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I just spent a really inspiring, great week in L.A. surrounded by brilliant women who have forged a way in the beauty industry and founded great brands, all outside of the realm of the traditional 'corporate' atmosphere. These women are doing it all their own way and making huge successes as they go.
Between the jetlag and the time in the hotel room, I get a lot of thinking time when I'm travelling alone, mainly because I don't have about 10 people saying 'Mum', or 'Love, have you seen my phone/wallet/keys?'.
After every meeting on this trip I came away thinking 'Wow. This is how I want to do it.' These women are a formidable force.
January Olds, facialist and founder of January Labs, worked behind the scenes of other brands before launching her own line. She develops products that her spa clients want, rather than what marketing teams dream up.
April Gargiulo founded Vintner's Daughter after searching for a highly active yet natural, potent serum when she couldn't find what she wanted in her local beauty stores. She is in no rush to develop further products and is completely in control of her brand, something that fits in perfectly while she raises her two very small children.
After spending time with these women, I came away thinking how great it would be if women like this were not only running their own brands, but big 'corporate' beauty. Imagine the changes in big business if decisions were based around shared personal experiences, and empathy and understanding for your main client - being women - because you had been through the very same thing yourself. Yes, the men's market is growing, but women are the biggest beauty consumers. It's our market.
Time and time again, when you hear of the 'big' jobs in beauty becoming available, they nearly always go to men. Middle-aged white men to be exact. Why? Are you telling me that nowhere in the industry was there a female that could do that role? Nonsense. And buyers in certain areas (not all). Too many times I've had a meeting with a male buyer that had been transferred from bedding, that literally had no clue what I was talking about when referencing comparative brands.
Even one of our own professional 'bodies', previously only open to women, have taken in men, leading to myself and a lot of friends letting our membership slide.
Opening the email 'informing us of their decision' like:
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I'll leave on a positive note from my good friend Maleka, the founder of Merumaya, who I spoke to at length today on this subject.
'How we actively support one another in our endeavours is so important. We need to be doing more of this at every level. Retailers, bloggers/vloggers, media, influencers, customers, women2women; supporting women in business (not just the ones that are already successful or who have a celebrity clientele), supporting small businesses and local businesses and encouraging, with all your heart, those individuals, that had the courage to put all they have on the line and pursue their dreams. And then to celebrate those women when they have been successful, to share those examples of success with each other and our own daughters, so that they are encouraged to be entrepreneurial, brave, secure, unafraid of failure, positive, compassionately supportive, creative, successful and happy.'
AMEN.
