#368: Aleah Wright (Founder of Wright Beauty and Freelance Writer) (pt. 2 of 2)

This week on the podcast is part two of our interview with Aleah Wright. She’s the founder of Wright Beauty, a venture that sells body butter and beauty oil for women. Prior to launching her business, Aleah was a freelance writer, writing about fashion and other topics for magazines including InStyle and Essence. She cut her teeth in the fashion world with internships at Michael Kors and Prada.

Join us to hear how Aleah's grit and determination are propelling her career! https://wrightfashions.com/

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Intro

Announcer 0:18

Welcome to the Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast, Making Art Work. We highlight how entrepreneurs align their artistry, passion, and vision to create and pursue opportunities to capture value in the arts. The views expressed by guests on the Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the podcast or its hosts. The appearance of a guest on the podcast, the venture they represent, or reference to any product or service does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast or its hosts. The content provided is for entertainment and informational purposes only and does not constitute business advice. Here are your hosts, Andy Heise and Nick Petrella.

Andy Heise 1:00

Hi Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast listeners, I'm Andy Heise.

Nick Petrella 1:04

And I'm Nick Petrella. Fashion entrepreneur and content creator Aleah Wright is joining us today. She's the founder of Wright Beauty, a venture that sells body butter and beauty oil for women. Prior to that, Aleah was a freelance writer, writing about fashion and other topics for magazines including InStyle and Essence. She cut her teeth in the fashion world with internships at Michael Coors and Prada. As we do with all of our interviewees, we'll have Aleah's website in the show notes. Great to have you on the podcast, Aleah.

Aleah Wright 1:33

Hi, thank you for having me on.

Andy Heise 1:35

Yeah, it's great, great to have you here. The next question I had is is with so many different possible things that you could write about in the industry, so many different possible angles that you could cover, how what what does kind of help you decide what deserves attention, your attention, and what maybe let somebody else talk about?

Aleah Wright 1:54

I think it's important when I want to write about things, some things I want to write about that maybe will be on trend or evergreen. Like we'll be talking about this from years on out. And then a lot of times I want to write stuff that nobody's really talking about.

Andy Heise 2:12

Okay.

Aleah Wright 2:12

That a writer hasn't done. I think that was one of the bigger things that I've done this year. And a lot of editors, I got a lot of feedback from editors from doing and pitching on writing that hasn't been done yet.

Finding Untold Stories In Fashion

Andy Heise 2:28

I see. Yeah, yeah. So finding sort of those uh stories that haven't yet been told, um, that maybe and are are you thinking about your audience when you're when you're also sort of filtering through these different opportunities?

Aleah Wright 2:40

Um, I am, I am, because I think sometimes when it comes to writing for fashion and beauty, so much of stuff is what's happening now, what's on trend, what's going out of trend, and we're not really talking about like some of the other like the craftsmanship. Like let's get more into that and let's talk about, like you said, how is you know AI really affecting the fashion industry? Because I think sometimes it's so it's dived in on such a tech side, but it's affecting all areas of different industries. Sure, yeah.

Andy Heise 3:17

Yeah, so so maybe a little beyond the surface level of fashion, which you as you said changes so fast and frequently, but it's also very sort of surface level. How can we go one level deep deeper there and and talk about those things? Yes.

Nick Petrella 3:34

So let's change gears and uh have you walk us through the process of creating a product such as body butter. I'm wondering if you make and package everything yourself, or if you have a recipe in mind, uh, or if you had a recipe in mind when you started. How how how did that work?

Aleah Wright 3:52

Um I really saw the need for it in the beauty industry. Um so I did my research living in New Jersey and finding manual. I did like a program through New York for businesses and found a manufacturer out in Farmingdale, loved my account exec, and I basically told her I wanted to do a body butter and a beauty oil, and so I scoured the internet for packaging and learning how to do labels and the best application and testing different formulas that they had available, and landing on the vanilla body butter is ultimately what I came to, and it was really breaking everything down. Like after finding my manufacturer that was going to fill my orders and the packager, sending it there, testing it, trying it, giving it to a few people to get their thoughts on it. That's when I really started to go all in and basically do like a small run to really see what the feedback was gonna be from people close to my community, and I've really sold out of that, and now I'm getting like a second run and a third run. So it's really grown over the last two years. Yeah.

Nick Petrella 5:05

And how long was the research phase from oh hey, I have an idea to that first the first bait of the foot of those first prototypes? How long did that take?

Beyond Trends: Craft And Tech

Aleah Wright 5:15

I would say about seven months. Okay. The first six months I worked on the idea with our class, and we just had to do a presentation. I was kind of like, this is my idea, and here's some packaging I you know bought, and this is how I want it filled. And my my teacher at the time was like, okay, great, keep going, just start messy. I'm like, wait, I don't have this. I know he's like, I don't care, just start messy. Yeah. And after that, it was like, okay, I got my packaging for the body butter, let's get it filled. How are we gonna design it? And working close to my manufacturer in Farmingdale, they really helped me along and with their connections, helped me to get in contact to get to the final product.

Nick Petrella 5:55

And then the oil, that's the other thing that you have. So so far, you might have other things in the works. Was that simultaneous, or did you say, hey, this is this body butter is working out, let's do oil? How did that happen?

Aleah Wright 6:09

It happened simultaneously because during the class, um, which I'm so glad I got feedback from, a lot of the students were like, Oh, the body, but they're like, How can we lock in the moisture? And I'm like, Oh, yeah, you're right. We could do a body oil to go with the body butter to lock in the moisture that's given from the hydrating properties in the butt, like the body butter. And so that's really how that came about. But I wanted Lux packaging, I wanted a glass bottle, I wanted something more elevated, and working with my mentor through Score, which is a program through SBA, she also helped to guide me on a lot of things when it came to having it be like a bundle package or selling it together, marketing it together. Yeah, that's great.

Building A Beauty Product

Andy Heise 6:54

Yeah, and and you're referencing a class. What was this sorry, was this part of part of a class that you took or that you were what what what was that?

Aleah Wright 7:02

It was a class through um through New York's uh business, like their commerce, and they were helping like small brands really helped to scale or if like you had an idea, like an incubator.

Andy Heise 7:14

Sure, sure.

Aleah Wright 7:15

And it really helped with a lot of things that needed to be done.

Andy Heise 7:19

Gotcha. So you were in this class with other other people who were also trying to start get businesses launched, yeah. And did did you you entered the class with the idea of launching right beauty um products? Yes, yeah, cool. And so how did you what was the gap that you identified in the market? Like how did you what why did you decide to to to to launch this type of a product?

Aleah Wright 7:42

Wow, I felt like um even like for deeper skin tones, I just felt like there was like we have Fenty Beauty, which had just launched their body butter. Okay, but we didn't really have like a lot of black-owned brands doing a lot of body butters after doing my research, maybe like two, three. So it was like, mmm, this could be a need for what's here in the market and bringing it to consumers.

Andy Heise 8:10

And what's your what's your market reach right now? Are you mostly like locals? Like, you know, how many degrees of separation are you selling this stuff to to people you have no idea who they are, or what's that look like?

Aleah Wright 8:20

Oh no, I mean I've sold to people here down in Miami, um, I've sold to people out in the Midwest that have supported me, um, California. So I think the authority that I've gained on Google and putting my products out there have really helped get me discovered from people kind of like all over, not just like in my area, which has been interesting to see when they buy online.

Andy Heise 8:46

Sure. Yeah, so I was gonna ask, mostly e-commerce, or are you doing retail or I'm doing a little bit of both.

Aleah Wright 8:51

I'm doing e-commerce and then I'm also doing um in-person. Okay, so I do like farmers markets and things like that when they have different vendors come, and I've did some things with my sorority, and they've bought out a lot of stuff.

Nick Petrella 9:08

So it's been good. Yeah, that's awesome. And doing that, sh that has gotta be just a fertile ground for ideas that you can blog about because you are in the trenches going out there, especially at a farmer's market or a pop-up at a mall or something. That's that's great.

Aleah Wright 9:26

Yes, and I actually took that idea because it was like I I it was I started my beauty brand off of $275 for my first run for the body butter and the beauty oil. So yeah, I I broke that whole process down to also help other people who were wanting to go into entrepreneurship understand, like sometimes it doesn't really take a lot to start, you just have to start.

Nick Petrella 9:51

Just gotta ask, was this all new to you or did you learn any of this in college?

Aleah Wright 9:55

Oh, this was new to me. Like when I went to college, they were like, go to school, the dream job, become a buyer at like Sachs or Bergdorf or Bloomingdale's, and that was it. Yeah, so yeah.

Nick Petrella 10:09

You chose the gritty route. Get your hands dirty. That's awesome.

Andy Heise 10:13

Yeah, I love you. You started with $275. Yes. That's awesome. That's great. An idea, a vision, a gap in the market, and $275. And a good, and it sounds like you went through a program and had a good mentor that kind of helped guide you. Yes. That's crazy.

Nick Petrella 10:32

So, Aliyah, you're relatively young and you have a broad array of experiences. So, where do you see yourself at five to ten years?

Prototyping And Early Feedback

Aleah Wright 10:41

Oh, I would love to be like a fashion editor, beauty editor, working in the industry. That's where I really see myself. Um, I would love to work for a publication like Vogue or Harper's Bazaar or even doing something in culture. I think I love culture and I always keep my finger on the pulse with it. So either one of those in writing and continuing to build my beauty brand so that way I can start giving back to the community and through uh funding and other incubators, I think that's where I really see myself in the next five years.

Nick Petrella 11:19

Yeah, it's wonderful.

Andy Heise 11:21

Thank you. And so that's that's in the future, but how how do you how do you define success now? And how is that different from what success looked like, you know, when you were doing all those internships and kind of figuring out your place within the industry?

Aleah Wright 11:35

Um, I think when I was working, success looked like having a job. I was like, oh great, like the internship, hey, can we can I get it? Do we have a position open? Where can I land myself?

Andy Heise 11:49

Yeah, yeah.

Aleah Wright 11:50

Um, and now success for me is being able to do what you want to do um on your time, building things that drive you. I think that's been my biggest thing for success and understanding like where I want to be. Because honestly, I I couldn't a few years ago, if you told me I'd be where I am right now, I wouldn't believe I'd be like, yeah, okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. But I think that's what success is now for me.

Andy Heise 12:21

And I we that's a we talk we we mentioned this earlier, but also that sort of that reputation within the industry, or or peep you're you're now kind of a go-to like you're the person a go-to person and and that's known for being able to do whatever XYZ. And that's that's a very intentional, specific place that you've you've tried to carve out for yourself. Um and it sounds like the ability to say no to some projects is maybe um another big differentiator from from early on, where it was like, does it pay? Cool, I'll I'll do the job. You know, that sort of that sort of difference.

Aleah Wright 12:54

Yes. And I agree too, where yeah, some up you you pick and choose the opportunities that you feel align most with you and your values. And I think that's where I've gone to the last two years.

Andy Heise 13:06

That's great. Congratulations. Yeah.

Nick Petrella 13:09

So before we kick off the final three questions, we ask all of our guests. I'd like to know if you have any interesting projects on the horizon that you could share with us today.

Adding Body Oil And Bundling

Aleah Wright 13:18

Oh, wow. Okay. Um, oh, okay. I I can share one or two. All right. Okay. Um I am in the talks with Universal about working on some more stuff. Uh, some more exciting movies that are coming.

Nick Petrella 13:37

Fantastic.

Aleah Wright 13:39

And um I'm gonna be doing some more marketing for my beauty brand. It's gonna be another launch of a lip oil that's coming soon. So that'll be exciting to be able to bring to the market. So busy 2026. Busy 2026.

Nick Petrella 13:57

That's great. That's great.

Andy Heise 13:58

And and I'll I'll add before we before we move on to the last three questions. Um, you know, as an experienced interviewer, are there questions that we didn't ask you that that we should have asked you? Oh, good one.

Aleah Wright 14:09

Oh, that's a good one. Okay. Um, wow. I would say. I think asking me what's the most exciting project I've worked on and why it was so exciting.

Andy Heise 14:28

Let's hear it. Aliyah, what's the most exciting project that you've ever worked on and why was it so exciting to you?

Aleah Wright 14:38

Wow.

Andy Heise 14:40

Good question.

The Incubator And Mentorship

Aleah Wright 14:42

That is a good question. I think two, okay, I'll give you two. Some a lot of maybe some people don't know it, but I think one of the most exciting was working and interviewing Dadaite, and she worked on the Broadway production for Othello. Mind you, I had never seen a Broadway production. This was gonna be like my first time, and it's like Jake Gyllenhaal and Denzel Washington. Okay, yeah, of course. Like, yes. Um, and that really excited me because this a kid growing up in Miami, like in high school, I did theater, I loved it. I was like, yes, acting. And for so long, I really wanted to see a Broadway play, but I don't know, just being busy with life, and so getting that opportunity just really showed me how much work goes into putting on these productions for Broadway.

Andy Heise 15:41

And what was the nature of it? Was it was it an interview a piece, or what was the nature of it?

Aleah Wright 15:44

Yes, it was a piece for essence, uh interviewing Dayday, and she's also Tony winning, and yeah, like just sitting in on the fittings and talking to her, and then finally seeing the whole process. I think that was the most exciting thing.

Andy Heise 15:59

That's awesome. Yeah. Well, Leah, we've reached the point of the interview where we ask all of our interviewees the same three questions. And the first question is what advice would you give to others wanting to become an entrepreneur?

Aleah Wright 16:12

Um, start messy, go for it, and be resourceful.

Nick Petrella 16:19

Nice, very succinct. What can we do to ensure the arts are more accessible and reaching the widest possible audience?

Aleah Wright 16:27

Um, pulling in your resources, asking studios or people that you know in the community, corporate sponsorship. This is how we are able to help make things accessible to more people. Or if you want to open up things that are free and going to be open to the public, to build a reputation, to you know, keep have your stamp in the community. I think that's the best thing to also help keep the arts accessible and yeah, funding to help with the arts. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Market Gap And Audience

Andy Heise 17:02

Lastly, what's the best artistic or entrepreneurial advice that you've been given?

Aleah Wright 17:09

Um, for my teacher, when I took my program through New York City was just to start and start messy because I think I was really overthinking things at the time. Like it had to be finished, it had to be polished, it had to be this. It's just like, no, start building the plane while you're flying it. And as you go along, it'll eventually be where you want it to be.

Nick Petrella 17:31

Yeah. Well, Aleah, thanks so much for spending part of your day with us. It was really inspiring to hear how your grit and determination to just keep producing has propelled your career. Thanks so much.

Aleah Wright 17:43

Thank you guys. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me on.

Announcer 17:46

Thanks, Aleah. Thanks for listening. If you like this podcast, please subscribe. Visit Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast.com to learn more about our guest and how you can help support artists, the arts, and this podcast.