My Journey to Beautini: Craziness, Excitement, and Sleepless Nights
BEAUTINI: WHY, WHAT, WHERE, HOW
People always ask me what made me decide to start Beautini so I figured this would be post worthy.
Two years ago I worked for L’OREAL USA in their Professional Products Division working on the Redken brand. Despite what some may hear, I absolutely loved working for L’Oreal. The environment is very quick paced and intense, which I tend to thrive in. During my time there, I worked on the launch of Blonde Idol, Redken’s hair care line for blondes. I learned a lot about hair products, about blondes, and even went blonde for my launch presentation (I think I have a pic on my Instagram)…
YAY, L’OREAL! BUT NOW WHAT?
I received a full-time position within L’Oreal’s Management Development Program and knew that this was my DREAM corporate job. However, since the second grade I have always had big dreams to start a beauty company. I started a beauty product business, B.LO Cosmetics, at seventeen years old and went to Babson College to learn more about starting a business. Needless to say, I realized that taking the offer from L’Oreal would be the easier path and not necessarily the path that would make me happiest.
ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR HEART, RIGHT?
One of my character traits is being very intuitive. I’m not sure if this is always a good thing, but I ended up listening to my instincts and began developing a concept for Beautini. I later declined my offer with L’Oreal, raised over $100,000 to develop Beautini, moved to NY, and pursued my lifelong passion to start this beauty company.
OK, I DEFINITELY DIDN’T THINK IT ALL THROUGH…
I ended up moving to NYC with nothing completely figured out other than that I was going to run Beautini. Until I secured all funding and got my game plan for Beautini meshed out, I took a job with Sony Music for the meantime.
THINGS WORK OUT IN WEIRD WAYS
I was recruited to work part-time for a new company within Sony Music called Astronauts Wanted. I wasn’t completely sure what the company was about and originally said “No”, but the HR woman convinced me that it would be a great opportunity. Granted it was basic, tedious administrative work, but my boss would be Judy McGrath. For those who don’t know who she is, you really should. She started MTV and was the CEO for many years and essentially is the biggest bad ass leader I know. After a quick Google search of her name, I instantly scheduled my interview.
NO IDEA HOW THIS JOB CORRELATES TO BEAUTY, BUT I LOVE IT
I worked at Sony Music for 7 months for Judy McGrath and my direct boss, Susan Ward. I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that the opportunities you pursue don’t have to all directly correlate to your end goal because they eventually connect with each other. I worked for this creative digital production company and learned a ton about leadership, processes, and the creative industries as a whole. Our office was separate from Sony Music Entertainment and was within Neuehouse. Neuehouse is essentially a SoHo House for businesses- very trendy and fun with great vibes. This also became my “office” on the days I didn’t work for Astronauts Wanted.
JUDY & SUSAN, YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE MY HEART
After 7 months I was at a place that I could leave Astronauts Wanted, Sony Music and become full-time with Beautini. As excited as I was, it was also extremely sad leaving this new family that I have become a part of. Susan was my energetic, hilarious boss and did an amazing job creating a fun culture for the entire team. While working for Judy I was able to observe a strong, successful woman who still remains a humble, genuine human being and hasn’t lost sight of her values. When I used to think of success I thought of materialistic items and what I could eventually buy for my parents and loved ones. However, Judy inspired me to think differently about success and to remember to always stay true to who you are. She has become my all-time role model.
ON TO BEAUTINIIIIIIIIII!
After leaving Astronauts Wanted, Sony Music, I got a new office at WeWork in FiDi near my apartment, got an amazing intern (now two!) and started hustling away! I will write in more depth about my Beautini experiences, but it has certainly been a roller coaster. It’s often hard to not get wrapped up in the start-up, tech world and compare Beautini to other crazy huge beauty companies, but I’ve found ways to stay focus, grounded, and have been hustling through since I became full-time in March. I’ll be sure to write about how things are going and to learn more about Beautini in the meantime check it out here!
Xo B.Lo
