Image via Miss Grass
Dorian Morris always knew she wanted to be in the beauty business.
“I’m a true beauty junkie, which started in junior high. Yes, I was that girl — rocking the brown Wet ‘N Wild lipliner. When I would get in trouble, my punishment would be no makeup…which I would sneak and wear anyway. Sorry, Mom.”
Morris started her career in retail at a (now) Macy’s subsidiary, where — amongst a host of very important job firsts — she met Beyonce. Her career trajectory took her to larger CPG brands, Covergirl Cosmetics, and Sephora subsidiaries. These experiences bulked out her expertise in managing large budgets, agency partners, and learning how to win the beauty market through disruptive storytelling and merchandising. During that time, Morris also somehow also managed to obtain an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Eventually, this go-getter realized she could use her experience and knowledge of the beauty space to build a brand for herself. Hence, Undefined was born — a clean, conscious, inclusive brand based on plant magic.
Check out this invigorating and fresh interview with this digitalundivided X Cosmopolitan The New C-Suite founder now!
Image via Create & Cultivate
digitalundivided: What made you jump ship from corporate to start Undefined?
Dorian Morris: I launched Undefined because I felt something was missing in the industry: authenticity, inclusivity and the courage to do things a little different. There’s power in living “undefined” — charting your own course, breaking society’s constricting boxes and creating a routine (and lifestyle) that works uniquely for you. Undefined is focused on democratizing wellness via clean, conscious, inclusive plant magic. This means, we are…
Clean: We use a “clean-ical” approach fusing Mother Nature’s plant wisdom with powerful actives so you don’t have to compromise performance.
Conscious: We partner with female-founded, BIPOC and LGBTQ businesses across our supply chain because business empowers business.
Inclusive: We incorporate diverse illustrations on packaging because representation matters. Seeing is believing is becoming.
Plant magic: We demystify plant-based tools like adaptogens that can help you tackle modern day stress.
Beauty is wellness and wellness is beauty. Beauty shouldn’t be illusive or exclusive — let’s democratize it.
digitalundivided: Tell us more about your ethos of conscious capitalism. What does that mean? Why is it important?
Dorian Morris: Inclusivity for me is multifaceted and isn’t just about the color of your skin. It’s about bringing people into the conversation that have been historically left out — maybe because they don’t know where to start or they can’t afford it.
“Conscious Capitalism” is a core Undefined value and operational approach to infuse intention and purpose into how I operate. It’s about the power we all hold to vote with our dollar to be part of societal evolution and progress.
I use Conscious Capitalism as a tool to amplify and support business like Undefined that have been historically not given a seat at the table. We build our own table. Across my supply chain, I strategically partner with likeminded BIPOC, women-led and LGBTQ companies.
digitalundivided: You made a major shift in your career in moving from corporate beauty to launching your own business. What was the transition like? Is there any insight or advice you have for future founders looking to make the same switch?
Dorian Morris: Each experience on my journey has been building key tools that I can now leverage now as entrepreneur, like a beautiful mosaic of professional and personal experiences. My advice would be to a rule breaker and don’t take no for an answer — closed mouths don’t get fed. Find out what is important to you and what values you live by, and work according to those standards. It is one thing to create a brand or a business, but it is another thing to do so while staying true to yourself and your values. Do everything with intentionality.
digitalundivided: What has been the biggest struggle you’ve had to overcome to build your business?
Dorian Morris: I started Undefined in 2018 focused on the beautiful plant wisdom of CBD with the Glow Collection. As an early mover in this category, I’ve witnessed the unfortunate stigma the cannabis plants endures psychologically — which impacted consumer adoption — as well as regulatory hassles that would handcuff the business.
I still believe in the power of the plant but had to switch gears with the R&R Collection. I shifted to the plant wisdom of Adaptogenic mushrooms and botanicals which has unlocked significant growth. I think the most common confusion around plant based solutions, like adaptogens, is complexity — since the beauty of these babies is they adapt to your individual need — so it makes the benefit story less clear. I also think form factor and cost are areas that impact its adoption.
digitalundivided: How did participating in digitalundivided X Cosmopolitan’s The New C-Suite help or support your founder journey?
Dorian Morris: Undefined has a big mission and The New C-Suite helped provide opportunity for exposure and platform to tell my story. I’m a strong believer that iron sharpens iron and I value the relationships build from the program because 1+1= 5 when indie brands come together.
Are you a startup founder on your way to becoming the next revolutionary CEO? digitalundivided and our friends at Cosmopolitan are excited to announce recruitment for 2023’s The New C-Suite! The New C-Suite is an elite cohort of today’s top-rising women of color entrepreneurs who are redefining leadership in American business. What are you waiting for? Build your legacy and start your application process today here!
[Editor’s note]: This interview has been lightly edited from its original transcription.