Estee Lauder — The Woman Behind a Beauty Empire
Estee Lauder — The Woman Behind a Beauty Empire
Challenging the Status Quo and Daring to be Different.
👋 Hello, this is your weekly dose of inspiration and practical guidance. Every Friday you will receive a captivating visual timeline that charts the rise of a successful individual + lessons derived from that.
Josephine Esther Mentzer was born on 1 July 1908 in Queens, New York.
Her surname changed when she married Joseph Lauder.
It wasn’t until she was 38 that she founded Estee Lauder Cosmetics with four original products.
Five years later, she invented the ‘Gift with Purchase’ Promotion that we all know today.
Always driven by quality and exceptional customer service, she debuts Re-Nutriv, which combines 25 of the world’s most precious ingredients. It still retails today, at around $430+.
She’s the genius behind many brands, including Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series and Origins.
After the initial public offering of the brand, an aggressive acquisition strategy was incorporated.
The company bought Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, La Mer, Aveda, Mac Cosmetics, Jo Malone, Michael Kors Fragrances, Tom Ford, Le Labo and Too Faced.
Sadly, on 24 April 2005, Estee died after a full life of serving others.
One Lesson from Estee Lauder
Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo.
Estee was dedicated to serving others and delivering exceptional customer service.
She believed deeply in the quality and efficacy of her products, and she knew that the best way to convey this belief was through direct interaction with her customers.
Early on in her career, after securing a placement with a famous department store, she accidentally spilled a bottle of Youth-Dew bath oil during a busy shopping hour. Soon, customers began asking about the fragrance, leading to a rapid increase in sales.
Had she waited for customers to discover Youth-Dew, it would have taken way longer to establish her brand.
Be bold.
Until Next Friday,
The Chronicler.
PS: Amancio Ortega, the man behind the Inditex group, also started debuted his venture around the same age as Estee. Check out his story here.
The founders behind big companies did not start aiming for billions — they started small. Check out their stories below.