EP 283 From Corporate Giant to Indie Success: Suzanne Roberta Martens on Building Adesse New York

In this inspiring episode of the Stuck In My Mind Podcast, host Wize El Jefe sits down for an illuminating conversation with Suzanne Roberta Martens—entrepreneur, beauty industry veteran, and founder of the luxury clean beauty brand Adesse New York. This episode is a masterclass in resourcefulness, resilience, and the power of pursuing your dreams—no matter the obstacles. From Industry Titans to Indie Trailblazer The episode opens as Wize El Jefe introduces Suzanne Roberta Martens as someone who has not only worked for global icons like Estee Lauder, Avon, and Revlon but has also boldly stepped out to carve her own path within the competitive world of cosmetics. Listeners are treated to the backstory of a woman who dreamed of her own beauty brand since college, a vision fueled by her fascination with the ever-evolving beauty landscape. Working at the leading edge of brands reformulating their products for safety and wellness, Suzanne Roberta Martens learned every aspect of the business—from concept to market, branding to formulation, and manufacturing to positioning. She recounts how her specialty in skincare and color cosmetics paved the way for her to develop innovative approaches to product creation, especially as the industry transitioned towards clean ingredients. The Power of AI and Agility A key highlight of their discussion is the transformative role of technology. Both Wize El Jefe and Suzanne Roberta Martens share their experiences integrating AI into their creative and business processes, accelerating everything from product development to audience engagement. For Adesse New York, leveraging AI means not only tracking consumer trends but also using predictive modeling to ensure product launches meet real customer desires. Unlike larger corporations bogged down by long product development cycles, Suzanne Roberta Martens's agile team harnesses tech to innovate and adapt swiftly—something essential for indie brands seeking to disrupt established markets. Bootstrapping and Breaking In What makes Suzanne Roberta Martens’s journey particularly inspiring is her candor about starting with almost no funding. She explains that, far from being a setback, this forced her to be inventive. By identifying a major gap—clean nail care in an industry otherwise moving towards wellness—she conceptualized Adesse as a skincare-for-nails brand. Approaching contract manufacturers with a vision, not capital, she convinced partners to work in small production runs. Her unique perspective, treating nail care as skin care and using high-quality color pigments, enabled Adesse to stand out immediately. Through strategic partnerships with top beauty subscription companies, Adesse achieved massive exposure early on and quickly scaled from selling thousands to tens of millions of bottles. Suzanne Roberta Martens reflects on the exhilaration and terror of leaving the security of corporate America, betting on herself—and how the sense of truly helping people reclaim their nail health propelled her forward. Making Clean Beauty Accessible Wize El Jefe and Suzanne Roberta Martens dive deep into what sets Adesse New York apart: clinically effective, clean, and vegan nail formulas free from harmful toxins. Their conversation explores why avoiding ingredients that penetrate the body through the nails is vital, especially for conscious consumers already committed to health in other areas of life. A Pivotal QVC Moment—and the Pandemic Pivot Listeners are taken behind the scenes of Adesse’s big break: being selected as one of just 400 out of 20,000 brands to debut on QVC. Suzanne Roberta Martens recalls the grueling safety testing, the anticipation, and the heartbreak of COVID-19 shutting down the studio just as she was set to go live. Not to be deterred, she pivoted to a makeshift home studio, adjusting her expectations—and wardrobe!—and successfully launched a nail care solution exactly when the world desperately needed it. This segment is a testament to the entrepreneur’s tenacity and ability to turn setbacks into opportunity. Carving a Niche Among Giants How does an indie brand thrive in the shadow of billion-dollar conglomerates? By staying nimble, deeply tuning in to consumer needs, and using digital platforms to level the playing field. New selling channels, from Amazon Live to direct-to-consumer apps like Whatnot, allow agile brands like Adesse to reach global audiences and control their destiny, without gatekeepers. Suzanne Roberta Martens shares her excitement about the democratization of retail and how indie founders today have unprecedented potential to build relationships with customers around the world. Redefining Success and Building Community The conversation shifts to the meaning of success. Suzanne Roberta Martens admits her early ambition was all about landing major retail partners. Today, she finds fulfillment in directly serving her loyal customers—their feedback, stories, and advocacy ...