Transcript
Introducing Tezza and Cole
Kwame:
Welcome to Beyond Influence. Today, we are very, very fortunate to be graced by Cole and Tezza, who I would call a power couple. I know you hear that term tossed around, but I would (them) call a very, very cool, very, very legitimate power couple. The founders of the app, Tezza as well, who... I guess they initially started from just trying to pay their bills in their New York apartment and have grown it to be a $2.2 million a month app. And so thank you both for joining us.
Cole:
Yeah. Thanks for having us.
Tezza:
Thanks for having us. We're so excited to talk with you.
Kwame:
Yeah, for sure. And as we get started, I know Scott hasn't gotten his piece before, but I have to before we even get to Scott, I have to ask the age-old, the party question. Every time somebody encounters a couple, they say, "Hey, how did you meet?"
Cole:
Yeah. Gosh, we go way back.
Tezza:
Yeah, where to start? I mean, we go back to diapers.
Cole:
Her mom threw my baby shower. That's how far back we go, actually.
Kwame:
No.
Cole:
Yeah. I think I was at your third birthday party. You were maybe at my fourth birthday party. Yeah, we go back that far. We weren't dating then. It wasn't some arranged situation.
Tezza:
Yeah, long story short, we were just family friends. And then later in college, we started playing in a band together. He was roommates with my brother. The tension was building. And then finally, we went on the date, and here we are.
Cole:
Yeah, I was nervous to cross the family-friend barrier. But luckily, her brother, who was my roommate - he's my best friend - he was... he could tell there was some flirting going on, and maybe a date should happen. And one day, he was like, "Dude, just ask her out. It's cool. No pressure, no stress." I was like, "Okay, got the green light from the older brother." And yeah, the rest is history. Went on our first date and been together ever since.
Scott:
That's amazing. I'm sure moms are pretty happy about that situation.
Cole:
Yeah, definitely.
Scott:
They get to hang out a lot more.
Tezza:
We tried to keep it as low-key as possible for as long as possible because people were too hyped.
Scott:
That's amazing. So I'm curious. You guys said you started out playing music together. I guess walk us through that journey from the college days, playing music, you guys come together. And how did you embark on your creator journey or thinking about founding a company? I'm just really curious how that all came to be.
Finding Your Niche as a Creator
Tezza:
Yeah. I mean, the long, short (story), how do we even get it all in there? But I was in art school studying photography. Cole was in school as well, studying computer science, and we also played in a band on the side. And so we had been exercising our creativity in that way. And when we started dating, I was like, "Oh, we could try doing all these different types of photoshoots." I was doing the craziest, weirdest types of photoshoots, just trying to figure out what I was good at and he got really into it as well. And we just started down that road of creating together, which I think was such a beautiful part of our relationship.
But fast forward to a couple of years after that, we decided we wanted to move to New York just because we felt like there was something bigger for us. We lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was great, but we felt limited. We're like, "There's something else out there. We've just gotta move." So we both moved. I was still doing photography, working with brands, posting on all sorts of social media, everything from Facebook to MySpace to Blogger to Tumblr to all the things.
I was trying. I was out there trying, and he was so supportive, so it was really cool. But also working at a health startup at the time. We moved to New York, and then it was... From there, it was like, "How are we going to survive in New York?"
We really were not just trying to become influencers, if you will, because that wasn't even a thing yet. But how can we start other businesses? So we were coming up with all sorts of business ideas, starting a soft brand, a denim jacket brand. I don't even... Someone that never came to fruition, luckily. But yeah, that was the beginning. And then how do we take it from there?
Cole:
Yeah, I mean, to your credit, I think Tezza was really ahead of the curve and posting before this was even a known career opportunity. But I think you just had the foresight to see that there was something happening there. So yeah, like she said, when we moved to New York, I don't think the word influencer had been coined yet, but I do remember, I feel like in the first month or two, you got invited to a "Bloggers Who Brunch" thing, and we were like, "What is this?" We'd never heard of anything like that living in Utah.
And you went and met 10 other people who are starting to make a career blogging and on Instagram. And that was really the beginning of like, "Okay, there's this whole world that we've been building just for fun, but now we see, okay, there's major potential here." And then went from that to trying all these different businesses to then really honing in, I feel like, on what people were following Tezza for, which was photo editing and creativity. We tried a bunch of different things. We tried clothing, like we said, and it all worked to a degree.
But what really stuck was when we released Lightroom Presets the first time, which is like a plugin for Lightroom to learn how to edit better. And they popped off for us. Tons of momentum. Some tons of organic success. And that's really what Domino-affected into the app people demanding a mobile solution. So, yeah, that was a long path, but that's how we got there.
Scott:
I was going to say, I just love... I'm thinking of this mental image of these crazy photoshoots in Salt Lake City. And I imagine a high fashion show somewhere in the desert or something. And then we've talked about a lot of people, and I think there's this image or perception that people who have this huge success online... I mean, you have well over a million followers, your content looks amazing, and it's very polished.
But I don't think people understand the journey and how you have to try so many things and fail and find something that's authentic and just experiment. And I think it's really cool to hear that from you all. That it's not just "I popped out of the womb making these beautiful Photoshop-looking images and I was born in perfect style" and whatever. I think it is work, and it takes time and creativity and learning. I like, too, some of the fail ideas. I think that's encouraging because a lot of people try to start different ventures, or they get discouraged, and they're putting their content out to an audience of their 200 friend followers, and they're the same five likes, and then one day something hits, and they really create their own lane. I think it's amazing to see from you all. So it's pretty inspiring.
Tezza:
Yeah. There was a lot of cringe. I'll say this, I've never gone back and deleted. So you can go back and make fun of me all you want. It's all there
Scott:
I was going to say I want to see one of these wild Salt Lake City photos.
Cole:
I was getting roped into all kinds of stuff, but it was fun.
Kwame:
Yeah. Glad it worked out. I think one thing that's cool about everyone just taking their creative edge and putting it around them is we start to realize how much it just naturally forms into our lives. And it's really cool that you all have obviously made so much of it. I think I don't really talk about my creativity as much, but I wanted to become, for a really long time, way more of a photography influencer.
My friends actually always make fun of me because there's two things. I started on a photography influencer-type route. The photo behind me, the photo above that, and the photo to my left are all different photos of places that I've been and took and actually edited in Lightroom. And so I used to always love the YouTube Lightroom tutorials. And so they always laughed at me that I started that.
And then I went to try to go play pro-soccer and become a soccer influencer, I guess, a big soccer guy. And then both of those failed, and I became a reality dating show influencer.
Tezza:
But you're all of that. That's why you're good at what you're doing still. So it all adds up to something, right?
Kwame:
Yeah, right. And I love to pick the tiny little things and figure out what your experiences were within those. So the two questions that I have right now are related to your backstory. One, you were in a band. What instruments did you play? And then two, when you were on MySpace, was Cole in your top 10?
Tezza:
Okay, where to start? Okay, I was the lead singer and played guitar and keys, and Cole was the bass player.
Cole:
I played bass and guitar.
Tezza:
And then... No, he was not in the top 10. Also, he didn't even-
Cole:
I was shy, a little introvert. I don't even think I had MySpace.
Tezza:
And I wasn't... My MySpace, it was like an alter ego situation. You know what I'm saying? A lot of my internet personality in the beginning was like, "I hope no one I know sees this because I'm experimenting. I'm trying to figure this out, but it's okay." He would be in the top 10 now for sure.
Kwame:
That's awesome. And so with how this all started, I saw that you used to work in a healthcare startup and also worked at Apple, which, by the way, I worked at Apple at the same time as you in the retail space. Yeah, I worked at Apple Christiana Mall from 2011 to 2018.
Cole:
Amazing. Yeah. I worked in the Fashion Place Mall in Holladay, Utah.
Scott:
You guys can't touch my Circuit City experience.
Kwame:
But with that, obviously, you found a passion for technology and went on and dove heavily into product. And I think it's really cool seeing both of your creativity come together.
And how did the idea of Tezza form into bringing the photography side and the product and tech side to things? How did you all make those ideas mesh together?
Starting a Brand from Scratch
Cole:
Yeah, really, the main inspiration when we started Tezza was there were so many different tech tools out there, but there were none that felt like a real brand. And we had come from this side, especially Tezza being a creative director, photographer, working with brands, building these amazing brand experiences and campaigns and having story and feeling and emotion behind it... And then you get to an app and it's this really dry techy experience.
And so you're in this amazing, elated state of creating, and then you get to the tool and it's a really lame moment. And we wanted the app itself to feel as fun and as branded and as impactful as the art of creating itself. And so that was really the inspiration around why it looks and feels the way it does and why we do some of the things we do and name our presets, how we name them and do in real-world events: because we want to bring this whole experience to life outside of just that moment on the screen.
So that was the thesis behind the design and the feeling of it. But the idea to build it really came from the community we were building which demanded it from us.
Cole:
We said, the Lightroom presets were such a success, but it was really only a desktop thing. And yeah, you were just inundated every day with hundreds of messages like, "Why can't I do this on my phone? I'd love to be able to use Tezza presets on my phone." And eventually, it just built up to like, "Okay, we got to do this."
Scott:
And when you made the decision to go in, how hard was it to make that decision? Did you just do it as a side project? Did you say, "We're going to quit our jobs. We're going to invest. We're going to put this many hours."
I'm curious; we talk to a lot of people about what percentage of their time they're willing to invest in and how hard they go or how all in they go. I'm curious, did you step in very slowly, or was it like, "We're cutting bait, we're running, and this is going to be it"? I'm curious what that journey was like for you all.
Tezza:
Yeah, you might have a different answer, but I would say we went pretty all in, but we didn't know what we were getting into. It was like, "Could we do this?" It was a big question mark. We didn't even think about raising money or hiring people to help us. We were just like, "We have a lot of skills. Let's see if this is something the two of us can do."
Meanwhile, we both basically had other jobs, and so we would work on this. I think there were a couple of years where we just didn't sleep, and we were up till 3 AM toying around, going through code, trying to figure stuff out, a lot of tears, a lot of thinking it's not going to work. And then I remember the one day, it all came together and something worked and we were like, "Okay!" And then that's when we were like, "Let's go, let's do this. Let's launch this thing." And that was probably a year after working on this after our other jobs.
Cole:
Yeah, exactly. I'd work on it at night after this startup I was working at. And it did that through release, through the first maybe few months the app was out until I formally quit.
Tezza:
I don't think you quit your other job until a year after we launched.
Cole:
Yeah, it may have been a full year.
Scott:
It's funny. We talked to someone yesterday, too, and they were talking about... They were probably ready, but it was just the fear. It was like having the backup plan, that insurance policy, and just knowing there's something to fall back on.
I don't know if this resonates with you because I live in the business world but every time I hit a mass email, I just have this anxiety that I'm going to flub it. I think about releasing the app as an engineering team of one on the side, in the evening, and hitting that publish button and just waiting for the chaos to happen. How nerve-wracking was it? That moment that you're like, "Okay, we're pushing on the app store. We're going to blast our Lightroom preset folks." That's got to be stressful.
Cole:
It was terrifying. Yeah, it was wild. And plenty of bugs at the start. Some miscommunications around the pricing (and the) subscription. So we got some negative reviews right off the bat, which was really sad.
Tezza:
We at one point said, "Turn it, quit it. Take it out. Pull it."
Cole:
"It's not worth it."
Tezza:
But I think one thing that... One product we launched before we even started the app was our collage kits, and it was a pack of art prints you could hang in your room and turn your wall into a little work of art. And that product taught us a lot.
Because I think we launched it (and) the hype on social media was like, "This is the best idea. Genius. Amazing." But then sales? Zero. We were like, "Bad idea." But we were running this out of our little apartment, once again, we had boxes to the ceiling. It was just like, "What are we going to do? This was dumb."
And then we realized how much marketing, and getting something in people's hands, all of that really actually matters. I think from the influencer space, you were used to such immediate results. And so that taught us, "Okay, just because it doesn't work at first doesn't mean it's not a good idea." And so if you are trying to start something or you're worried about that fear, just know there are going to be things like that. It's not going to work. It's probably not going to work right at the start, but that's okay. That doesn't mean it's bad. Just keep going.
Tezza:
I mean, even just with becoming a creator or wanting to work with brands as an influencer. Like I said, I posted on social media for probably five years every single day and didn't make a dollar. But then things start to work. That persistence is really important.
Scott:
It's so funny. The slow burn, that build, it resonates so much. There have been so many times where (in) my career, for instance, we're buying a company or we're making a press release or we're doing something, and you're like, "The whole world's going to freak out about this!" And it's like the five people who know your business really well are like, "Wow, that was a big day." And the rest of the world is like, "Oh, what happened today?"
And it's interesting how... over time, the more consistent you are, the more the message gets out, the more you continue to show up for clients, (and) you get positive word of mouth, it builds. And I think it's a reminder to a lot of people, whether you're in the fashion and beauty space, you're an app designer, you're trying to launch a YouTube channel, build a business, whatever it might be... There's that consistency that's required to perform. And I think the more that you wrap your arms around your customers, your super fans...
And it sounds like you guys have built this amazing community. And that's what maybe I wanted to talk about is, how is that community of folks come along with you? Do you still have people from the Lightroom days who are hitting you up and being like, "Oh, man, it's so amazing to see your journey." I'm just curious how that's evolved since you launched.
Tezza:
Yeah. I think a lot of them are still with us, which we're so grateful for. And really, we felt like we were building it with them and for them. They were so involved in telling us what they liked or didn't like. And we really listened and tried to create just this open dialog and a safe space for people to come and talk about or ask questions like, "How can I do this better?" So I think that has been such a big part of our brand. And we're so grateful that a lot of them are still around.
And I mean, for example, we were at Coachella the last week, two weeks ago, and somebody came up to us and they were like, "I owe you everything. I'm a photographer now. I travel the world. I shoot for brands, but I never would have had the confidence to even try or think I could do it if it weren't for you guys putting out the app and making that experience so easy and inviting." So that's the reward at the end of the day that we're so grateful for.
Kwame:
Yeah, that is amazing. And obviously, there's the reward of helping other people, and it's amazing, and it's really rewarding. There's what comes for us as well as we grow through this. And just dating back to the days when you lived in a, what was it, 250 square foot New York apartment. Since then, how has life changed for you? I'd love to know some cool things that are happening.
Cole:
Our space is a little bit bigger. It's not quite 250 square feet anymore. We live in a little home in California, which is great, so not in New York anymore. We have a baby and one on the way, so that's changed a ton. I would say at the core, though, our day-to-day, a lot of it still feels similar. We still feel like we're creating a bunch of stuff at the speed of light and trying to get it out and still having a million ideas a minute. And we love that and are trying to hold on to that feeling.
Tezza:
We even go look at the... We see if it's still available for rent, that little apartment in New York, because there was something... Something happened there. It was magical. We were like, should we just still rent it for fun?
Kwame:
Honestly, I feel like you could probably just rent it or, I don't know, buy it out and just rent it out as the place where the idea (for) Tezza happened. I guarantee your Airbnb rates would be unbelievable.
Tezza:
I gotta say, the rooftop of that apartment was so iconic and we were able to take a lot of good content on that rooftop. And people would message me left and right like, "How do I get up here?" So I think for the rooftop alone, we could be making... That could be another side hustle.
But honestly, too, we've now luckily built out a team around us, and it's just so fun to work with other people and watch them just be obsessed with their job and make this such a bigger thing. I think we always thought of Tezza, the brand, as so much more than just a tool or whatever. We really wanted to be able to do in-person experiences, connect with creators and do all these different things. So that's really the most exciting part that we are getting to expand and do that part of our jobs.
Scott:
That's amazing. I look at your guys' content. I'm a follower of both the brand and you all. And I honestly wonder how you have the time to balance all the trips and everything you're doing. I feel like I travel quite a bit and you guys are in Nice doing something, and then you're at this other event and Coachella and then doing your pop-up. How do you balance that life?
And now being a parent and expecting, managing all this travel, do you feel like there are certain tips or tricks to navigating running the business along with being a full-time influencer or content creator and then being a mom and a dad and a husband and a wife? How do you even begin to start balancing all that?
Balancing Tezza with Parenthood
Tezza:
I'm still trying to figure it out. Unfortunately and fortunately, we do thrive in the chaos. So that does work for us at times. But I wish I had some magical answer to this question because I feel like actually I get asked this a lot. But I think as long as you have something in there that you love what you do so much, it feels still so much fun. I love being busy because I feel I'm fulfilling something inside of me that makes me excited about life.
And also having kids. I just grew up with a mom who worked way too hard, but it was so beautiful to watch, and I thought she was so cool and I wanted to be her. I love the way she handles people. She would bring me along on work trips sometimes. And I just think being inspiring for your kids is also a goal. So I don't know. I don't really have a good answer. How do we balance it, Cole? Tell me. I have a good partner. That's the truth.
Cole:
Yeah. A good partner helps a lot. Yeah. And I feel like, especially in recent years and especially having a two-and-a-half-year-old now, we have a pretty hard deadline. After 6:00, we're not really working too much, where before we just would never really stop. So now you know from when you wake up until about 6:00, you just got to go hard and be really efficient because, after 6:00, you want to hang out with your kid and make the most of it. And it just forces you to be really ruthless with your time, which I think has helped a lot.
Kwame:
Yeah, that is really amazing. I talk to Scott about his journey in fatherhood and I talk to friends about it. I don't know. Obviously, I just got married about, what, two years ago now…
Tezza:
Congrats.
Kwame:
Thank you very much. We're looking at what the future holds for us as well. So I think it's always really great to hear and see inspiring parents. I think that it sheds a lot of light because I think a lot of the difficulties that I had with my partner in deciding. Obviously, we got married in a peculiar way. It took us 30 days to go from meeting to getting married. And in that process-
Scott:
You're the complete opposite of the Cole and Tezza story. It's like the 30-year burn and you're the 30-day burn.
Kwame:
Yeah, right? But going through that, one of the biggest things for me was still trying to love the journey that I was on. I was a big traveller and travel is a big part of my life. All through our house are just photos of places that I've traveled to and that I've really loved.
I know that one thing that always came up was, what happens when we have kids? I always think it's really cool to hear the inspiring stories of parents and how they're making sure to keep each other fulfilled and fulfill themselves and also bring that joint fulfillment into their children's lives as well. So I think it's really amazing. Thank you all for sharing that.
Tezza:
Good luck on your journey. I hope kids come soon but take your time.
Scott:
I love what you said about the partnership and making time and setting boundaries, even as founders of a very successful company. We've talked a lot with folks who are very successful and work hard. And I think we should be proud, and we should support people who have ambition and want to work hard. But I think it takes a very special dedication to also manage being a great parent and being a great partner and navigating that. And I think recognizing that it's hard, recognizing that no one's perfect, and it requires a huge support system to make that happen. It's pretty important. It's pretty special.
We joke about the power couple thing, but I think it is really inspiring to see that you guys are so strong. You're raising your daughter in the way you want and running this business and being able to manage it all, and maybe not perfectly, but in your own way. So I hope other folks who are nervous about, "Hey, I'm a content creator. Does starting a family, does getting married, does that mean I can't have my ambition, can't have my dreams?" And I think it just requires a different... It becomes different and a different way of navigating it. And I think it's awesome. And you guys are an inspiration to those types of folks.
Cole:
Well, thanks. We feel also lucky in our journey. I feel like we got exposed to some really amazing families and women who were unbelievable content creators and also having kids and also traveling the world and doing it all.
I remember we went on a trip with our friend, Amber Fillerup. She was starting a brand at the time. She's a big influencer, I think from Arizona, but has some Utah ties and we've been friends with her for a while. And we were going on a trip for her hair extension company. And she was there with her four kids or... She was on the trip with her three kids. We went from Iceland to Paris to Italy, and it was her and her husband and their three kids. They didn't have a babysitter or anything, and they just were rollin' and it looked so fun. And we just were like, "This is amazing." And I feel like that has been stuck in our brain ever since. "Okay, we can do this. People do this. And it's totally possible." So, yeah, there are a lot of people we owe it to. We've had some really cool examples.
Tezza:
And just watching people adapt and shift their careers as they continue to grow. I do think that you brought up that point of a lot of people, a lot of my friends are like, "I'm scared because it'll change so much."
But the change is I mean, obviously, having a child, if you have one, you're like, it's amazing. It's the best thing ever. So that change is really amazing. But also, I think it just makes you work smarter and it's a good evolution.
Scott:
Yeah. I'm 100 % a better human being for having children and being a dad. And I think that's a reminder of saying there are two small people who are looking up at everything I do and they're going to model my behavior. It's terrifying when they're modelling all your behaviors, good and bad. You're just like, "Ooh, I should watch what I say. I should be a better steward of the future."
So I'm curious, as you guys are growing the business now and in this next stage, what's exciting? What's keeping you interested? When you look out the next couple of years and the variety of different directions that you guys could go in life, what gets you up every day and what are you excited to continue on the journey?
How Being a Creator Has Changed
Tezza:
So many things. I think from the beginning to now, our mission has always been the same. And back in the day, when I even had a blog, my motto was "The Art of Life", and that really bled into this brand that we've built.
I grew up in this amazing, creative family where creativity was very welcomed. And then the older I got, I realized, "Oh, not everyone thinks they can be creative or thinks they have that inside of them" and I really believe that everybody does. And so that became our mission. How can we help everyone find that magic, that creativity that's inside of them?
And I think, how can we keep being that brand, that voice, that place and safe space for people to come and create and be the best creator and build their own business and really just be a place for that? I think that's something that really excites us.
Cole:
Totally.
Tezza:
Beyond just a tool, because obviously we want to be the best tool ever that we can make your life as easy as possible as a creator. I think seeing the space now, compared to what it was when we started... I mean, when we launched the app, the creator economy was just beginning and now it's just booming and it's growing and you can be any type of creator. You could be a soccer influencer. You could be whatever, like a fisherman, and you're creating content, making money. It's so exciting. And so I think just being a brand in this space that really caters and supports all these amazing people is something that excites me.
Cole:
No, I echo pretty much everything you said. We're in a a really fun state now where we're really bringing a lot of these experiences to life that we wanted to.
We just had this weekend pop-up where we built this, we called it the Tezza Gallery. It was like a coffee shop, art, creative space to launch our new in-app camera. Lasted three days. Turnout was awesome. Users from all over LA came and it was just a really cool way to bring the brand to life.
And we're focusing on more of those things and continuing to build connection with our users and continuing to just, I think, add a lot of value to people's lives in the way that they create and the way that they feel when they're creating. Just getting user feedback.
People echoing back our brand mantra and mission to us, even though we've never explicitly told them, is a really rewarding experience. And I think a lot of that has come as we've continued to build this brand to be something bigger than just the little square on your phone. So we're excited to keep building some of those ideas out.
Kwame:
Yeah. And I think, obviously, we've gone on a really good path to figure out what's next. But before we get closer to the end of this, I wanted to know, since Tezza, you're one of the original influencers, right? You were around before influencing was a thing. I wanted to know a little bit about that journey and what brands were reaching out to you, and how did you navigate brand partnerships at that time? Because I'm not sure there were even managers who handled all this.
Tezza:
Definitely not.
Cole:
It was the Wild West.
Tezza:
It was the Wild West, yeah.
Cole:
It was crazy.
Tezza:
I mean, in the very beginning, I was bleeding that line between... I was just posting everything from music to photography to fashion to whatever. But what I would do, this is how I got my first partnerships. I would create content like the brand. If that brand hired me, this is the content they would want. And then I would just post it. I would tag the heck out of them. I would email it to them. I would do all sorts of things like, "This is what I can do."
And then that slowly I really turned into brands saying, "Oh, we'll pay you 500 bucks to do this crazy photoshoot that really we would pay a 20-person team to do." And I was like, "Yes, I'll do whatever you want." So I did a lot of that. And I think that was helpful in getting a lot of those first partnerships, understanding how brands work.
But brands at the time and now, I think a lot of brands are prescriptive, and they want to say, "This is exactly what we're looking for." But also brands really value a creator's opinion. And I really always tried to be like, "This is what I know is going to connect. This is how I can bring this to life and story tell something in a much bigger and better way." And just thinking about the value that I can add to the brand as a creator was something I thought about a lot.
So I think in the beginning, also, you get a lot of... Once brands did come around and start paying, you're getting a lot of brands that you're like, "Wow, I disagree with this brand's whole thing, but also that paycheck looks nice." I would say, stick to your guns and be specific and don't just take everything that comes your way because it really does matter. And brands are watching all of those little things that you're doing. So it'll pay off in the long run. Play the long game.
The Ultimate Brand Experience
Scott:
I'm still on Kwame's question, but we ask everyone who comes on, what was one particular brand that just stands out as one of the best to work with, one of the coolest experiences in your time brand deals?
Tezza:
So many. We did do a trip with the brand Chloe, and it was for their new perfume, the Nomade perfume. And it was, hands down, the most magical experience. I still think about it to this day.
Cole:
Yeah, same.
Tezza:
Because you could just tell somebody thought about every little moment. Everything from the car that picked us up from the airport to taking us to the hotel to the... I mean, I can just give you the experience.
But basically, we had this day of experiencing this perfume and all the different ways they wanted us to feel it, smell it, and bring it to life. We were at this hotel in LA, and these Jeeps came and picked us up. And then there was a curated snack basket in the back of the car. And then the playlist that was playing in the Jeep was all around this whole experience. And then we stopped in the middle of nowhere at an old theater that played a film that the brand had made in the middle of the desert.
Cole:
It was this old abandoned movie theater and it felt like a ghost town. We pulled off and we were like, "What is this?" And all the movie posters were Chloe Perfume. We went and watched a short film. It was unreal.
Tezza:
It was amazing. And then from there, we went to another place in the desert where they had set up all of these different mirrors in the desert and curated, had the... What do you call the smell?
Cole:
Like all the ingredients that went into the perfume.
Tezza:
Oh, right. But the guy that...What do you call those people?
Cole:
Some French word?
Tezza:
I don't know.
Kwame:
Someone on the internet is going to tell us.
Tezza:
The content you would dream of creating, they gave you that opportunity. It was immaculate. And then we went from there to a ranch where there were horses, and then we were doing a watercolor painting, and then there was live music. And then as if that wasn't enough, they put us on a helicopter and took us back to LA. It was absolutely absurd.
Cole:
It was amazing. Yeah.
Tezza:
And no one will ever top it. I'm sorry. Brands don't even... I don't even know if brands do stuff like that anymore. I mean, they do, but that was immaculate.
But it was something I've hoped to bring to our brand of just always thinking of every single thing, everything from the smell when you walk in to... We always say we think of Tezza like a restaurant because when we lived in New York, it's like you walk past pretty much anywhere and you're like, "What the heck is that?" I don't know, the lighting, the music, the smell. I want to go in there so bad. That's how we'd like to think about our brand is how can we touch all those senses.
Scott:
That's awesome.
Tezza:
Sorry. I'm like, sweating.
Scott:
I do think it's awesome, the Chloe story, too. And I'm always amazed when you meet really great brand marketers, whether it's you all and Tezza or the Chloe folks or others, just how deeply they care about the brand and the experience of customers.
I had an interesting interaction. We were working with Lids, the hat shop in the mall. And you'd think, "Okay, they're just retail, whatever. And they sell hats in the mall." And we were pitching them a deal. And I took my son there and I got his name on the side of a red baseball cap. It's his favorite color. And I posted it and I sent it to the guys at Lids. And their whole team responded back and they're like, "I bet he felt like a million dollars. That's the feeling that we're trying to give kids in our store: of something that's theirs that has their name on it. It's unique, it's bespoke to them. And was it a great experience for him?" And I'm like, "He's a six-year-old getting a hat in the mall." And they were just so deeply caring about that experience for him and I think it's amazing because I think... I come from B2B SaaS, where often, I don't think we think enough about the brand and the customer journey and how things are experienced and how the interactions are cared for.
Scott:
And so I love thinking about brand in that way. I love thinking about the customer journey in that way. It's super cool that Chloe did that with you. And I think more brands can learn from that, how to really engage with their customers, with influencers, partners who they're working with, to create really great brand affinity and great experiences. So it's super cool.
Tezza:
Yeah. Well, gosh, gotta take notes from Lids, too. I love it.
Scott:
I was super impressed and my son did love the experience. It was the highlight of his week, and he wears the hat all over the place. That was great. That's awesome.
Kwame:
Yeah, that's awesome. Well, as we get closer to closing up here, I think I'd love to know, right now, if someone wanted to go out and find either of you anywhere on social, what's the best place for us to look? I know obviously you can go find the app, right? But tell us a bit more about where to find you on social. Where are you active nowadays?
Tezza:
Yeah, for me on Instagram or TikTok, it's @Tezza.Barton. B-A-R-T-O-N.
Cole:
And for me, it's mostly on Instagram. @Cole_Herrm. H-E-R-R-M. Two R's. I got two R's and two Ns in my last name. It messes everybody up. That's why she's still Tezza Barton.
Kwame:
We love that. Well, thank you both so much for joining us today on Beyond Influence. It was an absolute treat. We thank you for telling us about your journey, about how it all started. And we're very excited to see the amazing things that are to come because obviously, you're doing amazing things now. So we know there's incredible things coming and on the way. So thank you both so much.
Tezza:
Thank you guys. It was so great to talk with you.
Kwame:
Yeah, for sure.Thank you.
Scott:
See you on the next one.