May 25, 2015

BOBBI BROWN, THE BUSINESS OF COSMETICS

BOBBI BROWN, THE BUSINESS OF COSMETICS

EG: What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?

BB: It means hiring good people because it’s impossible to do everything yourself. You have to surround yourself with people who are great at what they do and are dependable…people you would be happy to hang out with outside of work and call your friends.

EG: How do you go about starting a cosmetic line, what were the steps you took?
BB: I was a working makeup artist and discouraged by the lack of products that were on the market. I met a chemist at a party and asked him if he could help me develop ten shades of lipstick. I sold them out of my house before the line was purchased by Bergdorf Goodman. I thought I’d sell 100 lipsticks in a month instead I sold them all my first day.

EG: What gave you the strength and ambition to make you think that Bobbi Brown Cosmetics could succeed with all of the many competitors?

BB: I knew that the products I was creating were needed at the time. My competitors were selling the bold, garish colors of the eighties while I was selling skin tone correct, natural shades that were meant to enhance a woman’s complexion not hide it.

EG: In the beginning how did you find funding for your company?

BB: My husband and I pooled together all of our money that we had in our savings ( a few thousand dollars) and sold the products out of my home. I contacted every editor I knew and used the phone book to call everyone I could think of in the industry to raise awareness about my products. Finally Bergdorf’s bought my lip colors and the rest was history!

EG: How long did it take to get your Bobbi Brown up and running?

BB: It took a couple years because after I met the chemist I had to come up with the colors and I wanted them to be perfect ( each one was to look like the color of a woman’s lips) . After Bergdorf’s started carrying my line it took another 4 years for Estee lauder to purchase my line in 1995. It was a day I will never forget.

EG: What is your advice for someone starting her own business?

BB: My greatest business lesson has been to always follow my gut. You have to do what you know is right. As tempting as it is to follow trends and do what everyone else is doing, if you truly believe that something is not right for your company, don’t do it.
What is the best business advice you have ever received?
It’s ok if you fail, what’s important is not giving up.

EG: How did you eventually grow Bobbi Brown into the massive brand it is now?

BB: Once Estee Lauder purchased my company I was made available to a large amount of resources. Using these resources and staying true to my brand’s identity, the brand has been successful and grown.

EG: Describe a typical day in your life now?

BB: I start my day with a Nespresso while checking my face book and twitter pages and reading the newspaper. Then I get all of my kids ready for their day. I have three sons but I also have my two nephews and two foreign exchange students I affectionately call the ‘ the Euro boys” living with me. After that I make my way to the gym, I always feel better after working out and believe that in order to look and feel your best you have to eat healthy and exercise. Once I’m showered and ready to go, I get in a car and head into the city to start my day. I usually have several meeting lined up in the morning and then a lunch meeting somewhere in the city. After this I usually head to a shoot of some kind followed by a dinner/event that evening. It’s a busy day but I’m thankful for each and every day. If you told me 20 years ago if I would be where I am today I never would have believed it.

EG: What is your favourite thing about your company?

BB: The people. Whether it’s working with my artists from around the world, the best designers at fashion week, my co workers who are the smartest people I know, various leaders from all different facets of business/life,  I am constantly inspired and finding ways in which I can grow my business.

EG: What is your motto or favourite quote?

BB: “ Be who you are.” Every woman is pretty and with the right makeup and tools, she can be pretty powerful.

EG: Are there any words of wisdom that you can give to girls who would like to eventually go into the cosmetics field?

BB: Don’t give up on your dreams. You can do anything you set your mind to as long as you never give up. I hit many road blocks when I was trying to start my business but I didn’t let anything deter me. And be nice. You never know who you are going to cross paths with again down the road.

 

Follow Bobbi here: @BobbiBrown

Bobbi Brown photographed by Tom Newton at her home in New Jersey on January 20, 2016. Makeup by Kim Sloane (Bobbi Brown). Hair by Sam Gligic (Moxy).

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