Same question. So, you've heard of Clubhouse but haven't had the time nor headspace to actually get into it. We had a lot of things to ask, so we spoke with Liz Lanuzo, a regular on the app and&nbsp;a beauty industry pioneer. The founder of Project Vanity and CEO of In Her Element shares the best ways to navigate if you're new to the club.&nbsp;

How did you start on Clubhouse and who nominated you? What hooked you in?
My friend and business partner, Grace, gave me my invite. I actually wanted to listen in when Elon Musk dropped in on Clubhouse, so I signed up the moment I heard about it! I'm not a huge Elon Musk fan or anything, but I was so curious. As soon as I signed up, Grace gave me an invite. Unfortunately, Elon Musk's room was already full so I didn't get to listen anyway.


I've been trying to catch beauty rooms on the app but maybe I'm not up late enough as it seems most active circles are from North America! How do you find good rooms?&nbsp;
The best rooms&ndash;&ndash;at least the ones that show up on my feed that are relevant to me&ndash;&ndash;usually happen between 8 AM to 11 PM, Manila time. I notice a lot of the Northern American Clubhouse users go on the app early to late evening their time, so that would usually be early to late morning here in the Philippines. Nothing much happens in the afternoon!

 You've hosted rooms and even put me up as speaker that one time! That was pretty surprising as I was only there to lurk. What are the best conditions to set up a chat?&nbsp;
That was such a fun room, and I would love to do that again with you! And yes, it is easy. I'd say just start the room and invite everyone you know who is online on Clubhouse, then invite them to invite other people online too! And then it will start to gather steam once their notifications pop up on other people's feeds. There's definitely a multiplier effect going on. This is a good way to start casual rooms where anything goes.
For more "serious rooms" where there's a special guest or topic to discuss, it's better to schedule it on the calendar so it will show up on people's notifications. Then do the same above.



Which rooms do you love joining? Any good beauty "clubs"? Actually, how do clubs work versus rooms?&nbsp;
Clubs are basically private groups that anyone can follow. If you are nominated by a member or if the founder adds you as a member, then you can be part of the club. Within the club, you'll be able to start rooms (if allowed) that will then immediately notify all the club's followers. This would mean thousands to tens of thousands of followers in big clubs, so it's a great way to get the word across that your room is happening!&nbsp;
Anyone can start their own room with people they know, but the reach is limited. It's really all about achieving multiplication, for lack of a better term.
My favorite club is The Beauty Room (@thebeautyroom.club on IG), and my favorite moderator within that club is Roseann Fernandez (@caliluvnyc). She is amazing! I love how she gets amazing speakers onboard like Jeanine Lobell (founder of Stila Cosmetics) and Alicia Yoon (founder of Peach and Lily). She keeps the room moving and I've learned so many things in her rooms! I even get to ask questions when she puts me up on stage.
I also follow a few startup clubs because I'm interested in business insights as well.



What are the good ones from the Philippines that particularly focus on beauty?&nbsp;
I set up the Beauty Chatter PH room, which I'm already planning for; expect to see beauty founder Q&amp;As, as well as discussions on beauty trends and insider tips. I would definitely love to see more beauty rooms in the Philippines.



Any great beauty lessons (or even just tips) that you've taken away after a room?
Oh my, where do I even start? If you get in a room at the right time, then you can come away with something that'll really make you think and reconsider the way you do things. I particularly enjoy founder discussions not just in beauty but in startup companies because there's so much value for a founder and entrepreneur like me.
Just yesterday I was listening to a Q&amp;A with beauty founders who have sold their indie brands to behemoths like P&amp;G and Unilever. And their advice for new beauty brands is to just release one product and then iterate from there by finding out what your customers love and don't love about your brand. Gone are the days when you need to launch 10 things to be considered a "brand."&nbsp; Social media has made it possible to get instant feedback. It's such simple advice, but now I'm thinking of ways to apply that in my next product releases for my beauty brand In Her Element.
I also got to go on stage to ask Jeanine Lobell about how her brand seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to formulating new products, And she said, "I always imagine the woman who uses my products. I imagine her applying makeup in the car and what she will need." That's how the Stila Convertible Color was made. You know, this is also really simple advice, but the product-market fit is one of the biggest problems to solve for entrepreneurs and it's always useful to hear how other people found it.



What would you say constitutes a good session on Clubhouse?&nbsp;
It's all about the quality of the conversation happening in the room. A good session would have a strong moderator who is on top of the discussion&ndash;&ndash;they are able to "read the room" well and know how to pace it. If someone is going on too long, they cut it off, or if someone needs to elaborate more, they encourage it. They are also able to screen each person who goes on stage, to see if what they will ask or share is relevant to the room. Nothing puts me off a room quicker than discussions that are literally pointless.
But I realize that Clubhouse can be anything you want it to be. Personally, I love to use it for networking and insight generation because nowhere on Earth right now can you get that kind of access to that kind of people who freely share their knowledge on the platform. But that's me. I know others like to use Clubhouse akin to a radio show, something like background chatter, or just a way to casually socialize. There are also rooms for that!



Looking through profiles, I admit it's a bit intimidating as some people are really up there with their full resumes on their bios! What are your thoughts on this method of introducing oneself on this platform?&nbsp;
I believe Clubhouse was intended to be a cross between podcasting, Zoom, and LinkedIn, in the beginning. That's why it operates on an invite-only model (at least for now) because it sought to appeal more to the startup community and venture capitalists. But it's evolving right now as we speak! Personally, I like seeing people's resumes on their bio, because that makes it easier for moderators to "screen" who comes on stage.


 What do you wish the app had more of?&nbsp;
I am looking forward to more amazing clubs and rooms! I love to learn, and for me, Clubhouse is a fantastic new way to do it. Right now it's still growing so I can't wait for when there are more fascinating people on the platform
Visit Liz on Instagram @lizlanuzo and at www.projectvanity.com
Image from the L'Officiel Archives. Issue No. 840, Year 1999

What Is Clubhouse, Anyway?

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