Ep 295 | Ann McFerran

Written By Yasmin Nouri

How This Founder Defied All Odds & Turned $5K Into a $50M Brand in Just 1 Year

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Ann McFerran is the founder and CEO of Glamnetic, a Los Angeles-based beauty brand that specializes in magnetic lashes, press-on nails, and eyeliners.

Ann immigrated from Thailand to the U.S. when she was 7, joining her mom in a small California town where she was one of the only Asian kids in the area. Although she felt different and self-conscious, she found comfort and a sense of control in wearing false lashes, which helped her feel like she belonged. In 2019, Ann identified a gap in the beauty market for magnetic eyelashes, and with no business experience, she taught herself everything from product development to marketing, and founded Glamnetic from her small LA apartment with just a few thousand dollars. To get her business off the ground, she bootstrapped it, even offering free pizza to anyone willing to help pack and ship products. In July 2019, Glamnetic launched, and by 2021, Ann had sold over 1.5 million sets of nails, generated $50 million in sales, and achieved all of this while remaining completely self-funded.

In this week’s episode, Ann opens up about her tough childhood in Thailand, the challenges of moving to the U.S., and the lessons she learned about stress and resilience. She shares how she went against her family’s expectations and made the bold decision to leave pre-med in college to pursue her passion for art and entrepreneurship. Ann discusses the early days of building her business from her Koreatown apartment, how creativity and visualization helped her manifest her goals, and the exact steps she took to create her first product – from finding suppliers to marketing the product with no money. She also shares how the business grew exponentially since its launch, and the challenges that come with that, how she navigated imposter syndrome along the way, how her definition of success is ever-changing, and so much more.

Show Notes:

  • Ann’s tough childhood in Thailand & navigating depression. [03:17]

  • Moving to America and witnessing a new life for herself. [09:33]

  • Navigating life as a Thai immigrant and family expectations. [10:46]

  • Graduating college and pursuing a career as an artist. [12:35]

  • The inspiration behind Glamnetic: discovering a big gap in the marketing. [17:11] 

  • Funding the first order and launching with 100 units. [22:39]

  • Launch strategy & how Ann reached over a million monthly in the early days. [25:30]

  • Hiring the right people is crucial for growth. [33:06]

  • Ann’s approach to handling business challenges. [39:11]

  • How Ann met her business partner. [42:42]

  • Challenges of scaling a business. [45:59]

  • Sheryl Sandberg reaching out to the brand. [47:39]

  • The evolving definition of success. [52:32]

  • How visualization can help manifest your goals. [57:10]

  • Gratitude and its role in driving success. [59:58]

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Ep 296 | Dr. Julie Chung
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Ep 294 | Dr. Amy Shah