Hello, ladies! Today’s blog post will feature an interview I conducted with GLU Girls Like You, a brand created by Jann Parish (CEO) and her daughter Lila Parish (creative director) as a team effort. Teen Boss Babes is grateful to share GLU’s exciting journey with teens interested in taking the same path. Get ready to dive in!
Q: What inspired the creation of the name, GLU Girls Like You.?
A: “GLU is short for Girls Like You. We felt Girls Like You was a lot to say and GLU was easy. There's more to the story - it's really about YOU being who YOU choose to be.”
Q: What year was this group started?
A: “We initially founded GLU in 2018. But, it took a couple of years to really get our brand story pulled together and ready to go live. In Spring 2020 at the very start of the pandemic, Lila and I found ourselves watching another episode of Friends and knew at that moment it was time to finish building GLU. We officially launched in October 2020.”
Q: What type of products do you sell?
A: “Our goal is to sell personal care products designed specifically for teens. Our first product in the market is our GLU Manicure Kit. It comes with 5 vegan, 10-free nail polishes, a top coat, a non-acetone polish remover (that happens to smell like Lavender rather than chemicals), pomegranate cuticle oil and all the tools you'd need to create a perfect manicure. Our favorite feature of the kit is the box lid. It's designed to hold your phone while you watch our mani tutorial, Netflix, or maybe scroll TikTok while your nails are drying.”
Q: How was GLU Girls Like You started and what is its purpose?
A: “GLU was started based on the premise that it takes courage to grow up. We want to build a community around the brand so girls and womxn have a place to go to learn about all of the weird and somewhat cringe-y aspects of growing up. Our goal is to build that community along with great clean beauty and personal care. Lila and I both agree that there are so many misconceptions and funny things that happen when you go through puberty. Don't we all want a place that can help us understand the ins and outs of puberty in a more relatable (and accurate) way than what we're finding today?”
Q: Do you pursue other projects besides selling products? For example, content creation like making Youtube videos.
A: “We do! Our company is starting to grow and now there are three of us! We have Evelyn who is our content creator. She's the brains behind our tiktok videos. Lila and I are actively creating new content for our other channels in addition to concepting and producing our next product launches. We have skincare coming in April!”
Q: What message do you want your brand to convey? And what do you want to achieve?
A: “Our brand is about openness, being comfortable in who you are and what you choose to stand for. The brand is called Girls Like You, not Girls Like Us or Girls Like Me, because we all deserve the opportunity to grow up on our own terms without the pressure of an outside gaze. GLU is just there to help you on that big, crazy journey.”
Q: Do you have a message for any young girls interested in starting a brand or business?
A: “I've worked in marketing for 20 years, I am most definitely not a teen anymore and I have to say, this is hard, somehow even harder than being CMO of Victoria's Secret or Calvin Klein. But in a good way. Any teen who wants to take a chance on themselves should follow their instincts. Just be ready to know it's not all glamorous. I have videos from Lila and me packing our first nail kits at the distro center and as we write this now, it's almost 8 PM. I've been working since 8 AM, Lila rejoined after school and dance class at 7:00 PM. So many hours but I'm so happy we're doing it together.”
Q: What has been your favorite part of this journey?
A: “I don't know if Lila would agree, but my favorite part of this journey has been working with Lila. She's funny and you know what, very honest. Building a brand using her likeness means she's the expert and that's pretty cool.”
GLU’s insightful experience in the world of entrepreneurship illustrates the wondrous results of having heart and dedication. Their adventure teaches us many things, such as the beauty of crafting a brand that one is passionate about. GLU is an outstanding role model for girls in need of guidance, and that’s beautiful!
You can find out more about Girls Like You on their social media platforms:
Instagram: @GLUSticktogether
Tik Tok: @GLUSticktogether
Pinterest: GLUSticktogether
Facebook: GLUSticktogether
YouTube: GLUSticktogether
Yours truly,
Sissy Arenas
