05.10.2023
Episode 230: Teni Panosian, Beauty Influencer and Co-Founder of Monday Born
Summary
I was so excited to kick off our Influencer Journey Quarter by speaking with Teni Panosian, content creator and Co-Founder of skincare line Monday Born.
Teni and I kicked off our convo chatting about her first job working in a theater box office, where she learned an important lesson that she carries with her to this day: “Early is on time, on time is late.” Is it just us or do most successful people tend to be early birds?
We asked Teni what advice she would give to aspiring influencers and her answer was just as real as the woman her followers have grown accustomed to seeing on her feed: “Bring forth your authentic self and don’t try to replicate what you’re seeing out there.”
For more wise words from Teni including the latest on her very own podcast, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!
If it's already been done, I'm not interested.
Teni Panosian
Transcript
| Jodi Katz | Episode 230. Can you believe it? I actually can't. We'll have to start planning now. It's the celebrate episode. Two hundred and fifty, because they're really almost there. So proud of us. And I'm so proud of our guests. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Yeah. So many amazing stories we've gotten to hear. And this episode is also a little bit exciting because it marks the beginning of our new quarter, which is focused on influencer journey. So for anyone listening? And who doesn't remember Jody And I do have day jobs leading the team at base speedy creative agency. And one at the services we offer to our clients is influencer and pro relations. So this quarter has been really a lot of fun for us to think about how we can peel back the curtain on some of the stories behind the faces we know and see on our our phone screens basically every day. |
| Jodi Katz | I do love this. Because like you said, we work with a lot of these people. In some cases, I only ever meet them through their digital world, like not in real life. And there are some guests enough that I've met in real life. And that makes me really happy to be able to have them on the show. So this quarter, there's gonna be a lot of different type of influencers. Not everyone's going to be a macro influencer. We'll start with Teni. Because um, she became major major major on Youtube. She started this in the infancy of influencer marketing. So back in two thousand and twelve. Okay. I mean, what were you doing in 2012? |
| Aleni Mackarey | 2012? I was in high school. So who knows what I was doing that a different time. |
| Jodi Katz | Like in two thousand and twelve? My youngest was two years old. I probably wore like thirty clothes every day from being with kids and trying to figure out how to be a mom and run a business. But you know, making it all seem like everything was easy, of course for the world. Well anyway, Tony started Youtube in two thousand and twelve. And you know, really took advantage of the fact that this was novel at the time and leans in heavy in the beauty influencing space. And she's really built a huge community that values her point of view and trust her opinion. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Yeah. Absolutely. And it's really a great match to the brand she started, which is called Monday born where she does some really interesting work involving her followers and testing the products at every stage of the development. I guess from formulation to packaging. And this crowdsource model is definitely something we're seeing more of in the industry. |
| Jodi Katz | I love this and I want to be one of her panelists I want to know don't want to get her lab samples and give comments and something she'll talk about in the show or listeners will hear about. She actually does zooms with these these fans, and she listens to every single person's feedback and. The sweetest part about it is if you're part of a panel that tests the product when it gets to market, she's gonna put your name on the box. |
| Aleni Mackarey | That's so so cool. I can't wait to hear more about it and listen to teni. Explain a little bit more. So here is Teni Panosian in episode 230. |
| Jodi Katz | Welcome to our brains. Meet beauty. We are career journey podcasts talking about what it's like to define success and reach for it in the beauty and wellness industries today begins our influencer journey themed quarter, where we will get to know some faces behind all this content creation, and we enjoy in our feeds. We are thrilled to be joined by Teni Panosian beauty influencer content, creator and co-founder of Monday born, she started her career in beauty by launching a Youtube channel in two thousand and twelve, which is basically a million years ago in our industry. And it was one of the first to share makeup tutorials and skin care review. Teni has over a million subscribers on our Youtube a huge Instagram following, and she covers a broad range of topics from beauty to fashion to lifestyle. I'm so excited to dive into the conversation about her career journey from immigrant to influencer on episode number two hundred and thirty Teni. Welcome to where brains meet beauty. |
| Teni Panosian | Hey thanks. As for having me, this is so exciting. |
| Jodi Katz | So you know, this is career journey show. Right. So let's keep it focused just for our first question, at least because I'm sure we'll go in a million directions when you relate ten years old, eleven years old. Go back to that time in your life. What do you want to be when you grow up? |
| Teni Panosian | I had, you know, I was hearing a lot around me like, yeah, you know, we came to this country. So you could, you know, be a doctor lawyer or something. You know something that a lot of immigrant families want you to do. Um. But I was such an artist. And I was so into history, things like that that at one point, I actually wanted to be a paleontologist. I really loved dinosaurs. I loved things like, you know, or even like archaeologists like ancient Egypt. I loved everything that I was learning about. You know, dinosaurs and the everything from like history. I loved history of always loved history. So there's definitely a time that I wanted to excavate dinosaur bones. |
| Jodi Katz | I think I want to do that, too. Actually I wonder if there's something the time of our lives study. |
| Teni Panosian | I think when you're learning about about like dinosaurs and have it so exciting as a kid. Because it's fantastic. You know, it doesn't seem like it's rooted in reality. So you're all about it. |
| Jodi Katz | I love that so well. That's not what you're doing now. So I want to understand how we go from, you know, wanting to dig up fossils to beauty, influencing. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah or no. So let's talk about being an immigrant and actually, like picking up your life and moving to complete another country. Um what was happening in your family's world to make this happen. I mean, in short bombs are going off around us and a dissident seem safe. I was, ah, an infant and to it being a toddler and and my Dad had always wanted to, you know, pick up the family and leave. And my mom was still very, you know, attached to her family didn't want to go. So by the time I was like two two and a half, we finally left and moved to Greece. It was just really for safety and and like, better opportunity. So that's why my parents decided. And how old were you when you? |
| Jodi Katz | Five. Is the us mostly all you remember? Do you remember Greece? |
| Teni Panosian | No. I remember Grace I went to school there. Even learn the language. I don't remember it anymore, but I remember being very much, you know, assimilated into Greek lifestyle or a school doing like the cultural festivals and things like that. It was great. And my Dad wanted to stay though. He really liked it there. But re early again. The goal was for me to have my choice at at at whenever I wanted to do with life growing up. How was your family able to share your Iranian culture? You know, while you're no longer in the country, you know. Being an Armenian from Iran is interesting because ethnically we're not Iranian or Armenian, but my attire like everybody in my family is pretty much from Iran. We've been there for hundreds of years. And so culturally. You know, we've adopted a lot of the same. I mean, the traditions are not that different either. But we've kind of adopted a lot of like my mom makes more Persian food than she does Armenian food. So that's one way is it's like the food is, you know that the food was always, you know, as a kid, I had such a different palette. I wanted like black land like chicken tenders and fries. You know, I I didn't develop that palette for like all these good foods until I was an adult. And so that's I guess one way. I think you know our families are generally kind of more conservative and more speaker mean in the house, you know, kind of things. So I guess that was language and food was mostly. How are you still speaking or meaning in the house? Oh yeah. Absolutely. |
| Jodi Katz | And is everyone in your close relationships? Speak Armenian. |
| Teni Panosian | Not really. I mean, I have obviously my friends who I went to school with. Who are my friends? Since I was a kid. Um. They all speak Armenian. If they are media, they all speak Armenia. I actually don't know any Armenians that don't speak Armenian and my parents use Farsi to kind of talk trash. Yeah. If if they don't want me to know something else we can first because my whole family except for my brother and me speaks Farsi as well as Armenians. |
| Jodi Katz | Oh my God. So you know they're talking about you. You just don't know what they're saying. |
| Teni Panosian | I know some. I know so not. Not very much. |
| Jodi Katz | Okay. Let's fast forward a little bit. Um you're a teenager and you get to work in a theater box. |
| Teni Panosian | It's okay like that. The movie theater was the place to be right. Well it wasn't a movie theater. Actually it was. Ah ah, theatre in the round. So there were musicals. And there were plays things like that. And it's funny because I was fifteen at the time. And you're not actually allowed to work and Glendale until you're sixteen. But but it was this lovely Mormon family that owned the Glendale Centre theatre. And they agreed to give me a job on Saturdays. Nine to six. My mom would drop me off. I would work in the box office and I would earn my money because I felt so guilty. And my parents were always very, you know, open to like, you know, providing for me and like anything I wanted to do going ice skating going ice cream end. Anything I wanted with my friends. They were happy to pay for it. Clothes things like that. But I always felt guilty. I was like, my parents work hard. They don't have a lot of money. So and I want I have like already a very developed palate, like I liked expensive at fifteen. I wanted a job at fifteen. I wanted the Tommy Hilfiger bathing suits. And it was like at the time, ninety dollars. Oh my God. Ninety dollars a swimsuit. And I felt so guilty to ask my parents to pay for that. So I was like, any job. I need some kind of disposable income that I can just blow and not feel bad about it. |
| Jodi Katz | I love that you were basically on the front lines. Customs customer service? Wise at the theater? Right. You're at the box. Yes. I'm sure you met customers who are happy and moved about their day and some who were frustrated or I read, or, you know, not know, whenever I write. But like most mostly seniors a lot of older patrons too. So they were all mostly pretty pretty kind. I'm wondering if there's like one thing you learned at that block office that you still use today in your work. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. As an influencer or entrepreneur? Absolutely. So my boss, Linda Sheffield. I will never forget her name. Umm. She was the mom of the family, and she kind of was my supervisor. She said early as on time on time is late. And that that was like that was something that I learned during like the kind of like the the training process of telling me what time to be in and everything. And so she's walking me through everything, walking me through the computer systems and everything. And she said, you know, be here at nine am. And um, I actually suggest you be here at like eight, five, eighty five because early is on time on time is late. So for me, that was like, yeah, you're right. Because by the time I get there by the time I get settled I turn on the computer. It could already be like nine ten. You know some ten minutes behind. So from there I always remembered that I should be a little bit early to everything. Include the work. |
| Jodi Katz | I love this right. It just shows if you're early to your job, it shows passion and commitment. And then it makes the people who hired you feel really relaxed that they made the right choice, right. If you show, right. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. Exactly. I think showing up has actually been a challenge for a lot of people in their careers, especially young people. Sure. I mean, it's really the first step. Right. It's actually the hardest part. If you really think about it, that's the hardest part. Everything else is kind of like it's like going to the gym. Right. When you feel like off God, I really just do not feel like working out once you're there. Everything kind of just flows and unfolds naturally. After that right, all you have to do is get dressed and be right. |
| Jodi Katz | You're right. It's the first step. And it's the most important stuff, right? Because if you're not, if you don't make it on time, well, then the whole rest of the day is a mouse. Right. Like have you ever gotten some are too minutely. Wow. Your everything is thrown off well, even like waking up late. |
| Teni Panosian | I have like such a body clock. I'm up. No. Later than I don't even use an alarm. No. Later than like six thirty sometime. Between six and six thirty. My body just says, okay, it's time to get up. There's no snooze. There's no. You know nothing like that. It's just like I have to use. I have to maximize my time throughout the day and use as many hours as they can. Because it's not like I just leap out of bed and go right to work. You know, I get up. I kind of have my stretches. I look outside. I have my lemon water, you know. And then I sit down to my desk by that time. It's already seven thirty. So it's like, alright, let's get go. So are you like a morning person or you feel like you get to sleep early at night? Yeah. Like eleven P M would be probably the latest that I stay up. So it's not even by choice. Like I'm like five foot eight. I'm I'm a functionalist, even if I wanted to work into the night unless there was some really pressing deadline where it's like, I have to stay up and do it. I can. I'm I'm my body just shuts off. Yeah. If I don't have like the adrenaline. Yeah. And for whatever reason, like my brain is done by nine thirty at night, like, I can stay up and watch like the real housewives or something. But I can't think any complex thoughts. Yeah. But I'm also early to rise. And I'm a morning person like I'm definitely more productive in the morning. And I really love waking up refreshed. |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah. Same makes me so happy. Okay. So let's talk about college. So we went from a desire to dig up fossils to the theater box office with our mature audiences you get to college, like, what are you studying. What was your dream at that point? |
| Teni Panosian | So you know, college was so I never did well in school. Even in high school. I got like three point two GPA that was like my graduating GPA. I'm smart. I'm just not great in school. |
| Teni Panosian | Not good at taking tests or anything like that. So getting out of out of high school, I decided to go to junior college here in Glendale and figure it out because, you know, so many kids were like, I know exactly where I'm going to school. And I was going a majoring in my grade. I had no idea what I wanted to do with life, especially because I was always in the arts. And like, when you're an artist, you're a little more. Nothing is as orderly as you know, people who go into being you when you're going to be an attorney, you know exactly what you need to do. You know exactly the steps you need to take to get there, right. So for me, it was like, okay, so let's try junior college. And that was a good experience. I did. I did a lot of performing arts there as well, so that satisfied my need for that. And I applied to USC to transfer after two years. And it was the only school I I applied to the only school I wanted to go to. And thankfully, got in so once I got there. The communication just seemed like exactly where I needed to be in the journalism communication journalism school. You know it's bad. It's how college started. Did you feel a really strong pressure to just follow the pack and go to this four year schools? And you know, beyond that train with everybody else. Well because you I know my family's journey. You know, I was I would be the first to do that. So I was actually very excited for that. It was like a big achievement, especially us theory kidding me. I went to school with heirs and heiresses of like huge American companies, you know. And here I am like on financial aid. And it was like, ah, it was a huge achievement for me. And I knew that, you know, I was making my family proud being there. And I loved being there. So how did we go from our communications degree to a major beauty influencer? Um what? What are those steps that happened in between? Because I'm just. There are many of them. Yeah. Well one thing that happened is I got a master's degree. I went in right after undergrad because I'll be really honest. Undergrad. I didn't feel like I learned that much getting out. I mean, I was a cheerleader at ufc two. So I was at practice more than it was in class. You know it was. It was a fun experience. More than anything. It's I'm glad I had that experience that it did in college. But now educationally didn't really do much for me. So I went right into a communication management masters with an emphasis in brand strategy. And it was such a different experience because it was very applied learning. It wasn't like like Socrates and like, you know, all that stuff you learn an undergrad like, how am I going to use this. Um. So I learned a lot in my masters in those two years that I actually playing now as a founder as marketing lead for Monday born. You know, I actually feel like I finally have somewhat of a corporate executive role that I didn't you. And this right. After my master's after my master's I went into acting. I started doing commercials. I did some network TV spots and did some independent phones enjoyed every minute of X. That's something I'd always wanted to do. And that's also when I started my blog Miss MAVEN dot Com. So that's really where the beauty stuff started while I was going out on additions and booking commercials and staying afloat financially, I was working on this blog. That was a pretty new thing at the time. There are so few bloggers at those time. |
| Jodi Katz | So I wanna just go back to growing up because I feel like maybe this is just an over generalization, but immigrant families would say they feel lawyer or be a doctor. And that's it right. Like there's no choices. So here you are as an artist, and you get your and under graduate degree, you get a masters and then you're still pursuing the art. Where are you getting pushback from your family? Was there a lot of Farsi being talked about? I guess you know what? |
| Teni Panosian | Oddly enough, you know, my parents are not so traditional that and I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm I've always been very stubborn and boneheaded, like anything I wanted to do. I did. So I didn't get a lot of pushback from them. I think they knew they. They thought that I knew what I was doing. And that this was a reasonable progression, even though it wouldn't if you'll get it on paper, it seems kind of insane to do all that's going and then go out commercial auditions in, ah, um. But I think that I would explain to them. You know, some starting this blog when I was talking about beauty products and this and that, and I think they really trusted me to build what I eventually ended up building. What year was this when you started the blog? Any two thousand eleven? Two thousand and ten is. I spent a long time for some reason doing like so much research on blah like I didn't just dive into it. I was looking at so many different examples. On what? Mostly like online magazines. Which at the time was more you know, in Vogue. Now it's more like super personable, like not so profess tional a little bit more casual. So I did. A lot of research crack jumped into it. |
| Jodi Katz | Okay. So wanna know about Monday Born. Because I know I'm fast-forwarding, you know, I guess from zero pounds million plus. But your fans know that about you. But I'm curious to know about, you know, um, spending so many years building relationship with your commute. Eighty and then deciding. I'm going to get into the product game. Which is like so coming in your brain, right? Yeah. So what was the spark of inspirations that you listen to and like, you know, when did it arrive? |
| Teni Panosian | Your brain. So I knew that there was going to be a time. There was going to be a time where I moved into product. I just knew it had to be exactly the right time because there were so many other influencers doing product. And so a lot of things had already been done. And if it's already been done, I'm not interested. You know. So I wanted to wait for the moment that I knew that we could bring fill hole on the market, brings something new, something mutually beneficial. You know, community oriented. And that happened when I met my partners. Who are the co-founders of feeble Jordan and Hegang? They um, are husband and wife and they are the founders of well like I said, and so they came to me with this idea to be a beauty incubator. So coming to people like me, who have had we've spent these years building a community and saying, okay, what product can you dream up. We're gonna bring it to life. So we are thy remember that first meeting we had was like four hours into two thousand and nineteen we talked for so long and it really seemed like our goals are aligned. You know, they came with fresh ideas. I came with fresh ideas, and we each kind of had like a different strength to bring to the table. So immediately I knew I was like, because before I took the meeting I was like, oh, I don't know. I guess we can take the meeting. Sure. Fine. I'll hear what they have to say. And then once we were done talking, I was like, we're doing this like, whoa, it's this is it. I would imagine they weren't the first people, though to reach out. So tell us a little bit about that journey because I'm like my guesses. Have lots of stories there. Yeah. I mean, look, I've done collabs. Like I did. Um. An amazing collab with Bobby Brown. Where. A really, really good friend of mine. Denise and I we did. We did lip a lip launch together, so I created my color. She created her color. It was such a great experience, but that was a collab with an existing brand. Um there were offers from other companies, but. Hey. We'd love to talk about creating your online. But it sounded very, um, what's the word just kind of like cut and paste to like cookie-cutter like this is what we do for different influencers? And and it just seemed like sterile like the whole whole interaction was like, ah, I don't know. It didn't seem special like it did when I met my current partners. So yeah, there were like two, maybe three different companies that were trying to do that. But they just didn't have. They didn't come with the the revolutionary ideas, the advanced that I mean, buble really is a tech company. You know, they're not just a beauty and debater. They are a tech companies. They're really coming through with cutting edge. You know everything that they they do is very advanced, very tech focused so that I knew it was gonna be another great advantage. So I mean, leaps and bounds ahead of what. Anybody else had offered me so great. |
| Jodi Katz | You have to really trust your gut, right. Yeah. I think that probably in your spaces. A lot of money is a strong word like predators. Yeah. Right. Um sharks, yeah, right. |
| Teni Panosian | Like basically private-label products. Right looking for a chance to make a quick buck. That's it. And you've seen people fall prey to that free in the industry. And I'm really proud of you because the thing to say no, right like him. |
| Jodi Katz | It's hard to wait. So sure. I want to talk about the seduction of growing your business. I think it's probably a theme that's the truest and purest for influencers, right. You're like, you know, waking up with numbers going to bed with numbers chasing trends taking down. Numbers. I have a lot out of empathy for people who choose this path because I think most people think it's easy and fun. Um. And really, it's an enormous amount of work and dedications. It's nonstop. Imagine your dream and numbers sometimes. So I want to talk about this topic because, you know, we're career journey show, and the path has success. It's not a straight line. And the definitions of success is different for everyone. So let's talk about success for you now. How would you define being successful? |
| Teni Panosian | I mean, I could just look at the folder screenshots that I keep of people that have reached out via DM or whatever it is comments, just saying, how much Monday born has changed their skin their life. Oh my God. I had egged someone. Nothing worked. And this is the only thing that worked or my husband just complimented. My skin has never done that. Things like that. You know it. Just it is like anytime I'm feeling like, God, do I really want to go onto. I really want to do this. I just go back and look at these messages because I'm like, yeah, we really want to keep doing this because this is for me. Look. I know a lot of brands out there, especially like the go to retailers and have great huge marketing campaigns behind their launches and. Yeah. People say that generates sales it does. But does it generate a solid retention rate because a lot of times in all honesty? You know these huge campaigns. They produce a one-time buyer. Whereas our retention rate is two times the industry average, more than to actually more than the two. The industry average is twenty two to twenty three percent hours is about just under fifty percent. Wow. That's awesome attention. Yeah. So I'm really, really proud of. And I cannot think of a better measure of success because, you know, I look at us as like the tortoise and the hare, where the tortoise were making really meaningful, strategic most. I'm very risk averse. Sometimes when I've talked to my co-founders, they bring up an idea. Even last week we were talking about an idea for a launch. And I was like. This is going to cost a lot of money. I and and I don't know if I'm ready for that. So you know, like as a meaningful baby steps that make a big impact in the long run, they may not, you know, make us Internet viral or like social media viral. I don't care. I don't care about that. I care about paying my bills and let's be honest. Ah. |
| Jodi Katz | You know, you just mentioned that you're risk averse, but I'm gonna challenge you on that. You okay? Started a career as an actor. This is like such a vulnerable place to put yourself. Right. It is very risky. You know, if you think about from Sheriff's stability perspective and just like mental, oh, you know, rejection perspective, that isn't tense. You dove into a new media in two thousand and ten and then again into whatever Youtube, two thousand and twelve and then again into Instagram. And then again, you know, right? So you keep diving into these new places. So I would say, I would describe you, you know, we knew the one hour and a half that I've known you in my life as thoughtful and meditative and willing to do the research, but I do think you're taking risks every day. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. And when you put it that way. Yeah. You're actually very right. And thought it is a huge Russell. Yeah. It is a huge risk to start. Start of a brand from scratch. But yeah, I think, eh every move. Just like you said is very calculated, like I really have to think of every last scenario. And the thing is, we don't make most of our decisions without going to the community first like I'll hop on Instagram and I'll hop on dot Com and just kind of write up like a post asking, like you guys like, which are you. Are you going to be supportive of this? I need to know before we you know, dive into it. Because at the end of the day, you know, I'm not just like someone who decided to start a brand. I'm someone who for years head. Communicated with people on different platforms about beauty products about my routines about makeup? So why wouldn't I continue that same method where I'm still talking to people, I'm still asking people, their opinions concerns things like that? And I think that's what's really made Monday born. Successful at the end of the day is is truly taking in that feedback will tell me because I know you go really, really deep with your fans. Like what is that process with your fanbase in terms of development? And how do they get involved? Well the most. I mean, the most special thing we do is something called the Monday born experience, which is, first of it's kind every launch we have we ask for submissions. Through Google Forum. We ask for age group complexions. Skin concerns, things like that. And we put together a group of I don't know anywhere from eight to fifteen people, depending on what product we're looking at. And we send them samples of the product, you know, they get the exact lab sample. I have one right here. We're about to start a new one. The same one that we get, you know. And we tested up together. We we ask add them to document the process. Let us know what they like. Well what they don't like. And then we hop on zoom calls and discuss as a group like. Okay. So these are the questions I have. What did you think of this, this and this? And they'll give me their feedback, and then we'll go back to the lab and say, hey, so they liked this, but they didn't like this so much to me change, you know, or add a little bit of this or take away a little bit that and that we also talk about packaging everything. So really, at the end at the end of I don't have any of my products here with me. But at the end of the process once everything is done, their name is printed on the bottom of the box. That is so cool. Okay. So you're saying your your followers like, you know, someone that's been connection with you, but you've never met. |
| Jodi Katz | And your company take the time to send them lam samples and get online. Zoom with them to hear their first-hand feedback now. And then you put their name on the doing him. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. And we'll do round after round like once they give us their feedback will tell the lab. And then they send out a new batch of samples which we send out to them. And then we say, OK, so test this one. When you think of this one on average, we do about three rounds, but we'll keep going until Lawrence Ma happy with it. You know, if there's a problem we need to address. We will until we get it right. And then at the end will say, so. Is everyone good any speak now or forever? Hold your peace. And then everybody gives her nod of approval. Then we go go to production. |
| Jodi Katz | They love this because you're you're almost starting like a club within a community rate of people. Who who? You know are willing to take the time to participate in this process. It's really special? Now it's not a focus group, right. A focus group is one and done. This is an ongoing. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. Story that you're building. Yeah. I call them like our alumni of you know the Monday born experience because we do have men were men and women. I love that. |
| Jodi Katz | Okay. So I want to talk a little bit about life as an influencer back back to that topic of really creating success for yourself. But at a rate that feels good and feels right. And I'm how you managed that seduction. So um, you know, the question on my mind is like do read the comments because sometimes they're not probably so pleasant is is something that you do yourself. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. I mean, it was not easy in the beginning, and I really took a lot of it personally. But I think over the years it's just become a little bit more of, ah, an afterthought like the not the good comments. A good comment. Stay with me. I keep the right here, but you know the bad comments. It happens. So there's so few of them that it just like, I don't really think about it that much. |
| Jodi Katz | So you're able to package them up in your head as this is just like that doesn't affect me. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. I mean, you have to think about, you know, people have bad days. People are going through some things that make them angry or frustrated. And sometimes they're looking for an outlet. And it just happens to be like, you know how they happen to come across your video whenever it happens to be you on that day. If it's constructive criticism, it's actually great. That's great for me. Because then I can adjust my operation and make it better. So that's that's always welcome. |
| Jodi Katz | But you know, tell me about the I guess. If there is a separation between your public persona and your personal private one. Yeah there is. Um my public persona is me. It's not like some fake thing that I put on, but I don't think people see all of me on here, because if they would necessarily like I mean, there's I'm an impatient person. I can be judgmental. I have a short fuse, you know. And and like, I curse and trying my hardest to to cut back on that not doing so much. But you know, I always want to put forth the most aspirational part of me and they still see people still see you when like when I'm having a bad day. |
| Teni Panosian | They still see the vulnerable parts of me. The meltdowns. The mistakes, the things I regret. You know. That's okay. But yeah, sometimes it's like, okay, you can't always be showing the bad parts like trying to show as much of the good parts as you can. I'm sure your fans would give you Grace, you know, even on a bad day they do. I mean, I had an incident day before and on Monday, and I explained it. I was like, I just have to bent this. And I've made a mistake. I talked to someone rudely and I felt terribly about it. And I called back to apologize. So I told the story. And it's one of those days I'll take record number of DMS. And because because everyone, you know, all of the dams are so kind and like, GG so compassionate. I sat there through every thing. I think there's so ten more that I have to get through. But I'm still replying to because I really appreciate that. I appreciate the encouragement. You know, it's very brave of you to apologize. There's a lot of adults in the world who do not have the inner strength to be able to say they made a mistake. And apologize for it. I try to challenge myself to exercise humility as much as I can. Because this is a space, especially where you know you get a lot of praise. And you know, I think sometimes people can get to a point where they think they can do no wrong. But it's definitely not the case. And we are all human, and we all do wrong at one point or another. So my last question for their interview part of the show is about your podcast. So you've recently started a show telling me about, ah. Now it's been such a good experience. This first season was a little bit of an experiment. It was no video. It was literally just me and the mic. And I wanted to just dive into some topics that are, you know, no, not so much beauty focus. There wasn't an episode talking a little bit about like beauty staffs. But I'm more talking about relationships about family about eldest daughter syndrome. You know, like immigrants. Ah. Some of the founders stuff I also talked about and like I said, I did what I wanted. I wanted it to be somewhat of an experiment to see like our people into this like, are we? Is this a worthwhile thing to continue doing? And the response has been nothing I kind of even imagined like people have been really have been receiving it really well. And some of the messages I've been getting. Yeah. I'm like, OK, I got definitely have to continue this. So what was once, um, kind of an experiment? Just me. You know me and the Mike. I'm now sort of planning for recording phone video as well. Um. I already have some guests that are interested in coming on and talking and just different topics. Now that I want to expand into because I really was like, I don't know. I don't know if people are gonna be into this. So let's try it out. And it was really like a pleasant reaction? |
| Jodi Katz | Okay. So once again, you're a risk taker. Yeah. There we go your. This article. Yeah. Thoughtful. But not sure. Sure. Right. Yeah. There's a lot of people in the world today. And I'm sure you know, many of them who talk like, oh, I have this idea of this idea of the city. I may never make the idea of mine? Right. Right. So I'm giving you a Pat on the back for all the reset. You've taken. |
| Teni Panosian | Thanks. That makes me feel good because there are still other ideas that I never followed through it. But it makes me feel kind of badly. But the way you put that makes me feel good. |
| Jodi Katz | I mean, first of all, there's only like so much bandwidth in so many hours in sharp, right. And those and the universe speaks. I really believe that. Like so. That idea that you had five years ago will lead me on something that will rekindle in two years time and sharing the way to me make it happen. Yeah. I have this idea inside of me for my next podcast which I have absolutely no time for right now. No more I'm like, I'm dreaming doing it. I'm so excited about doing it. I feel like the world actually needs it. And I have to be patient, which is so hard. Yeah. Patient with myself. Because I'm the only thing holding me back. And I have to like, literally talk to my. So whom I had to be like, OK, I'll do it? I'll do it. I know any year. I'll do it in six months whenever I do. I do it. And it's hard to kind of constrain that ambition. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. I hear you. |
| Jodi Katz | Okay. Here's a really good one. What's your favorite thing to do to unplug or recharge? |
| Teni Panosian | Okay. So I I finally got myself into a routine. Where? I don't work on the weekends anymore. It's my time to actually recharge. Yeah. Good on me. Because that was a big problem for me. Um honestly, the most effective thing is just hanging out with my family. My boyfriend won't go over there and will be just with my mom. My brother and like the dogs are like, well, invite my Dad for dinner or something like that and just being with family being with the dogs. Just so much comfort for me that I really just I fill up on everything on love and relaxation on, you know. Comfort and security. That's that's my recharge. Okay. I have to ask when your parents met your boyfriend for the first time where they speak in Farsi around. Yeah. No. So they're not married and they haven't spoken in like ten years. So so. Um yeah. Everything was like directed to me. So no, thankfully, everything was pretty good. What was the best advice you're given from another influencer about being an influencer? Gosh. I cannot even think if I feel like I'm always the one giving it. I said, what advice you give. Oh man, I'm really I'm only trying to think like there isn't really anything. Um. What if I start there of other people as it really depends what they're asking? Like? Are they asking to how to build a following or ah, you know? I think the most common, I guess advice I give is to just bring forth your authentic self and not try to replicate what you're seeing out there that works, you know, because I feel like that's just gets uncomfortable and it looks for it. You can tell who's be truly be who you are. There's an audience for every type of person. So because that's my most common advice. |
| Jodi Katz | I love that and I love, um, like people, I think probably think it's a quick climb to the top and quite slow. |
| Teni Panosian | Well I won't say they can. I will say, just on that point yet, there is such a thing as a quick burst into, you know, it's happening on Tiktok. But there isn't any longevity in that in other longevity is lies with the people who have been building community for years, especially the people who might you know my class who started on Youtube. So there is definitely such a thing as a quick overnight fame. But someone else new will come along in about six months and do that same thing, you know. |
| Jodi Katz | Right. You really need a foundation. Definitely. Because without a foundation, I guess without like going back to the digital magazines that you looked at so many years ago, if they didn't have an editorial point of view if they didn't have a mission, I mean repurpose than they would just be a bunch of pictures and words sharp right now. So if you can have a purpose and emission and stick to it and be consistent like you said, your people will find you. Yeah. |
| Teni Panosian | And people need to learn and time to trust, learn to trust you, and you need to establish your credibility. So that's more valuable. My opinion. |
| Jodi Katz | I think we have time for one more question. Oh this is. I'm sure you get this house all the time. If one of your fans want to get involved in crowdsourcing with one day born and be part of your team, how do they apply for that? |
| Teni Panosian | Um? Are they talking about the moneyball experience to get the experience? Yes. So there's a Google form to fill out if you go to to be able dot Com. And if if people are Monday morn customers, they'll know exactly what that is. That's our that's a platform that our sales or our sales are our community. Everything is done there. If you go to the Monday morn community tab, there is a post there with the link to fill out the Google form. I would suggest doing that today because, um, our product development lead. Usually it's me picking the people like I go through every hundreds of submissions and like. Find the people. But because we're talking about retinol, this is gonna be kind of a serious one. So our product development lead is taking the lead on this one. So I think she's gonna start tomorrow. |
| Jodi Katz | So okay. So submissions and today site felt the form. And do they? Um if they get don't get picked for the retinol. Do they have to reapply Next time. |
| Teni Panosian | Yeah. There are people who have already participated can apply. And if you've applied before and didn't get chosen that time, you're more than welcome to continue to apply for them. |
| Jodi Katz | This is awesome. Thank you so much teni for your time today. Yeah. |
| Teni Panosian | Thank you. This is really fun. Chat. |
| Jodi Katz | This was our two hundred and thirtieth episode code. This is mic big number. And thank you all so much for joining us. If you'd like this episode, please rate and review as always make sure you're following us on your favorite podcast platform and Instagram to stay up to date on our upcoming episodes. |
| Jodi Katz | Thanks for joining us. I thank you. Thank you, Teni. |
| Announcer | Thanks for listening. To where brains meet beauty with Jodi Katz tune in again for more authentic conversations with beauty leaders. |
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