Meet Ginger King of Grace Kingdom Beauty
As the month of February comes to a close, these last few days of February provide us with a perfect opportunity to ruminate on love.
Sometimes, we have to check in with ourselves. And, with many of us being founders of our own brands and organizations; or contemplating starting one, “checking in” looks a lot like revisiting our “why.”
It’s important to note our “why.”
At multiple touchpoints on the entrepreneurial journey, founders are often faced with this question.
And it’s important to be aware of it.
Why?
Why am I doing this? Why do I continue? Why not return to the steady income stream of a corporate position?
The list can go on.
In so many ways, the entrepreneurial journey can be glorified with six-figure IG influencers selling courses and flashing their belongings and tugging at our very human spirit of comparison and, dare I say, envy. But, what no one shows are the late nights. (The very very late nights. The jam-packed weeks. The balance of technical work with networking. The vetting. The work, the work, the work.)
These stories are often not told.
Not on social media, at least.
So that “why” is important. That “why” should be the starting point. And when it isn’t; we reach these moments when we’re forced to question our next steps.
So that “why” has to be strong.
That “why” has to be a clear enough reminder to keep taking those steps. To keep going. To keep trusting that everything will, in fact, work out even on those very very dark days when we question ourselves again and again.
Why?
Why did I want to do this, again?
And in so many ways, that personal check-in becomes the foundation of our business. That check-in advises our decisions and strategies and next steps. And on those days that our internal compass seems to spin uncontrollably, or the answer to that “why” doesn’t quite come fast enough, it’s even more important to consult others.
Why?
Because others, especially experts in our fields or close friends and family, can help use remember our why for us. They hold our visions closely, too. And in those very moments when it’s too dark in our own worlds they bring the light so that we may anchor ourselves again to the reason why we started this in the first place. They give us those next steps that we were grasping for. They reignite our passion after we grow too close to the project; too fixated on the next step; too overwhelmed by our list of things, things, things.
Even in the age of self-love and self-care and self-esteem, it’s important to entrust others with our why.
And that’s a hot-take, I know. In a society promoting the hustle and bustle and never sleeping by simultaneously having enough energy to accomplish everything on your own, it seems foreign to many of us who are now being told to entrust others with their vision. Especially when our vision, as founders, and as people, is so very close to us.
It’s the thing that gets us out of bed.
That’s why consultants are important. That’s why experts are important. That’s why growing your network is important, because there will be days that you need help.
There will be days when we lean on others.
Because we will need to.
Those days are inevitable.
Understanding how to leverage your personal passion with a tangible ROI is part of the balancing act of entrepreneurship. And understanding, if that passion is enough, is another.
We need an expert opinion.
Ginger King is the owner of Grace Kingdom Beauty, a consulting firm she began during a very long tenure in the beauty industry. She has, quite literally, held most of the positions necessary to build a successful beauty brand. From product development to marketing, she is by nature a true cosmetic chemist, who teaches others how to anchor their “why” and build a successful business.
You could say beauty is in her blood. Her mother opened the very first Shiseido boutique in Taiwan; trailblazing in the industry in her own way.
Ginger has since gone on to run her own consulting business and launch her own makeup brand, FanLoveBeauty, a clean beauty brand inspired by and created for entrepreneurs so they can keep hustling and look good.
She is passionate about the beauty industry and helping indie brands achieve their goals within this growing space.
A self-proclaimed beauty lover, Ginger has a very clear “why,” and is keen on helping others remember their own.
Meet Ginger
I was born into beauty without me realizing it since my mom opened up the very first Shiseido boutique in Taiwan.
You are the first founder I have interviewed who also came from The Estée Lauder Companies—or had experience behind the counter. In what ways did that experience lend to your own business?
That experience taught me to always have consumers in mind when I develop products. Beauty advisors are the first line to consumers, as Mr. Lauder always said. Beauty advisors were the original beauty influencers. That experience also taught me to be a good salesperson and actually sell more than one product because if you only sell one product, you are a cashier. If you build sales to serve the customers, you have more of an impact on the customer.
One of my favorite quotes of yours from our initial conversation was, “once you get to people’s hearts, they will do anything for you.” What, in your own words, is emotional branding? And how do you teach your clients the power of it?
I learned emotional branding from Mr. Leonard Lauder. the concept basically does not do things with a transactional mindset, but rather a transformational one. People won't pay attention to you until they know you truly care for them. Making people feel special goes a long way.