Building a Makeup Empire with Wende Zomnir

Wende Zomnir began her career in marketing at the Leo Burnett Company. She loved it, but she hated the cold in Chicago. She moved to California where she continued working in marketing, but struggled to find fulfillment in her new job. She wanted to create and to be her own boss, so she started Urban Decay, where she set out to change how women look in makeup and brought her own spin to the world of color cosmetics.

Today, Wende joins us to talk about how she grew Urban Decay into the global beauty empire it is today through smart marketing tactics, groundbreaking formulas, and iconic products. She talks about how she discovered a passion for makeup at an early age and how her partnership with Sandy Lerner would change the color cosmetics industry. She tells about the early days of Urban Decay, and how they marketed their brand in a time before social media. She explains how she first built her team and shares her favorite interview question that helps her determine if someone is the right fit for the job. She talks about the impact of COVID-19 on her business, including the acceleration of virtual try ons. She shares her experience selling Urban Decay and talks about why she wishes she had predicted the bumps in the road that came with the transition. She explains how getting acquired helped Urban Decay reach its goal of becoming a global brand. She talks about balancing motherhood and business-building, and she takes some time to recognize the mentors that have helped her along the way. She fends off a rapid-fire Q&A and shares some tips for successfully striking a healthy work-life balance, noting the importance of making constant tiny adjustments.

“It's really easy as you get into makeup--it's a creative field--to be artistic, to want to be self-expressive, to put the brand out there. But it's also a business, so it's really important to run it like a business.”

Work Party!

From the offices of Create and Cultivate, I’m Jaclyn Johnson, the host of Work Party, a podcast for ambitious women looking to create and cultivate the career of their dreams. It’s paving the way for a new generation of women, women who are redefining the meaning of work on their own terms.

Every Wednesday we bring in leading female powerhouses for real talk and BS-free advice on building your business. You’ll hear from female founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, creatives, and so many other badass ladies.

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