Sweat Equity: sarah moret, Founder & CEO, Curie

In this episode of There Is No Alternative, Tina Bou-Saba, founder of CXT Investments, sits down with Sarah Moret, Founder & CEO of Curie, to unpack how she went from bootstrapping her deodorant business from her apartment to getting major deals with QVC, Shark Tank, and Walmart.

They dig into the gritty truths behind finding and building on early product-market fit, developing a highly engaged customer community, the sales lessons learned from QVC, and how founder enthusiasm, conviction, and social media magic help Curie punch far above its weight.

If you're creating a new beauty or wellness brand, growing an existing one, or just curious what scrappy consumer brand success really looks like, this one's for you.

In This Episode:

• The leap from side hustle to full-time entrepreneurship

• Navigating retail expansion and driving velocity

• Shark Tank lessons and its long tail of impact

• Hiring for hustle, energy, and execution

• Creating brand love in a crowded personal care category

• How capital efficiency shaped every strategic choice

Chapters:

[00:00] From Frustration to Founder: How Curie Was Born  

[02:52] Launching with $12K: Early Hustle and Product Development  

[04:55] The Phil Knight Lesson That Pushed Her All In  

[07:10] Doing It All: Fulfillment, Customer Support, and Sisterly Help  

[09:33] Scrappy Growth: Email Lists, Social Media, and DMs  

[12:15] Learning from Customers and Building Loyalty  

[14:15] Becoming the Face of Curie (Reluctantly)  

[16:14] Behind the Scenes of QVC: Rejection, Return, and Sell-Out Success  

[18:20] Shark Tank Prep and the Wild Ride to the Set  

[24:41] What Shark Tank Did for Curie’s Revenue and Visibility  

[26:46] The Walmart Deal That Started with a DM  

[29:31] Lessons in Retail: Getting In Is Just the Beginning  

[31:48] Push Back, Speak Up: Navigating Buyer and Broker Incentives  

[33:59] Product Line Expansion: Spray Deodorant and the Armpit Mask  

[36:26] Going Viral: TikTok Strategy, Hooks, and Conversion  

[38:42] Building a Capital-Efficient Team with Hustle DNA  

[41:02] Hiring for Grit and Entrepreneurial Energy  

[43:04] What’s Next: New Products and TikTok Momentum  

[45:29] Founder Advice: Stay Curious and Test Constantly  

[49:04] The Power of Profitability in Scaling Smart  

[50:04] Favorite Product Picks and the Art of Fragrance 

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