Turn social presence into business growth – Part 1

Co-founder of NINI Organics, Alex Nicolaou reveals how he’s successfully grown his customer base by leveraging confidence, empowerment, and joyful marketing on social media.

With platforms like Instagram and TikTok flooded with content, Alex shares his approach to creating a brand that connects authentically and stands out from the crowd.

From suggesting competitor brands when his products aren’t the right fit, to using 1-2-1 voice notes to engage with customers, Alex’s personal touch has helped NINI Organics skyrocket to success. His products have even been known to sell out in just 58 seconds during Instagram lives!

Discover how to build meaningful relationships with your audience, create a brand that people love and trust, and uncover the best strategies to scale a beauty business.

Most importantly, you’ll learn how to have fun and be yourself while turning followers into loyal customers.

Here is his unfiltered advice below:

• Falling in love with skincare
• From breakouts to breakthroughs
• Starting a skincare brand with intention
• Put your customers before the competition
• Fostering a business relationship with your sibling
• Inject positivity into your products and social media
• Creating a brand that feels like home
• Always find time to reconnect with yourself and recharge your energy
• Building self-confidence through acceptance and positivity
• All creatives need a grounding counterpart
• Selling out in 58 seconds on Instagram live
• Embrace opportunities and don’t let fear hold you back
• Keep getting back up, even when you fall down
• Perfection doesn’t exist—show up as your authentic self

Falling in love with skincare

Bex Burn-Callander:

Maybe for the benefit of our listeners, some of whom might not know about NINI, can you give us a bit of a backstory? So how did you begin your journey into skincare to start off with?

Alex Nicolaou:

Wow. I mean, that is a question. So I think I probably started my love for skincare when I was around 6 or 7, and my mum used to host these aromatherapy parties at our house, and I’d always sneak in and be around the corner like, “What is this?” And I was always like, “Oh my gosh.”

And afterwards, there were always these little products in the bathroom. And the bathroom for me is an absolute safe space. I feel like it’s everyone’s safe space.

It’s the only place that you can truly be 100% vulnerable in every sense of the word.

So whenever I was in the bathroom, I’d lock the door and I would open up all the cabinets and be like, “Okay, what’s this? What’s this? What’s this?” And I would try them all.

And there was this instant innate love for products or something that came in a little bottle, a little potion. And I loved Hocus Pocus as well when I was little, all of that kind of witchery and practical magic, all that witcheryness, I just put it down to all being in these bottles that made you feel a certain way.

So that was probably my first love for the ritual of beauty or for beauty itself.

Bex Burn-Callander:

And then later on, I guess you had a different kind of skincare journey because you dealt with, I mean, this affects so many teenagers, but acne, which can be a really debilitating thing when you’re growing up.

Your confidence is just, you’re just trying to find your feet. So tell me how then your interest in skincare changed, I guess.

Alex Nicolaou:

Well, skincare became more like my help. I was like, “Oh my God, I found so much comfort in you from when I was a child, and now I’m going through something that is so traumatic.”

Anyone that has actually gone through hardcore acne, which I went through, will know how rough it is. And I was put on Roaccutane, it was that bad.

Luckily, I mean, there was always a silver lining with the acne that I had, I only had it on my face, which is what it is. I didn’t have it anywhere else. I didn’t have it on my back or on my chest. I just had it on my face. It was almost like I was wearing a mask.

And at that time, I really wanted to be an actor. I was really pursuing that industry. I was going to auditions and no one would take me seriously.

When was the last person you saw had acne on screen? You can’t see it. So I was like, “This is just not going to go anywhere for me.”

So I really turned to skincare then to be the cure. And that’s what everyone does and that’s where we all make mistakes because skincare is never the cure, it’s only the support system.

And I’ve learned that now through my years of formulating and from having NINI Organics. But I feel like we completely forget the one magical miracle cure, and that is ourselves and our gut and our health and our mental health.

That is the one thing that can really help anyone with breakouts and acne. But skincare at that time, at that age, and what was out there in the world already, an organic way of living and a healthy way of living wasn’t really a thing in the early 2000s. It just really wasn’t.

It was all about the fast pace of life. It was really getting into the movement, the beginning of the internet, it was like, “Let’s go, let’s go. Let’s fast, microwave this, microwave that. Let’s speed up our life.”

And it was like, “Let’s speed up the results. So skincare has to give me the results surely.”

From breakouts to breakthroughs

Bex Burn-Callander:

So when you were dealing with acne then, were you looking for, I guess, the silver bullet that would help solve it from a skincare perspective?

I mean, you mentioned you were on quite strong medication for the acne. Was it that worked but then you needed to moisturise or you needed to bring back a texture? What was it that made you feel like skincare could help you get to the next stage?

Alex Nicolaou:

It was not until I came off Roaccutane and my skin was left in bits, it was very sensitive, very aggravated, very red, very inflamed, that skincare then became the support.

But natural and organic, I found natural and organic beauty at that point, and that became my support system.

Prior, when I had acne, I wanted skincare to be the cure. But like I said, internally, that’s where the cure comes from. You have to fix it internally.

And I was put on Roaccutane because at that age, that’s all that they would just suggest. They wouldn’t suggest holistic ways of dealing with stuff. They just never would. No dermatologist would.

And that’s obviously a touchy subject because dermatologists are needed. They’re obviously extremely important in the world of skin and skin issues. But I feel like there’s a lot of biasness when it comes to some dermatologists.

Maybe it’s easier now to find people who might go down a more holistic route because of the way the world has gone.

But back then it was like, “No, here’s Roaccutane. Take it. That’s going to work, even though it’ll potentially mess up your liver, potentially make you very depressed, potentially mess up your dreams of being a gymnast as well, but take it because you won’t have acne.”

So after I came off Roaccutane and my skin was left redraw, that’s when I turned to skincare and that’s when skincare became my support.

And that’s the moment I became fully absorbed in the world of beauty because it has really helped with my skin.

Bex Burn-Callander:

And I have to say for any of our listeners who aren’t watching and who may have acne or worry about acne, Alex’s face is pretty gorgeous, his skin is phenomenal. He is glowing, he is absolutely perfect.

So there is life after acne and he’s living proof.

Alex Nicolaou:

Yes, thank you.

Bex Burn-Callander:

I totally hear what you’re saying about skincare being the support. I had eczema really badly when I was little, and obviously you just get loads of steroid creams prescribed, but it was only as a grown-up that I realised I only got flare-ups when I was really sad or really anxious.

Alex Nicolaou:

Exactly, exactly.

Bex Burn-Callander:

And it’s really funny how I think we’re only just starting to draw those connections, aren’t we?

Alex Nicolaou:

Yeah, they’ve always been there, we’ve just been blind to them. And that’s what I love about, and I’m sure we’ll touch on NINI more later in the episode, but that’s where NINI touches on being the catalyst to self-enjoyment, touching your skin, massage, and reconnection to yourself.

So yeah, we’ve all kind of lost that along the way.

Starting a skincare brand with intention

Bex Burn-Callander:

So maybe we’ll go there. So what was the moment that you decided, “This is my time to start a skincare brand and I’m going to do it with my sister”? Tell us more about that story.

Alex Nicolaou:

Well, first I think I’ve listened to a lot of founders, skincare founders, and one of my pet hates is when they say that they couldn’t find what they wanted to create, especially newer founders.

And I’m like, “You’re lying because there’s so many amazing brands out there, you could 100% find what you need.”

And that’s the same with me. I could easily have found something quite similar to what I’ve created, but the difference is that I had intention. I’ve got so much passion, I’ve got so much drive and so much love, and I’m not in it for competition.

I’m in it for the actual enjoyment that I have and how it’s helped me.

And I want longevity with NINI Organics. And I had a point of view, and I was born with mad intuition.

So being a formulator, I intuitively knew that if I was to do this, if I was to do that, then it would create magic. And that’s exactly what’s happened and that’s why feel like NINI has done so well.

So basically, I was working in the industry for all skincare brands. I’ve worked for every single one of them, more or less. And it was this shop called Content Beauty, which doesn’t exist anymore as a standalone shop, but online they still exist, and they were the only truly organic green beauty niche.

And niche is very important to me. We’re not about the masses, we’re about the niche because I’m a big believer in you get what you pay for. And this shop, Content Beauty, sold the most exquisite, incredible brands I’ve ever come across in terms of green beauty, natural beauty, and healthy beauty.

And I was just so taken back by it. And this was in the early 2000s, and I started to look at formulation courses and then it just felt right.

I was also trying to be an actor at the same time, and there was a disconnect with the acting still for me, and I couldn’t work out what it was. And maybe it’s because I was losing my hair as well. I don’t know.

There were a lot of things, but then when it came to skincare, everything felt right, and it felt like a connection that was never going to disappear.

And I had to play on it, and I had to focus on it. So I think I just had a point of view, and I think I wanted to create the best version of a healthy skincare brand that you could get in the UK.

So that was my point of view that I wanted to formulate and I had to do it. I couldn’t contract someone to do it. I had to do it because it had to come from me, and it had to come from my magic within.

And so yeah, I did an organic and natural formulation course. And from there, my sister’s always been very entrepreneurial as well. She was a special effects makeup artist, and she had a bad allergic reaction to polyurethane, which stopped her from pursuing that career.

And her husband is also very entrepreneurial. His name’s Alex as well, LOL. And my partner’s called Alex. There’s lots of Alexes in my life. We love it.

And so they decided to join forces and create the very first ever raw vegan sandwiches in the UK called Raw Imagination way, way back when. And then they closed that down and Alex went on to open up Genesis restaurant with his brother.

But when they closed that down, Nicole wanted to come on board with me because I had already started the movements of NINI Organics, it was called a bit different back then.

And she wanted to come on board with me because she loved beauty as well from her makeup artist days. And then we were like, “Okay, cool, let’s do it.” And then we literally joined forces.

We had a death in the family, which left us with £1,000 each. And we were like, “Let’s just put that together, and let’s start. Let’s not talk about it. Let’s just start.”

And we did, and we launched it in 2017, and it’s just been a whirlwind ever since.

Put your customers before the competition

Bex Burn-Callander:

That’s amazing. And just so I’m clear, when you say you worked for almost every skincare brand, what kind of work were you doing for those skincare brands? Because you weren’t doing formulations for them. That was the course that came later.

Alex Nicolaou:

So I was just a sales assistant in Space NK and Harrods, and Selfridges, and then I worked for independent brands, and then I worked for Content Beauty as their sales assistant.

Bex Burn-Callander:

But that’s amazing because you were actually meeting all these customers and hearing what they wanted. You were basically a one-man focus group because you heard it all when you were taking those roles.

Alex Nicolaou:

Yeah. And I hate the question, what sets you apart from everyone else? Because like I said, it’s just a point of view. Try NINI and then you’ll understand what sets us apart because I have lived and breathed the industry and I’m so passionate about it.

But I’m passionate to the extent that I’m obsessed with what I’ve created. But I am also obsessed with green beauty. Like I said, I don’t have tunnel vision for NINI.

I want everyone to love and appreciate and use it, but if your skin can’t handle the activeness of NINI, then I will 100% suggest you to a brand that I know that your skin may like.

So we are one big collaborated family when it comes to us as a brand, which is quite unheard of in the world of products. People have tunnel vision. They just want you to buy their own thing. That’s it.

The thought of suggesting another competitor is outrageous, but I’m like, “No, it’s a support system and that’s what green beauty is all about.”

That’s what we’ve lost in life. We’ve lost that connection, and then obviously Covid happened and that lost the connection even more.

So it’s like I yearn for that major collaboration and connection to come back and hopefully NINI is a brand that people look at and go, “Well, they just do things so differently.”

Bex Burn-Callander:

And I love that you are kind of the sage of green beauty because I feel that we need somebody who is also cutting through a lot of the greenwashing.

Because there are a lot of beauty brands out there that throw a lot of these words around about being natural, but actually we don’t know what goes into the products. We don’t see the manufacturing process.

So it’s good to have someone who knows the industry who’s like, “Actually these guys, they have my seal of approval,” because that’s really helpful for confused consumers, and I say that as a confused consumer.

Fostering a business relationship with your sibling

Bex Burn-Callander:

So you and your sister, were you always really close? Did you always know that as a partnership you would work really well? Or did you kind of building a business, did that bring you even closer? Tell me about that dynamic.

Alex Nicolaou:

I mean, as kids, we hate each other obviously as you do with your siblings normally.

She used to always say that I had no friends and this and that. And then I would always say that she had a bald spot on her head, where she pulled her hair so far back in a ponytail in the early ’90s, that it would cause her hair to fall out there.

Lo and behold, I’m now the bald one, fully bald one.

So we obviously had sibling disagreements and rivalry when we were kids, but I think when I came out as gay at 15-16 to her, before I fully came out to everyone when I was 19, I mean everyone knew anyway.

I was like Mariah Carey obsessed when I was a kid. Like of course he’s gay and I loved Barbies, but we live for that fantasy. That is my childhood, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

And then when I came out, I think we just solidified our brother-sister love and friendship even more.

And then when she had Raw Imagination and when she was doing her makeup, before she had the reaction, I would always be her test model.

So we just bonded a lot when we were teenagers. And then when we created the business together, she got pregnant and I always wanted to be an uncle, but I’ve always wanted to be an uncle where the kids would want me to pick them up rather than their mum or their dad.

Bex Burn-Callander:

The favourite uncle.

Alex Nicolaou:

The favourite uncle. And I’m a big manifester, I don’t know how many people like or enjoy that word or dislike the word, but I live and breathe manifestation. And we can change the narrative of it to visualising things or whatever it may be, or just having a positive outlook on life.

But I just manifested that so much that our first studio where we made NINI was in Nicole’s house, so she was pregnant, and I was there every week. So I saw the kids a lot.

When Zeke was born, I was there every single week and I saw him every single week, still to this day, and he’s 7.

So I’ve still seen him every single week and they know me so much, they’re so comfortable with me, they love me. And I was like, “That’s exactly what I wanted.”

So I think all of that combined has bonded me and Nicole into best friends that would never be broken.

Bex Burn-Callander:

I love the name Zeke.

I’m a big fan of that movie, The Faculty.

Alex Nicolaou:

Yes, yes. Oh my God. That’s right. That’s why he’s called Zeke. No one knows it. No one knows it.

Bex Burn-Callander:

Josh Hartnett as Zeke was. He was on point.

Alex Nicolaou:

Exactly. Nicole’s Alex was a director and his brother, they had a little film production and he loved the name Zeke from The Faculty. And every time I’ve told the story to people like, “What? What’s that film? Never heard of it.”

Bex Burn-Callander:

Basically, I think we have exactly the same taste in movies because I saw you had Death Become Her on your Instagram. You mentioned Hocus Pocus, The Faculty, these are all the films that defined me as a teenager.

Alex Nicolaou:

Same.

Bex Burn-Callander:

So I think yeah, we’re on the same vibe.

Alex Nicolaou:

Aligned.

Inject positivity into your products and social media

Bex Burn-Callander:

And that brings me to Instagram actually because I was having a little rumble around in there and you can’t really visit that page and not laugh. There’s so much playfulness and you are showing the products, but there’s always just this extra level.

Can you tell me a bit about your approach to social media, how you get that really joyful feeling around your page when I have to say a lot of other skincare brands, it’s very serious, it’s quite preachy?

How have you gone so far in the opposite direction?

Alex Nicolaou:

I just think it’s because, once again, NINI was meant to exist in this world, so everything was just meant to happen. I was meant to pursue my career as an actor and have a very kind of vivacious personality and very extroverted personality.

And I think that that just all came into play when the Instagram page was created. I was like, “Well, obviously I have to showcase that. I’m the face of the brand, it’s me.”

That’s why we call our customers the NINI lovers because quite literally, they’re an extension of the love that I’ve created.

When we batch, we don’t batch in a negative way at all. We have to batch in a very positive, intentional way because all that energy gets absorbed into the products.

And I’m a big believer in energy, and I just thought, we don’t have the money to be glossy, firstly, so let’s just be messy.

And that is just what NINI is on our Instagram. It just is authentically fun. It’s just me. It’s festive. It is everything that I would want it to be and more, so it was always going to go that way. I couldn’t have it any other way.

And we are at a serious price point because we use incredibly expensive ingredients. And I’ve always thought, am I confusing people when they go onto the website and see our price point compared to what they see on Instagram?

But then as soon as they dive in, they’re like, “I get it. I get it. It’s worth it. I absolutely get it.” Once again, you get what you pay for.

If you want to go to a brand and purchase something, have a hiccup with it, and feel frustrated that you can’t get through to someone or you’re not going to get the answer that you necessarily deserve or need, then that’s that.

If you come to us, you have a hiccup, you best believe you’re having a 20-minute consultation with myself, or you’re getting a voice note like you’ve never had before, you’re speaking to the founder formulator, which is unheard of by the way, unheard of.

Bex Burn-Callander:

Unheard of.

Alex Nicolaou:

And you are going to literally walk away and go, “Oh my God. That’s how every brand should be.”

Creating a brand that feels like home

Bex Burn-Callander:

So who is your classic NINI lover? Who is this person? How have they found you? How do they interact with you and other fans? Talk me through this individual.

Alex Nicolaou:

They are somebody that will walk down the street and look up, smile and go, “Do you know what? It’s grey outside, but the sun’s behind the clouds and I know it’s shining somewhere and it’s feeling festive somewhere else. And do you know what? I’m going to feel that energy.”

That’s our customer, somebody who literally finds happiness in the saddest things or the smallest things, and will be extremely nostalgic. I’m so nostalgic, as you can tell by the films. I’ve already started watching Home Alone, 1 and 2, I’m extremely nostalgic as a person.

And I wanted NINI to have that feeling of you’re not just using another skincare brand, you’re using a brand that you feel like you know the founder, that it’s your friend’s brand and you’re so proud of it.

So our customer is that very open-hearted, very comforted, cosy, out there, festive, fabulous person. But then, on the flip side, we’ve got the people who are just beauty junkies that just want to try everything and they’re just really into skincare.

But the majority of our customers are people whose energy very much matches mine. And I find that so entertaining and so much fun.

The number of conversations, voice notes and videos that we’re having with our customers, and it’s just like they’re talking to their friend and I’m talking to my friend.

Bex Burn-Callander:

And I love that that’s your explanation because there’s no shortcuts there. You literally are putting in the time where you are sending personal messages to people. You’re not using an algorithm or there’s not an app for that. This is literally just you being you.

Alex Nicolaou:

Human, human to human, how we should be.

Always find time to reconnect with yourself and recharge your energy

Bex Burn-Callander:

And you said earlier about always bringing positive energy when you’re doing your batching and stuff. So it sounds like you’re always trying to put out really positive vibes and really kind of good energy.

What fills you up in terms of your energy? What brings you good energy and fills up your battery? And then what do you find really depleting?

Alex Nicolaou:

So I mean, the things that enlighten me the most are the simplest things in the whole entire world, listening to one of my favourite songs, revisiting a really festive memory from the past, or for the potential future that I’m going to make happen.

And doing my rituals, cleansing, massage, bathing, eating healthily, and going to the gym as well, exercising, making myself feel like a high-quality version of myself.

And that’s when we talked about Death Becomes Her, that whole moment of taking that potion and just reversing back the time, I do that in my mind.

I’m so privileged that I’m aging. It’s an absolute privilege. I’m so glad that that is happening to me. I’m so lucky. I don’t believe in anti-aging. It’s an absolute myth. It’s impossible.

But you can have moments in your day where you just relive a moment that makes you feel fuzzy and warm. And that’s what I do.

If I want to feel super festive, then I’ll just relive a really festive, fuzzy moment in my day. Or I’ll go for a walk, and I’ll just be in nature.

We just forget to do the simplest things because we live in such a fast-paced world. And don’t get me wrong, I’m very busy with NINI, like very busy. But you always have a moment.

I always say this, you’re always sitting on the toilet. You will always be on that toilet and you’ll be thinking or you’ll be doing whatever you need to do, but everyone in their day will be on that toilet.

And that’s the time that you can do something for yourself. It’s just you and that toilet.

Bex Burn-Callander:

Think about something positive.

Alex Nicolaou:

Exactly. When people say, “Oh, I don’t have the time to do that,” I’m like, “Do you go to the toilet? Well, there you go. You’ve got some time. You’ve literally got some time.”

Bex Burn-Callander:

That’s the takeaway, people. Toilet time is not wasted time. It’s a festive moment.

Alex Nicolaou:

Yes.

Bex Burn-Callander:

Festive moments on the loo. Come on, you heard it here.

Alex Nicolaou:

That is it.

Building self-confidence through acceptance and positivity

Bex Burn-Callander:

I feel like you are really big on Christmas, Alex.

Alex Nicolaou:

Oh, yes.

Bex Burn-Callander:

Yes. I feel like you’re already planning. I can feel the bells ringing already.

Alex Nicolaou:

I mean, listen, Mariah Carey, take her as a person away, her talent is undeniable, and her skill is undeniable. And the way that whatever came to her to write All I Want for Christmas Is You, was meant to happen because she wanted a timeless song that everyone would know.

And look what’s happened, 30 years on, and even if you don’t know Mariah, you know that song.

So it’s like that festivity was instilled in me at a very young age. I think it was more the twinkling lights and the almost forced positive energy that comes with Christmas.

So I think I just latched onto how amazing that felt as a kid that has just taken me through to my adult life. We are all just big kids. That’s it. And that’s what Christmas is.

Bex Burn-Callander:

It’s true. I was going to ask you how you’ve built your confidence as an entrepreneur, but I feel like the answer will be manifesting good things while channelling the festivity of Christmas and Mariah Carey.

But how do you actually build confidence as an entrepreneur, as a businessman? How have you done that?

Alex Nicolaou:

It comes from childhood. I went through a lot as a kid. I had epilepsy when I was younger, so I remember that as a kid. I had Rolandic benign epilepsy from what I remember the technical term being.

And I remember having fits. It was almost like I’m watching myself do it now in my head. I remember certain times of doing it. I remember having to deal with that kind of on my own in a weird way.

And I always found, like I said, that safe space in the bathroom, I’d always just lock the door. And I was bullied a lot as a kid as well for being gay. I was born in the ’90s, so there was a lot more on TV of drag queens, gay people and stuff like that.

So I saw it a little bit more and I was like, “Oh, that feels like I’m connected to these people in some way, but why?”

And so I had to deal with that. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I had a very loving family, but it wasn’t the kind of conversations I would have with my parents. And then I started to have them with my sister as I got older, but I wouldn’t necessarily have them, so I had to have them with myself.

So I’ve done a lot of self-work on myself and by myself.

And I think I found a lot of help with very surface level positive things, positive songs, positive stories, positive poems, positive reading, all that stuff. It was all very positive. I

 didn’t play computer games when I was younger, and if I did, it was like the Powerpuff Girls or something silly like that. Very colourful and bubbly.

So I just really had a full rainbow. I’m such a cliche and I love being a cliche, but I had a full rainbow from a childhood to now.

And I just think I danced along all the colours of the rainbow as a kid, and I just helped myself through a lot of things through being bullied, through having epilepsy, through having acne, through losing my hair.

I’ve just been through a lot that I’ve had to deal with myself, and I’ve just come to the conclusion that nothing looks or feels as good as much as you can accept it.

If you can accept it, then it’s just going to look and feel amazing. If you don’t accept it, you’ll hide it.

All creatives need a grounding counterpart

Bex Burn-Callander:

Does that mean that when you, for example, think about, I don’t know, forecasting or doing a business plan or working out sort of how you’re going to make a profit next year, for example, because you have experience diving in and just getting on with things on your own, do you feel like you are never cowed by these things?

Alex Nicolaou:

No.

Bex Burn-Callander:

You are just willing just to get stuck in and figure it out.

Alex Nicolaou:

I’m a big believer if it’s meant to happen, it’s meant to happen. And so far, NINI has survived so many things and I’m like, “Well, we’ve come this far. We’ve got thousands and thousands of customers and fans. I can’t imagine them ever wanting us to go and I can’t ever imagine going anywhere.”

So when it comes to forecasting or NPD or something like that, I just go into it. And I mean, we’re realistic with what we have when it comes to the forecasting, of course.

But I just go into it and I just don’t worry. I don’t worry about daily sales, I don’t worry about monthly sales, I don’t worry about anything because I know that something will happen along the way that will make everything work out. Everything work out.

Nicole is more the worrier because she does more of the business side, as you can probably tell, those are our kind of roles.

I am more of the creator, the face, the personality. And Nicole does a lot of the business side.

So she always goes to me, “Don’t buy that. We can’t get that. Don’t get that. We can’t get that.” Or she’ll go, “Okay, you can get that. Okay, you can get that. I understand, yes, let’s do that.”

So she’s like my grounder in terms of business, but I feel like that’s where we work so well together because I feel like you really do need that person to be completely outrageous and be like, “No, trust me. Trust me, this vision is visioning.”

And she’s like, “Okay, well, it will cost this. You do realise that, and we only have this in the account.”

And I’m like, “But don’t worry about it.”

And then randomly, we’ll have a gift with purchase, and we’ll make the money that we need. So I’m like, “See, Nicole? You don’t have to worry. Everything happens for a reason.”

So I live and breathe cliches, and I think a lot more people should.

Bex Burn-Callander:

It’s the classic dynamic between the creative artistic director and the chief financial officer. They have to exist to keep the show on the road and they have to keep pulling in their opposite directions. But it’s that dynamic with the push and pull, isn’t it?

Alex Nicolaou:

100%. 100%.

Selling out in 58 seconds on Instagram live

Bex Burn-Callander:

I guess focusing on the creative side then, can you tell me about some of the creative campaigns or a product, something that you’ve created using your intuition that has just been a runaway success or done loads better than anyone could have imagined? Just tell me about a real hit.

Alex Nicolaou:

This is the magic of NINI because literally every single product has been more or less a hit.

But the major moment that I can remember is when we released and launched our very first water-based formula, because at the start, NINI was anhydrous, which means that none of the formulas had water.

All our products were oils, butters, or powders. So when we first introduced a water-based formula, which was Crimson Beauty, which is our hydrating serum, it took the green beauty industry by storm, because it was a crimson red product that was all about hydrating the skin.

But it introduced the idea of biotechnology to a niche small brand that is launching its very first water-based product.

So I remember we did an Instagram live with this launch, and I think we launched it in 2019. I’m not 100% sure. I think it was 3 years after we had the brand and we launched it with a collection that contained our hero detox oil and a few products from other brands.

And for that collection, I think we only made 40 of them, but that collection sold out in under 2 minutes, which for us at that time was insane.

I literally joined the Instagram live and I was like, “Okay, Crimson Beauty is in the set. What? It’s sold out? Guys, I can’t believe it’s sold out. It’s actually gone. It’s sold out.”

And the whole idea of that collection was to introduce our customers to brands they may not have heard that we had included in the collection, plus you’re going to get our brand-new formula.

I mean, we make only small batches of our products, so the maximum we make is a 1,000 of our most popular. But at that time, when we launched Crimson Beauty, I think we only made 500 of that product, and we sold out within a couple of days.

But for the collection, we only made 40 of them, we sold out in under 2 minutes, and I knew at that point that we were onto something with NINI because people were really falling in love.

And Crimson Beauty is our bestseller. It is just a hero amongst hero products. It is the reason why a lot of people come back time and time again. That and the detox oil and Gaia are three top heroes.

But I started doing these things called the Mystery Bag, which is limited edition NINI products, plus NINI products, plus other brands in this bag, that’s a complete mystery.

No one knows what they’re getting, and I may reveal a few things every now and then. And the last bag that we did, we had 40 of them again, and we sold out in 58 seconds. Once again, I did the Instagram live and it sold out, and I felt like I was on QVC.

I was like, “This is so festive.” And it sold out in 58 seconds.

And so we now doubled the bags to 80 and it hasn’t launched yet, the next mystery bag. And it’s going to contain some, I literally cannot wait for this bag. And it’s just so exciting.

But the magic with it is that there won’t ever be more than 80 bags. We are keeping it very conscious. And all the brands that I pick to go in there are doing exceptional things for the environment, for your skin, for their own business, for their customers, and it’s all very open.

It’s a collaboration, it’s a connection, and it’s just allowing you to discover what beauty is actually all about.

Because we have this idea of what beauty is about, what the stores are selling us, what the marketing people are selling us, but when you dive into the formulas, it’s just super insulting and we vote with our money.

And we can all turn and learn and we can look at the ingredients if we want to, or we can listen to that blogger or we can listen to our own desire and purchase it, but I can guarantee you 9 times out of 10, you’ll be like, “That was overhyped.”

Whereas if you try NINI, it’s a 360 brand, I can almost guarantee you that you’ll be like, “Oh, okay, this is different. There is something here that is pushing a button that I didn’t know I needed to be pushed.”

Bex Burn-Callander:

I love that you create this halo effect for other green beauty products.

 I feel like skincare has always been super cutthroat because it’s such a competitive industry, and I love that you are just like, “No, no, no. Everyone come into the fold. These are all great guys. Come on this journey with us.”

That’s really beautiful.

Embrace opportunities and don’t let fear hold you back

Bex Burn-Callander:

And then we’ve got to hear about Dragons’ Den. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

So did you want to go on? Did you actually want investment or are you just on for the clicks and the eyeballs and the love? Tell us from the beginning.

Alex Nicolaou:

It’s so funny, so I’ve done a lot of TV because when I gave up my acting career to pursue my career in the beauty industry and to formulate, I still had an itch for that kind of performance.

And so, I did a lot of reality TV and the Dragons’ Den came about, and I’d watched Dragons’ Den since I was a teenager, and once again, I manifested it.

I was like, “One day I’m going to be on that show. One day I’m literally going to be on that show.”

And I’d say that to everyone, and it happened. The magic with manifestation and visualising things is that you visualise it, you feel it, you breathe it, you are in it, but then you let it go.

You put it out there and you see what happens.

And so I did. I forgot about the show. I’d always watch it and I would always make a comment, “One day, one day.”

And then one day, I had a DM in my inbox and NINI’s inbox, and I was like, “That’s so weird. It’s from Dragons’ Den.”

So a woman called us the next day as we were driving up to our studio and she was like, “Guys, we would just love for you to be on the show. We think your energy’s great. We love the story, we love the brand, we love the idea, we love that it’s brother and sister. Would you be interested in auditioning?”

And the rest is history. It was like 4 months of back-and-forth due diligence because they obviously have to make sure that you’re a legit company.

So there’s lots of due diligence with claims from products and this and that. And then we got on the show, we went up to Manchester the night before and stayed overnight.

It was so funny they actually booked me and my sister a double bed, and we were like, “We’re actually brother and sister.” They’re like, “Okay, don’t worry. We can change the bed.” And we were like, “Yes, please.”

And we woke up super early the next morning, we were practicing our pitch and everything, and they didn’t know that I was going to go into the pitch and sing.

And then we practiced the pitch. We went there the next morning really early, and we were setting up and everything, and I was just raring to go, because I’ve done TV before, so that doesn’t faze me. It doesn’t bother me.

Like this is an opportunity. Why would I be scared? I’m taking all this nervous energy or whatever the energy was and I was just putting it into this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I had wanted to be on this show since I was a teenager, so I’ve made it happen.

And I was like, “Yes, let’s do this.” And then the doors opened and I was like, “Stop it.” That’s the first thing that came out of my mouth.

And Steven laughed his head off.

We walked down to the end, hit our mark, and I started to sing, “Good day, Dragons.”

And then fluffed the pitch that we had to do at the beginning, but they edited that out. And we were in there for 2 hours.

They were just talking at us most of the time. And it was such an incredible experience. I think we wanted to go on the show because it’s an investor show, you know.

It was great exposure for NINI, of course, but also just to get your story across. You’ve got this once in lifetime opportunity and around 4 to 5 million people watching you.

If you get on the show, it’s gold dust. Why not?

I mean, the actual deal went through afterwards, but not all the deals go through. When you say yes on the screen, it doesn’t mean you’ve actually signed the deal.

But we actually did sign with Steven and Peter. And they’ve been great mentors, it’s been super fabulous having them on board.

But me and Nicole, we just really ran with it and we were just like, “This is amazing.”

It was so surreal when we were watching it, and we saw the back end just go wild. But not only that, people are still going wild for NINI because of the show and because we’ve been out there more.

It has just opened us up to a lot more people and we wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s been incredible.

Keep getting back up, even when you fall down

Bex Burn-Callander:

It’s interesting you said earlier how you feel like your experiences as an actor and getting comfortable being in front of the camera, speaking as yourself. I mean, you said that’s been instrumental in your success, and it really seems clear that that is the case.

Even when you were saying earlier about selling out, doing Instagram lives, I don’t know that many founders who would feel really confident going and doing an Instagram live.

And doing them regularly and doing it to launch products because they might feel a bit like, “Oh God, I don’t want to be on camera,” or “I feel nervous. What if I fluff my lines?”

And then with Dragons’ Den as well, it’s clear that you, that confidence, that skill has been really big in terms of building NINI into what it is today.

Alex Nicolaou:

I used to watch this programme when I was younger called Takeshi’s Castle. Do you remember it?

Bex Burn-Callander:

Yes.

Alex Nicolaou:

Yes. You know the stepping stones that they used to run across?

And then they would fall off on one of them.

Bex Burn-Callander:

And fall off. Yeah.

Alex Nicolaou:

Yeah. It’s almost like I feel like life is that that is literally a metaphor for life. I honestly feel like every single stone that I have been running across has been set in place to land to where NINI is today.

The acting, the getting the acne, me falling off the stone, coming back on, and then launching NINI and having this personality.

It doesn’t even faze me having a camera like this in front on my face. It doesn’t faze me, but I’m not Gen-Z, I’m a Millennial, so I do it in a Millennial way.

I’m not interested in doing it in a Gen Z way. I do it in a very messy, authentic way because that is true, and that is showcasing what people want to see.

If I see another glossy video, I’m like, “Girl, come on. How many takes did you have to do? Be festive.”

And don’t get me wrong, we’re having a rebrand, so we’re going to have to do some glossy videos, but I’m going to put my spin on it because I’m not going to just follow what everyone else does.

And so I honestly do feel like everything that I’ve done in my life has led to this moment. I’m on that constant running of those stepping stones.

Will I fall off? Will I fall back on again? Who knows?

But it’s fun and it’s exciting, and I’m excited for the next step.

Perfection doesn’t exist—show up as your authentic self

Bex Burn-Callander:

Is it ever pressure though? Because also, I guess when you are running a beauty brand, people looking at you all the time like, what do you do the morning that you have a pimple or something?

Or is that just part of it all and you just roll with it?

Do you ever feel like, “Ah, I’m like the face, the face”?

Alex Nicolaou:

No, no. Nicole had a major breakout from Dragons’ Den, the stress that she personally went through going on that show, and her cheeks have never, she’s never had problems with her skin, ever.

Her cheeks completely flared up, but we hit it nail on the head. I tweaked the ritual for NINI, and then we got her to see a hormone specialist because products are just the support. She needs to internally take control.

And now her skin’s completely back to what it was before because we hit it nail on the head.

And we documented it, we showcased it because perfection doesn’t exist. It just does not exist. I show my pores. I’ve still got some blackheads, but my skin is extremely balanced because of what I’m using on my skin, the support system.

But then it’s a 360, what I’m doing internally too. We have customers come to me and go, “Your product didn’t work.”

And I’m like, “Okay, well, let’s look at it as a 360 approach rather than just the product. Have you tried this? Have you tried this? Have you tried that?”

And we go on a journey together. Then they come back 6 months later and say, “Oh my God, thank you so much. I’m so glad that I actually listened to you and took your advice and spoke to this hormonal specialist, or took this, tried this, tweaked the ritual this way because now it’s worked and my skin is fabulous. Thank you.”

A lot of people are in this fast, quick fix idea of, “Let’s go quickly. Let’s make it happen. I want results now. And if I don’t get them now, then you’ve not done your job and I’m unhappy. I want to refund.”

That’s just not life. It is a delusional way of living. We have to live in the now, in the present, and we have to face things head-on.

And if it’s as simple as a spot, I will document it. I’ll be like, “Guys, I’ve got a spot. This is what I’m doing.” The next day it will go down because my products do support the skin. It does work. It does help take down inflammation.

So I love all that stuff. If I’m having a finickity skin day, then I will showcase it. I’ll be like, “This is what I’m going to do to help support myself mentally because my skin is fabulous and I love it, and I want to forever enjoy it.”

But there are those times where you’re like, “Oh, why am I having a spot here?” But I can normally pinpoint why I get a spot just because of how I live my life. So yeah, I love those moments.

Bex Burn-Callander:

I love the pimples. Bring on the pimples.

Alex Nicolaou:

Yes. Well, they’ve created a dream come true for me. So I can only be thankful for the acne that I have.

Bex Burn-Callander:

That’s amazing.

Alex Nicolaou:

And it’s perspective, isn’t it? You should always flip the narrative, always flip the narrative.

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