Creating a New Product Category with Brea Fullerton of Shinery

March 4, 2022

Brea Fullerton is the Founder & CEO of Shinery, a luxury jewelry care brand that is good for you and your jewelry. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia and lives in Georgia Atlanta. After her engagement and being unable to find a jewelry cleaner without harsh chemicals or damaging effects on her skin, Brea launched Shinery. The company has a range of plant-based products that easily fit your daily beauty routine.

Today, Brea shares the inspiration behind her business, Shinery, and how her previous work experience helped her navigate building a business. She shares the lessons she learned during the startup phase and how it felt when the company started gaining traction. She shares tips on launching a new product, creating a new product category, and what you need to bear in mind when working with a publicist. Brea shares why she decided to self-fund her business and the first retail stores to sell her products. She also shares how you can find the right person to get your products into retail stores and a method to approach them to build a successful partnership.

“When launching a new category, there’s no roadmap, so you have to wake up every day knowing that you’re going into uncharted territories, but the reward is worth the risk.”- Brea Fullerton

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

This week on Startups in Stilettos:

The inspiration that led to Brea starting her business
How Brea’s career experience helped her when launching her business
The lessons she had to learn along the way in the startup phase
How it felt when Shinery started gaining traction in the market
Tips on launching a product in a new product category
What you need to consider when working with a publicist
The strategies Brea used for sending out samples to the press
Why Brea decided to bootstrap the business rather than use other funding sources
What made Brea choose to work with wholesalers
The first retail stores Shinery got into and how it felt to get those orders
Finding the right person to get your product into retail stores and how to reach out to them
How to prepare for press interviews
What is next for Shinery

Our Favorite Quotes:

“It’s OK that you don’t have the answers; you just have to put one foot in front of the other.” – Brea Fullerton
“Never underestimate the power of educating the consumer base and building that community.” – Brea Fullerton
“Don’t be afraid to email people when it’s their personal time, even though that’s like an invasion of privacy. That’s when you are probably going to get responded to.” – Brea Fullerton

Connect with Brea Fullerton:

Connect with your Startups in Stilettos hosts!

This episode is sponsored by… Hershey’s Her For She Sorority

Is there a business woman in your network that deserves to be celebrated?

Nominate a woman that inspires you to be featured on Entreprenista’s social media using the hashtag: #HerForShe and tag us @Entreprenistas and @Hersheys

Get Featured on Startups in Stilettos

Want a chance to be featured on Startups in Stilettos? We’re currently accepting applications from our Entreprenista League members to be featured on the show!

Think of the Entreprenista League as your team members in what can be a lonely startup founder’s journey. You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded female startup founders who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website, social channels – and, of course, the Startups in Stilettos podcast – and so much MORE!

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join.

We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Grow Your Startup with Startups in Stilettos

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Startups in Stilettos, powered by the Entreprenista Podcast Network. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more startup founders, like you, and have a chance to win a one-on-one mentor and strategy session with Stephanie Cartin.

Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And for even more exclusive content and information – and to get access to the 8 Secrets to Success in Your Business video course and worksheet – visit our website.

Share it!

Posted in Startups in Stilettos

Disrupting an Industry with Alexandra Keating of Uni

Like many Entreprenistas, Alexandra always knew she wanted to run a business, and she has—multiple businesses, in fact. When she became obsessed with the fact that the personal care industry uses a lot of single-use products, she knew the solution and she knew her next business. Today, we sit down with Alexandra Keating, founder of…

The DHL Express GoGreen Giveaway is Helping Entreprenistas Go Global in a Sustainable Way

In Partnership with DHL Express We speak to eCommerce founders every day that are looking to launch, scale and grow their businesses. One of the biggest things to consider for growth: international shipping – but the question remains, how do small businesses ship internationally and is there a way to do so sustainably? In a…

How to Deal with your Team’s Burn Out

As an Entreprenista, your business is not just a job, it’s a passion. You put in long hours, sweat and tears, and endless effort to make it successful. However, this can often lead to burnout, especially during times of high stress. And with May being National Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s important to address this…

Tapping Into The Creativity with Catalina Escallon of Noodo Studio

While Catalina Escallon is an artist, and by definition, a creative person, she realized that a lot of people did not view themselves that way as they got older. So she and her partner decided to start a studio that helps people realize that there are many ways to be creative. In today’s episode, we…

Building Your Personal Brand with Stacey Ross Cohen of Co-Communications

Stacey grew up around entrepreneurs, so it’s safe to say that being a business owner is in her blood, and she has been doing it successfully for well over two decades. But her newest passion is helping the next generation make sense and leverage the digital age to build a personal brand that helps them…

Learning The Heart and Soul of SEO with Meg Clarke of Clapping Dog Media

Like many Entreprenistas, Meg left the corporate world once she had kids and started to work on her own. She had experience with web design, so that’s what she did, before she realized that having the perfect website is meaningless if no one finds it. So she dug in and learned everything there was to…

Social Media Marketing 101 with Sarah Bugeja of Later

Sarah has spent her career constantly learning new skills—both on the job and off—to further her career. She also mastered learning when it’s time to move on to the next opportunity. Now she’s here to share her story and also her tips and tricks regarding all things social media. Today, we sit down with Sarah…

Mamaprenista Candice D’Angelo reflects on Launching ‘The Selling Lab’

Below is a brief introduction about Candice D’Angelo and her business, The Selling Lab: Candice D’Angelo – a corporate dropout with 12+ years of sales experience – is the founder of The Selling Lab, a sales training agency where online and offline businesses alike come to level up their sales skills and build custom trainings.…

Founder Jené Hernandez, of Mixology Marketing, on Helping Businesses Stand Out and Achieve their Marketing Goals

Hello Jené! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: As one of the leading marketing agencies in Los Angeles, Mixology Marketing blends creativity and strategy to create bespoke marketing experiences for our clients. From digital marketing and social media to content creation, website development, and impactful events, we take a unique approach…

How To Create The Best Brand Message For Your Business with Xindi Soh of By Xindi

Over the course of her business, Xindi has had to confront herself and get a grasp on who she is, what she stands for, and what she wants. But the ride hasn’t always been what she was expecting. Now she preaches leaning into the hard stuff and believing in yourself, and it seems to be…

How To Find Unique Ways To Fund Your Business with Arion Long of Femly

Our Entreprenista of the Year: Arion Long has always been an overachiever; she started college at 15 years old. But one thing that threatened to hold her back was her periods. After going to many gynecologists, she found one that not only listened to her, but told her something that would change the course of…

Katherine Wallisch on Empowerment Consulting for Parents and Clinicians of Non-Speaking Children

Hello Katherine! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: As a speech-language pathologist specializing in Autism and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), I have created a comprehensive empowerment program for parents and clinicians. My name is Katherine Wallisch, and I am the mother of a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. Growing…

Digitizing Art For A Business with Sally King McBride of The Letter Nest

When Sally’s friends and family started having children, she looked for gifts that would be meaningful and lasting. As an artist, she decided to create watercolor name paintings. Soon, the commissions started flooding in and she had a proof of concept for a business. In today’s episode, we sit down with Sally King McBride, founder…

When Being an Entreprenista is in Your DNA with Carrie Shaw of Copper

Carrie’s career path is quite the story: she started in product management and stayed in that for over a decade before switching to marketing and falling in love. After she had been with Copper for a couple years as CMO, she was offered the CEO position and almost turned it down, but she didn’t. Now…

Kristen Elworthy on Founding Seven Hills Communications and Embracing Her Desire to Story Tell

Hi Kristen! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: I’m Kristen Elworthy, and I’m the founder of Seven Hills Communications. We’re a PR micro-agency that works with mostly female-founded and mission-driven companies and personal brands in both the consumer and B2B space. Our wheelhouse is working with startups and emerging brands, and…