From finance to founder, Ava Lee has lived multiple chapters on her way to launching byAVA, a wellness and ingestible beauty brand rooted in Eastern herbal traditions and modern efficacy. A Korean-born creator known for her signature “jelloskin,” she built a global audience on Instagram and TikTok before stepping into entrepreneurship.

In this candid conversation, Ava opens up about leaving investment banking and the challenging identity shift from creator to founder, sharing how those transitions reshaped both her mindset and her business. She reflects on the scrappy early days of hand-packing herbal elixirs with her family in the garage, and explains how she learned to balance low-margin brand builders with higher-margin profit drivers like gua sha.

The story of her Resilience Skin Elixir selling out in just three hours highlights the power of transparency and authenticity. Beyond products, Ava shares why she believes storytelling beats algorithm hacks, her optimism for long-form platforms like newsletters and podcasts, and the Korean principle she holds close: “remember your 초심”—stay anchored to the reasons you started.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[07:17] Shifting from creator to founder and new leadership mindset

[11:52] Launching first herbal elixirs and scrappy early days with family help

[16:27] Balancing low margin brand builders with higher margin profit drivers

[20:23] Resilience skin elixir launch and selling out in three hours

[24:19] Building community trust through long term storytelling and heritage

[28:36] Content strategies today balancing trends with depth and education

[33:49] The future of content with substack newsletters and long form podcasts

[37:19] Staying true to your mission

[41:06] Rapid fire questions on travel, routines, and personal favorites

Resources Mentioned:

From Finance to Founder: Ava Lee on Building byAVA with Transparency