Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, discusses the rapid growth and retail expansion of her makeup brand in luxury department stores.
Assertion Supported
Estée Lauder required Bobbi Brown to sign a 25-year non-compete
“They would like you to sign a 25 year non-compete.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Estée Lauder canceled Bobbi Brown's contract, forcing her into a figurehead role
“Well, I didn't decide to leave. It was, you know, I was called into the office and thinking that I was going to, you know, have finally some candidates, because we were, we went to search to help me turn around this company and fix the company and all of that,…”
Disclosure
Estée Lauder began appointing senior executives without founder Bobbi Brown's approval
“Like, I used to interview every single person, like, in the beginning. Every single person. And then, big people were being hired. The head of international, the head of this, and it'd be like, excuse me? Like, this is not the right person. This person doesn't…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Leonard Lauder apologized to Bobbi Brown for failing to protect her brand
“And at the very end, when I was getting ready to leave, and you know, at this point, he was in a, you know, sitting in a chair, not getting up, and he said, he grabbed my arm, and he said, I just have to apologize to you, and I said, Leonard, for what? I said,…”
Assertion Supported
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics was generating $1 billion in revenue when Brown left
“Like, you know, when I left, it was a billion dollars.”
Insight
A second-time founder's main advantage is knowing what not to do
“When I started the second company, I had all this years of knowledge and understanding how things work and what makes sense. But I also knew the most important thing was I knew what not to do. What was a waste of time, money, and energy.”