When the skincare company Rodial launched its cult 'snake' serum, the press quickly called the business an 'overnight success'. However, as author and entrepreneur Maria Hatzistefanis sets out to demonstrate in this very accessible book, the company’s success stemmed from sheer hard work, hard graft and a lot of patience.
Fashion-loving Maria set out with a dream to build a beauty business and - despite not excelling at school, and being fired from her first job - she has achieved it. She did it by dreaming big, working hard, surrounding herself with the best, taking risks, creating buzz and building her own personal brand, which is now a favourite with high-profile models and media personalities including Poppy Delevingne, Daisy Lowe and Kylie Jenner. Crucially, she believes anyone can do this and her book, brimming with good sense, great advice, tips and secrets - all presented in an easy, friendly style - shows how.
Author quotes
When you create a brand you want everyone from buyers to retailers to customers to immediately believe in your brand the way that you do but it doesn’t work like that. It takes a lot of time and hard work to build a brand, which can be frustrating at the beginning.
I love setting myself goals and being able to achieve them and mentally tick them off the list. It’s definitely rewarding coming up with new ideas, putting them into action and seeing the process unfold.
Creating that buzz around the brand is really important. I’m obsessed with the different social media platforms we have in this digital age, and how we can connect with our customers and get direct feedback to improve and evolve.
About the Author
London-based beauty entrepreneur, Maria Hatzistefanis started her career as a beauty writer before moving to New York where she received an MBA from Columbia Business School. She founded her ground-breaking skincare group, Rodial, in 1999 by identifying a niche for treatments targeted to specific skin concerns, with evocative tongue-in-cheek names such as Snake Serum and Dragon's Blood. Maria now runs two brands - Rodial and Nip + Fab - with products selling through 25,000 doors across 35 countries worldwide. Today, the cutting-edge products are available in the most prestigious stores around the world, with support and praise from high profile names in the fashion and beauty industries.
Website https://mariahatzistefanis.com
Why LoA loves it….
Building a global brand in the highly competitive world of the beauty industry is never easy. But as Maria Hatzistefanis, founder of the hugely successful skincare company Rodial has proved, it’s all about having the right idea at the right time, building the buzz, getting the right people talking and becoming brand ambassadors, and ultimately working really hard to make it all happen. This is a really insightful, practical book that takes readers behind the scenes of building a brand with attitude that really connects with its loyal customers. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa