Female Founders: Brittany Lammon of The Chub Rub Patch On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Developing relationships & talking with many people that may or may not be beneficial for your company is key to creating your own success. Always have an open mind. I have created countless new relationships through my own journey. I have also had to sacrifice some relationships that were not beneficial to my vision. This can be hard, but you have to believe in yourself and your product or service and you have to know what is best for your own success. -You have to be comfortable with seeing your own weaknesses and being able to identify areas of opportunity. This goes back to the mistakes I first made when starting this business. I had to be able to see where I was falling short and I had to become comfortable with hiring out to help me with things I wasn’t good at, or things that needed an expert’s touch.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brittany Lammon.
Brittany Lammon, inventor and CEO of her company The Chub Rub Patch, is a makeup and hairstylist to the stars. She currently works with the biggest entertainment industry in the world, the WWE. She travels around the country and the world making the Superstars of the WWE look fabulous with her hair and makeup expertise.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I have been a hairstylist for the past 19 years, and my passion for inventing really started when I invented a tool for hairstylists that helped open bobby pins. I have always been creative and also very passionate about helping women feel more beautiful.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
I would have to say the most interesting story would have to be how I went viral on TikTok multiple times. This is really how my company became a success. We made some fun little videos and seeing the amount of views and the amount of times the video was shared was exciting. The outreach of TikTok is incredible. The comments from women all over the world about how this product was exactly what they were looking for or how much it has helped them was amazing. We are now selling in 10 countries because of TikTok.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Starting your own business is hard and I have made many mistakes since the beginning. When I first started on this journey I really thought I could do it all on my own and I was afraid to ask for help. I think this is a common theme with women no matter what they may undertake. A new mother is afraid to ask for advice because she may be seen as not good enough. A new female director may be afraid to ask for help because she may be seen as not up to the challenge. I learned through countless failures that there are people out there who can give me great advice, and there are people I need to be able to count on to help me. Don’t be afraid to go to those who may have been down this road and ask them to help you.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My sister Megan is really the person who keeps me organized and on top of everything that comes along with running your own business and I am so incredibly grateful to have her by my side through all of this. She definitely is the organized one out of us two. She has the patience of an angel when dealing with me and she runs my day to day operations when I am on the road. She has always been that person that has never questioned any of my endeavors; she only questions what she can do to help me. Megan has always been my biggest fan. She also remembers all of my passwords as well which is a great help.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
I think what is holding back women from founding companies is that we are too scared to fail so we never try it at ALL. When you are passionate about something you just need to start somewhere, even if you fail and have to try again a hundred times. We want to be great at everything we do and all the roles we as women take on- being a mother, wife, friend. We are so worried about what people will think of us if the company isn’t a success that we never try at all. A lot of great ideas are lost that way
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
I believe that as a society we could uplift and support other women’s companies by promoting or advertising one another’s brands/products. I also believe we can come together as a community of women- maybe in group settings or open forums and discuss these issues together. We can help each other find solutions for obstacles that we may share in common. Maybe there is another powerful female founder out there who has been where you are and they can provide help or some sort of mentoring to get you over that obstacle. Companies are predominantly founded by men, and I believe we should not be afraid to ask for advice and professional guidance from successful company founders that are men. That being said I also think women who are brave enough and passionate enough to found a company need to be given the respect and professional courtesy they deserve. Most importantly, my individual belief is that we are all human and we all share a common goal in succeeding as an Entrepreneur. We as a human race regardless of gender need to show support for one another and champion behind anyone who strikes out to start a new company.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Women as a whole put passion behind anything they put their mind to. If women believe in something enough to put their whole heart into it they always achieve it. I am not saying men don’t do the same, but from my experience women pour their passion into everything they truly believe in. What holds a lot of women back is the fear of the unknown, but you will never know what you can succeed in if you don’t try! There is nothing wrong with failing, actually you learn just as much from failing as you do in succeeding. The most important thing is that you can say you did it! If more women could overcome that initial fear of trying (and the fear of failing!) it would increase the percentage of businesses that are founded by women. Celebrating the courage and success of women founders could help inspire other women to do the same!
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
There are a couple myths I would like to address in being a founder of my own company. People may think having your own company is an overnight success, but what many are actually seeing is the end result of years of trying, failing and trying again. They do not see the endless hours that are put into the process. Achieving success in business can be at times what feels like an endless loop of trial and error before the desired final product or service is reached. Some may perceive that success is easy and it just comes to those who try fairly quickly. That unfortunately isn’t the case. You have to develop a work ethic like never before because this is your vision and no one else sees what you see in the end. Working for myself may be the most difficult thing I have ever done. I am in control of my own destiny and I have to make sure I am focused and dedicated because I know no one else is going to force me to finish or is going to tell me how many hours I need to work on this. I am my own boss and my successes and failures fall right back to me.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
I don’t believe everyone is cut out to be a founder of their own company, and that is totally ok. It is the work ethic that is most important. You have to be able to have a clear vision of what you want and know that it will take countless hours, unwavering dedication and the ability to overcome failure. Being a founder takes discipline, dedication, an endless drive to succeed, and the ability to work through obstacles that will throw you off track. Some people are complacent with a 9 to 5 corporate job where they know exactly what they are doing on a day to day basis. Founding your own company means taking on a lot of unknowns and not always having a manager to tell you how to do something or what resources to check out when you have questions or need assistance. Being your own boss and having control of your own destiny is a scary thing, but in the end the taste of success is the sweetest victory ever! But it doesn’t stop once you have achieved the desired outcome; you have to keep being dedicated and have a passion for work each and every day. Continued success means continued passion for what you are doing. It means changing the way you are doing things to meet the needs of the present, while anticipating the needs of the future so you can stay on that road to success.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
-The investment is going to be more than you ever expected. You may need to find avenues to help you with that and that can be tough.
-The amount of hours are endless. This is not a 9–5 job. The projection time for release date or opening may be pushed back later than expected as well. I started this company while still working full time as a hair stylist and makeup artist and traveling much of the time I am doing that. This means I am spending my “off time” still working, and that takes a lot of discipline. You have to be truly invested in your passion to make it work. -You always have to keep evolving. Always staying up with the latest trends, taking courses, and reading new material to keep your business at the top of its game. I am constantly watching Tik Tok, perusing social media and talking to my friends and family to make sure I am providing what people need now
-Developing relationships & talking with many people that may or may not be beneficial for your company is key to creating your own success. Always have an open mind. I have created countless new relationships through my own journey. I have also had to sacrifice some relationships that were not beneficial to my vision. This can be hard, but you have to believe in yourself and your product or service and you have to know what is best for your own success. -You have to be comfortable with seeing your own weaknesses and being able to identify areas of opportunity. This goes back to the mistakes I first made when starting this business. I had to be able to see where I was falling short and I had to become comfortable with hiring out to help me with things I wasn’t good at, or things that needed an expert’s touch.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I try to use my company/product to spread confidence in women every single day! Body shaming is a major issue in today’s society. We don’t talk about how many different body sizes or shapes there are, and if you do not fit into the cookie cutter mold of what is considered beautiful you can be made to feel bad about that. Every woman is beautiful! I want women to be confident in what they wear and how they feel. There is no better feeling in this world than being comfortable in your own skin and feeling beautiful and I truly mean that. My number one goal is to be able to have women be confident and comfortable every single day. No woman should ever feel like they can’t wear a certain style because it brings them discomfort, or their body is not a traditional shape or size. Celebrate the beauty of your own body.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I am a huge advocate for women empowerment and I think that is one of the biggest movements in today’s society. WE CAN & WE WILL do anything we put our minds to! We need to be confident and comfortable in everything we do and what better way to do that with women always uplifting women! There is no greater cheerleader than a woman who can celebrate the successes of another woman. Instead of gossiping about how someone looks, give them the empowerment of being able to celebrate their beauty and feel comfortable in their own skin. Cheer your fellow women on, inspire them to achieve the greatness that is inside all of us. Instead of “I told you so” when you see someone failing, say to them “I know you can do this!” Encourage each other to keep trying.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Someone who I truly think is the biggest innovator in the world is Elon Musk. He is driving society to places that are unheard of and making the unknown possible. He has passion and drive even when people can’t see his vision like he does. I would love to see his mindset and be able to pick his brain on actually what has been his best advice given to him.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Brittany Lammon of The Chub Rub Patch On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.