Promo Insiders: How To Build a Brand With Lisa Hu of Lux & Nyx
Lisa Hu, founder of Lux & Nyx, shares her journey from a career in corporate finance to the CEO of her own luxury bag brand with product in both promo and high-end department stores.
Lux & Nyx (asi/88973) started as a concept on a Starbucks napkin.
Founder Lisa Hu, still mid-corporate finance career, struggled to find a functional but stylish workbag that felt like it was truly designed with working women in mind. And being the ambitious, business-minded entrepreneur that she is, she figured she’d just try to create one herself.
“There is a market for this,” she realized. “There is a need for better products to service these women that need balance, that need to figure things out – and their bag is the last thing that should really be holding them down.”
Well, she quickly learned that it wasn’t as simple as drawing on a napkin, but after months of planning, research, product design, shadowing manufacturers and fundraising, Lux & Nyx launched. Today, Lux & Nyx is available both through promo channels and at major department stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom.
In this week’s episode of Promo Insiders, Hu shares with Counselor’s Data Analytics Editor Hannah Rosenberger exactly how she built her brand – and the biggest lessons she learned along the way.
Key Takeaways
• Lisa Hu spent more than 13 years working in corporate finance and accounting, where she felt like she struggled to find a professional workbag that felt functional, stylish and appropriate for women in leadership roles.
• Despite having no formal fashion or product design background, Hu extensively researched sourcing and manufacturing. After Lux & Nyx (asi/88973) officially launched, Hu spent years experimenting with different strategies to help grow the company.
• The pandemic forced Lux & Nyx to pivot from its growing pop-up event strategy, leading Hu to focus more heavily on other avenues. She discovered the promo industry while researching incentives online.
• Revenue from the promo side of the business helped sustain Lux & Nyx long enough to continue pursuing retail growth, ultimately helping the company land placements with Nordstrom and Macy’s.
• At the heart of Lux & Nyx’s mission remains the idea that women in professional environments deserve products intentionally designed for them, rather than being expected to adapt to traditionally “unisex” options that were often created with men in mind.
• Hu also reflected on broader lessons around entrepreneurship and leadership, including the importance of collaboration, mentorship and asking for help.