Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Jackie Aina has been building in public for 17 years. She didn't just grow an audience, she helped define what it meant to be a Black woman with a voice in the beauty industry. But influence was never the end goal.
After nearly two decades as one of YouTube's most recognized creators, Jackie took $250,000 of her own money and started a fragrance brand. Not a makeup line, a fragrance brand. Her childhood dream. The first thing she ever did that nobody asked for.
In this conversation, Jackie sits down with Emma to talk about what it really takes to go from influencer to founder and why the two have almost nothing in common.
Jackie shares:
- Why six million followers doesn't mean six million in revenue, and what creators get wrong about turning an audience into a business
- How she self-funded Forvr Mood with $250K, sold out six months of inventory in four hours, and nearly had a breakdown closing the laptop
- The vendor relationship that looked like a smart start and took over a year to untangle
- What she had to unlearn about being "the strong one", and why doing everything is actually a disservice to everyone around you
- Why she deliberately didn't build a makeup brand, and what it meant to finally do something just for herself
What's something you've outgrown, even if other people still expect that version of you? Drop it in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next - youtube.com/@EmmaGrede?sub_confirmation=1
#jackieaina #beautyinfluencer #FromInfluenceToOwnership #forevermood #beautybusiness #founderstory #selffunded #sephora #entrepreneurship #EmmaGrede #aspirepodcast #blackownedbusiness #contentcreator #beautybrand #businesstips
0:00 Introduction
1:34 Meet Jackie Aina
3:30 Locking away personal Jackie
4:42 Building an audience
6:48 Bet on yourself
8:30 Turning influence into ownership
12:00 Sold out in 4 hours
14:30 Landing in Sephora
17:46 Ad Break
20:33 How the audience changed
24:00 People don't like a pivot
27:30 Forever Mood
32:45 The George Floyd moment
36:54 Ad Break
40:12 Building the brand
45:30 Founder mindset
56:14 Ad Break
59:52 Post George Floyd impact
1:05:15 Expansion plans
1:10:39 Rapid Fire
_____
Emma's book START WITH YOURSELF is out now, grab your copy at emmagrede.com or wherever books are sold.
_____
ABOUT ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world's most successful people.
Emma Grede, one of America's richest self-made women, wants you to make the most of your life. On 'Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet, including goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, investor, philanthropist and former chair of Starbucks, Mellody Hobson, podcast host Jay Shetty, billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, rapper and cultural icon Cardi B, fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons, actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae, bestselling author and motivational powerhouse Mel Robbins, and public luminaries like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Charlamagne Tha God, Jessica Alba, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy, and strategies, covering career advice, well-being, psychology, and, of course, how to win in business. The show offers personal stories, data-driven advice, real-world strategies, and the experience you need to turn your dreams into reality.
LISTEN TO ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
link.pscrb.fm/f0281/Aspire_YT
_______
ABOUT EMMA GREDE
Emma Grede is a founding partner and chief product officer of SKIMS and CEO of Good American. She also made history as the first Black woman to serve as an investor on Shark Tank. Learn more at: emmagrede.com
Jackie Aina has been building in public for 17 years. She didn't just grow an audience, she helped define what it meant to be a Black woman with a voice in the beauty industry. But influence was never the end goal.
After nearly two decades as one of YouTube's most recognized creators, Jackie took $250,000 of her own money and started a fragrance brand. Not a makeup line, a fragrance brand. Her childhood dream. The first thing she ever did that nobody asked for.
In this conversation, Jackie sits down with Emma to talk about what it really takes to go from influencer to founder and why the two have almost nothing in common.
Jackie shares:
- Why six million followers doesn't mean six million in revenue, and what creators get wrong about turning an audience into a business
- How she self-funded Forvr Mood with $250K, sold out six months of inventory in four hours, and nearly had a breakdown closing the laptop
- The vendor relationship that looked like a smart start and took over a year to untangle
- What she had to unlearn about being "the strong one", and why doing everything is actually a disservice to everyone around you
- Why she deliberately didn't build a makeup brand, and what it meant to finally do something just for herself
What's something you've outgrown, even if other people still expect that version of you? Drop it in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next - youtube.com/@EmmaGrede?sub_confirmation=1
#jackieaina #beautyinfluencer #FromInfluenceToOwnership #forevermood #beautybusiness #founderstory #selffunded #sephora #entrepreneurship #EmmaGrede #aspirepodcast #blackownedbusiness #contentcreator #beautybrand #businesstips
0:00 Introduction
1:34 Meet Jackie Aina
3:30 Locking away personal Jackie
4:42 Building an audience
6:48 Bet on yourself
8:30 Turning influence into ownership
12:00 Sold out in 4 hours
14:30 Landing in Sephora
17:46 Ad Break
20:33 How the audience changed
24:00 People don't like a pivot
27:30 Forever Mood
32:45 The George Floyd moment
36:54 Ad Break
40:12 Building the brand
45:30 Founder mindset
56:14 Ad Break
59:52 Post George Floyd impact
1:05:15 Expansion plans
1:10:39 Rapid Fire
_____
Emma's book START WITH YOURSELF is out now, grab your copy at emmagrede.com or wherever books are sold.
_____
ABOUT ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world's most successful people.
Emma Grede, one of America's richest self-made women, wants you to make the most of your life. On 'Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet, including goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, investor, philanthropist and former chair of Starbucks, Mellody Hobson, podcast host Jay Shetty, billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, rapper and cultural icon Cardi B, fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons, actress and entrepreneur Issa Rae, bestselling author and motivational powerhouse Mel Robbins, and public luminaries like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Charlamagne Tha God, Jessica Alba, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy, and strategies, covering career advice, well-being, psychology, and, of course, how to win in business. The show offers personal stories, data-driven advice, real-world strategies, and the experience you need to turn your dreams into reality.
LISTEN TO ASPIRE WITH EMMA GREDE
link.pscrb.fm/f0281/Aspire_YT
_______
ABOUT EMMA GREDE
Emma Grede is a founding partner and chief product officer of SKIMS and CEO of Good American. She also made history as the first Black woman to serve as an investor on Shark Tank. Learn more at: emmagrede.com
