Masters of Scale: Anastasia Suare built a global beauty brand from humble beginnings, leveraging the influencer economy and mastering eyebrow shaping.
Masters of Scale - From fleeing Romania to shaping Hollywood’s biggest stars (with Anastasia Soare) | Masters of Scale
Anastasia Suare, a Romanian immigrant, transformed her life by building a global beauty brand focused on eyebrow shaping. She started by renting a room in Beverly Hills and mastering her craft, eventually working with celebrities like Oprah and Michelle Obama. Her appearance on Oprah's show was a turning point, leading to a surge in demand. Anastasia applied the golden ratio to eyebrow shaping, which became her signature technique. She expanded her business by launching consumer products and partnering with Nordstrom, which helped her educate customers and market her products effectively. Despite challenges like COVID-19, she maintained her business by supporting employees and adapting to changes. Her success is attributed to hard work, leveraging social media, and maintaining a clear vision. Anastasia emphasizes the importance of mastering skills, marketing them, and surrounding oneself with supportive people. She remains passionate about her work and has no plans to retire, driven by a desire to improve and innovate continuously.
Key Points:
- Anastasia Suare leveraged the golden ratio for eyebrow shaping, creating a unique and recognizable technique.
- Her appearance on Oprah's show significantly boosted her business, demonstrating the power of media exposure.
- She expanded her brand by launching consumer products and partnering with Nordstrom, enhancing customer education and product marketing.
- Anastasia adapted to the influencer economy by engaging with social media platforms like Instagram, reaching a global audience.
- Despite challenges like COVID-19, she maintained her business by supporting employees and adapting to market changes.
Details:
1. 🎬 Meeting Oprah: A Career-Defining Moment
- Meeting Oprah was a pivotal moment in Anastasia Suare's career, akin to winning an Oscar.
- Anastasia was invited by Oprah's production team to do Oprah's eyebrows live on her daytime TV show, a challenging task due to the live camera setting.
- Anastasia managed to successfully perform the task live, earning Oprah's praise as the 'eyebrow Queen' and leading to a significant boost in her business reputation.
- The exposure on Oprah's show, which was watched by millions daily, caused a surge in her business inquiries and growth.
- Following this appearance, Anastasia's business evolved from a single room rental in Beverly Hills to a global brand with a valuation peaking at $3 billion.
- Anastasia Suare is renowned for shaping the eyebrows of high-profile celebrities, including Oprah, Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
2. 🌍 Journey from Romania to America
2.1. Life in Communist Romania
2.2. Defecting from Romania
2.3. Adjusting to Life in America
3. 🎨 Discovering the Golden Ratio in Beauty
- The speaker discovered the golden ratio while studying beauty in Romania and recognized its significance in achieving balance and harmony in art and nature.
- She noted that eyebrows were often neglected in Hollywood beauty standards and, using the golden ratio, improved her own eyebrows, which was appreciated by her clients.
- The golden ratio, approximately 1.618, is a mathematical proportion found in nature and art, known for creating aesthetically pleasing structures.
- Despite identifying the potential of the golden ratio in eyebrow shaping, the speaker faced resistance from the industry due to perceptions of low profitability and scalability of the service.
4. 🏗️ Building a Business from the Ground Up
- Two years after relocating to America, the decision to start a business was motivated by necessity and ambition, showcasing entrepreneurial spirit.
- Beverly Hills was strategically chosen for its high potential opportunities, despite associated risks, demonstrating a bold vision and willingness to face uncertainties.
- Initial strategy involved renting a room in a salon, reflecting a readiness to take significant risks for potential rewards.
- A focus on skill mastery, coupled with offering free services initially, helped build credibility and industry referrals.
- The business rapidly succeeded by gaining trust and referrals from industry professionals, leading to high-profile Hollywood clients.
- Overcoming initial challenges, such as navigating a new market environment and establishing a client base, was crucial in the early stages.
- Strategic networking and leveraging industry relationships played a key role in the business's growth trajectory.
5. 📺 From Hollywood's Secret to Oprah's Stage
- Celebrity endorsements, like the partnership with Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1990s, can dramatically increase brand visibility and credibility.
- Building strong, personalized relationships with clients, particularly high-profile individuals, enhances word-of-mouth marketing and brand loyalty.
- Strategic appearances on influential platforms, such as Oprah's show, can accelerate a brand's transition from niche to mainstream.
- Setting ambitious goals and using visualization techniques, as demonstrated by the desire to appear on Oprah's show, can drive business success.
- Live demonstrations on high-profile platforms offer significant exposure, despite the challenges they present.
- A compelling personal story and connections with influential figures can significantly boost business growth and public recognition.
6. 📈 Expanding the Business and Product Line
- The business initially explored franchising and consumer product launches, with a focus on master classes for aestheticians to ensure service quality.
- Challenges in maintaining service quality led to a shift towards developing consumer products, driven by client demand for products that replicate salon results.
- Nordstrom's invitation to launch products provided a key opportunity for expanding the product line and opening brow studios.
- In 2000, the market's unfamiliarity with eyebrow products necessitated education and training, achieved through partnerships with retailers like Nordstrom.
- To fund the business, personal efforts such as working nonstop in salons and flipping houses were employed, as traditional investment channels were not available for eyebrow products.
- Strategic partnerships, such as with Nordstrom, were crucial in business growth, supporting both service and product aspects, creating a synergistic marketing cycle.
7. 🌐 Embracing Social Media and Influencer Culture
- Instagram transformed beauty marketing by serving as a 'cheat code' for expansive product exposure, bypassing traditional PR and TV.
- A pivotal moment occurred when a video comment revealed the brand's global reach potential, even to remote regions.
- The company prioritized active Instagram engagement, responding to comments and gifting products to enhance customer relations.
- To maintain continuous engagement, the company employed younger staff to manage Instagram, aligning with the platform's dynamic nature.
- Strategic use of influencers, particularly high-profile ones like the Kardashians, amplified brand visibility and credibility.
8. 💪 Overcoming Challenges and COVID-19
- In 2018, the business achieved $320 million in sales, highlighting strong margins.
- Initially, the company was entirely founder-owned with no external investment, emphasizing a self-sustained growth strategy.
- The strategic move to involve private equity was primarily motivated by the need to tackle international market challenges, as domestic operations were robust but international expansion proved difficult.
- To address these challenges, the company partnered with TPG, leveraging their expertise and capital to support its international growth strategy.
- Specific international challenges included understanding diverse market dynamics and establishing operational efficiencies across different regions.
- The partnership with TPG facilitated resource allocation for market research, local partnerships, and operational enhancements, crucial for successful international expansion.
9. 🇺🇸 Belief in the American Dream
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the speaker made a decision to retain all employees despite the challenges faced, emphasizing employee well-being.
- Every employee received a personal check from the speaker, not from the company, as a gesture of goodwill to support them during difficult times.
- A pledge of one million dollars was made to support small businesses struggling to survive the pandemic, demonstrating a commitment to community support.
- The speaker expresses optimism about the resilience of the United States, believing in the country's ability to recover and rebuild from adversity, akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes.
10. 🎓 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
- Determine your exact goals, whether to be a housewife or an entrepreneur, and assess the support and time you can dedicate to it.
- Entrepreneurship requires relentless effort, working tirelessly until you sleep, highlighting the necessity of a strong work ethic.
- Continuously perfect your skills, akin to the speaker's 32-year experience in striving for daily improvement.
- Effectively market your skills and surround yourself with like-minded individuals to share and grow your vision.
- Ensure your business serves others with a clear purpose, similar to Jeff Bezos' focus on customer service and pricing strategy at Amazon.
- Develop a clear vision of your goals, understanding that achieving them requires significant effort and dedication.
- Consider diverse perspectives and strategies, learning from successful entrepreneurs and adapting their methods to your context.
11. 🚀 Passion and the Reluctance to Retire
- The driving force behind continued work is a strong desire to improve daily and a love for what one does, indicating that passion is crucial for prolonged professional engagement.
- Financial success and backing by a world-class investor have not deterred the subject from working; instead, they emphasize the importance of passion and purpose in their work life.
- Retirement is not seen as an option; the subject equates their 'retirement' with working a regular 9-to-5 job, highlighting a personal definition of retirement as continued engagement in work they love.
- The narrative of the subject's journey, from arriving in Los Angeles nearly 40 years ago with no money to building a globally recognized beauty brand, underscores the impact of dedication and passion in achieving success, particularly for immigrants.
