BBR7 Thought Leader Q&A: Dana Myers – Founder of Booty Parlor

Bringing Sexy Back…This is what Booty Parlor Founder, Dana B. Myers, is all about!

With her trademark curls to her infectious energy, Myers delighted Beauty Biz Roundtable BBR7 attendees with her roundtable discussion: “From Niche to Mainstream: When a Vision Can Fill a Void.”

Booty Parlor, the beauty parlor for your love life, was conceived on the premise that confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can have. They believe that every woman deserves to feel sexy, desirable and satisfied and so, their  award-winning products, from Pheromone-laced skin creams and perfume, to their aphrodisiac lip glosses, kissable body toppings, and flirty bedroom accessories, are designed to boost a woman’s confidence and inspire her to create sexy experiences in her days—and nights.

As Founder of Booty Parlor, America’s premiere sexy beauty and lifestyle brand, Dana B. Myers has changed the lives thousands of women, by inspiring them to boost their self-confidence and create sexier, more satisfying experiences, inside and outside of the bedroom.

Since some of you weren’t able to sit with Dana during her BBR7 roundtable, she gladly shared her thoughts with us!

1.Please share 3 key takeaways from your presentation on “From Niche to Mainstream: When a Vision Can Fill a Void. “

• In order to stand out in a cluttered marketplace, niche brands don’t try to be all things to all people. They put forth a focused effort on a unique and different value proposition and on creating connection with a smaller (but more passionate & loyal) audience.

• When Focus is paired with Differentiation, supported by a Trend, and surrounded by compelling Communications, you have the basic ingredients for a forward-thinking brand. (Source: ZAG by Marty Neumeier).

• Ask yourself/your brand, “What is your ONLY? Your ‘Onliness Statement’? Can you fill in these blanks? “Our brand is the only ____ that _____.”

2. Please tell us about your career path/progression. The road to… where you are now? How did you get started? 

 Although my professional career started in the music business, I grew up with a make-up artist mother and spent my weekends in the salon helping her unpack her inventory (she had a private label line).  So beauty and female confidence were always a big part of my life, a big inspiration.  But so was “sexy.” And eventually, the idea to create a brand at the intersection of beauty & sexy became so compelling that I had to do it. It was the right moment in time where sexy was trending into the mainstream, I had the right business partner (my husband), and we recognized a void in the market that we could fill – a need we could serve. We spent a year creating our first collection of products and were scouted by Victoria’s Secret within a few weeks of our launch. Seven years, (and lots of successes and errors), later, Booty Parlor is the leading sexy beauty brand and an innovator at the forefront of a new category. 

3. Why did you choose this career? Why the beauty industry?

As corny as it sounds, I think I was destined to be in beauty – but to do it in my own style.  Growing up, from age 6, my mom always said, “Someday, my (make-up) business can be yours if you want!” And even though my first professional passion was in the music industry, I was eventually drawn to an entrepreneurial path in beauty.  My mom showed me that with a little lip gloss and some honest girlfriend-to-girlfriend conversation, you could completely change a woman’s day, and boost her self-confidence in a remarkable way.  And being a part of that transformation is pretty amazing and rewarding. 

4. Who/what are your biggest career influences? 

Certainly my mother & father, who are both lifelong entrepreneurs.  Others who inspire me are Anita Roddick, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Jane Fonda, Mary Kay Ash, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs.

5. Who is today’s beauty consumer? How are they changing?  

Today’s customers are searching for something, anything, to help them differentiate between the best brands and the ever-multiplying number of me-too brands and lookalike products. They want to find a path through the clutter, and connect to a brand based on their “why,” not on their ingredient decks. 

6. What do you see as the latest trends in your industry?

Find a white space – a void in the consumer’s world that needs to be filled —  and then be radically different in serving their needs! 

7. What attributes make a great leader? Tell us about your leadership style.

The best definition I ever came across on leadership is that… a great leader can effectively communicate to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.  I know I strive to do that with my leadership style, but perhaps more realistically what I do best is sprinkle a bit of fun and fabulousness into my employees’ days and lives.  I think I set an example that you can have it all – success, family, health, excitement, happiness, great hair (ha!). It’s not easy, and the concept of balance is a joke, but I do believe you can live your dream. 

8. What kinds of qualities do you look for in an employee/when hiring a candidate/someone to join your team? 

We look for Intelligence, ambition, commitment, experience, and the right cultural fit for the company.  Can they do the job? Will they do the job? Are they the right fit for the organization? That’s how we evaluate job candidates. 

9. What is the best way/strategy for someone interested in your company to employ to get a foot in the door? What makes a candidate stand out?

Give us a call and tell us what we could be doing better in our business, and specifically how you’d go about doing it!

10. Any other advice/words of wisdom?

Fake it ‘til you make it. And all I mean about that is – if you have a dream, just go for it. Take the first step and then figure out the second. You don’t have to be the top expert in your field to get going.  There’s definitely a little bit of B.S. involved in trying something new. Act like you know what you’re doing, and then suddenly, poof! You actually do know what you’re doing. 

For more details on Dana and Booty Parlor, visit: http://www.bootyparlor.com/

Click here to view photos of Dana and other Thought Leaders from BBR7