How would you define success?
In honor of International Women's Day, I reached out to some of the women in beauty who inspire me the most. These are the thought-leaders who have created products and built brands beyond their wildest dreams on their definitions of success.
“Success is the feeling of seeing your vision become your reality. After talking to a beauty editor, I sketched out the idea for a rotating curling iron that would solve the problem of curling your own hair for many women. My sister joined me to start on this incredible journey of product development and entrepreneurship. Throughout this experience, we didn’t only create an award winning, patented product, we met and have heard so many incredible stories where our product has made a difference in people’s lives. From a girl that was born with one arm and could finally curl her hair to a stylist that returned to hairdressing because the Beachwaver allowed him to curl hair despite having wrist and shoulder problems to dad’s curling their daughters hair! We have grown a team of dedicated, hardworking, passionate people that are part of a culture that aspires to empower women and men to be able to style hair easier. The stories, the power of beauty, and our incredible team are true success for the Beachwaver Co. We always say two quotes around here, ‘Leap and the Net will appear’ and ‘Do something that your future self will thank you for.’”
Sarah Potempa, Celebrity Hair Stylist and Founder of The Beachwaver Co.
“I truly believe that the only measure of success that matters is your own. It’s a philosophy that levels the playing field, and allows us all to enjoy being “successful” at our own joyful pace, and within parameters that work for us, regardless of our goal.”
Nonie Creme, founder of BeautyGarde
“Success means a lot of things to me, but it has nothing to do with money or acclaim. Success is waking up in the morning and doing something that you love—which just so happens to be work. It’s finally being able to sleep at night (well, most nights!) because you can see the bigger picture despite any of the day’s challenges. As the founder of First Aid Beauty, success is also knowing that I’ve helped millions of people feel comfortable in their skin again!”
Lilli Gordon, founder of First Aid Beauty
“Success is living my life’s mission every minute of every day — in my work, relationships, and even in what I consume. Success is, as Howard Zinn put it, ‘living as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us...’”
Leila Janah, author and founder of LXMI
“Success is all about speaking your truth and taking risks. Make mistakes, try your best to learn from them, and don’t take anything too seriously. Success means love, passion, dedication, and humor.”
Josie Maran, model, entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Josie Maran Cosmetics
“Success to me means knowing that I, along with the help of my truly remarkable team, are helping pave the way and show women and girls everywhere that they really can do whatever they set their minds to, and that there is no one right way to achieve success and happiness.”
