BONUS: Fresh Co-Founders on Building From $10,000 to Global Empire, the Soap That Sold Itself, and Resisting Shiny Object Syndrome

Alina Roytberg and Lev Glazman, co-founders of Fresh, built one of the first modern skincare brands rooted in natural ingredients, sensorial experience, and emotional connection—long before “clean beauty” became a trend. In this episode, they share how they turned a personal frustration with conventional products into a business that caught the attention of Barneys, Sephora, and eventually LVMH.

We talk about the $10,000 gamble that launched their first store, the soap that flew off shelves without any marketing, and the costly mistake of chasing too many opportunities at once. They also open up about what it was really like being acquired by a luxury giant, maintaining creative control, and why clarity, discipline, and customer trust are still their guiding principles.

This is a conversation about growth with intention, learning through missteps, and staying connected to the original spark that started it all.

While our last episode officially wrapped Season 5, we couldn’t resist sharing this bonus conversation before we take a short break. We'll be back next season—one more story of risk, resilience, and the long game of building something meaningful.

Key Takeaways and Topics:

• The emotional and sensory philosophy behind Fresh’s product development
• Why their soaps sold out at Barneys within days—and what they did next
• The failed attempt to launch a subbrand (Index) at Bergdorf and the costly lesson in diluted focus
• Building a brand through education and storytelling—before the internet
• The early days of clean beauty and why they focused on what’s in the product
• How LVMH acquired Fresh while allowing the founders to retain autonomy and creative control\
• Navigating acquisition and learning how to lead within a global conglomerate

 

The Failure Factor Podcast was brought to you by Off The Field Coaching. Explore working with one of our coaches at http://offthefieldcoaching.com

Hosted by Megan Bruneau: therapist, executive coach, speaker, Forbes contributor, and host of The Failure Factor. For more info, visit https://meganbruneau.com

 

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Website: https://www.fresh.com/  

 

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