Sweat Equity: The Untold Secrets Behind a $200M Beauty Empire

Podcast: Sweat Equity
Hosts: Alex Garcia & Brian Blum
Guests: Brent Ridge & Josh Kilmer-Purcell (Founders of Beekman 1802)
Date: October 7, 2025

Overview of the Episode

In this insightful episode, Alex Garcia and Brian Blum speak with Brent and Josh, the founders of Beekman 1802—a beauty brand that grew from a small farm in upstate New York to a $300 million company with products in major retailers like Ulta and Target. The conversation dives deep into the creative, marketing, and community-building strategies that fueled Beekman’s meteoric rise, offering playbook-level insights that listeners can apply to grow their own businesses—especially within saturated and competitive industries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origin Story and Building a Brand Legacy

• Brent and Josh share their transition from NYC careers (doctor and advertising exec, respectively) to accidental goat farmers, spurred by the 2008 recession.
• Community as Foundation: Early roots shaped the business ethos—helping neighbors like "Farmer John" and turning goat milk into soap out of necessity.
• Brand Name Strategy: Chose "Beekman 1802" to impart legacy and longevity, avoiding the pitfall of overly founder-focused branding.
  • “We had seen what happened to a company if it was too singularly focused on the founder... So we came up with Beekman 1802, actually modeled after Chanel No. 5.” – Brent, [04:10]

2. Differentiation Through Positioning and Product Innovation

• Unique Expertise: Brent’s background in longevity and aging shaped their ingredient choices and credibility.
• Not Just Soap: Early Beekman was a diversified lifestyle brand—beauty, gourmet foods, artisan collaborations—always pushing for earned media by constant innovation.
• Breakthrough Insight: Real-time customer feedback from live TV selling (Evine, QVC/HSN), rapid adaptation, and focus on solutions (“How do you stand out at first glance?”).
  • “We just brought baby goats on air, live. Let them do whatever—poop, pee, whatever—it made people stop and watch!” – Josh, [06:37]

3. The Power of Experiential Marketing and Community

• Live Selling on TV: Immediate customer feedback on-air allowed “real-time market research,” shaping both product and narrative.
  • “You knew right away what resonated, literally by watching sales spike in real time.” – Brent, [07:31]
• Soap Money Shot: Inventing a visual ASMR moment long before social video was the rage.
  • “I invented the soap money shot—let the suds overflow on live TV. Phones started lighting up!” – Josh, [11:00]
• Content as Connection: Translated live selling principles to social (“stop the scroll” with visuals and story), years ahead of current trends.

4. Learning from Mentors and Industry Giants

• Martha Stewart’s Influence: Brent shares lessons in branding, curiosity, and authenticity learned firsthand from Martha Stewart.
  • “Martha is the most intellectually curious person I have ever been in a room with… She truly knows everything she teaches.” – Brent, [15:43], [16:28]
• Authenticity: Emphasized as a differentiator—“true authenticity is proven by longevity.” (Brent, [34:07])

5. Retail Penetration & The Realities of Scaling

• Getting In vs. Succeeding: Brent explains that entering a retailer is one thing; thriving is another, often requiring significant (and underestimated) resources.
  • “Getting in isn’t the win you think it is… the real difficulty is having the resources to succeed once you’re in.” – Josh, [25:57]
• Ulta Launch 2020: Scheduled launch coincided with COVID-19 store closures—forced creative pivots.
  • The Cookie Tactic: Partnered with 400 local bakeries to send cookies and kindness notes to Ulta stores, supporting local communities and educating staff.
  • “We researched and found a mom and pop bakery in every one of those 400 markets...and had cookies sent with a note: ‘Here’s our milk, here are some cookies.’” – Brent, [28:39]
• Kindness as a Competitive Edge: Developed the "Kindness Crew"—3,000+ superfan affiliates who authentically share Beekman, post more than almost any other brand.

6. Turning Customers into Community (and Field Teams!)

• “Our customers literally went into Ultas, talked to store associates, and acted as unofficial field reps. Ulta thought they were our paid employees!” – Brent, [30:36]
• Transparency Builds Trust: Shared the company’s struggles, growth decisions, even ATM balances with their community, making every milestone a collective achievement.
  • “We would post pictures of our bank account when we went to the ATM…$2.50 in.” – Josh, [32:55]
  • “Every time we succeeded, they didn’t think we were selling out, because they were succeeding with us.” – Josh, [33:16]

7. Bootstrapping, Resourcefulness & Creativity Over Money

• Anti-Shark Tank Mindset: Warn against obsessing over fundraising—start with what you have, not with debt or outside capital if possible.
  • “If you start your business by raising money, you’re not starting a business, you’re starting a fundraising company.” – Josh, [35:41]
• $0 Marketing Wins: Experimented with wild, low-cost ideas like the Jiffy Lube spa/facial oil collaboration—brilliant pop culture moment paid for by Jiffy Lube.
  • “Jiffy Lube loved it so much, they paid for the entire activation. $0 marketing.” – Brent, [39:34]

8. Legacy Thinking & “Goat Wisdom” Book

• Mission of the Book: Sharing time-tested wisdom (“ladder building” vs. “rocket building” entrepreneurship) for would-be entrepreneurs afraid of “fail fast, break things” rhetoric.
  • “If you want to shoot for the moon, you can build a rocket or you can build a ladder…We wanted to write a book for the ladder entrepreneurs.” – Josh, [41:21]
• Profits Go to Housing Works: All book proceeds support charity.
  • “All the proceeds from the sales of the book go to Housing Works... a great Christmas gift, and you’re giving back to a wonderful cause.” – Brent, [43:59]

Standout Quotes & Moments

• Brand Purpose:
  “We’re not selling soap. We’re selling kindness. That was the core of our brand.” – Outside agency, [09:33]
• On Community:
  “Our customers literally went into Ultas, talked to store associates, and acted as unofficial field reps. Ulta thought they were our paid employees!” – Brent, [30:36]
• Authenticity as Competitive Advantage:
  “Authenticity is measured in longevity… we’ve been rewarded for being authentic.” – Brent, [34:07]
• Bootstrapping:
  “What if you had a budget of $0? That’s what we had when growing from 0 to 58 million—now you’re talking about needing $5 million for marketing.” – Josh, [37:00]
• Creativity Over Resources:
  “Jiffy Lube loved it so much, they paid for the entire activation. $0.00 marketing.” – Brent, [39:34]
• Entrepreneurial Wisdom:
  “If you start your business by raising money, you’re not starting a business, you’re starting a fundraising company.” – Josh, [35:41]

Notable Segments & Timestamps

00:31 – 02:03: The Beekman 1802 origin story: NYC expats, goat rescue, recession pivot
04:10 – 06:22: How positioning, legacy, and product innovation differentiated them
06:33 – 07:31: Baby goats on live TV—lessons in stopping the scroll
10:49 – 12:11: Invention of the “soap money shot”—early ASMR genius
15:43 – 16:28: Lessons from Martha Stewart: curiosity, teaching, authenticity
17:40 – 21:36: Breaking into Ulta, retail “gets” versus retail “wins,” the real work starts after getting in
22:36 – 24:12: Early content marketing—24-hour live wrapping marathons pre-social commerce
28:39 – 30:03: 2020 Ulta launch, pandemic pivot, kindness-cookie strategy
30:36 – 34:46: Field teams, customer community as a social & marketing force
35:41 – 39:41: Bootstrapping vs. funding, $0 marketing, creative hacks (Jiffy Lube)
41:21 – 43:31: “Ladder” vs. “rocket” entrepreneurship, legacy business model, book mission
43:59 – 44:17: Book proceeds donated to Housing Works

Takeaways for Listeners

• Stand out through authenticity, relentless community-building, and creative storytelling.
• Don’t chase the “hackpreneur” dream—long-term success comes from real connection and steady resourcefulness.
• Scaling in retail is about much more than placement; relentless execution and follow-up separate winners from losers.
• Modern social/retail strategies echo classic sales and engagement tactics—adapt, but never neglect fundamentals.
• Think legacy, not just exit. Build a “ladder,” not only a “rocket.”

Final Note:
If you want a playbook for launching and scaling a business in a saturated market, fueled by heart, creativity, and resourcefulness, this episode is pure gold—delivered with the wit and real-talk that defines Sweat Equity.