Urban Decay Founder on Embracing Your Power & Self-Worth, How to Build Iconic Brands and Must-Have Skills for Aspiring Entrepreneurs - Wende Zomnir

Nov 6, 2023

53:22

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Wende Zomnir is the co-founder of the legendary beauty brand, Urban Decay, and most recently the co-founder of Caliray, a beauty and wellness brand.

When Wende co-founded Urban Decay in 1996, there was no social media, and Sephora was still two years out from entering the U.S. She was a pioneer who broke the beauty industry with its “makeup as empowerment” attitude, eventually elevating it to the #1 brand spot at both Sephora and Ulta for years running – and is still one of the most successful beauty brands to date. After selling to L’Oreal in 2012 and spending her time leading the brand there, Wende eventually left and launched Caliray, a California-inspired brand focused on clean formulas, dirty minds and sexy sustainability.

In this week's episode, we discuss Wende's journey from her marketing career to launching Urban Decay, including her meeting with co-founder Sandy Lerner, who co-founded Cisco Systems. Wende reflects on the early, less glamorous days of Urban Decay, her resourcefulness, and how the brand became such a success. We also talk about her new brand Caliray, and the differences in starting a brand today compared to when Urban Decay launched and the biggest surprises & learnings so far. Wende shares her advice on why you need more than just passion to build a successful business, why having a strong self-worth is crucial in business, the biggest skills that entrepreneurs need for any brand and so much more.

In this episode, we'll talk to Wende about:

* The quote "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity". [02:34]

* Wende's early years in Texas and her relationship with makeup. [04:45]

* Wende's life prior to Urban Decay. [10:31]

* Connecting with the iconic Sandy Lerner. [12:09]

* Pitching the concept and securing orders.[14:44]

* Getting into Nordstrom and the crucial trait of resourcefulness. [19:13]

* Wende's response to imitators of the Naked Palette and advice for female entrepreneurs facing similar challenges. [25:00]

* Urban Decay's L'Oréal acquisition and transition. [28:31]

* Maintaining healthy boundaries: separating self-worth from business. [32:25]

* The inspiration for Wende’s new beauty brand, Caliray. [34:48]

* Challenge’s Wende had to navigate while building Caliray. [40:11]