The DIBS Playbook: Intention, Community, and Retail
What do Yale Law, Miss Universe, A-Rod, and a dual-ended mascara have in common? Jeff Lee.
In Season 3, Episode 2 of Driving Performance, we hopped in the truck with Jeff Lee, CEO and Co-Founder of DIBS Beauty, to unpack one of the most intentional — and unconventional — career paths in modern beauty, and how each step led to building one of the industry’s fastest-growing brands.
Jeff grew up with a chip on his shoulder. He was bullied, deaf in one ear, and raised by engineer-turned-entrepreneur parents who set high expectations. That mix of pressure and proof shaped his approach early: you may not control the outcome, but you can out-prepare and out-execute everyone else.
His career only makes sense in reverse. A Yale-trained M&A lawyer who walked away from a top firm, Jeff cracked the insular world of Miss Universe by writing a blog before becoming President and COO of A-Rod Corp, helping transform a Hall-of-Fame athlete into a media and business platform. The throughline was always the same: show up over-prepared, add real value, and be willing to be the outsider in the room.
DIBS started as “Desert Island Beauty Status” — the few products you’d take with you anywhere. Over time, it evolved to also stand for “ditch the BS” and “do it better.” The brand’s philosophy stayed consistent: make makeup less intimidating through fun, multi-use, inclusive products.
The hero product, Desert Island Duo — blush on one side, bronzer on the other — wasn’t a shortcut. It was the strategy. Simple by design, built to solve a common-sense beauty problem the industry had ignored.
Live From Driving Performance in New York
Jeff shared his perspective on creator-led vs. celebrity-led beauty brands. Creator-led brands win when the founder is in constant dialogue with their community and comfortable selling on camera. Celebrity brands only work when the involvement is real — not bolted on. At DIBS, Courtney Shields operates as a true founder-creator, living inside that feedback loop, and it shows up in product development, content, and growth.
Launched in 2021, DIBS quickly emerged as one of the fastest-growing beauty brands, with Ulta Beauty becoming the biggest growth driver. Jeff talks about “making your own luck,” while acknowledging the role of timing, positioning, and a team willing to do anything — including finance team members visiting local Ulta stores to support retail expansion.
The episode closed with one of the brand’s boldest bets: the launch of Double Standard Mascara — a brown tubing primer on one end and a black volumizing mascara on the other, built around a simple idea: refuse to choose.
This marked DIBS’ first full omni-channel launch with Ulta, rolling into 1,400 stores, conscious beauty endcaps, travel sections, and onto a fleet of trucks appearing in real life.
Listen to the Full Episode
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