Success Requires Letting Go of People’s Expectations of You (Jackie Aina)

Aspire with Emma Grede

E13 Media

Entrepreneurship, Business, Society & Culture

4.6 • 874 Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2026

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jackie Aina has been building in public for 17 years. She didn't just grow an audience, she helped define what it meant to be a Black woman with a voice in the beauty industry. But influence was never the end goal. After nearly two decades as one of YouTube's most recognized creators, Jackie took $250,000 of her own money and started a fragrance brand. Not a makeup line — a fragrance brand. Her childhood dream. The first thing she ever did that nobody asked for. In this conversation, Jackie sits down with Emma to talk about what it really takes to go from influencer to founder and why the two have almost nothing in common. Jackie shares: Why six million followers doesn't mean six million in revenue — and what creators get wrong about turning an audience into a business How she self-funded Forvr Mood with $250K, sold out six months of inventory in four hours, and nearly had a breakdown closing the laptop The vendor relationship that looked like a smart start and took over a year to untangle What she had to unlearn about being "the strong one" — and why doing everything is actually a disservice to everyone around you Why she deliberately didn't build a makeup brand, and what it meant to finally do something just for herself What's something you've outgrown — even if other people still expect that version of you? Drop it in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. We'd love to hear what you think. Please take this survey to help us make the show better for you: emmagrede.com/survey To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi darlings. Before we get into today's episode, I need a little favour from you. We've put together a community survey for Aspire that's really going to help us continue shaping the show in the best way possible, from the guests we bring on to the topics we cover and the conversations you want more of. So if you have a few minutes, it would mean a lot if you filled it out using the link below. So if you have a few minutes, it would mean a lot if you filled it out using the link below.
0:24.1	So if you have a few minutes, it would mean so much if you filled it out.
0:29.0	I'm personally reading through the responses and we're genuinely so grateful for this community.
0:32.4	Your feedback really helps us make the show better and better.
0:36.0	Be sure to click the survey link below and enjoy the episode.
0:39.6	Please visit emagreed.com slash survey.
1:08.8	That's e M-M-M-A-G-R-E-D-E dot com slash S-U-R-V-E-Y and enjoy the episode. So today I'm talking to Jackie Ina, and I am so excited about this conversation for all of you creators out there who dream one day to have your own business.
1:12.2	This is a conversation about how you turn influence into ownership and that visibility into viability for a business. She really does not hold back,
1:18.6	if you know Jackie, you know she doesn't. It's an amazing conversation and I cannot wait for
1:23.4	you guys to see this one.
1:33.1	The Clean Beauty Conversation has come a long way, especially when it comes to sunscreen.
1:37.2	People are paying real attention to what they're putting on their skin. But even within the Clean category, most SPF formulations still contain really long ingredient
1:44.1	this. Now, Primely Cure is a female founded brand that uses just. Most SPF formulations still contain really long ingredientness.
1:44.9	Now, PrimelyCure is a female founded brand that uses just nine simple ingredients,
1:50.4	like nutrient-dense tallow and moisturising mango butter,
1:53.8	alongside non-nano zinc oxide for broad spectrum protection.
1:58.3	It's mineral-based and free from synthetic fragrances and seed oils.
2:02.8	It's an approach that feels closer to skincare than sunscreen. Their sunscreen goes on sheer
2:09.0	without the chalky finish that you usually get from mineral SBF. And the sunstick is built for
2:14.4	reapplying on the go. It's small, mess-free and easy to keep with you.
2:19.3	Use Code Aspire to get 15% off your primarily pure purchase. That's www. p-r-I-M-A-L-L-L-Y-P-U-R-E.com
2:30.9	and use Code Aspire at checkout for 15% off your order.
	...

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