How Bobbi Brown Went From Vogue Makeup Artist to Building a $160M Brand at 63

Listen to this episode from The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia on Spotify. Makeup artist, mogul, author, hotelier—Bobbi Brown has built more than one empire (and reinvented herself along the way).In this episode of The Burnouts, Bobbi sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to talk about what it really takes to build an iconic brand, sell it for millions, and then start all over again. From mixing her first lipstick with a chemist and cold-calling agencies out of the Yellow Pages, to selling Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to Estée Lauder and later launching Jones Road Beauty, Bobbi shares the unfiltered version of how she built—and rebuilt—her career on her own terms.She opens up about confidence, burnout, and building businesses with her husband and family. Plus: the 25-year non-compete that changed everything, why “retirement” is not in her vocabulary, how she clapped back at viral TikTok criticism (and won), and the simple beauty rules she swears by for every generation.Also: how she accidentally went from makeup artist to hotel owner, why she still cold-DMs influencers, and her #1 piece of advice for young women chasing their dream career.🔍 CHAPTERS00:00 – Starting Bobbi Brown Cosmetics06:30 – Reinventing beauty around natural looks09:20 – Vogue covers, Naomi Campbell, and early breaks12:00 – Building a billion-dollar brand with Estée Lauder20:00 – Family, partnership, and working with her husband27:20 – Selling for $74M and the 25-year non-compete30:00 – Going viral with Jones Road Beauty on TikTok34:30 – Personal brand, social media, and DMs that changed everything40:00 – Jones Road’s growth and what’s next46:00 – Advice for entrepreneurs (luck vs. hard work)51:00 – Hiring, culture, and leading a scrappy team57:00 – Self-care, health, and why she’ll never retire🔗 FOLLOW USPhoebe GatesSophia KianniBobbi Brown🔥 FOLLOW THE BURNOUTSInstagramTikTokLinkedIn📲 Download the Phia app.Subscribe to The Burnouts for exclusive conversations with today’s top founders and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by former Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders, Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, this isn’t just another founder podcast—it’s untold conversations and the unfiltered reality of what it takes to build your dream career in your 20s. Guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more visionaries defining the brands—and blueprints—of our time. Whether you’re dreaming big or building now, these are the conversations that will show you how it’s done (and what no one else tells you).🔔 Subscribe now to get the blueprint for building your dream career Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.