What a 16-Year-Old Taught a Three-Time CEO About Business with Julia Straus

Julia Straus has been a CEO three times. At her newest company, her 16-year-old co-founder tells her when her ideas are cringe. And Julia listens. Takin' Care of Lady Business Episode 178 Julia was the first employee at TULA and later its CEO, then ran Sweaty Betty through international expansion and its sale to Wolverine Worldwide. Sincerely Yours, the teen and tween skincare brand she co-founded with Salish Matter and Salish's father, Jordan Matter, is her first time as a founder and her first time building for a customer she isn't. Her rule: trust the actual customer, not yourself. In this episode, Jennifer Justice sits down with Julia Straus, Co-Founder and CEO of Sincerely Yours, to talk about why young customers are rarely asked what they want, and almost never heard when they are. They get into why a blank piece of paper was harder than running a 900-person company, and why Julia's biggest unlock as a leader is hiring people who are better than her. JJ names a pattern she sees in her own practice: women recruited as rock stars on the way in and pushed out for being "too good" on the way out. They also cover what it takes to sell a company while you're still running it. What You'll Learn Why a three-time CEO wants her 16-year-old co-founder to tell her when an idea is cringe Why the customer who isn't used to being asked is the opportunity Why Julia's biggest unlock as a leader is hiring people better than her What selling a company while you're still running it actually demands Why Julia refused to choose between having a baby and running a startup Highlights: (00:00) Meet Julia Straus (01:24) Called cringe by a 16-year-old co-founder (03:34) Trust the actual customer, not yourself (04:48) Young customers aren't used to being asked (05:54) Building skincare for developing skin (11:45) CEO vs. founder: why the blank page is the hard part (16:10) Asking for help when you're the one in charge (18:55) The biggest unlock: hiring people who teach you (19:27) Rock star on the way in, "too good" on the way out (20:45) Hiring for the Sephora launch: "I wasn't gonna go junior" (23:44) Growing Sweaty Betty into a global brand (24:47) Selling a business is a second full-time job (27:13) Makeup as expression, not insecurity (31:35) What's really different about growing up Gen Alpha (35:56) The worst advice: you can't have a baby and run a startup About Our Guest: Julia Straus is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sincerely Yours, a skincare brand developed specifically for teens and tweens alongside teenage creator Salish Matter and her father, Jordan Matter. A seasoned consumer brand executive, Julia previously served as CEO of Sweaty Betty, where she led international expansion and helped steer the company’s acquisition by Wolverine Worldwide in 2021. Before that, she was the first employee and later CEO of TULA Skincare, which was subsequently acquired by Procter & Gamble. Now in her third CEO role and her first as a founder, Julia is bringing more than a decade of experience in beauty, retail, and brand building to a new generation of consumers, creating products shaped by the young people actually using them. Julia Straus’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-straus-5a98a211/ Explore Sincerely Yours: https://sincerely-yours.com/  About Jennifer Justice and The Justice Dept. JJ’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-justice-354a0b99 The Justice Dept: https://www.thejusticedept.com/ JJ’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferjusticel/  Newsletter: https://tkolb-newsletter-a50814.beehiiv.com/ JJ’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TakinCareOfLadyBusiness  The Justice Dept. is a female-focused advisory, consulting, and law firm advocating for female founders, talent, execs, and brands. We represent bo$$ ladies to make them 💰💰. If you love what you hear, please subscribe and share with a friend. This is a Lady Business LLC Production.