Crown Affair's journey from direct-to-consumer launch to a major Sephora partnership offers critical lessons for scaling beauty brands. This episode unpacks the strategic blend of a visionary founder and an operational CEO, detailing how to leverage social media for brand visibility, manage rapid growth, and successfully transition into prominent retail channels while projecting to hit $30 million in revenue.
Key takeaways
Entering a major retailer like Sephora requires a robust operational backbone and clear strategic alignment between direct-to-consumer (DTC) efforts and wholesale goals.
Leverage key social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for authentic brand storytelling and customer acquisition, as demonstrated by Crown Affair's founder Dianna Cohen.
A strong founder-operator partnership, where a visionary founder (Dianna Cohen) is complemented by an operational leader (Elaine Choi), is crucial for managing rapid growth and achieving ambitious revenue targets.
Strategic public relations and high-profile placements, such as the Met Gala, can significantly boost brand visibility and credibility, leading to increased customer awareness and sales.
Define clear 'milestone markers' and operational strategies to navigate rapid growth and expansion, drawing parallels from athletic training to maintain focus on long-term goals.
Hair-care startup Crown Affair has had a big couple of years. After launching in January 2020, Crown Affair entered Sephora in 2022. The brand’s profile has grown as Crown Affair’s products have made the rounds on social media, most notably with Doja Cat donning the brand’s hair towel on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet.
This year, the brand aims to do around $30 million in revenue, up from $20 million last year.
And one of the people who has been instrumental in helping Crown Affair hit bigger and bigger milestones is Elaine Choi, who joined the company shortly before its launch as its founding president and COO. Recently, Choi was elevated to CEO, and she joined the Modern Retail Podcast to talk about her vision for Crown Affair this year.
Dianna Cohen is the founder of Crown Affair. The company’s goal is to help people redefine their relationship with their hair and build new hair rituals with high-quality basics, like “the oil” and “the dry shampoo.” Many of the Crown Affair’s customers were introduced to the brand through Cohen’s videos on TikTok and Instagram, where she has amassed tens of thousands of followers, and shares everything from hair-care tips to behind-the-scenes looks at product development.
"[Cohen is the] creative, visionary founder, and she needed an operator to come in and work with her and launch the brand," Choi said. "So we got connected through a mutual friend. … It was just, like, an instant kismet connection.” Choi ended up joining the brand four months prior to launch, moving from her hometown of Los Angeles to New York to work on Crown Affair.
In the more than five years that she’s been with Crown Affair, Choi has been responsible for the operations side and, overall, making sure the brand is moving where it needs to go. Choi, a former cross-country athlete, likened the process to preparing for a race.
“You know where the finish line is, but how are you setting those milestone markers to keep you going?” she said. “I remember
Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Entering a major retailer like Sephora requires a robust operational backbone and clear strategic alignment between direct-to-consumer (DTC) efforts and wholesale goals.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Leverage key social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for authentic brand storytelling and customer acquisition, as demonstrated by Crown Affair's founder Dianna Cohen.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
A strong founder-operator partnership, where a visionary founder (Dianna Cohen) is complemented by an operational leader (Elaine Choi), is crucial for managing rapid growth and achieving ambitious revenue targets.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Strategic public relations and high-profile placements, such as the Met Gala, can significantly boost brand visibility and credibility, leading to increased customer awareness and sales.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Define clear 'milestone markers' and operational strategies to navigate rapid growth and expansion, drawing parallels from athletic training to maintain focus on long-term goals.
