What if your hardest season became your biggest breakthrough? Ming Zhao built a $24M skincare brand in just 2 years—while pregnant and going through Y Combinator. This isn’t just a startup story. It’s a story of pressure, clarity, and purpose colliding at once. In this raw and revealing episode, Ming Zhao, CEO and co-founder of PROVEN Skincare, shares how she transformed corporate burnout into one of the fastest-growing beauty startups—scaling to $24 million in just 24 months. She opens up about building a data-driven business during one of the most demanding periods of her life, and how AI, science, and personal insight helped reshape the future of skincare. Key Topics Covered: How AI and data are transforming skincare The Skin Genome Project explained Navigating Y Combinator while pregnant Building a business model rooted in science Living the “Love your job, live your life” mindset Resources: Proven Jim Huffman website Jim's Twitter GrowthHit The Growth Marketer's Playbook Additional episodes you might enjoy: Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45) Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41) How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44) Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10) How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)
