A Few Lessons from Selena Gomez’s $1.3B Success

Hey founders!

Selena Gomez just hit an incredible milestone — she’s officially a billionaire at just 32 years old 🤯

While most of her wealth comes from her beauty brand, Rare Beauty, Selena’s journey to $1.3 billion has been about much more than makeup.

From her time as a Disney star to building a career in TV, music, and philanthropy, Selena’s story offers more than just celebrity gossip… there are real lessons here for entrepreneurs.

So, what can founders like us learn from Selena’s rise to billionaire status? Let’s break it down.

1. Leverage Your Audience for Distribution

Selena built and nurtured a massive audience for Rare Beauty – nearly 700 million total followers. That’s the kind of reach most businesses can only dream of. 

But here’s the key: it wasn’t just about the numbers. Her audience was engaged. 

She tapped into that engagement by sharing behind-the-scenes content, like videos of herself using Rare Beauty and creating relatable moments on social media. 

Your takeaway: start building your audience now.  

Whether through a blog, YouTube, or 𝕏 (or any other social media channel), cultivating a community is crucial. 

As your business grows your audience will be your ultimate marketing tool. 

2. Stay Authentic and Relatable

Selena has been pretty open about her mental health struggles. And that vulnerability has made her more relatable to fans and followers alike. 

She turned that relatability into a powerful piece of her brand – with Rare Beauty pledging 1% of sales to mental health initiatives. 

For founders, it’s a reminder that authenticity goes a long way in building trust. Sharing the real elements of your story – the highs and the lows – will resonate deeply with your audience. 

Your takeaway: Share your story. 

Share your personal side. Your struggles, values, or your story.

Especially in the age of AI, customers crave authenticity.

3. Diversify, But Focus on Your Core Strengths

Selena’s career spans TV, music, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship. But she didn’t try to do it all at once. 

She first mastered being a performer. Then a musician. And eventually to mastering business. 

This shows us that while it’s great to branch out and explore opportunities, staying grounded in what you do best is important. 

Your takeaway: Keep your business focused on your core product. But always be on the lookout for ways to diversify. 

You never know where your next revenue stream or opportunity might come from. 

4. Build a Strong Team Around You

While Selena is the face of Rare Beauty and the core of the brand, she didn’t reach billionaire status on her own. 

Behind every successful entrepreneur is a talented team. And Selena has leveraged key people to help grow her businesses and manage her time.

Take Scott Friedman, the CEO of Rare Beauty. He previously led the sale of Nyx Cosmetics to L’Oréal for $500 million. His expertise has been critical to Rare Beauty’s success. 

And that’s just one example –– Selena has a network of managers, agents, and operators who help her execute her vision across all her ventures. 

The point? Even though Selena is front and center, she’s surrounded by a strong team. All founders benefit from doing the same. Building the right team will free you up to focus on what you do best, while others handle the rest.

Your takeaway: Surround yourself with a team that complements your strengths. Whether you need help with operations, marketing, or strategy, building a capable team will take your business further than you could alone.

Selena Gomez didn’t get here overnight. It took years of building, learning, pivoting, and evolving. 

And while none of us have millions of followers (yet), the principles she applied can guide us, no matter what stage our business is in. 

As we head into the weekend, here are a few questions we encourage you to consider: 

• How can you leverage your audience or network?

• What authentic story can you share?

• What is your core strength, and how can you expand it strategically? 

That’s it for this week! Keep pushing forward and have a fantastic weekend.

— The Tribe Team