Building Cheekbone Beauty: Jenn Harper on Indigenous Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Legacy

In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Jen Harper returns to share what’s changed at Cheekbone Beauty as the Indigenous-owned cosmetics brand approaches 10 years in business. She talks about expanding into skincare, building products around sustainability and Indigenous values, and why protecting people and the planet continues to shape the brand.

Jen also gets candid about one of her biggest lessons as a founder: realizing she doesn’t have to be the right person for every role. She and Shane discuss hiring the right people, learning the parts of the business you may not enjoy, and why strong teams and relationships are critical to building something that lasts. The conversation also explores how Cheekbone is using AI and data to better understand its customers, improve operations and compete with much larger companies. Jen shares her concerns about misinformation and bad actors in AI, the importance of Indigenous perspectives in technology, and why human awareness and impact still matter as business becomes increasingly automated.

Learn more about Jen Harper and Cheekbone Beauty:

💄 Cheekbone Beauty: cheekbonebeauty.com 💼 LinkedIn: Jen Harper