EcommerceDigital Marketing

$500K in Debt, 5 Maxed Credit Cards — How Jordan Harper Built an 8-Figure Brand in Year One

Foundr
Foundr•Jan 15, 2026

Original Description

Jordan Harper built an eight-figure skincare brand in its first year by maxing out five credit cards while already $500,000 in debt — and never raised a single dollar from investors.
In this interview, the founder of Barefaced breaks down how years of treating patients as a nurse practitioner revealed a massive gap in the skincare market, why simplifying routines unlocked explosive demand, and how a password-protected pre-order generated over 1,000 sales in 48 hours with no email list.
What you’ll learn in this interview:
• How Jordan funded her business using credit cards instead of investors
• Why simplifying to four SKUs drove eight-figure revenue
• The exact pre-order strategy that validated demand before launch
• How to build trust and repeat purchases without paid marketing
• Why destroying inventory protected long-term brand value
• How Barefaced reached a 90% repeat customer rate
• The real risks of manufacturing and supplier contracts
• How to hire senior talent without giving up equity
• Jordan’s time-blocking system for running a business and family
• Why serving customers beats selling at every stage of growth
By the end of this episode, you’ll understand how to validate a product, fund a launch creatively, and scale a physical ecommerce brand without venture capital — while protecting margins, reputation, and personal bandwidth.
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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
CONNECT WITH JORDAN HARPER
00:00 – $500K in Debt to an 8-Figure Skincare Brand With No Investors
01:26 – Spotting the Skincare Education Gap After Treating Thousands of Patients
04:10 – Launching With Credit Cards, Conviction & the “Less but Better” Philosophy
07:13 – Finding Manufacturers, Being Underestimated & Trusting Your Product Vision
10:05 – Pre-Orders, Password-Protected Launches & 1,000 Orders in 48 Hours
13:44 – Growing Without Ads, PR or Influencers Through Real Community Trust
16:44 – Building a 90% Repeat Purchase Rate Through Education, Not Hype
20:28 – Scaling Inventory During COVID, Sell-Out Cycles & Demand Creation
24:22 – Why Barefaced Refused to Rush New Products for Over a Year
29:03 – Destroying $100K of Inventory to Protect Brand Trust
33:18 – Hiring Too Late, Building a C-Suite & Learning to Delegate
36:25 – Time Blocking, Motherhood & Running an 8-Figure Business Without Burnout
48:32 – AI Skin Quizzes, White-Glove Service & Converting Education Into Sales
52:18 – Final Advice on Standing Out in Saturated Markets & Building a Brand With Soul
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