How Odele Beauty Went From Startup to Target, Ulta & Walmart | Lindsay Holden on Building a Clean Beauty Brand

Send us Fan MailHow do you build a beauty brand that earns shelf space at Target, Ulta, Walmart, and CVS and keeps growing once it's there?In this episode of Shelf Talks, I sit down with Lindsay Holden, Co-Founder of Odele Beauty, to discuss her incredible journey from being a Target merchant to building one of the most recognized clean hair care brands in mass retail.Lindsay shares the strategic decisions that helped Odele disrupt the beauty aisle, including how they identified a gap in the market, launched with an intentional assortment, and scaled responsibly while staying true to their mission of making salon-grade, clean beauty accessible to more consumers.Whether you're a female founder, CPG entrepreneur, beauty founder, or product-based business owner looking to get into retail stores or grow your brand in retail, this episode is filled with actionable insights you can apply to your own journey.In this episode, we discuss:• How to identify white space opportunities in crowded categories• What retail buyers look for when evaluating new brands• Why your brand must be incremental to the category• The importance of competitive shopping and understanding your consumer• How Odele launched in approximately 1,000 Target stores first• Why sampling, reviews, and community building drive retail growth• How to expand into retailers like Ulta, Walmart, and CVS strategically• How to scale a brand intentionally instead of chasing every opportunityOne of my favorite takeaways from Lindsay:"There's value in waiting and learning and building responsibly."Retail success isn't about moving the fastest. It's about solving a real consumer problem, understanding your category, and building a brand that consumers and retailers trust.🎧 Tune in to hear Lindsay's inspiring founder story and learn practical strategies for getting your product on retail shelves, driving sales once you're there, and building a brand designed for long-term growth.📖 Prefer reading? Visit the Shelf Talks blog for a full recap and actionable lessons from this episode on www.shelftalks.comOdele Beauty Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odelebeauty/Odele Beauty Website: https://odelebeauty.com/ Support the showEvent Partner: Nourish Summit & Expo (Oct. 5-7, 2027 | Baltimore) - Use code SHELFTALKS10 for 10% off full registration https://bit.ly/4sx0ZbaLooking for more? Visit our Linktree for the latest episodes, free resources, retail tips, and ways to connect with the Shelf Talks community.https://linktr.ee/shelftalkspodcastLove what you hear on Shelf Talks? You can now support the podcast. Every contribution helps bring more indie voices to the mic. Thank you for being part of this journey! ✨https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411532/supportContact us via email: [email protected] Reach out if you know of a female founder with an impactful brand and retail story and leave a review if you found value in this episode! [email protected] the book Shelf Talk: A step by step guide to launching your product in Retail Stores by Roberta Townes Buy Book