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Process The PodcastAuthor: Arielle Thomas Language: en Genres: Arts, Fashion & Beauty Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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“The U.S. Market Is a Beast”: Sophie Hood on Scaling Seoul Tonic, Her Growth Tactics & her NEXT business!
Monday, 16 February, 2026
🎙️ Sophie Hood on Building Seoul Tonic: From Australia to New York, Amazon, Retail Strategy & Scaling a Wellness BrandWhat does it really take to build a modern wellness brand and have the ambition to take it global?In this episode of Process, Arielle Thomas sits down with Sophie Hood, founder of cult-favourite tonic brand Seoul Tonic, to unpack the creative and commercial decisions behind moving to New York, scaling through retail, navigating Amazon, and positioning a product for international success.Sophie is one of Australia’s most exciting women-led founders to watch, and in this conversation, she shares the unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship: from winning Food Stars and landing major retail opportunities, to managing inventory pressure, pitching airlines like Qantas, and building a brand that resonates in the hyper-competitive U.S. market.This episode is a masterclass in creativity meeting commerce. Perfect for founders, brand builders, marketers and anyone curious about what it actually takes to turn an idea into a global consumer brand.✨ In this episode, Sophie and Arielle cover:Moving from Australia to New York and why global ambition changes everythingThe early creative vision behind Seoul Tonic and finding product-market fitWhat winning Food Stars taught Sophie about pressure and opportunityHow to position a wellness product for premium retailScaling from independent stores to national distributionInventory, supply chains and the realities of cash flowWhy community and in-store experience matter more than everThe brutal truth about launching in the U.S. marketHow Amazon really works. Seller Central, fulfilment and margin gamesDifferences between U.S. and Australian e-commercePitching to major partners like QantasLaunching new product lines and beauty brandsWhy financial modelling is a non-negotiable skill for foundersHer up-and-coming 2nd business, this time in the beauty space! Find Sophie on Instagram here. Find Seoul Tonic on Instagram here. Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.Find your host Arielle Thomas on Instagram here. See you next Tuesday!
