April 27, 2017

BENEFIT COSMETICS’ FOUNDERS, JEAN & JANE FORD

BENEFIT COSMETICS’ FOUNDERS, JEAN & JANE FORD

EG: How do you go about starting a cosmetic line, what were the steps you took?

Jean: The short of it is that we flipped a coin. That’s how we ended up here. It was between casseroles and cosmetics.

Jane: It’s true! The two things we felt we knew best, makeup & cooking casseroles.

Jean: We used the money we had saved from a series of television commercials that we starred in for Calgon Bath Beads. Remember, we were just a couple of Hoosier girls from Indiana.  As you may know, Jane and I are very tall…we’re both 6’1” – so when we graduated from college at Indiana University in 1970, we moved to New York City together in hopes of becoming successful models.

Jane: We really had no idea what we wanted to do after we graduated college. I had studied marketing & finance, Jean had studied art education. New York City was an exciting place with lots of opportunity. The city lured us in.

Jean: Our life was very simple then. We lived in a tiny narrow apartment together, if you put your arms straight out from you sides, you could touch both walls. We lived in a very artsy neighborhood, everyone around us was a struggling artist of some sort.

Jane: Everyday we would go out on audition after audition and get turned away. We booked a few small jobs here and there, but we barely making enough money to make ends meet so we both had day jobs, we cleaned houses, we worked as sales girls, we did a little bit of everything.

Jean: Our big break came 2 years later, when we booked a series of national commercials for Calgon Bath Beads. We were so excited. It was a dream come true.

Jane: We packed our bags, piled up all we owned into an old station wagon, and drove out west, to California. We settled in San Francisco, and used the money that we earned from those commercials to start our own business.

Jean: We had worked for so many people over the years, doing all kinds of odd jobs. It was our goal to open our own business. The two things we knew best, were doing makeup, from all of those years of doing our own makeup as models (before the era of supermodels, gals did their own) and we baked a mean casserole… growing up in the Midwest, we were constantly in the kitchen cooking with mom.

Jane: Like Jean said, we literally flipped a coin to decide. That’s how we ended up here. Can you believe it was between casseroles and cosmetics? In 1976, we opened up a tiny makeup shop called The Face Place, in the mission district of San Francisco. The business took off!  In 1990, we changed the name to Benefit.

Jean: The name Benefit, was created as a result of a vacation to Italy. Jane and I had 24 hours to change the name of our boutiques from the The Face Place into a “brand” name…one that people would identify with.  Jane had just returned from Italy and commented that everything was “bene, bene, bene.” We were both looking to find something that “fit” with bene…thus Benefit was born.

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

Jane: This has been an incredible journey for us. It has not always been easy but it has been the most fun and craziest experience of our lives.

Jean: We never dreamed Benefit would be the global beauty brand it is today. When we opened our first little makeup boutique over 30 years ago in San Francisco, our goal was to make enough money to put food on the table for our families. It was that simple. We worked hard and didn’t give up. Our motto was and continues to be “laughter is the best cosmetic, so grin and wear it.”

Jean: We never worried about what other brands were doing or saying…we only were concerned with the needs of our clients.


EG: What type of research was needed in creating all of the many fabulous products that Benefit provides?

Jean: Our research begins at the counter and talking with our customers. It is such a thrill. We learn so much from them. Listening to their beauty dilemmas, and helping them solve those problems. Jane & I spend day after day in our shop, talking with the women who would come in, finding out what they needed and listening to their beauty concerns.

Jane: Our customers were and continue to be so diverse. They have different backgrounds, different stories, and different lives. Some are mothers, some are daughters, some are grandmothers.

Jean: Jane & I have always believed that beauty should be fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we wanted our products to make women feel good about themselves.

Jane: In talking with our customers and hearing their needs, we started developing products that were solution driven. Got dark circles? Here’s something that will lighten & brighten your eye area! Want fuller lips? Here’s a lip primer that will build up the contour of your lips, and make your lips appear fuller, plump and healthy. Need stay put color? Here’s a cheek & lip stain that will last through lunch or a steamy make out session!

Jean: It was important for us to give customers quality products, that delivered results, but that also made them smile and looked beautiful in their purse. We have so much fun creating the packaging and the theme of the product. We believe that what’s outside and what’s inside are equally important.

Jean: All the women we get to meet. Our customers are so amazing! They are women of all ages, moms, daughters, grandmothers. They inspire us.



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

Jean: I ask myself that question every dayJ

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

Jane: We are still working everyday to make sure Benefit is the best it can be. Jean and I are very involved at Benefit. We are in the office each morning by 8am and usually work a full day. We leave around 4 or 5pm. There is a lot to do, and our number one priority is creating new products. We work with a small team of very talented people. We have so much fun at work, we love our job!


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

Jean: To enjoy the ride.

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EG-What is the best business advice you have ever received?

Jane: To keep the enthusiasm & appeal for Benefit going. To keep it exciting.

Jean: To never neglect the enthusiasm & sense of happy that the products bring to our customers.

EG: How did you eventually grow Benefit to the massive brand it is now?


Jean: We still can’t believe how BIG it is today! We have been so lucky to hear & meet with Benefit fans across the world. So many women write to us and tell us about how much they love our products. We are very flattered that so many women in Hollywood and well-known celebrities love Benefit- it just blows our mind!

EG: Describe a typical day in your life, while starting up Benefit.

Jean: There was nothing ordinary about a day in the life of a Benefit gal. If I could describe it to you, then I guess it would be typical…and that’s’ just not the way things are done here.

EG: How important is branding to your company?  Can you describe how you came up with the successful brand that Benefit is today ?

Jane: Branding essentially started with our fascination with packaging. The outside packaging is important to the extent that it is the first thing someone notices. 

Jean: You only have one chance to catch someone’s attention. However, once you get that person’s glance, you need to keep it.

Jane: That’s why the quality of the product itself and the usefulness of that item is so crucial.

Jean: Absolutely! A great package and product is one that can withstand the test of time. It has an energy about it…a pulse.  It will make you look, 3 or 4 times… something that strikes one’s curiosity so strongly that you can’t help but pick it up, grab it…explore it.


EG: What was the hardest obstacle that you had to overcome on your journey to success? How did you overcome that obstacle?

Jane: There are always obstacles. You learn from your mistakes, and believe me we made a lot.

Jean: We were average students…but you have to remember that average people can do above average and even amazing things. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. It just takes hard work.



EG: Do you have any tips for building a successful relationship with your clients and manufacturers?

Jane: Listen, learn and deliver everything with a smile.

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

Jean: Yeah! Makeup is fun and shouldn’t be too serious. Have a blast!

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