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.
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: / yasminknouri
* Website: www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Wende:
* Caliray Website: caliraybeauty.com/
* Caliray Instagram: / caliray
* Urban Decay Website: www.urbandecay.com/
* Urban Decay Instagram: / urbandecaycosmetics
* Wende’s Instagram: / wendezomnir
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