It's one of the biggest, most remarkable exits I'm aware of in ecommerce: in 2022, Hero Cosmetics sold for $630M.

So in this episode, I brought Hero's co-founder and former CEO, Ju Rhyu, on to the show to talk about how in the world they accomplished such a big outcome, what she's up to now, and whether or not all that money actually made her happy.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

[00:02:03] Acne care brand and product.
[00:03:18] Launching on Amazon.
[00:08:30] What made Hero successful?
[00:09:38] Focusing on profitable channels.
[00:13:40] Prioritizing retail over DTC.
[00:16:29] Acquisition and role transition.
[00:19:44] Selling the business and the best day of her life.
[00:23:08] Investment opportunities and exclusivity.
[00:26:23] Scaling an e-commerce business.
[00:30:56] Happiness after a successful exit.
[00:34:46] Work and fulfillment in life.
[00:35:27] Transitioning after a successful exit.
[00:39:02] The value of mistakes.
[00:42:04] Amazon-first distribution strategy.

EPISODE SPONSOR

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OTHERE AFP EPISODES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

"Patrick Coddou Sold Supply" (Spotify, Apple)
"Patrick Coddou, One Year After The Exit" (Spotify, Apple)
"Bryan Porter Didn't Get To $100M On Amazon With Just Tips & Tricks" (Spotify, Apple)

FOLLOW UP WITH JU

Follow Ju on X: https://twitter.com/jurhyu
Follow Ju on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jurhyu

FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW

Follow Andrew on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewjfaris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Email Andrew: podcast@ajfgrowth.com
Work with Andrew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ajfgrowth.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

EPISODE MUSIC

Music Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tell Me Mama⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means
Music Outro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rusty Little Scissors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by The Devious Means