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You're not behind. You're just building in the wrong order.
Real Talk with investor Rich Gersten on what early-stage founders get wrong, and what the ones who make it do differently. There's a specific kind of doubt that hits founders around month six or twelve. The brand exists. The product is real. You believe in it completely. And yet nothing is moving the way you thought it would. You're doing everything, the content, the outreach, the ops, the strategy, and it still feels like you're shouting into a room where no one can hear you

Paula Ironside
4 days ago8 min read


From hype to health: The real longevity playbook
The shift from aesthetic wellness to measurable health. A conversation with Lisa Tengbom by Paula Ironside. The wellness industry didn't just grow, it expanded into something ambient. It became part of how we signal identity, discipline, even taste. Green juices, cold plunges, infrared saunas, rituals that promise not just health, but a certain kind of life. But as the category scaled, so did a quiet fatigue. Not necessarily with the practices themselves, but with what they r

Paula Ironside
6 days ago9 min read


Real Talk: The business of keeping it hot.
Kateřina Rydlová on Body Moody, chaos, and showing up anyway Kateřina Rydlová, CEO of Body Moody The pills to survive the day Eight years ago, Kateřina Rydlová noticed something. Not something new, but something so normalised it had become invisible: every woman she knew carried pills in their bag. Pink pills. White pills. Paracetamol. Ibuprofen. The kind you pop between meetings, the kind that let you get through the day when your body is screaming at you to stop. "I neede

Paula Ironside
6 days ago6 min read


How to define white space through storytelling
Finding the one story only your brand can tell There is a moment every founder knows. You scroll through your feed, you look at the brands around you, and something feels off. Not wrong, exactly. Just… loud. Everything is competing for attention, and somewhere underneath all that noise, you sense there might be a quieter, more meaningful way to build. That feeling is worth paying attention to. Because it might be pointing you toward the most important strategic question you'l

Paula Ironside
6 days ago6 min read


Part 3: A stand beyond profit. The choice European founders have.
And why the right answer is also the smart one European founders might be asking: "Should we build for Gen Alpha too?" My answer: No. Not because the market isn't there. It is. $4.7 billion in the US and growing. Not because the opportunity isn't real. It is. Tweens are buying, parents are buying for them, and the trajectory is clear. But because the opportunity isn't sustainable. And more importantly, because it's not right. Over the past two weeks, I've shown you how Gen Al

Paula Ironside
Mar 512 min read


Part 2: What the Gen Alpha phenomenon actually reveals about the future of brand discovery
And what European founders should be thinking about now While US beauty brands scramble to capture the Gen Alpha market, launching tween skincare lines, partnering with child influencers, positioning products for 8-year-olds, European founders are watching from a distance, asking: "Is this where we're headed? Should we be doing this here, too?" The honest answer: You're asking the wrong question. The Gen Alpha phenomenon isn't about whether you should create products for twee

Paula Ironside
Mar 39 min read


The future of beauty is felt, not just seen
Why sensory textures are becoming beauty's new language of connection There's a moment that happens when you open a new skincare product. Before the results. Before the routine settles in. Before you even know if it works. It's the moment your fingertips meet the texture. In this article: 💛 Why K-Beauty's sensory innovation is reshaping global beauty expectations💛 How texture has evolved from afterthought to strategic advantage 💛 What beauty brands can learn about creating

Paula Ironside
Feb 257 min read
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