
Aspire with Emma Grede How to Turn Rejection into Your Biggest Advantage (Laney Crowell)
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Feb 17, 2026 Laney Crowell, founder and CEO of Saie and clean-beauty entrepreneur, shares her rise from editorial to building a product-first brand. She talks about using rejection as fuel, navigating fundraising as a woman, hiring with intent, rigorous product formulation, and balancing motherhood with scaling a business.
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Run Toward A Single North Star
- Define a clear North Star and hire to serve it.
- Saie's North Star (skin-first clean formulas, community, planet, fun) guided every operational choice.
Put Boots On The Store Floor
- Hire a field team on day one to own in-store execution and fast feedback.
- Laney credits boots-on-the-ground staff for quick fixes like label placement and shelving issues.
Build A Functional Network
- Build a practical network of people who move you forward: lawyers, suppliers, investors.
- Laney cold-asked for five-minute meetings, researched them, and always asked for introductions.



