Lip Esteem, a St. Paul-based beauty products startup, is about to get an NFL-sized dose of exposure: The company has been picked to provide lipstick for the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders during the upcoming football season.
Founder Tameka Jones said her company will provide game-day lip color for each of the nearly three dozen members of the Vikings cheerleading squad. Lip Esteem will also handle lipstick selections for the cheerleaders' appearances during the 2024-2025 season. The Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders make hundreds of appearances each season including game day and charitable events.
The company landed the deal after Jones spoke at a women's business panel hosted by the Vikings; Jacie Scott, head cheerleading coach for the team, approached her after the event.
"The Vikings' cheerleaders theme is bold, dynamic and unmatched," Jones said. "They felt like we would be a great fit."
Jones, who grew up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul where she opened her Lip Esteem store in 2018, said she's been a lifelong Vikings fan.
"There is no greater feeling than to have the cheerleaders have on our local brand," Jones said. "I’m loving that corporations located in Minnesota are starting to take a look at the great products that are in the state. They definitely could have gone to a company with a bigger name than Lip Esteem."
For 20 years before founding Lip Esteem, Jones worked as a makeup artist. Jones established her plant-based cruelty-free, gluten-free brand in July 2020, after the death of George Floyd in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"What my heart was saying to me at that time was that I needed to come up with a product that was going to bring beauty back to our community," Jones said. "With everyone being on Zoom calls and in the house, I thought to myself that lipstick would be something that could help people feel better about themselves."
Lip Esteem was part of Lunar Startups' fourth cohort, and last year the brand received financing from the New Impact Fund, a Minneapolis-based fund that supports local Black and minority entrepreneurs with financial and social resources to grow and sustain their businesses.
Jones said building her business into the brand it's become has been a journey of highs and lows, but she continues to work on keeping the business going by looking for opportunities like working with the Vikings cheerleaders.
"As a business owner, I keep pivoting every time there’s a wall that’s trying to prohibit me from moving forward," Jones said.
Starting July 1, Lip Esteem will be available for purchase in three Mississippi Market Co-ops, a St. Paul-based, community-owned grocery store. She will also have a booth at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 22 through Sept. 2.
Jones said she is working to make Lip Esteem an international brand but is taking her time to build a solid business foundation before expanding.
