their biggest glass ceiling to date

• Molly Sims partners with Nobu Hotel for a YSE Beauty facial

• BCN-based Olistic is Southern Europe’s fastest growing startup

• Non-technical female founders are (still) changing the game

• More than 100 VCs throw their support behind Kamala

• Wow! Nearly half of Angel Investors are women 🥳

Resources & Reccies 👀

Female-founded side hustles and remote jobs you can work alongside building your ✨dream biz✨:

REMOTE (Aus & NZ) 🏝️

• Pet health company Wagmo is hiring a Claims Team Lead to help impact and grow their sales team | APPLY HERE.

• Moodi, elevating women's mental wellbeing with delicious science-backed supplements, is hiring a Social Media Lead | APPLY HERE.

ON THE SIDE 🐥

• Breast cancer detection startup Gabbi is seeking a part time Care Coordinator with a strong interest in women’s health | APPLY HERE.

👋💖✨ Tysm for reading! Take a hot sec to let us know: