In conversation with Mimi Ikonn on from YouTube to global brand: How modern brands are built
In this conversation with Kinza Athar, Mimi Ikonn, entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of Luxy Hair and Intelligent Change, will take the audience inside her journey of building globally recognised consumer brands at the intersection of content, community, wellness, and entrepreneurship.
Long before the creator economy became mainstream, Mimi was building one of the earliest digitally native consumer brands through YouTube, scaling an audience of millions and transforming online trust into global commerce. What began as content evolved into Luxy Hair — one of the breakout direct-to-consumer beauty brands of the early digital era — powered not by traditional advertising, but by storytelling, authenticity, and community-led growth.
Following that success, Mimi co-founded Intelligent Change, the company behind The Five Minute Journal — one of the world’s most successful guided journals, with over 2 million copies sold globally. Through products centred around intentional living, mindfulness, and behavioural design, she helped pioneer a new category of wellness-oriented consumer products built around everyday habits and self-awareness.
Mimi will explore:
How modern consumer brands are built through storytelling, trust, and community
The evolution of the creator economy and digital entrepreneurship
Turning content into company — scaling audiences into global businesses
Why authenticity and identity matter more than ever in modern branding
Lessons from building businesses across beauty, wellness, and personal growth
Reinvention, intentional living, and navigating entrepreneurship in the digital age
This is the story of an entrepreneur who helped shape an entirely new era of digital brand-building — proving that in today’s world, influence, trust, and community can become the foundation for globally scalable businesses.
Speaker Bio
Mimi Ikonn is an entrepreneur, creator, and author best known for co-founding Luxy Hair and Intelligent Change, the company behind The Five Minute Journal, which has sold over 2 million copies globally.
Mimi first built a global audience through YouTube and digital storytelling long before the creator economy became mainstream, helping scale Luxy Hair into one of the earliest breakout direct-to-consumer beauty brands powered by content, community, and authenticity.
Through Intelligent Change, Mimi helped pioneer the rise of intentional living and wellness-oriented consumer products, with The Five Minute Journal becoming one of the world’s most recognisable guided journals.
Today, Mimi is widely recognised for her perspectives on entrepreneurship, creativity, intentional living, personal growth, and building meaningful businesses in the digital age.
WHEN: Friday, 29 May 2026
4.00 PM – 5.00 PM: Fireside chat and Q&A
WHERE: Fadi Boustany Lecture Theatre, Cambridge Judge Business School
TICKETS: Register here.