Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton Dropped Out of College Twice. Now She Runs a Beauty Empire
Host Amanda Goetz sits down with Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, founder and CEO of Chillhouse and creator of Chill Tips, the best-selling press-on nails sold at Target, Walmart, CVS, Amazon, and Urban Outfitters. Cyndi grew up watching her mom, an esthetician who immigrated from Colombia, grow one salon chair into three spas. Cyndi dropped out of college twice, bartended through her early 20s, and started over as an unpaid intern in her mid-20s.
In 2017, she opened Chillhouse on New York’s Lower East Side. She kept it alive with brand partnerships when services alone couldn’t cover payroll, then turned it into a nationwide press-on nail brand during the pandemic.
After the last VC firm turned her down, KISS Beauty Group ended up acquiring Chillhouse earlier this year. Today, Cyndi walks you through how she got past self-doubt without a degree or an entrepreneur network, and explains why community will open more doors than capital in the early days.
You’ll also learn how she earned the respect of a team that didn’t believe in her at first, why founders need words of affirmation too, and how motherhood made her a sharper, faster decision-maker.
Plus, Cyndi shares what it’s like to have bosses for the first time after the acquisition, how to think like a founder inside a corporate job, and why she says ambition means being unapologetic about what you want and honest about the overtime it takes.
Whether you’re stuck in the wrong career, comparing yourself to people with the perfect resume or dreaming about building something of your own, this conversation will show you that there’s no such thing as being too late or too unqualified to start.
Key takeaways:
The best careers are often built on the thing you keep coming back to because it brings you joy, not fear or a quick buck.
Community is the most important thing you can build for a business.
Friends and family are often your best early investors.
Not having much capital can force you to be scrappy, which means finding extra revenue streams, like partnerships, early on.
If your team doesn’t respect your leadership yet, put leaders in place whose experience they do trust.
A leadership coach can help you get clear on how you want to hire, fire, and handle hard conversations.
Founders need words of affirmation too, and it’s okay to tell your team what you need from them.
Motherhood limits your time, and that can make you a sharper, faster, and more calculated decision-maker.
A “no” from investors can lead to a better opportunity, so stay open to paths you weren’t planning on.
Inside a corporate company, you can still think like a founder by leading with innovation and trusting your intuition.
Your body is often the first sign that you’re heading toward burnout, so treat it as a cue to rest and recover.
Building a personal brand gives you a sense of safety and options beyond any single business.
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
03:05 The origin story: her mom’s spa and the idea behind Chillhouse
04:38 Feeling behind: dropping out, bartending, and starting over in her mid-20s
07:06 How to find your way out of the wrong career
08:23 Getting past self-doubt without a degree or pedigree
10:14 Why community comes first
12:01 The “I made it” moment: getting acquired
12:44 Building scrappy without VC money
14:04 Learning to lead when your team doesn’t believe in you yet
16:29 What no one tells you about being a founder
18:37 How motherhood made her a better business owner
20:30 Why she sold to KISS (and how a LinkedIn message started it)
22:54 Thinking like a founder inside a corporate job
24:18 What ambition means to her now
26:26 Spotting burnout before it hits
27:42 Rapid fire
GUEST LINKS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyndiramirez/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndi-ramirez-fulton-744aa942/
Shop Chillhouse here: https://chillhouse.com/
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Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
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ABOUT AMBITION 2.0
Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.
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