I’m an old school Rodial fan, so much so that I checked the blog and saw I’ve been talking about the brand since 2013 thanks to one of my favorite retailers, SpaceNK, who always curates the best products, especially out of the UK where both brands originated! I had the pleasure of meeting their founder, Maria Hatzistefanis aka @mrsrodial when they launched makeup in the US in 2015! The throwback photo of us is worth the click for that blog post. Over the past few years, I’ve watched this brand explode and Maria take her Boss status next level. She’s the definition of a beauty boss, and earlier this year launched a book, How to be an Overnight Success.
We sat down with the bombshell at the Whitby hotel for the launch of their latest Diamond Concealers (they are creamy and magical with a thick wand ready to cover it all up) and Suede Lips intense matte lip colour (9 shades that manage to be creamy and matte at the same time), two new Dragon’s Blood products, the Cleansing Micellar Water with Hyaluronic Acid and Essence Mist and to talk all things being an entrepreneur.
Tell me about your new book
Maria: We launched it in the US in the beginning of the year, How to be an Overnight Success and the message of the book is you can be a success, it just won’t be overnight. It took me 18 years to be where I am today. And the book is all about inspiring and motivating people, entrepreneurs and freelancers to keep doing what they are doing and work hard and to not get disappointed if things don’t happen immediately. It takes time and it’s a positive message to keep going and keep on being the best you can be!
What do you think holds most people back from thinking bigger or growing or starting their businesses?
Maria: You have to fight the negative voices we all get, that tell us we’re not good enough or this other person is better than you. It’s about trying to be positive with yourself and encouraging yourself. And I think sometimes we are the biggest enemies of ourselves and we need to get out of coming up with excuses and negativity and be positive. And also celebrate the small successes.
What was a breakthrough moment in your career?
Maria: Snake Serum. It was year 5 of launching the brand. Things were going okay but not great and I wanted to launch an anti-aging serum, a product came through from the lab and one of the ingredients was related to viper venom. And I said, ‘lets just go crazy and call the product Snake Serum’. Taking that risk was so worth it. We capitalized on the name, on the packaging and then that was the product that put Rodial on the map. We started selling tons of product. It took me 5 years to take that risk.
How did you find the right partners and grow your business?
Maria: When you start a business you have to be very honest about what your skills are and what you need help with. From the beginning I realized I needed help with sales, so very early on in the business I brought someone to drive sales for me. And that took the business to the next level. And then as the business grew we grew the team based on skills we were missing. I started in the back of my home, and I was doing everything myself, sending out the products, going to the stores, doing the PR. I was doing everything as a one woman show, that’s is why it took me 18 years. If I had investment I probably would probably done the same in 5 years but you have to do with what’s available to you.
Thank you so much Maria for the inspiring words! For more advice and insight, check out her book, “How to be an Overnight Success Making it in Business“.
The post BOSS SERIES: Talking Entrepreneurship with Maria Hatzistefanis AKA Mrs. Rodial of Rodial Skincare appeared first on Pretty Connected.
