In order to be successful with my second brand launch, I’m trying to learn as much as I can from current giants. Today, I want to focus on the founders of natural beauty line, Yes To, Ido Leffler.

I never had a chance to use their products, however, I’ve been a huge fan of Yes To‘s brand voice and aesthetics. It’s simple, fun and memorable.

The brand concept is simple yet genius. Use natural ingredients and make sure that the ingredient is front and center of everything they do. Not only is their brand concept correctly set up for extensive brand expansion, it resonates strongly with today’s customers who are looking for gentle, effective and kind products.

What Leffler did to license the brand from Israel and grow it, with a couple of mishaps during the process was fascinating to read. And to be honest, I felt cathartic to read that I wasn’t the only one who made production and marketing mistakes during my journey.  My favorite part was reading that he had to rent two 767 Jets to get his order in on time.

While reading his interview with Birchbox, his answer to question below summed up my first failure. I should’ve gone the route of testing things out and then expanding as a result.

What’s a classic mistake that newbie entrepreneurs make?

Not letting things run their course, not having the patience to let things really grow. I’d almost say it’s important to test things out and then take the big bet. We see a lot of people taking the big bet and then closing a year later.

I’m forced to follow his lessons as a result of my failure. I’m a bit more cautious when launching new products and am understanding the benefit of being a fast-follower, than being a first mover when it comes to product launches.

There’s something great and fascinating about being able to market your product as “new” or “innovative.” But it also means that you have to demonstrate the value proposition and explain to potential customers why the “new” version is better.

Ultimately, it comes down to having the right marketing approach and sometimes, deep pockets to communicate the why to your customer base.

For now, I’ll focus on testing things out and then making big bets.