Podcast Summary: Style-ish – "Viral Videos, Beauty, and Bank Loans: How Rachael Wilde Built an Empire"

Podcast: Style-ish
Host: Shameless Media
Episode: Viral videos, beauty, and bank loans: How Rachael Wilde built an empire
Date: September 4, 2025

Overview

This episode dives into the entrepreneurial journey of Rachael Wilde, founder of TBH Skincare (now The Breakout Hack) and Boof Hair Care. Hosted by Madison Sullivan Thorpe and Rhiannon Joyce, the conversation spotlights Rachael's challenges in building a beauty empire from scratch, leveraging viral moments, taking business risks, and innovating in both skincare and haircare. It covers everything from chaotic cash flow and viral TikToks to the complexities of influencer partnerships and brand-building through social media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rachael’s Unconventional Founding Story

• Background in Marketing:
  • Rachael started in B2B medical devices, learning how tech innovations make it to market.
  • Never planned to be a founder ("Not once did I ever think, I will start my own business...My dream was one day I will make like a Super Bowl ad." – [05:31])
• Birth of the Business:
  • Discovered a patented tech used for infection control that also helped with breakouts.
  • At age 23, she pitched for the licensing rights alongside her accountant mother.
  • Won the deal, launched the startup, and quit her job the next day.
  • Co-founded with her mother, each taking clear roles (finance/ops vs. marketing).

2. Navigating Early Challenges and Cash Flow Nightmares

• Financial Risks & Startup Stress:
  • Initial funding was $250,000, of which $120,000 was a personally guaranteed loan ("I didn't have anything to guarantee it with...whereas mum had property..." – [09:42])
  • Severe stress and frequent fear of bankruptcy dominated early months.
  • Stressed importance of clear roles but acknowledged that boundaries often blurred under pressure.
• Loneliness and Lack of Mentorship:
  • No early mentors; looking back, recognises the value in building a network.
  • COVID made founder networking even harder ("There's probably a mistake that I made, like, early on is not building a network fast enough around me." – [12:21])

3. The Viral Moment That Changed Everything

• Breakthrough via TikTok:
  • A video featuring an organic reaction to Abby Chatfield mentioning the product on radio went viral and resulted in hundreds of immediate sales.
  • The authenticity and layered social proof (influencer plus "nobody" founder) was a key to its success ("If you're seeing it coming from like an everyday person, you believe it so much more." – [15:29])
• Lasting Value of Community:
  • A strong repeat-customer base was essential during tough periods.

4. Merging and Scaling: The York Street Brands Era

• Merging for Growth:
  • TBH merged with Boost Lab to form York Street Brands after being introduced by private equity contacts ("...realized...the skill sets that we could all bring to the table." – [20:21])
  • Provided new funding ($5M) and shared expertise: TBH brought branding/marketing; Boost Lab brought retail and international outreach.
  • Rachael transitioned from startup founder to CMO of multiple brands.

5. Social Media & Press: Keys to Modern Brand-Building

• Testing Grounds for Ideas:
  • Social media is used as a signal for what resonates, before pushing paid channels ("Social media...is like the heartbeat. If you can get that going...all the rest, they hum." – [23:02])
• Two-Prong Strategy:
  • Barometer of success = media coverage + organic social engagement.
• Importance of PR:
  • Building credible stories for media is essential; Rachael credits her long-standing PR partner Jessie for identifying news angles and amplifying coverage.
  • Key lesson: Make the most of every organic brand moment for both social and PR leverage ([26:07])

6. Embracing Failure, Trends, and the Power of Authenticity

• Learning on Social:
  • Trial, error, and "cringe-worthy" content are part of finding what works ("If you're not doing that, then you're not moving fast enough...If you don’t look back and cringe at your earlier work then, yeah, you didn’t launch it soon enough." – [28:17])
• Turning Viral Controversy into Opportunity:
  • The “Gen Z Boss in a Mini Skirt” campaign went viral, received online backlash, and was then spun into a tongue-in-cheek product bundle that strengthened their core community ("It was a crazy time...we wanted to appeal to the right people...we never wanted to appeal to this group in America, you know, of men..." – [29:43])

7. Launching Boof: Innovating in Hair Care

• Origin Story:
  • Partnered with Japanese scientists with a unique hair-growth technology; Rachael's personal struggles with thin hair drove her commitment.
  • Multiple months of real results led the team to invest in the Boof brand.
• Strategic Ambassador Partnership:
  • Collaborated with Indy Clinton for her genuineness, engagement, and direct relevance to the product.
  • Indy was so impressed she requested to become a shareholder, shifting from classic ambassador to true partner ([41:54])
• Industry Trend:
  • Discussion of the rise in equity-based influencer partnerships and the "co-founder" approach ("...brands moving into a new space of influencer marketing where they're moving away from these traditional influencer arrangements..." – [42:08])

8. Advice for Aspiring Marketers and Founders

• Building Confidence:
  • Confidence comes from action and repetition – "Confidence is a muscle and you have to be doing things to build it up." – ([48:33])
  • Failing repeatedly is essential to growth and self-belief.
• The Purple Cow Theory:
  • When generating ideas, strive for uniqueness – "Don’t mimic other people’s strategies. Once it’s been done before, that’s the purple cow. You can’t recreate the purple cow by copying." ([50:42])

9. Handling Backlash and Founder Visibility

• Wigs Campaign Controversy:
  • Using wigs in Boof's campaign was a creative, stylized choice that confused a minority ("It was a creative brand video...most people understood that it was like an art direction..." – [51:42])
  • Rachael addressed criticism directly from her personal channel to provide transparency and shift away from being "the face" on brand channels.
• Risks and Rewards of Founder-Centric Brands:
  • Founder visibility can build deep audience trust, but carries personal and reputational risks ("…it exposes you. It, you know, brings…it convolutes boundaries…" – [58:04])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Startup Reality:
  "You won't make any money. You're gonna make yourself poor." – Rachel Wilde ([17:01])
• On Building Community:
  "The majority of it is tumultuous...there’s a massive, like, period up front that is relentless grunt work and no money." – Rachel Wilde ([16:57])
• On Going Viral:
  "I woke up to all these orders coming through and I was like, hundreds. Like, it was crazy. I was like, where has this come from? What’s going on?" – Rachel Wilde ([14:42])
• On Taking Risks:
  "If you're not doing that, then you're not moving fast enough. Don't wait for it to be perfect to launch it, otherwise, you’re literally going to be too late." – Rachel Wilde ([28:17])
• On Dealing with Online Backlash:
  "It was really important…that there was a balance…the number one priority was support the team…then how do we rewrite the narrative…show people that you don’t have to back down." – Rachel Wilde ([30:00])
• On Confidence:
  "Confidence is a muscle and you have to be doing things to build it up…just doing the thing is what’s going to give you the confidence later, even if it goes badly." – Rachel Wilde ([48:33])
• On Idea Generation (Purple Cow):
  "Don’t mimic other people’s strategies…take inspiration, but like, apply your own critical thinking and make it your own and create a purple cow." – Rachel Wilde ([50:40])

Important Timestamps

• Rachael’s Founding Story: [05:29] - [07:32]
• Financial Struggles: [09:20] - [11:15]
• Viral TikTok Breakthrough: [13:00] - [15:54]
• Merging to Form York Street Brands: [19:22] - [22:51]
• Social Media vs. Paid Media: [23:02] - [24:15]
• Gen Z Boss in Mini Skirt Controversy: [29:18] - [32:45]
• Origin of Boof & Partnership with Indy Clinton: [32:47] - [41:54]
• Founder as Face – Risks and Rewards: [57:27] - [59:46]
• Advice on Confidence and Creativity: [48:33] - [51:25]

Tone

The conversation is candid, direct, and full of practical advice. Both hosts and guest stress authenticity, a willingness to fail, and a sense of humour amidst chaos. Rachael is honest about mistakes, openly discussing financial and emotional challenges, and the non-linear nature of building a business.

Conclusion

This episode offers a thorough, “no-gloss” view of entrepreneurship, emphasising resilience, creative risk-taking, and the centrality of community and transparency in building standout beauty and haircare brands. Rachael Wilde’s journey serves as both inspiration and reality check for anyone considering a leap into business, marketing, or the influencer economy.