FOUNDER'S FLASHBACK: From Harvard to Retail Shelves, Keta Burke-Williams of Ourside

What does it really take to build a product-based brand and get it onto retail shelves?

In this Founder’s Flashback episode of Shelf Talks, I revisit my conversation with Keta Burke-Williams, founder of Ourside, a luxury fragrance brand built around bold, intentional scents, storytelling, and self-expression.

Keta’s entrepreneurial journey is especially compelling because she didn’t come from the fragrance industry. She started with a passion, did the research, talked to more than 40 founders, sought out mentors and industry experts, and slowly turned an idea into a retail-ready brand.

And then came the retail wins.

Ourside launched in Credo Beauty just four months after officially launching as a brand and later expanded into the iconic Bergdorf Goodman. But Keta is candid about what happened after getting those coveted retail yeses.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How Keta went from Harvard Business School to founding a fragrance brand
• Why researching your category before launching can save you from costly mistakes
• How she found the right perfumer and developed Ourside’s first fragrance
• The importance of customer feedback before scaling
• How she got Ourside into Credo Beauty
• What changed when the brand moved from DTC to retail
• The inventory mistake that taught her a major retail lesson
• Why educating store associates can be just as important as getting on shelf
• How she approached the Bergdorf Goodman opportunity
• Why getting on shelf is only the beginning
• How small brands can compete when they don't have the biggest marketing budgets
• Why Keta is intentionally selective about expanding into more retailers

One of my favorite takeaways from Keta is that there is no shortcut to understanding your business, your customer, and the retail environment you're entering.

If you're a founder preparing for retail, already on shelf, or wondering how to build a brand without trying to be everywhere at once, this Founder’s Flashback is one you'll want to hear.

Connect with Ourside: @ourside.nyc

Listen, take notes, and as always, I'll see you on the shelf.