Not Every Founder Wants to Scale Big: Kathryn Paves on Building a Healthy $5M Beauty Business

What does it really take to grow a beauty brand from the ground up into a $20M+ global powerhouse? In this episode, Aggie Burnett sits down with Kathryn Paves—co-founder of Areum Ventures, brand strategist, multi-time founder, and the driving force behind TOCCA’s meteoric growth—to unpack the raw truths behind building mission-driven consumer brands. Kathryn shares how she scaled a scrappy startup into a globally recognized beauty icon, the pinch-me moment of seeing her work in Sephora and 40+ freestanding stores across Japan, and the intentional decisions that shaped TOCCA’s long-term success. From strategic fundraising that took another brand from $1.5M to $10M, to helping early-stage founders clarify whether they want a $5M lifestyle business or a sellable powerhouse, this episode is a goldmine of clarity and insight. Expect tactical gems on brand architecture, emotional storytelling, and why beauty is truly a category of its own.

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - Cold Email to Sephora: The Bold Pitch at 25
• 00:01:16 - Meet Kathryn Paves: Brand Builder & Risk Taker
• 00:02:03 - Turning Nerve into Opportunity: The TOCCA Story
• 00:03:21 - From Clothing to Beauty: TOCCA’s Transformation
• 00:12:48 - New Chapters: Stepping Into Chloe + Isabel
• 00:17:04 - Beauty is a Beast: Industry Realities
• 00:19:31 - Building Brands Like Architecture
• 00:23:50 - Margins, SKUs, and Smart Growth
• 00:24:38 - Launching With Intention, Not Just Hype
• 00:25:48 - Marketing for Longevity, Not Just Launch Day
• 00:29:48 - Raising Capital Without Losing Control
• 00:30:54 - Red Flags in Investor Conversations
• 00:40:19 - Visionaries vs. Operators: Who Drives Growth?
• 00:45:24 - Kathryn Today: What’s Next and Final Thoughts

Links and Resources:

• 👉Take our 5 Days to Growing Your Iconic Beauty Brand Challenge for only $17! -
• https://abcreativenyc.com/signup
• 👉 Scale from 0 to 7 figures without spinning your wheels with the Beauty Brand Roadmap: https://abcreativenyc.com/the-beauty-brand-roadmap
• Aggie on LinkedIn
• AB Creative 
• Aggie on Instagram
• Website – Brand Architect
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram – @thestyleskinny
• Kathryn on LinkedIn

Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to Beauty and the Brand? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube to leave us a review!

Mentioned in this episode:

5 Days to Growing Your Iconic Beauty Brand Challenge