Coworking with Ratna Rao

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Ratna Rao is founder and CEO of RK Beauty and CPG consultancy RK Ventures.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I help founders in the CPG space launch and grow their brand. This includes creating a pitch deck, determining the actual cost of making the product, predicting future expenses, planning when and where to make products, finalizing the sale price, reviewing where to sell (their own website, retailers like Sephora, Amazon, etc.) and even how best to use AI to help them out! Basically I support them in anything and everything related to launching their brand. It’s very broad intentionally because I focus on indie brands that need a whole spectrum of support.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Because my job is to create clarity from chaos, I have to zoom in and out constantly. I need to be able to see the forest from the trees separately and together at the same time.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? I’m currently working on a favorite project! I’m working with female founders to support the launch of their beauty brand. It’s very fulfilling while making me grow so much simultaneously.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m most excited at how indie brands are getting more moments to shine. I love the underdog, and working with them directly has made me appreciate them so much more. They’re so thoughtful and exist because they have a unique point of view that’s worth supporting.

What’s your go-to coffee order? Medium latte with whole milk.

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “Stick it out at your job, even if it’s not great.” It was not good advice for me because it made me stay in a space that I wasn’t thriving in, and who needs that?

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? Tamagotchis! I loved them. My friends and I would always talk about them during recess and lunch. Now my favorite retail product is the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Caramel. I use it every day and it hasn’t failed me in the many years I’ve been using it.