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When Charli d’Amelio placed her first Tiktok in the Internet in 2019, she was only a 15-year navigation through drama in high school and thought of university applications. Neither she nor her family had any idea that it would lead to brand agreements of a million dollars, a Hulu reality series and a family business in Walmart boards.
But only a few years – and a few billion views – later the name D’Amelio was almost as omnipresent for Gen Z as the Kardashians.
Now the family uses that fame to promote their newest company: Be happy snacks – A company Built on positivity, goal and, of course, popcorn.
Related: 5 Business lessons of Sisters Dixie and Charli d’Amelio
From the bedroom to the boardroom
The d’Amelio family was on stage for the first time in 2019, when the youngest daughter, Charli, started placing dance videos from her bedroom on TIKTOK. By March 2020, she had become the most followed maker of the platform and brought her family for the ride.
Her older sister, dixie, was not immediately on board.
“For me personally I found it embarrassing and I couldn’t see myself doing that,” says Dixie.
But when Charli hit a million followers, Dixie participated and eventually built its own supporters. As their popularity grew, Charli closed a deal with Dunkin ‘Donuts, and both sisters worked with Abercrombie.
“We realized early on that many brands came to us for approval deals,” says Marc D’Amelio, father of Charli and Dixie. “So we started D’Amelio brands with the concept that we wanted to create something that we own and promote as a family.”
While family agencies – private companies that have been set up to manage generation of wealth – have long been associated with names such as Walton Enterprises or the Ballmer Group, the d’Amelios create their own version, rooted in modern media and digital influence.
“I never had the chance to help my parents start a family business,” says Marc. “But now we have an office – Charli is in New York for a while, we are on Broadway and Dixie’s here in LA. That is what I always had in mind. I have no endgame, just do it together, do a step at the same time and build something that makes sense as a family.”
The first step was to compile the right support system.
“We have hired a company manager, a cop and a lawyer,” explains Marc.
But when it arrived on the brand side, he took the lead himself. Before you became the patriarch of what some people call the ‘first family of Tiktok’, Marc d’Amelio spent decades in the clothing industry, working on high-profile deals such as Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers cooperation with K-Swiss. The fame was new, but not the company.
The biggest adjustment was not to manage the brand – it learned how to stay grounded as a family in the midst of the whirlwind.
“We are still learning and sorting out,” says Marc’s wife and Charli and Dixie’s mother, Heidi. “We try to keep family and business time apart and only talk about things if we have a planned meeting.”
Related: The d’Amelios, ‘First Family’ by Tiktok, reveal how they create several millions of dollars and their 5 secrets for success.
If life gives you hatred, make popcorn
Managing a company with your family is challenging enough. By doing it under the examination of millions, a different pressure layer adds. At a viral moment, Marc pointed out of the Hulu show of the family, where Dixie gave an emotional speech about how deep hatred comments influence her.
“One of the lessons that I try to teach my girls is not just to be happy, but to live in the moment,” says Marc. “I have been very proud of both because they openly talked about mental health.”
Building on that sentiment, the family brings mental health consciousness to the forefront of their newest company, be happy snacks. Inspired by Dixie’s debut song “Be Happy”, where she gets about her struggle with mental health, his happy snacks born from the family’s desire to bring people together.
“Some of our favorite times as a family have happened in the kitchen,” says Marc. “Like most families, we are big in Snacking – and it all came together from there.”
Be happy snacks in Walmart in the store or online. They come in flavors such as birthday cake, cotton candy and Himalaya pink salt.
Although they apparently become known names at night, the Sisters of D’Amelio are still in their early 1920s, with a lot of life and things ahead.
“At the moment I like to work on the company, especially the snacks,” says Dixie. “I had things arranged a bit – it is not necessary to do a million different things every year. It was nice to just focus and work closely with my parents on the popcorn.”
What the future is in store for the first family of Tiktok is the gamble. But for now, Dixie takes on her own advice. Be happy.
When Charli d’Amelio placed her first Tiktok in the Internet in 2019, she was only a 15-year navigation through drama in high school and thought of university applications. Neither she nor her family had any idea that it would lead to brand agreements of a million dollars, a Hulu reality series and a family business in Walmart boards.
But only a few years – and a few billion views – later the name D’Amelio was almost as omnipresent for Gen Z as the Kardashians.
Now the family uses that fame to promote their newest company: Be happy snacks – A company Built on positivity, goal and, of course, popcorn.
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