In this week's episode of A Call to Lead, I sit down with Bobbi Brown, who started a cosmetics business in her home three decades ago, sold it to Estee Lauder, and stayed on board to build Bobbi Brown Essentials into a billion-dollar global brand. So Bobbi knows how to lead inside a giant corporation and, since she left Estee Lauder and is now back on her own, she is a serial entrepreneur. These days, Bobbi is innovating in the wellness space, with her startup called JustBOBBI, and in the hotel business. Bobbi Brown is a model of constant innovation and reinvention. Here are five key things that my team and I took away from our conversation:
1. I like to be able to have an open dialogue. I would call people in and I'd say, “Okay, tell me the truth. What's going on? Why is this not happening the way it's supposed to?...No one's ever gonna get fired over “my bad." They're gonna get fired if they don't tell the truth and they try to cover it up.
2. I watch women trying to be heard, and sometimes they're sitting on the edge of their seat and they're talking over. I see the men pushing back and just talking when they need to say something. If the women could visualize that, you could say whatever you need to say, but you need to say it from a sign of strength. Less words, calm down, and just say it. Just don't let those men in suits intimidate you.
3. It's the best time to create a business, and now is the time for reinvention.
4. When I started the cosmetics company so many years ago, people said, “Why does the world need another cosmetics company?” There's a white space if you have a different idea.
5. Stop thinking about it, stop planning for it, stop writing it down, just do it. And if you can't afford it, figure out a way you can.