Topics: Beauty Business, Starting a Skincare Product, Building a Community online
Starting a skincare business and going back to a dream…
For those sitting on a dream—even if it’s been decades…this is the conversation you need to hear.
I sit down with the magnetic Aysat—musician, record-label founder, 2.6-million-strong TikTok style muse, and brand-new beauty CEO of Ayodi.
From running her own record label in France to leading a viral TikTok community in the UK, Aysat share how to treat business like play and still thrive. She is all about fearless pivots and building a purpose-driven brand.
We dive into the two-year wait to perfect her first dry-skin moisturizer, the discipline it takes to juggle family and visibility, and the mindset that kept her spark alive across continents and careers.
In this special episode for founders:
- Social Media Done Right – How showing up with intention and authenticity helped Aysat unlock the feel-good side of TikTok and build a multi-million-strong community that actually feels like home.
- Pivot With a Purpose – From the music industry to fashion, to skincare, Aysat shares the mindset needed to shift your work into alignment
- Never Give up – Aysat trademarked her brand at 19, got laughed out of funding, walked away from the dream—and came back almost 2 decades later to see it happen. Timing isn’t everything. Belief is.
TIMESTAMPS
03:18 – Cross-Border Pivot: Packing Up & Starting Over
07:18 – From Viral Fashion Clips to Millions of Followers
12:05 – Trademarked at 19: The Birth of Ayodi
21:02 – Challenges in Product Development and Patience
23:53 – Connecting with your Community and Future Plans
Next Steps: ⚡️Share this episode with a friend who’s been sitting on her “someday” idea.
LISTEN TO NEXT: Beauty Beyond the Bottle
RESOURCES
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MORE ABOUT THIS SKINCARE FOUNDER PODCAST EPISODE
“For the first time ever, people were telling me I’m beautiful—and that changed everything.” – Aysat, founder of Ayodi
Connect with Aysat
Website: ayodi.skin
Tiktok: @aysat_officiel
Instagram: @aysat_officiel
- A Dream Delayed Isn’t a Dream Denied
a powerful reminder that the timing isn’t wrong—you just weren’t meant to shrink to fit someone else’s vision.
- You Can Build a Community Before a Product
She built a 3-million-strong following on TikTok by showing up as herself. That community became the foundation for her brand—proof that connection comes before conversion.
- Pivoting Takes Courage, Not Clarity
From starting over in a new country to shifting industries, Aysat made bold moves without having it all figured out. Her story is an invitation to trust your evolution, even if the path isn’t polished yet.
Have you ever shelved a dream so long ago that it started to feel like fiction?
The kind of vision you tucked away quietly—not because you stopped wanting it, but because the timing was wrong, or the world told you no? And yet, years later, something in you still wonders: what if I tried again?
This week’s podcast conversation with Aysat is for every woman holding that quiet “someday” idea close to her chest.
It’s for the founder who’s paused, pivoted, or been told she’s not ready.
It’s for the creative who wants to build more than just a brand—it’s for the ones who want to build meaning, community, and beauty that reflects real life.
Aysat’s story is proof that you can go viral and stay grounded. That you can start over, start late, or start again—and still arrive right on time. And that starting a skincare product or growing a beauty business doesn’t require hustle for hustle’s sake—but something deeper: clarity, consistency, and courage.
The Power of a Dream That Waited Years
At just 19, Aysat walked into a government office in France to trademark the name of her future beauty brand. She had a clear vision for luxurious skincare products designed for ultra-dry skin—products that felt beautiful, smelled beautiful, and helped people feel beautiful in their own skin.
And yet… she didn’t launch.
She was dismissed. Laughed out of funding conversations. And like so many women with untapped brilliance, she put the dream away.
But she didn’t forget it.
And when the internet shifted the rules of access—when gatekeepers no longer had the final word—she picked that dream back up and brought it to life.
“Everyone should be able to just see the beauty. Just feel the beauty of themselves.” – Aysat
That quote? That’s not just a belief. It’s the mission behind Ayodi, the brand she finally launched—decades after first dreaming it.
How to Grow on TikTok Without Losing Yourself
If you’ve been wondering how to grow on TikTok without performing or pandering, Aysat is your model.
She didn’t go viral by chasing trends—she went viral by showing up in joy. By sharing style, beauty, and family moments that were true to her, not manufactured for metrics.
She didn’t start by building a beauty business—she started by building trust. Community. Connection. And then, she let that community shape what came next.
“For the first time ever, people were telling me I’m beautiful—and that changed everything.” – Aysat
Let that sink in.
It wasn’t just the follower count. It was that her community saw her—and in doing so, helped her remember what she’d once believed as a little girl: that she was meant to create something that made people feel seen too.
Why Play Is a Business Strategy
Here’s a mindset shift we don’t hear enough: Work doesn’t have to feel like work to be worthy.
Aysat built her music career from a place of fun. She created because she loved it—not because she was trying to prove herself. That same energy followed her into fashion content, TikTok, and now her product-based brand.
“I was waking up and just having fun doing the thing that I love the most in life.” – Aysat
Joy was her driver. Play was her growth strategy. And it worked.
We don’t have to grind ourselves down to build something great. Sometimes your greatest traction comes when you finally stop pushing and start playing again.
Starting a Skincare Product That Actually Solves a Problem
Let’s talk about starting a skincare product the way Aysat did—not by following trends, but by answering a real need. Her own.
She’d dealt with ultra-dry skin her whole life. The kinds of products that worked? They were often homemade, raw, or inaccessible. And they rarely felt beautiful to use. So she created what she couldn’t find: deeply nourishing moisturizers with natural ingredients, a luxurious feel, and packaging that didn’t feel like an afterthought.
This wasn’t a “what’s hot on shelves” idea. It was a lived-experience, deeply personal gap in the market that had gone ignored far too long.
And that? That’s how you launch something magnetic.
Sustainable Visibility: Posting With Peace
You’ve heard it before: “Post every day. Stay relevant. Feed the algorithm.” But what if that kind of urgency isn’t aligned with the kind of business—or life—you want to build?
Aysat doesn’t just talk about consistency. She talks about capacity. She talks about pacing yourself for the long game, especially when your work includes your family, your face, and your heart.
“Consistency is important—but not more than your capacity.” (Brand voice paraphrase)
This isn’t about opting out of visibility. It’s about creating from a place of calm, not panic. About building systems and rhythms that allow you to show up without burning out.
You can still learn how to grow on TikTok while prioritizing rest. You can still build a thriving beauty business without operating at the edge of exhaustion.
Closing Thought: What If You Picked the Dream Back Up?
Here’s the thing about long-lost ideas—they’re never really gone. They wait for you. They whisper in quiet moments. They resurface when you’re scrolling. They spark when you hear someone like Aysat say something that hits a little too close to home.
So maybe this is your sign to revisit that idea.
To trademark the name. To film the video. To pitch the thing you shelved.
Because it’s not too late. And you’re not behind. And the internet? It just might be the place where that quiet dream finally gets to breathe.
And like Aysat says…
“Everyone needs to hear this. Everyone needs to realize how beautiful they are.”
🎧 Want to hear how she made it happen?
Tune into the full episode with Aysat on Her First 3 Years. You’ll walk away with mindset shifts, gentle nudges, and a deeper belief in your own becoming.
And if this sparked something in you?
Share the episode with someone who needs to hear it too. Rate, review, and help us spread that good energy.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
- How do I start a skincare brand?
- What does it take to build a TikTok community?
- How do I revive a business idea I gave up on years ago?
- What’s the mindset needed to pivot careers successfully?
- How can I balance social media growth with rest and family life?
- What are the first steps to launching a purpose-driven product?
- How do I grow a personal brand through authentic content?
- Is it too late to start a brand I dreamed of in my twenties?
- What are the benefits of building a community before launching a product?
- How do I use social media to build a brand from scratch?
FULL TRANSCRIPT WITH AYSAT, FOUNDER OF AYODI BELOW:
Chardét (00:00)
Imagine starting a business, you’re finding flow, it doesn’t even feel like work to you. That is the inspiration, that kind of vibe, that feeling that you are going to get from the most magnetic guest today. Her name is Isat and she is the founder of iOti. Now iOti is a new brand that she’s launched and it’s for those of us who really
need a little deeper moisture for skincare. But even before she became a founder, she was also a musician for multiple years, very successful, started her own label, signed other musicians to it, had them be successful, then went and like made her mark on TikTok with fashion, is now starting this brand. So she is a superpower and so inspiring. And I cannot wait for you to hear this episode. I’ll see you inside.
Welcome to her first three years. From breakdowns to blunders, learn what worked and what didn’t. I’m your host, Sade, and whether you’re a new entrepreneur or you’re just starting something new, this is your space to learn and feel a little less alone. I’ll see you inside.
Thank you so much for joining us here on her first three years. I’m really excited to hear about your journey, how creative it is, how vibrant, and then what you’ve got planned. Thank you for being here.
Aysat (01:29)
My absolute pleasure. So yeah, I started ⁓ so long ago. My story is very complex. I pivoted a lot of times, but let’s say that I started in the music industry and then somehow ended up filming fashion videos in my bedroom.
Chardét (01:46)
So you were a musician, singer, right? That was your calling initially.
Aysat (01:50)
That’s what I was born for. That’s what I thought. Never wanted to do anything else. So I started very, very early telling all my teachers, English teacher, mathematic teacher, history, everything. was telling them I’m a superstar. And I was a child and I was already telling them I’m a superstar. I recorded my first songs. I was not even a major. was not even 18. Quickly.
got signed to major labels. I was 18 the first time and then yeah.
Chardét (02:23)
and then because you achieved what a lot of people don’t, like they could be called to be singers, to be professionals and that doesn’t happen, but you achieved it. And then how did it change to you doing fashion in your living room?
Aysat (02:37)
thinking that I was so young and that I did this for 15 years but then my entrepreneur mind I founded my own record label and then I signed six artists and then I signed them two major labels so yeah all this did not occur overnight it did take over a decade then I moved to the UK I would say by ambition the English language is spoken by so many people around the world
Maybe we should just try. So I left everything, left my family, my mothers, my friends, took my kids and my husband and we moved. So that’s what happened basically.
Chardét (03:18)
So I’m first, I’m amazed because also you achieved the second hard thing to do, which is to go off on your own independently, create your own label, get other artists, also get them to be successful. These are things that will work for decades and they never achieve.
Aysat (03:35)
It’s just my passion. do this. It’s not even work for me. It’s not work. It’s just having fun. I had so much fun over the last 15 years. I was not working. I was waking up and just having fun doing the thing that I love the most in life. And that’s the reason why I don’t think I deserve anything for that. Like it was just having fun. Honestly, some people are really getting up in the morning, doing things that are not necessarily super glamorous.
and they deserve everything.
Chardét (04:06)
I’m always fascinated by people like you who have found the passion they really enjoy and feel this way. I think it’s something that I have always wanted to find, that everyone listening wants to find. And so it’s helpful to hear from you. I’m also a bit curious though, when you went to the UK, did it…
Initially in the beginning, was it how you thought it would turn out? Was it like different than you thought? What was that first, let’s say six months to a year like when you take your whole family to another country that speaks another language? ⁓
Aysat (04:37)
My god, it was nothing like what I was expecting. Honestly, ⁓ it was tough. It was super duper tough for everyone in the family. My son, the youngest, he did not want to learn English. He was like, no, I’m not bothering speaking English because I’m going back to my family in France. So this was something super tough first and then not really having a plan, not really knowing what we were going to do or even the plan that we
thought we had didn’t work out it was very very tough to like find our place in this country the mistake that I made when we arrived was to panic because when everything is not clear when you don’t really know what to do I panic this is the mistake that I made and I would advise other people who want to do the big jump and move country or like do a big change in their lives
do not panic because everything is going to come into place. It’s normal to feel a little bit of fear at the beginning. It’s normal to feel lost. It’s just normal but do not panic. Everything is going to be all right.
Chardét (05:42)
I also moved to the UK. Now I spoke, it wasn’t a second language for me because I was coming from the US, but I also panicked.
Aysat (05:50)
You know what I’m talking about. Even though you do have this little bit of lost period, things started to fall in place and we started to be happy again.
Chardét (06:03)
this
one you started to look at more into fashion and leaving a bit of the music career behind? Is that when the shift started happening?
Aysat (06:12)
So the shift started happening way earlier but I was not realizing it was a shift actually. I started to post fashion content in 2015. I had a fashion vlog and I started to post pictures on Instagram while doing the music stuff and while founding my own music label. So I was already doing both, never really been consistent.
when it comes to the fashion content, but it was still something that I always had in me and that was bringing me so much joy. It was, I was feeling a little bit like it was something that allowed me to go away from the stress of the work calls, the meetings, the contracts, the negotiations, just putting outfits together, take pictures. It was just so nice.
have this part in my life. So this is when I really started to post fashion content.
Chardét (07:09)
But I can have my creative, no stress, no expectation life with just choosing what I like in fashion and putting it up there and connecting. And then when did it change to be more than just the stress therapy?
Aysat (07:18)
Yeah, that’s exactly how I would describe it.
Actually, after I moved to the UK, I was posting some videos on TikTok. I gained a little bit of traction on my account by myself and I have been encouraged by one of my artists that I have signed. He was like, you need to post on TikTok. You’re going to see it’s amazing. It’s an amazing platform. He is way younger than me, like 12 or 13 years. And I was feeling too old to do this. I was feeling too old.
respected singer and songwriter I’m not doing any of your TikToks I just started and we quickly went viral on this app and for the first time of my life a lot of people were telling me you are beautiful this is not something that I have been told ever reading these comments of people telling me that I am beautiful that they like my skin color that has been kind of
an insecurity when I was younger. It was kind of finding a home for me. Then we moved to the UK. I asked my husband to join. And then the kids and then we started to make family content and then we went viral so many times. And now as a family, we have like a 3 million people community, which is absolutely insane when I talk about it. So, so, so amazing. And then I started the fashion content.
on the side by myself. I would say it’s how it happened. When it really became serious, I became full-time three years ago, basically a full-time content creator three years ago and now a founder.
Chardét (09:07)
didn’t actually realize that you had been not only a creator, but really an entrepreneur for so long since you started because as a musician, you are an entrepreneur, the business of yourself. When you mentioned TikTok, it was a little nice shiver because I feel like sometimes we don’t feel seen or we’re worried that something that feels so insecure is the thing that people are going to judge us on and to have them really celebrate it. That must have felt like I’m going to do all the TikToks in the world now.
Aysat (09:35)
It has been life-changing and I often reach out to this artist, his name is Brian, and I often reach out to him just to say thank you, this has been life-changing. I know there’s a lot of things that can be discussed regarding social media and totally conscious of that and I’m super careful because we post content with our kids but there’s also some magic.
Chardét (10:02)
Before
I ask you more about what you’re doing now, because that’s something we’re really curious about, last question about this from the creator life is how do you manage to just keep kind of calm and balanced when you also have this community that’s so big and it does require showing up online also with your family? Like do you just wake up in the day and you’re like, oh, I’m gonna say hi to my three million fans. How does you think about this in your mind?
Aysat (10:30)
It has been a journey. It is a blessing, but it comes with a lot of non-expected issues. Press a little bit of pressure because we hear a lot of, be careful, the algorithm, you have to feed the algorithm. If you want to continue growing, you have to show up every single day or else you are going to lose followers. I kept hearing about this.
for over a decade now. So yes, it did come with a lot of pressure, especially when we became full time. Told you earlier, I’m a workaholic. I love working and I only like working. It’s terrible. But I had to learn to rest and take time for myself, learn how to disconnect because this is not something that I ever done ever. Even when I was going on holidays, it was for the kids. I’m on my computer.
working. So this is a lot of things that I had to learn because with social media, you have to be consistent. You have to post a lot almost every day and you cannot be consistent. If you are tired or sick, you have to learn how to balance because it’s not going to work long term. Other than that was a lesson.
Chardét (11:52)
Is
that sort of what inspired you to become more of a founder and start iOti because then it’s like a different way for you to have impact to work or was there another reason that you started it?
Aysat (12:05)
So, to be totally transparent, I first protected this brand, IOD. When I was 19 in France, I went to Linpy, which is where you go to get my brand trademarked. And I was 19 and I was already, I had my vision already. I wanted to build ⁓ body care products for people with super dry skin.
because it is an issue that I have been dealing with since birth. And it’s not easy to find good products on the market. I have been using products from Africa, from my mother was coming from Africa with, you know, little bags with pure she butter in it. But the smell was a problem. It smells super, super strong. And also the finish on the skin was super greasy. And also the packaging was not glamorous like
I wanted glamorous experience out of the shower with amazing products that smell amazing and packaging that are luxurious maybe. And so I had the vision from a very, very young age. I then gave up on that dream because something happened. I wanted to find funds to start the business and I went to business angels. And because I was so young, unfortunately they laughed at me.
and at my project. It was another time, let’s say. It was another time in life over a decade ago, almost two. The market was very different, business angels. ⁓ There was not necessarily access to funding like we have right now. And they just found it very funny to see a little girl coming and asking for 20, 30 grants to start her brand. So this disheartened me for a long time. And then I, I guess believed.
what they said to me that I was not ready and so I gave up on that dream and moved on to the music and just gave up. But I’m back.
Chardét (14:08)
There are so many people who will be listening that have something they’ve wanted to always do and they didn’t because maybe they were afraid or maybe because they had your experience where someone said, who are you to create this or we’re not going to help you. And the resources were not, not there back then. know it too. Not in any country where they available. Interesting too, because I bet they didn’t even really.
understand your concepts and understand why it’s so important. But I do, honestly, because I have very dry skin. The only time I ever find products that work are when I go to Brazil. And I remember growing up and using Utter Balm. Do you know what Utter Balm is?
Aysat (14:47)
my god, what is this?
Chardét (14:50)
What farmers use or like rather dairy farmers to put on the udders of their cows because it’s super like puns moisture but it’s not worse than your shea butter.
Aysat (15:04)
We have the same story, so it’s needed. It’s needed. Someone needs to tackle this. Totally agree with you ⁓ regarding the lack of resources at the time. Lack of resources. was… We were by ourselves. And now things have changed. We have the internet. We have the possibility to build communities. We have the possibility to meet people with similar stories.
people look at us, nobody would tell that we share the same issue. think it’s wonderful, it’s so so so beautiful, I love this.
Chardét (15:42)
And I think you’re speaking to a lot of people who, you know, some women will be like you and they always understood that their skin needed more moisture. I grew up not really understanding why, why I needed so much. Because I was like, it doesn’t make sense. Why did none of these products work? I don’t get it. I don’t understand.
Aysat (16:01)
to this so much. We are going to have way more possibilities in the future, we’ll have way more choices, way more options in the future because women are on it. That’s what I truly believe and the world is going to be a better place.
Chardét (16:19)
Because now it’s not just about like how can we make the product that smells the best and that’s like what some random guy came up with. Let’s make all the women smell like flowers.
Aysat (16:29)
We want more, we need more. We have specific needs that need to be addressed and that have been overlooked for way too long.
Chardét (16:38)
What is your first hero product you’re thinking for iot? What is the first thing you want to release?
Aysat (16:44)
So
the first product I’m gonna release is a product that I worked on for two years. It took us almost two years to get the formulation right and it’s the moisturizer. It’s going to be a moisturizer, natural ingredients that smells absolutely divine. I’m so in love with it. It’s the perfect moisturizer and I cannot wait to…
Get it to all the people who have been struggling with dry skin for so long.
Chardét (17:16)
is the thinking behind the brand name and also the brand visuals because I know that you’ve got this background in business and in fashion so I’m sure there’s some story behind it.
Aysat (17:27)
The IOD name comes from… So I found it when I was 19. I was looking for a name for my brand. I asked everyone to help me around me at the time and nobody could help me. I asked my mom, but maybe you have some words in our language, which is Pula. We speak Pula. We’re from Senegal. Do you have some words in Pula that I could use for my brand? And she was like, I didn’t go to school. I cannot even read. someone else.
And one day my mom, says, Yodi. And I say, yes, Yodi. Yodi means it’s beautiful. It is beautiful. It clicked in my head. I was like, ⁓ Yodi, because I Yodi means you are beautiful. It made sense. I was like, okay, this is my, this is my brand. I see it. I feel it. It was my brand. So. ⁓
went to Linpy and protected it and yes over a decade ago I’m back with it and it exists and wow it’s crazy
Chardét (18:29)
I think it’s so so powerful because it means a lot when you translate it to English but it also means so much in your language as well like your multiple identities
Aysat (18:39)
And when I think about it, when I think about the story, about this pivotal moment that really was life-changing, I told you earlier that for the first time ever, a lot of people under my videos were coming together and telling me, you are beautiful, which is the exact translation for IOD. And it makes so much sense. And I didn’t even realize at the time. Yeah, everyone needs to hear this. Everyone needs to…
realize how beautiful they are and unfortunately the world is built in a way that just a small little category of people have the chance to even hear this once in their life but everybody in the world should be able to just hear it from their loved ones at least once because we are all really so beautiful that’s truly what I think
And ⁓ we need to deconstruct a lot and realize this finally. Deference is so beautiful.
Chardét (19:43)
Everyone does need to hear and also to feel it. And a lot of the things that would help you to feel it, especially in the beauty industry have not existed for a lot of people. Super frustrating. Like for us, if you don’t find products that allow your skin to feel smooth and comfortable, then you’re always like, you don’t feel beautiful. It means a lot to create the possibility for people to not just hear that they are beautiful, but to actually feel it as well.
Aysat (20:10)
feel it. It has to start from this. Everyone should be able to take care of themselves and just without any makeup or any clothes on themselves just see the beauty. Just feel the beauty of themselves. Everyone should be able to do this and that’s I would say my mission. This is exactly my dream for everyone.
This is my dream.
Chardét (20:41)
I’m so excited to see when it launches, but also a few years from now. This is slightly changing direction a little bit, but I want to make sure I ask you before you go, what were some of the difficulties or challenges or things that came up when you were creating this product that you didn’t expect or maybe that you learned something that you didn’t realize?
Aysat (21:02)
It took a very, very, very long time. I was never expecting the first formulation to be approved after two years. Found the team to work with me. They told me, ⁓ in six months, it’s going to be fine. Took two years. So this is not something that I expected. And I would say, I did not really feel like anything was super challenging, but one thing that drove me crazy was the waiting. You have to wait a lot.
I was never expecting this and sometimes just to get an answer from an email or just for someone to call you back like you have to wait so much but that’s it really other than that everything was just so so cool so amazing such an amazing journey so
Chardét (21:52)
Yeah, I can’t imagine because when you’re creating a product business, you have so many things you have to wait on from like the branding to the regulation to the people creating the formula to like getting supplies for the formula.
Aysat (22:06)
⁓ my god and every single step involves a lot of waiting. That’s exactly this a lot of steps different steps that I also had to learn a lot of things I had no idea. ⁓ For example the testing you have to be tested for so many different things and this is not something that I knew about so I learned.
Chardét (22:35)
This is why one day I would love to do a product business, but I always feel like, do I have the patience? I don’t know.
Aysat (22:44)
you definitely have to train yourself a little bit first but it’s worth it it’s so worth it once you have the baby the little bottle in your hand it makes you so proud so it’s just like giving birth you just forget about every pain that you felt it’s just so amazing it’s great so yes make babies bottles i would say bottles
Chardét (23:10)
Well the pain is over and the wait is coming to an end. So where can people connect with you? Where can they find iot? Where can they buy it? Like what are all of the places? Do not hesitate to share one. We’ll put them in the show notes too.
Aysat (23:27)
So ⁓ for the IOD products, everything will be on iod.skin. Iod skin, not the dot for Instagram, but TikTok iod.skin. You can find me on iSAT, A-Y-S-A-T, every single platform.
Chardét (23:42)
because you ⁓
Aysat (23:46)
Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so, much. was amazing speaking to you. Amazing.
Chardét (23:53)
And thank you so much for listening. This episode, this has got to get you feeling energetic and really ready to go. It’s so magnetic. I hope that you are thinking about the dream you’ve been sitting on, the thing you’ve wanted to do. And if you are intrigued by what you can do for your skin, if you face any of the issues that we have or that we’ve talked about, make sure you go and find IOT. Also, I’m going to include all the links in the show notes that you need to connect.
Please share this with anyone that you think could use the extra spark and I will see you in the next one. ⁓
