Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Joey Shamah built e.l.f. Cosmetics into a billion-dollar beauty brand by doing the exact opposite of every competitor in the industry.
In this interview, the e.l.f. co-founder breaks down how he turned a radical $1 makeup idea—laughed at by investors and retailers—into a global powerhouse that went public on the New York Stock Exchange.
From bootstrapping his business out of his father’s warehouse to selling 192,000 orders overnight after a viral Bloomingdale’s rumor, Joey shares the full story behind disrupting an entire industry, mastering retail relationships, and scaling a household name without big marketing budgets or celebrity backing.
What you’ll learn from this interview:
• How Joey built e.l.f. Cosmetics into a billion-dollar brand from scratch
• The marketing strategy that turned rejection into virality
• How a fake rumor led to 192,000 orders and changed everything
• Lessons from raising margins, expanding retail, and going public
• Why the $1 price point was his biggest advantage
• How to identify whitespace in a saturated market
• What Joey learned from multiple exits and the IPO process
• His framework for buying, turning around, and scaling legacy beauty brands
• Why perfection kills momentum and speed drives success
By the end of this interview, you’ll walk away with the playbook for disrupting established industries, scaling consumer brands from zero to IPO, and building lasting wealth through innovation, grit, and timing.
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to your.omnisend.com/foundr
to get started.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
→ Already have a store? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan
CONNECT WITH JOEY SHAMAH
Website → elfcosmetics.com
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/josephshamah
00:00 – The $1 Makeup Revolution: How Joey Sharma Built e.l.f.
01:11 – Immigrant Hustle & Choosing Brand-Building Over Family Business
03:20 – Finding White Space: Dollar Stores, Quality at $1
05:10 – Unit Economics & the First $125K Inventory Bet
07:40 – PR to First Sales: Glamour Feature & eCommerce Launch (2004)
11:59 – Proving Incrementality: H-E-B Spinner Racks Sell Out
15:55 – The Bloomingdale’s Rumor That Drove 192,000 Orders
21:18 – Target Breakthrough: Holiday Endcap to Full Inline & e.l.f. Studio
26:59 – Listening to Customers: $6 Primer & Expanding Price Points
28:38 – Exits, TPG, New CEO & IPO at $1B (2016)
38:29 – After e.l.f.: Rough Patch, Then Rebuilding via Acquisitions
43:56 – Founder Playbook: Decisions, Speed over Perfection, Trends & Advice
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → foundr.com
Instagram → instagram.com/foundr
Facebook → facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/foundr
Podcast → foundr.com/podcast
Joey Shamah built e.l.f. Cosmetics into a billion-dollar beauty brand by doing the exact opposite of every competitor in the industry.
In this interview, the e.l.f. co-founder breaks down how he turned a radical $1 makeup idea—laughed at by investors and retailers—into a global powerhouse that went public on the New York Stock Exchange.
From bootstrapping his business out of his father’s warehouse to selling 192,000 orders overnight after a viral Bloomingdale’s rumor, Joey shares the full story behind disrupting an entire industry, mastering retail relationships, and scaling a household name without big marketing budgets or celebrity backing.
What you’ll learn from this interview:
• How Joey built e.l.f. Cosmetics into a billion-dollar brand from scratch
• The marketing strategy that turned rejection into virality
• How a fake rumor led to 192,000 orders and changed everything
• Lessons from raising margins, expanding retail, and going public
• Why the $1 price point was his biggest advantage
• How to identify whitespace in a saturated market
• What Joey learned from multiple exits and the IPO process
• His framework for buying, turning around, and scaling legacy beauty brands
• Why perfection kills momentum and speed drives success
By the end of this interview, you’ll walk away with the playbook for disrupting established industries, scaling consumer brands from zero to IPO, and building lasting wealth through innovation, grit, and timing.
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to your.omnisend.com/foundr
to get started.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
→ Already have a store? Apply here → foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan
CONNECT WITH JOEY SHAMAH
Website → elfcosmetics.com
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/josephshamah
00:00 – The $1 Makeup Revolution: How Joey Sharma Built e.l.f.
01:11 – Immigrant Hustle & Choosing Brand-Building Over Family Business
03:20 – Finding White Space: Dollar Stores, Quality at $1
05:10 – Unit Economics & the First $125K Inventory Bet
07:40 – PR to First Sales: Glamour Feature & eCommerce Launch (2004)
11:59 – Proving Incrementality: H-E-B Spinner Racks Sell Out
15:55 – The Bloomingdale’s Rumor That Drove 192,000 Orders
21:18 – Target Breakthrough: Holiday Endcap to Full Inline & e.l.f. Studio
26:59 – Listening to Customers: $6 Primer & Expanding Price Points
28:38 – Exits, TPG, New CEO & IPO at $1B (2016)
38:29 – After e.l.f.: Rough Patch, Then Rebuilding via Acquisitions
43:56 – Founder Playbook: Decisions, Speed over Perfection, Trends & Advice
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → foundr.com
Instagram → instagram.com/foundr
Facebook → facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/foundr
Podcast → foundr.com/podcast
