- 1 hour ago
With 6 million online fans, beauty influencer Claudia Sulewski knew she had a powerful community for which to launch a product. The market was crowded with skin and makeup items, so she chose to focus on body care. In 2023 she started Cyklar, which sells body creams ($29), oil- infused body washes ($35) and roll-on fragrances ($24). “I self-funded that first launch, and it was the biggest risk and investment I had ever taken on,” she says. The risk has paid off: Forbes estimates the startup will bring in $15 million in revenue this year. Sulewski has been at it a long time. When she was 13, in 2009, she launched her “BeyondBeautyStar” YouTube channel. (She’s still going strong on the platform with her eponymous channel.) Outside of Cyklar, she has harnessed that social media fame into brand partnerships including Onitsuka Tiger and YSL, and landed acting gigs in the 2022 film I Love My Dad and Apple TV’s Shrinking.
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Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00What I have found is like a very deep and valuable lesson in all of this is to see your business and your brand as this malleable ball of clay.
00:17Claudia Salewski, thank you so much for joining me today.
00:20Thank you so much, Alex, for having me.
00:22So you have had a big month. You have multiple creative projects going on, Allure Beauty Awards that just came out, an engagement. How are you feeling?
00:30Oh, gosh. It is really hard to wrap my head around everything. I think I certainly believe that happiness walks on busy feet. Is that the phrase?
00:42And no, I just feel so grateful to be in such a busy season of life. And it's all been so exciting and rewarding. And being here today, right now, like, I don't know if the mic is going to pick up on my heartbeat, but I'm just so honored and so excited.
00:55No, we're thrilled to have you. So you have so many different facets of your career. Creator, actor, director, founder of Cycler. How do you identify yourself when you're meeting someone for the first time?
01:06Oh, gosh. At this point and at this season, I certainly feel like a founder first. I think in general, when I look at all of these different buckets and avenues that I'm dipping my toes in,
01:19they all are sort of their own version of storytelling, which maybe is a little cheesy to say, but making YouTube videos my whole life, I felt like I was editing. Editing was my storytelling, right?
01:32And then going into acting and directing. The same thing with films, telling a story, whether that be emotionally or visually. And I feel the same way about Cycler, whether that is telling stories through the fragrances that I'm crafting together or the formulas that we're developing.
01:50So I guess without being too cheesy, a storyteller?
01:53No, I love that. And I want to get into all those different aspects of what you're building today. But first, I want to go back to the early days of YouTube.
02:00You are like an OG YouTube creator, starting when you're 13 years old. Why did you get into it in the first place?
02:08I think at that time, whether I knew it or not, I was just looking for a creative outlet. And also, YouTube was still very new. Not many people were considering it a job or necessarily making money from it.
02:23And so it purely started as a creative outlet. And I just really enjoyed the process of editing and filming and just getting creative.
02:32And I am so grateful for, like, my younger self for taking it as seriously as I did. Even though it didn't start as a job, I kind of treated it like one.
02:42I was really consistent. And through any sort of criticism I got, you know, at school or anything, I just kept doing it.
02:51And I'm so grateful for that little girl.
02:54Were you criticized at school for doing stuff like that?
02:56Like a little bit. It wasn't too much.
02:58But I remember the first time everyone found out I had just uploaded a workout tutorial in my bedroom.
03:06And I was, like, doing crunches and ab workouts, like, on the ground.
03:09And everyone was, like, what is this girl doing? Doing crunches on camera.
03:15But for me, I guess the passion and the vision just always felt stronger than any sort of insecurity about what I was doing.
03:24Because it was strange and new at the time.
03:26But we kept on going.
03:28Yeah. I think so many people have that thought of, like, either being so grateful to themselves for starting when they were younger.
03:33Or, like, why did 13-year-old me not start a YouTube channel?
03:36Because who knew that it was going to become what it has today?
03:39Yeah.
03:40When you first started out, obviously it was not a career for you.
03:43But when did that pivot happen in your own mind to realize, like, this is how I can make money and ultimately, like, a career that I can build my whole life around?
03:50Yeah. I would say as the years went by, everything just started to legitimize.
03:56I think especially for my parents, who at the time were thinking, oh, my gosh, she is so young.
04:01What is she doing now?
04:02She's traveling to New York to interview makeup artists during Fashion Week.
04:07And so there were definitely sort of these pivotal moments throughout the years where I got to work with brands that I was really honored and excited by.
04:15And by the time I turned 18, I packed up everything, my life in my car.
04:21My parents helped me move across the country to Los Angeles.
04:25And from there, I think I sort of knew, okay, I'm taking this risk on myself and on this, whatever this is, you know, and just sort of went into everything with open arms and just worked as hard as I could.
04:42So I don't know if it was, if there was any, like, one specific pivotal moment, but it was just sort of this gradual sort of growth and realization of, like, okay, you know, I can build a business and a life surrounding this.
04:55Do you remember the first time that you got a brand dealer that you got paid for what you were creating?
04:59Okay.
04:59Got paid.
05:01Oh, my gosh.
05:02I definitely, I remember the first gifting I received.
05:06It was for a tongue scraper.
05:09Cool, cool.
05:09And it arrived in, like, a little paper envelope.
05:12And I was so excited.
05:15I think, actually, the first time I got paid from YouTube was just through AdSense.
05:19It was, like, a $200 check or something.
05:21And I remember showing it to my dad and being, like, look.
05:24And then I, like, took that check to the mall immediately and, like, bought makeup and clothing.
05:28Like a 13-year-old girl test.
05:29Yes.
05:30I love that.
05:31Going, though, from there to where we are now, obviously the content industry has changed drastically.
05:36How do you feel like your content has shifted along with that as you've taken it more and more seriously?
05:42It's turned into not just a passion like it was but into your livelihood.
05:46What has that meant for what you're producing?
05:48Yeah.
05:48I think it always just depends on what season of life I'm in.
05:52As I'm getting older, I'm certainly recognizing sort of the power in privacy and sort of deciding what I choose to share and what I don't share.
06:02For the last two years-ish, I've changed my format and I upload one video a month where I just edit together a collection of clips that I gathered from the entire month and create sort of like a storyline with it.
06:14And that has given me this sense of privacy while also feeling really authentic to me and my style of video creating.
06:23And so I think it's sort of just like whatever life kind of asks of me in that moment and how I want to treat my relationship with content creation because I'm sharing so much of my life.
06:38It's so deeply personal, but I think the through line across the past 15 years, I would say I've deeply tried to stay as authentic as possible.
06:51And, you know, that also involves growing and evolving and turning into a woman and all these things, like literally vlogging about getting my braces for the first time and this breakup and that breakup.
07:02And I think just remaining authentic through all of that has been like the number one priority.
07:08Has there been anything that you have shared that you regretted later on or stuff that you didn't include that you're like, I feel like that would have been a really big part of my story that people don't know about?
07:16Oh my gosh.
07:17I think maybe emphasizing more on my mental health journey.
07:23During COVID, I started therapy for the first time and just unpacked and unraveled so much within myself about my people-pleasing tendencies and stuff like that.
07:32I think at the end of the day, though, I don't really have too many regrets because I feel so connected to my community at this moment.
07:42And, yeah, so I don't want to live with any regrets.
07:46Yeah.
07:47Yeah.
07:47No, I love that.
07:48Speaking of your monthly vlogs, in a past one, you mentioned that you are not sharing them chronologically.
07:55It is a bunch of clips that come together, which got me.
07:57I'm like, she really is storytelling and you're crafting your own story around it, which I feel like really leads into your directing skills today.
08:04Can you walk me through a little bit of that transition from a creator for your own pieces to then helping others produce really great works of art?
08:11Yeah, I think what's been so great about creating content for so long is understanding how a story needs to unfold to continue to be interesting.
08:22You know, I think a big challenge with social media is holding on to people's attention spans.
08:28And so whatever it might be, like you're saying, if it's editing these clips together in a way that didn't actually happen chronologically just to keep the video interesting and kind of space things out, all of that knowledge I've certainly poured into directing.
08:45And I have also learned so much just being on set for acting.
08:49So, yeah, I would say that the two have really gone hand in hand in more ways than I had imagined.
08:57What has it been like transitioning from creating your own content to in your acting roles with really, really major shows, drinking, your movie, I Love My Dad?
09:05There are so many ways that you have now shown up in front of the camera very differently from your own phone or your own camera.
09:12How has that transition been being with a film and TV crew instead?
09:15It has been so exciting as someone who has been editing and filming and setting up and planning and doing all these things alone and really being like a one woman show for so many years to get to collaborate on a set with multiple creatives and sort of like surrender and let go to whatever creative control that, you know, I guess I was super used to.
09:39So, that has been such an exciting part of this whole journey.
09:45And, yeah, just want to keep doing more of that.
09:47And also, Cycler has also been a source of that as well, getting to work with people that I trust and just vibe with so well.
09:57Do you have or did you have any reservations going to a set that you aren't in control of anymore?
10:03And how has that impacted, like, the way that you show up with your team?
10:07It hasn't really been any reservations.
10:09If anything, there's too much eagerness and excitement.
10:13I remember the first project that I was a lead on.
10:16It was this online series.
10:18And I would hear, you know, someone on someone's walkie be like, OK, we need to move that black tape because it's creating a flare on Claudia's face.
10:26And I'm like, got it.
10:27And I'm like doing it.
10:28And like a head pops in and they're like, you, that's not your job.
10:31You don't need to be doing that.
10:32But I think because I've had such an understanding of camera angles and lighting and all these things, I want to help out.
10:40So, if anything, it's I've had to chill out and just like let everyone do their job.
10:46Totally.
10:46Let them take control.
10:47You're there to act.
10:48And that's what you're there for.
10:49So, when you're building Cycler, first of all, I want to know like why you wanted to build a brand in the first place and also why body care?
10:57Yes.
10:58Well, in terms of like jumping into entrepreneurship, I certainly feel that I've been doing that my whole life in terms of like building my own personal business and brand.
11:10And Cycler has been such a meaningful and personal project for me.
11:16And, okay, so as far as body care goes, my relationship to body care, I feel that it's always grown and evolved with my relationship to just taking care of myself.
11:30And I was around 25 when I first started thinking about building a body care brand.
11:38And at that time, like I mentioned a bit ago, I was going to therapy for the first time and really sort of unpacking a lot about what it actually means to take care of yourself.
11:49And I am such a self-confessed people pleaser, constantly always saying yes and spreading myself thin.
11:57And around that time, too, with body care, I really felt like there was a white space in the market.
12:06I've adored so many brands that either like really emphasized on powerful, incredible ingredients and formulas and also brands that really lean into the romance of fragrance and aesthetic and vibe.
12:19And I felt that there wasn't really a brand doing both of those things in the way that I envisioned.
12:24And so it was sort of a culmination of those two things, seeing the white space and also just kind of reaching this point in my life where I was really starting to understand what it means to take care of yourself.
12:37And body care has always been a part of getting in touch with my body, both physically and mentally.
12:43There's such an emphasis on skin care right now and what's going on on the face and the hair and the nails.
12:49And oftentimes the body is overlooked because when we're rushing out the door to head to work or we need to catch up on a good night's sleep so we need to go to bed, you know, to put on a vitamin C body oil on and really massage it in, you're doing that for you, you know.
13:04And so consciously taking care of yourself is so important to me.
13:08And so that sort of is the origin story of why body care.
13:13I love that.
13:14From the time that you realize like this is something I want to maybe pursue to today, what has that research and development process looked like?
13:21How have the different products gone through multiple iterations?
13:24Like what has that journey looked like for you?
13:26When I first launched Cycler, I self-funded that first launch and really it was the biggest risk and investment I had ever taken on.
13:41And at the time, I was responding to all the customer support emails under a different name.
13:49I was running the Shopify account.
13:51I was processing returns in my bedroom.
13:53I was photographing all the imagery that was on the website for the PDB pages as well as, you know, the video on the homepage.
14:02All of that was footage of me forcing my friends to be in this video and editing it together.
14:08And so I knew when I had the idea to create Cycler, I wanted to be so heavily involved because it just, the world building, I think, was so exciting for me.
14:22And since then, I have teamed up with an incredible business partner, Ben Benton, who has helped to really craft and build out this brand to what it is today.
14:35And so, yeah, I think all of it, to compare it to my initial launch to now, it's taken some twists, some turns, some pivots.
14:47And I think what I have found is, like, a very deep and valuable lesson in all of this is to see your business and your brand as this malleable ball of clay and just figuring out, like, what is sticking, what is not sticking, what do people love, what do they not love?
15:04And not being too precious because it's okay to change things and figure it out along the way.
15:11And where we are today with Cycler, I'm just so proud of and excited to continue to expand upon that.
15:17Yeah.
15:17In terms of the products themselves, who are you working with to be able to create something that, one, you love, of course, throughout the trial and error of it?
15:24And then also that you feel like through these, you know, customer reactions or customer feedback that they will love as well.
15:30What's that process like?
15:31Yeah.
15:32I think the approach for every product is a little bit different.
15:35We're working with different contract manufacturers, different labs, also different fragrance houses to figure out what sort of floral we want to have, what sort of woodsy scent we want to have.
15:46And so it's been different with every product, but we're constantly asking ourselves what skincare advanced ingredients can we add into these body products to make them effective?
16:02And so, yes, it always looks a little bit different from each product.
16:06What are the products that you guys are currently selling today?
16:09At this very moment, we have body cream, body oil, body wash.
16:14We've also been launching different treatment-based formulas this year.
16:19So a glycolic spray for the body that you can spray anywhere and exfoliate, as well as a lactic acid foaming body scrub, and also building upon our fragrance family.
16:31And at this very moment, we have little fragrance perfume oils that you can just roll on to your pulse points.
16:39And so the range has grown, and I'm so excited for everything that we have.
16:46The brand has also caught the attention of the center, which is behind a lot of really big beauty brands today.
16:52How did that partnership happen?
16:53What has that meant for how your role has changed or what you guys are able to produce with the company?
16:58Yes.
16:59So around the time when I first launched Cycler and was handling so much of these things myself, I knew in looking at sort of the future and what the next chapter for Cycler would be, I knew that I needed help.
17:12I knew that I needed a partner and a team that could handle a lot of these areas that I am not an expert in.
17:19This is my first time, you know, building a company.
17:22And so Ben Bennett and I got connected through a friend, and I had the opportunity to pitch my business to him and just talk about my goals and my visions with the brand.
17:33And they really aligned with what he stands by and what he loves to create.
17:39And so from there, we teamed up together, and it's just been such a beautiful and harmonious partnership.
17:45And I think when I look back on my first launch, and really it felt like a masterclass in all the things that entail owning a business, I have so much gratitude for the support of the center and knowing just how much goes on and how much is needed in running a business.
18:07And so now I really get to focus on the things that I feel I am best at, right?
18:12So that is giving feedback and ideas on what these formulas should do to your skin and what they should feel like.
18:18And also what's the vibe of the brand?
18:20What do, you know, the shoots look like?
18:22How are the models posing with the product on set?
18:25So I'm in the office every single week.
18:28I'm on the sets for all the photo shoots.
18:30And I think being able to creatively direct the brand and the story that we're telling is certainly where I feel the most qualified and most excited about WoodCycler.
18:41Can we talk about the shower campaign that really got people going in a lot of different directions?
18:46So for people who have not seen it, can you give a little bit of a rundown of what it was for and kind of some of the reactions that you got from it?
18:53So when we relaunched our body cream and the body washes, we also introduced color in a really exciting way to the brand.
19:02And I think ultimately with that commercial, I just wanted to express my excitement with this, you know, small pivot and launch into, you know, these different products.
19:15And so there was a part of me that has always wanted to direct.
19:19And so it was my first time directing this commercial.
19:22And I really just wanted to, yeah, create something that, you know, would certainly create buzz, but also just show how involved I am and how excited I am about this relaunch and about these new products.
19:36And so I'm hoping that my goal was achieved with that commercial, but it was so much fun to create.
19:43Totally.
19:44And to show how intimate of a product it is, like you're saying with body care, it really is like a way that you have been able to connect with yourself.
19:50So why not show that through the campaign as well?
19:53It was also super cheeky, too, and not taking it too seriously.
19:56And I think that is also a pillar for us is just not ever feeling too serious or unattainable in any sort of way and kind of holding that levity and just vibe, you know.
20:10What has it been like building your personal brand versus a product business?
20:14Because in many cases for you as a creator, like you are the product.
20:18So what's the difference there in terms of how you approach what you're creating, what you're producing, how you're engaging with, you know, your audience or your consumers?
20:26Yeah, the difference between a personal brand and a business, I mean, gosh, so different, so different.
20:31I think with my personal brand, you have to follow your gut instinct with both of those facets.
20:40But with a business, if your consumers don't enjoy your product or there are certain things that aren't working, you have to change it.
20:48You have to pivot and you have to be open and flexible with that.
20:53And so I, in terms of like looking at criticism or any sort of feedback or, you know, reading comments, stuff like that, the personal stuff, I don't really pay any attention to it because it's my personal life.
21:07You know what I mean? I know who I am and the person that I am and my hope is to always just to create content that reflects that.
21:14But specifically with a business, I'm creating products that hopefully encourages people to get in touch with their bodies and take care of themselves.
21:24And, you know, I want them to love the products.
21:26And so I am in those comments.
21:29I am on TikTok.
21:30I am watching those reviews.
21:31And I think all of that is really important to understand, you know, what they're liking, what they're not liking.
21:37Have there been any major pivots that you've had to make based on what that consumer feedback has been?
21:41I wouldn't say any two, any major, major pivots.
21:45I think moving into sort of more colorful, vibrant packaging was something that I also was really excited by about a year ago now, just from shooting my own product and feeling that desire for color and playfulness.
22:00But apart from there, I mean, any sort of changes or pivots are just based on, you know, little bumps and hiccups that you find along the way.
22:08Let's say like a cap doesn't screw on perfectly.
22:11Oh, it's because of the pressure of the ball inside.
22:13Let's figure out how we can fix that.
22:15And so hopefully a lot of the changes or little pivots that you have to make sort of behind the scenes, you don't really see on the outside and the consumer doesn't notice.
22:24But those things are happening all the time.
22:26And that's usually happening within development.
22:29And sometimes based on, you know, deadlines and getting something launched and out there, you're not like 100% satisfied, but you can fix it later on.
22:38So figuring out those like small sacrifices has also been a huge, you know, part of owning a business.
22:44Yeah, definitely.
22:45Has there been any part of your personal brand, whether that's like brand messaging, a brand ethos that you feel like you've carried through those early days on YouTube to Cycler that you feel like has been really critical?
22:54Yeah, I would say, you know, it's a little to what I was saying earlier of the importance of getting in touch with yourself and taking care of yourself in order to show up as a good friend, as a good partner, as a good daughter, all these things, eventually a mother.
23:11And that is deeply rooted and connected with actually the name Cycler is inspired by the word cycle.
23:18And it's been so exciting to sort of watch the name of this brand continue to find new meaning and deeper meaning to my goal with this brand and with my own personal brand as well.
23:33When I first launched Cycler, I wanted to nod to like the sustainable efforts that I was making with packaging, which still remains a huge priority.
23:43We're using 100% PCR bottles, our tubes are made out of a bio-resin derived from sugar cane, we're launching refills, stuff like that.
23:52But in addition to that, Cycler being inspired by cycle also means to me the cycle of showing up for yourself every single day and the cycle of these rituals that we're, you know, prioritizing to prioritize ourselves.
24:08And so my hope is to always be a source of encouragement to look after yourself and to not feel guilty for that.
24:19You know, I think there's so much chaos going around and mental health, physical health, all of these things.
24:25Your health is what you have, you know, and I think it's really important to always keep that at the top.
24:31And then what about from like a strategy perspective or whether that's in content, whether that's just like keeping your own priorities straight, how have the lessons that you learned, again, when you were like so young starting this out, impacted in a very, you know, new phase of starting something out?
24:45Yeah, I mean, I feel like I can point to so many different things and ultimately I would say to remain as authentic as possible and to just, I guess, take a chance on yourself.
25:03I think throughout all of these different years, continuing to be my number one advocate for myself and I really have YouTube to thank for that confidence and creative confidence that really all those years brought me.
25:17And I just think if you have an idea, if you have a dream, chase it, you know, why not take a chance on yourself?
25:24And I certainly am so grateful that I did, you know, 15 years ago and also four years ago when I started this new journey.
25:33Yeah, totally.
25:34My last question for you, moving forward into the future, there are so many parts of your career that you have been focused on for the past couple of years, like we've been talking about.
25:42What are you prioritizing next?
25:43Is there anything you're specifically excited about or certain aspects of your multifaceted life right now that you feel like is going to take over in the next couple of years?
25:52Um, certainly continuing to build and grow and expand Cycler.
25:57Cycler is my number one priority at this moment.
26:00And this past year, I've also really, really loved directing.
26:04I've been directing a couple of music videos and that has also just been so fun in its own way.
26:10So I think those two are priorities.
26:13Love it.
26:13I can't wait to see what else comes to Cycler, what other things you direct.
26:17Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today.
26:19Thank you so much, Alex.
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