The Duchess of Sussex wrapped up the first season of her new Lemonada Media podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder With Meghan, last week, but on Tuesday, June 3, she released a bonus episode—and none other than Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, opened up about her decades of experience as an entrepreneur.
Speaking exclusively to Marie Claire, Meghan says, "Wrapping 'Confessions of a Female Founder’ with Tina Knowles felt like the perfect end to a very special podcast; as I grow my own business, As ever, I spoke to women who had turned their own entrepreneurial dreams into reality."
"Ms. Tina’s conversation fulfills the promise of the podcast, offering extraordinary advice, and sharing insights about being a working mom, building something special, and remaining true to herself through every twist and turn," she continues. "This episode proves to be a powerful toolkit of truths that I will apply to my own life as I, too, grow my business, care for my family, and look forward to new adventures."
Knowles, who opened Houston hair salon Headliners in 1990, told Meghan she "learned to be a boss" through her decades in the hair industry. “I think that you start your business and then you find yourself," she said during the episode. "It gives you confidence that you didn't have before."
When it comes to Cécred, her haircare line with Beyoncé, Knowles—who released her memoir, Matriarch, in April—said it was a longtime goal to create her own beauty products. “It has been a dream of mine forever, and Beyoncé, it’s been a dream of hers,” she told the duchess.
In fact, Knowles revealed that Beyoncé "could actually be a hairstylist" since she grew up watching her at the salon. When Meghan asked what it was like working with her daughter, the number-one New York Times bestselling author said that she deferred to the "Single Ladies" singer on business decisions.
"You know you have disagreements, and you have to—I’m the one to always cave," Knowles admitted. "If my kids are mad at me, I can’t take it. I’ll cave." She added that with Beyoncé, "If we have a disagreement, it’s her business, so she gets the win."
While discussing the behind-the-scenes stresses of launching a brand, the Duchess of Sussex shared what happened after her new lifestyle brand, As ever, sold out of its jam, tea, honey and baking mixes less than an hour after its debut.
"For me at the moment with As ever, it was...great, we plan, we planned for a year, and then everything sells out in 45 minutes—which yes, amazing. Great news," the duchess said.
"Then what do you do then?" Knowles interjected. Meghan said that she contemplated what her brand's next move should be while looking at it from a customer's perspective.
"And then you say, 'Okay, we planned as best as we could. Are we going to replenish and sell out again in an hour? Or is that annoying as a customer?'" the duchess continued. Ultimately, Meghan said she decided to reassess rather than leave people disappointed. "I’m looking at it saying, 'Just pause. That happened. Let's wait until we are completely stable and we have everything we need.'"
Knowles agreed based on her own experiences, with Meghan adding that the public can "see all the flashy stuff and they see the product. But that end game…I think you're right. Those behind the scenes moments, how many tears I’ve shed."
The duchess pointed out that a "scarcity mentality at the beginning might be a hook for people," comparing it to "a sneaker drop." However, she said in terms of a long-term customer experience, it's not ideal. "I don't want you to eat that jam once every six months!" she said.
