In this episode of Be Anomalous, I sit down with Kaylee Lieffers, co-founder and CEO of Blanka, the platform making it possible for anyone to launch their own beauty brand without minimums. Kaylee’s story starts in Saskatchewan and Mexico, where she was raised by entrepreneurial parents who taught her to live “against the grain” long before startups were cool. From consulting in Vancouver to almost launching her own sunscreen line to realizing the real problem was in beauty’s supply chain, Kaylee’s path is proof that pivots are sometimes the most powerful part of the story.
We talk about the realities of building a venture-backed startup with your husband and close friends, the discipline of bootstrapping before raising, and what it really takes to scale in an archaic yet booming beauty industry. Kaylee shares candidly about the mistakes, the fundraising playbook that helped her land an oversubscribed round, and why values and team culture are the real engines of success.
This episode is about entrepreneurship as both grit and adaptability, knowing when to let go, when to build fast, and how to stay true to your why.
If you’ve ever thought about starting your own brand or wondered how to balance ambition with grounded leadership, Kaylee’s story is your reminder: under promise, over deliver, and never stop iterating.
🎧 Listen to the episode
Spotify | Apple Podcasts
What You’ll Learn
How growing up in Mexico with entrepreneurial parents shaped Kaylee’s worldview
Why consulting gave her the frameworks she needed before startups
What her failed sunscreen line taught her and how it sparked the idea for Blanka
How to find (and test) the right co-founders before committing
Bootstrapping vs fundraising: when to make the leap
Why Blanka chose no minimums and how they made it work with vendors
Building community and customer validation before launch
Her fundraising playbook: investor updates, accountability, and landing an oversubscribed seed round
How leadership evolves from “player” to “coach” as your team scales
Why speed, prioritization, and values are critical in fast-moving startups
The future of beauty: personalization, niche brands, and tech-enabled supply chains
Favorite Quote
“Under promise and over deliver.”
— Kaylee Lieffers
Favorite Books
📖 Good to Great by Jim Collins
📖 The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
In This Episode, We Cover:
(00:00) Kaylee’s upbringing: from Canada to Mexico, growing up entrepreneurial
(03:00) Can entrepreneurship be taught — or just incubated?
(05:00) Consulting lessons that translated to startup life
(06:30) Watching her parents’ entrepreneurial ups and downs
(09:00) First steps into startups and commerce enablement
(10:00) Why she tried (and left) a sunscreen brand to build Blanka
(12:00) Building the founding team: husband, friend, and complementary skill sets
(15:00) Co-founder advice: green flags, red flags, and moving slow
(16:00) What it’s like working with your spouse — and why it works
(18:00) Bootstrapping first, then raising: timing the shift
(21:00) Personal connection to beauty and wellness
(23:00) Product vetting, quality, and the two-sided nature of Blanka
(24:00) Blanka’s elevator pitch — and why no minimums matter
(26:00) Vendor partnerships: trade shows, relationships, and scale
(28:00) Customer validation via Facebook groups and early feedback
(29:00) Investor newsletters: from 6 names to 400+ and why it worked
(32:00) Why Blanka has been successful: values, quality, and team
(34:00) Leadership evolution: letting go, trusting the team, being a coach
(36:00) Biggest challenges: prioritization and people dynamics
(37:00) Mistakes: overengineering the MVP and waiting too long to fix problems
(39:00) Growth mindset: speed, gut instincts, and constant iteration
(40:00) Future of Blanka: supporting creators, med spas, and DTC brands
(41:00) Inspiring customer stories: from student athletes to father-daughter duos
(42:00) Female founder perspective and building a women-led team
(43:00) The beauty industry’s archaic backend and where it’s headed
(44:00) Advice for aspiring brand founders: know your why, start small, grind it out
(47:00) Favorite quotes and books
Where to Find Kaylee Lieffers
Referenced in This Episode
Forum Ventures (Accelerator)
Shopify
Good to Great — Jim Collins
The Ride of a Lifetime — Robert Iger
Be Bold.Be Real. Be Anomalous.
