It’s Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself and Step Into Your Own Power with Julie Chung, Co-Founder of T3

Dr. Julie Chung is the co-founder of T3, a premium hair tool
brand known for its sleek, innovative designs that deliver
professional-grade styling results.


Growing up, Julie always knew she wanted to pursue medicine but
had a passion for fashion and beauty as well. It wasn’t until she
met her then-boyfriend Kent that her love for beauty was
reignited. Their journey began in 2003 when they both realized
that Julie would apply skincare and makeup—using only premium
products that made her skin glow—only to finish with an
inexpensive hair dryer that would ruin her hair. Kent saw her
frustration and created their first product: the T3 Featherweight
hair dryer. The brand quickly became a hit, selling out multiple
times and eventually winning over retailers who were initially
hesitant to stock it. Today, the company remains 100% privately
owned by both Julie and Kent and is ranked as the #3 hair tools
brand in the United States.


In this week's episode, we chat with Julie Chung about her
journey from medicine to entrepreneurship and how she manages to
balance both worlds. Julie shares how embracing uncertainty has
been key to thriving as both a physician and co-founder of T3.
She opens up about taking a year off from medical school, her
parents' concerns, and how that decision ultimately steered her
into entrepreneurship. She also reflects on the pivotal moments
that led her and her now-husband Kent to launch T3, how they
pushed past skeptics who didn’t understand their vision for hair
tools, and the challenges of balancing her medical career with
building a successful business. Julie discusses her personal
journey with infertility, motherhood, and the importance of
community among women. She also shares valuable lessons from
hiring a CEO, letting go of control, and navigating the ups and
downs of running T3 for two decades.


In this episode, we’ll talk to Julie about:


* Life isn’t always black and white. [03:42]


* Julie’s passion for medicine and creativity. [08:13]


* Taking a gap year in med school and moving to New York. [10:44]


* The unconventional journey to entrepreneurship. [11:53]


* How the idea for T3 was born. [13:35]


* The early stages of T3. [22:06]


* Getting into Sephora in 2016 and other retail stores. [24:18]


* The power of word-of-mouth when building a brand. [26:59]


* Being fully self-funded since 2004. [29:03]


* Learning to let go of control. [36:57]


* Julie's relationship with comparison. [41:59]


* Taking a year off and moving to London in 2020. [47:54]


* Misconceptions about starting a business. [56:48]


* Lessons from hiring a new CEO. [59:42]


This episode is brought to you by Beeya:


* If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal
imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free
to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to
learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.


* Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code
BEHINDHEREMPIRE10


Follow Yasmin:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/


Follow Dr. Julie:


* Website: https://t3micro.com/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t3micro/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliechung_t3/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.