The other day I listened to How I Built This by Guy Raz featuring Tarte Cosmetic’s Founder Maureen Kelly. The episode covered Maureen’s perseverance, entrepreneurial spirit, sales strategy, and an industry breakthrough. One aspect of Maureen’s story was incredibly heartfelt and touching, a reminder of 9/11s impact on our world.
Maureen’s story has countless lessons we can learn from. Below I will highlight three lessons I found in her story:
1) The power of persistence
2) A sense of self-worth
3) No one is watching (the whole journey)
For background information, Tarte Cosmetics is a cosmetics company founded in 1999. As described on the website, Tarte Cosmetics is a makeup, skincare, and beauty company with naturally-derived ingredients. You have to listen to the podcast to understand how unique the Tarte Cosmetics story truly is.
- The power of persistence
Throughout the podcast, Maureen she shares how many calls she made, how many no’s she received, and how frequently she showed up at a building to force a conversation. Maureen is a natural salesperson with this persistence.
She refused to accept no for an answer and kept pushing to make her dream happen.
This is the first lesson: No matter how many no’s, rejections, or laughs come your way, you cannot give up on your goals. Life is testing you. How hard are you willing to push to achieve your dreams?
There is a reason such a small percentage of the population achieves their dreams. The ability to quit is easier than persistence.
2. A sense of self-worth
A consistent phrase in the podcast is “you’re a nobody.” Maureen mentions her own thoughts on being “a nobody”, and how the cosmetics industry, labs, and writers kept calling her “a nobody.”
At one point, she finally made her name and her brand clear. She stood up for herself and conveyed her message with confidence. From there, she gained traction. Her brand was written and talked about by industry leaders.
The reality is, no one will recognize you or take you seriously if you do not present yourself with a sense of self-worth. At some points in life, this is much easier said than done.
The importance is, you must find within you your strengths and value. Everyone has a unique value to offer this world and the self-awareness of what that is will carry you to your goals in life. (If you feel like you do not have this value, message me and I will help you. Sending hugs.)
3. No one is watching (the whole journey)
One hour into the podcast, Maureen shares how her advice to people going on QVC is “the only one watching the full 8 minutes is your mom and us.”
The underlying sentiment is that no one is watching the entire time except the people closest to you. This advice is part of a common theme I’m hearing from successful founders.
No one is watching you or focusing on you as much as you. Everyone is in their own world.
Sometimes fear is a blocker for people to take the greatest leaps. Often that fear is, what will people think? Who cares. What matters most is how you think.
So remember, no one is watching (or at least, not the whole time). You can make mistakes and some people won’t even notice. For those that do, great. Continue chasing your dreams.
Take Maureen Kelly’s story as a source of inspiration. Pursue your dreams. Be persistent. Know and remind yourself of your self-worth. When you get scared remember, no one is watching your whole journey. This is your life to live.
Listen to the podcast here.
***I have no association with the podcast or Tarte Cosmetics.***
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