Madison Reed: Amy Errett

In this episode of How I Built This, Amy Errett discusses her path to creating Madison Reed, a hair color brand focused on quality and user experience. After a varied career in finance and venture capital, Amy decided to address the challenges faced by at-home hair dye users, inspired partly by her wife’s struggles with hair color products. Despite not having previous experience in the beauty industry, she launched Madison Reed in 2013.

Amy's journey included painful setbacks, including being fired from a previous job, which ultimately helped her gain clarity on what motivated her. As she navigated startup complexities, she dealt with the challenge of co-founders and various team dynamics that slowed down the company’s progression. Despite these hurdles, Amy built a strong foundation for Madison Reed, emphasizing customer satisfaction through innovative tools like an AI-driven algorithm for hair color matching.

The discussion covers Madison Reed's expansion into retail, the initial struggles with customer acquisition, and adapting to the post-pandemic landscape. Amy highlights how her company thrived during the pandemic as it shifted resources to meet heightened online demand. She also reflects on the importance of transparency in ingredient safety, aiming to provide a product that consumers can trust. Throughout the episode, Amy emphasizes her growth as a founder and the lessons learned from both successes and failures as she continues to navigate the complex world of consumer brands.