116 - Lucia Ruehlemann, SAIE

Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

In our 116th episode of Earned, Conor sits down with Lucia Ruehlemann, President of Saie—a clean makeup brand that prioritizes superhero ingredients and high-performance outcomes, all while maintaining sustainable packaging and products. To start, we dive into Lucia’s decade of experience building successful indie brands such as Fresh and Drunk Elephant. Unlocking what makes Lucia who she is, we learn how she balances her family of six, and finds joy through the evolving situation that she calls “controlled chaos.” Lucia credits her children with reverse mentoring her, and shares insights on what’s culturally relevant to younger generations. Next, we explore how Lucia brings the same idea—creating love beyond reason—from her family to the brand she’s working on. Lucia shares with us how her family has processed the tragic loss of her eldest son, Jeremy, and turned it into core lessons that can be applied to everyone’s lives. While unpacking Lucia’s personal relationships, she shares that you’re “in it together” with the people you work with, and that having deep respect and admiration can help people through tough times and conversations. We learn about how the beauty industry is relationship-based, and how mission-critical it can be to chase core business, rather than viral moments. By tapping into creators who have a genuine love and affinity for your brand, Lucia emphasizes that these are the individuals who can truly share your brand story. Lucia then describes her experience working at powerhouse beauty conglomerates LVMH and Estée Lauder, which she characterizes as best in class, and shares how they equipped her with an edge that allowed her to be more effective at indie brands. To close the show, Lucia shares her goals of learning to live well, re-focusing on gratitude and mindfulness, and staying playful.

In this episode, you will learn:

1. How naturally building brand love and advocacy can set the stage for organic viral marketing moments.

2. Why maintaining a product-first approach in marketing, coupled with creative and intimate gifting strategies, can lead to success.

3. How genuine relationships with retailers like Sephora can enhance collaboration throughout the brand building process.

Resources:

• SAIE - https://saiehello.com/

Connect with the Guest:

• Lucia’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-lucy-perdomo-ruehlemann-4273397/

Connect with Conor Begley & CreatorIQ:

• Conor’s LinkedIn - @conormbegley

• CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq

Follow us on social:

• CreatorIQ YouTube - @TribeDynamics

• CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq

• CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq

• CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ