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Summary
Alysse Asaro and Madhu Punjabi discussed the myth of “having it all,” which Madhu Punjabi believes requires substantial financial resources and is achieved sequentially over time, with both acknowledging the necessity of paid help to manage work, house, and family responsibilities. Madhu Punjabi shared their career journey through Google, Amazon, Telepart, and Pinterest before moving to Facebook and ultimately leaving to start Huggable, which later pivoted to Lion Pose skincare after supply chain issues during COVID-19, driven by personal experiences with hyperpigmentation. Both speakers discussed the importance of energy management, the satisfaction derived from career belief, the value of User-Generated Content for Lion Pose’s brand story, and the importance of teaching children mental strength and resilience from mistakes.
Takeaways
- The Myth of “Having It All” Alysse Asaro welcomed Madhu Punjabi of Lion Pose to the show, noting that they do much more than co-found a successful business. Madhu Punjabi expressed a visceral reaction to the phrase “having it all,” calling it a myth and noting that people who appear to have it all often have substantial financial resources for help. They shared their partner’s perspective that having it all is not about the present moment but achieving goals over a course of time, suggesting that life’s priorities shift sequentially, such as having kids, starting a company, or remodeling a house.
- Managing Work and Family Responsibilities Alysse Asaro agreed that people, including themself, rely on paid help, stating they “simply cannot do this all on my own”. Madhu Punjabi called those who manage everything alone “true heroes,” acknowledging the mental strain of managing people, house, and kids, even for business owners. Madhu Punjabi emphasized that doing it all is “really hard” and requires getting through “the grit”.
- Energy Management and Outsourcing Madhu Punjabi introduced an acronym from a former boss about energy: analyzing what depletes energy, where to invest it, and where one gains it. Madhu Punjabi explained that while social events used to be an energy gain, now, as a parent and founder, these events deplete their energy, making them careful about energy investment, which is a finite resource. Alysse Asaro noted that they also experience energy depletion from social events but find energy in productive, meaningful work days involving marketing initiatives and campaigns for clients.
- Career Satisfaction and Belief in the Product Alysse Asaro stated that their satisfaction at Rossa media comes from being able to choose where they work and believing in the company’s results, which makes selling easy. Madhu Punjabi commented on the impressiveness of Alysse Asaro returning to the agency where they started after selling their own, suggesting it reflects highly on the current management. Alysse Asaro confirmed great respect for the leadership and the company culture at Rossman, emphasizing the high ethical standards that drew them to the company.
- CEO Involvement and Company Ethics Alysse Asaro highlighted that the CEO and founder of Rossman is involved in every account, regardless of the monthly spending, which Alysse Asaro found to be rare and a testament to the firm’s ethics. Madhu Punjabi noted this dedication is “pretty rare”.
- Madhu Punjabi’s Tech Background Madhu Punjabi shared their career journey, beginning in finance at Google, where they helped advocate for investment in Google shopping (originally called frugal) based on high cash flow, leading to the launch of features like PLA’s and Google reviews. Madhu Punjabi also worked briefly at Amazon, then at Telepart, a retargeting company before Facebook officially launched retargeting.
- Transition to Pinterest and Business School While in business school at Harvard, Madhu Punjabi conceived of a concept called One Shop, a consolidated shopping platform, and pitched it to VCs. A former colleague from Telepart brought the idea to Pinterest, where Madhu Punjabi interned and then was persuaded to launch the product. To complete business school, Madhu Punjabi worked Monday and Tuesday in Boston and Wednesday through Friday in San Francisco for a full year, launching the product the same week they graduated HBS.
- Focus on Video and Leaving Facebook After business school and a period of burnout, Madhu Punjabi sought a “normal 9 to 5” at Facebook but found it was not one. Madhu Punjabi focused on video, specifically live video ranking, recognizing the power of video to drive product demand from experiences at Google, Pinterest, and through content creators like Carly Bible. They ultimately decided to leave Facebook because they wanted to be a parent and avoid working crazy hours.
- The Decision to Start an Agency Madhu Punjabi described leaving their job while pregnant without a clear plan, calling it the scariest time of their life, driven by a desire to show their child they could follow their dreams. Alysse Asaro related a similar experience of deciding to leave their job at Rossman while sitting in a Starbucks in Puerto Rico. Alysse Asaro left to pursue their own boutique agency focused on UGC and social media, securing one partner before officially resigning, with the full support of their manager, Alex.
- The Start of Huggable and Pivot to Lion Pose While pregnant, Madhu Punjabi learned about the poor ingredients in most US baby formula and the superior standards of European formulas. They launched a company called Huggable, selling European formula through a Shopify site and ads, generating $10 million in revenue in a year, largely due to the poor quality of US formulas. However, after realizing the gray market nature of importing formula, Madhu Punjabi wanted to start their own formula company and applied to Y Combinator with Nisha, their first hire at Huggable and current co-founder.
- COVID-19 and the Pivot to Skincare Madhu Punjabi and Nisha got into Y Combinator to start a formula company, but COVID-19 caused supply chain breakdowns, and their partner, Michael Cyel, advised them to pivot. Following interviews with mothers who were concerned about post-pregnancy skin issues like melasma and acne, Madhu Punjabi recognized the demand for skincare solutions. They launched tests and ads for a fake product and confirmed that people, including Madhu Punjabi themself, were dealing with skin issues and hyperpigmentation after having a child.
- Skincare Challenges and Product Development Madhu Punjabi shared a picture of themself experiencing significant hyperpigmentation after having a baby and described their journey trying various expensive products that failed to work. A dermatologist advised against using a 30% glycolic acid peel, which was trending, because it could burn the skin and cause a darker, longer-lasting dark spot due to melanin reaction, particularly in darker skin tones (Fitzpatrick scale 4-6). Madhu Punjabi learned about the need for caution with acids and lasers on darker skin, leading to the creation of their first product, “Unspotted,” a gentle dark spot serum for all skin tones.
- Mindset and Overcoming Lulls Alysse Asaro found Madhu Punjabi’s story energizing, proving that success requires grit and motivation rather than having everything “figured out”. Madhu Punjabi admitted to experiencing periods in a “valley” or a “lull,” citing a time when their company’s finances were in a bad state due to a focus on marketing over micromanaging finance. They found motivation to overcome this rut by watching mindset videos from people like Alex Hormoszi and Steven Bartlett, and reading stories like Steph Curry’s, to remember that failure is part of the equation for succeeding.
- Teaching Children About Mistakes and Mental Strength Alysse Asaro and Madhu Punjabi discussed the importance of not staying down during difficult times and actively working to get oneself out of a slump. Madhu Punjabi shared an anecdote about their child crying after breaking an egg, and how they use these moments to teach them that mistakes mean they are learning. Both speakers, identifying as millennials, recognized that this mental strength and emotional growth were not typically taught in their childhoods.
- Involving Children in Daily Activities Alysse Asaro talked about how their two-year-old child, Logan, is teaching them to slow down and be present. Alysse Asaro found that involving Logan in simple tasks like closing the garage door or helping with laundry slows them down and allows them to enjoy the moment. They also discussed the challenge of “instant gratification” in the current generation, sharing a story of their niece resisting making homemade cupcake frosting but loving the result, learning a lesson outside the path of least resistance.
- The Power of UGC and Brand Story Madhu Punjabi noted that User-Generated Content (UGC) is effective for their business, especially when the product creators share their story and the behind-the-scenes process. Madhu Punjabi noted the difficulty of creating content consistently alongside daily business operations. Alysse Asaro recognized the value of UGC for Lion Pose due to Madhu Punjabi’s incredible and genuine story, contrasting it with celebrity-backed skincare brands.
- Conclusion and Future Discussions Alysse Asaro and Madhu Punjabi concluded the long and motivating discussion, with Alysse Asaro proposing a potential follow-up episode to dive into the clinical testing that is important for Madhu Punjabi’s products.