Estee Lauder was born on July 1, 1908, a woman who built a cosmetics empire from scratch and became one of the most influential business people of the 20th century. Do you still think that a woman's place is in the kitchen? Then the Weekend project comes to you - with a list of business women who, by their example, prove the opposite.
1. Estee Lauder: magical recipes and the boss behind the counter
Estee Lauder, the daughter of Jewish immigrants, born in the slums of New York, went from selling natural homemade face creams to the owner of a cosmetics empire. In 2003, the Estee Lauder company she founded ranked 249th on the list of the 500 largest US corporations with annual revenue of $4.74 billion.
Secret of success : anti-aging cosmetics based on Uncle John's recipe plus a successful advertising strategy.
Business Principles:"Once you turn your back on a customer, you've lost him."
Estee Lauder was the first to offer her customers free samples and gifts for purchases and loved to consult clients herself.
“Time is not on your side, but I am!” - just one of her famous advertising slogans.
Evil tongues claimed that such a naive “feminine” approach would not lead to good, but the system launched by Lauder very soon bore fruit.
Estee Lauder, 1992, France
"Don't write angry letters"
Lauder preferred to work personally not only with clients, but also with staff: she spent a lot of time behind the counter, inspiring sellers with her example. “My current position is the result not of dreams or hopes, but of hard work,” she reminded her employees.
“If a woman who is engaged in business thinks about the success of her marriage, she must very subtly make her husband feel strong and significant - and then he will actually be strong and significant.”
Her husband Joseph supported Este in all her endeavors, being responsible for the financial affairs of the company; her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren continued the business when she retired at the age of 87. Now Estee Lauder is headed by the eldest of the two sons of Estee and Joseph - Leonard Lauder. He started working for the company as a delivery boy at the age of 10, and is now ranked 131st on the list of the world's billionaires.
2. Veuve Clicquot: champagne worthy of Pushkin
Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot (nee Ponsardin) was born in 1777 in Reims into the family of a wealthy textile industrialist. The father was able to successfully marry his daughter to the son of his colleague, Philippe Clicquot, who, in addition to the textile industry, also had a small wine business. The young couple began to develop their father's business, but in 1804 Monsieur Clicquot died unexpectedly, leaving the business in the hands of his widow. Today, the Veuve Clicquot brand ranks second in the world in terms of sales, second only to Moet & Chandon.
Secret of success : elite champagne created using innovative technologies for that time. It was invented under her new way production, significantly speeding up the production of champagne and ensuring the transparency of the drink: the bottles were now placed neck down so that the sediment collected in the neck, then they were frozen and the ice cap was removed along with the sediment.
Business Principles: Monitor your competitors
Leon Cognier. "Portrait of Veuve Clicquot", 1860-1862
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot tried to be one step ahead of her competitors - especially the main one - Jean-Rémy Moët. Secretly from everyone, she sent 75 boxes of champagne to Russia, which went “with a bang” in St. Petersburg at a price of 12 rubles per bottle. “...Of all the good wines that have already hit the heads of the northerners,” the manager reported to the hostess, “not one is like the bottling of 1811... This wonderful wine has a killer effect... Your wine is nectar, it is as strong as Hungarian wine as yellow as gold."
Veuve Clicquot or Moët
Blessed Wine
In a frozen bottle for a poet
It was immediately brought to the table.
(A.S. Pushkin, "Eugene Onegin")
Neither the war of 1812 nor trade restrictions stopped the victorious march of the widow Clicquot's champagne - Clicquot champagne was drunk on both sides of the barricades. And even Pushkin could not resist.
"No matter what happens, keep your face"
The only daughter of the widow Clicquot, Clementine (depicted in the picture above with her mother), was indifferent to the family business and was much more willing to marry Count Louis de Chevigne, a womanizer and gambler. At first, the Count happily squandered his mother-in-law’s fortune, and then he went ahead and published a brochure about his love affairs in the 18+ style. While her daughter was burning with shame, the widow Clicquot bought the entire edition and ordered it to be destroyed, but a couple of copies still survived to this day.
3. Helena Rubinstein: The stingy gets more
Helena (Chaya) Rubinstein was the eighth child in the family of a Krakow shopkeeper. Having mastered the basics of the medical profession, without knowing English, she went from Poland to Australia, where she began making face creams from local ingredients. One of the lines, containing herbs from the Carpathian Mountains, cost Helena ten pence a bottle and sold for six shillings - this woman always knew the value of money. Today, the Helena Rubinstein brand belongs to the L’Oréal corporation; its products are sold in 50 countries around the world.
Secret of success : the world's first chain of beauty salons - first in Australia, then in Europe and America, which used an integrated approach to the treatment of skin diseases. Rubinstein was the first to classify skin by type (dry/oily/normal) and came up with a three-step care system that is still used today. By the way, “Beauty Day”, after which the clients beamed (and are now beaming) with happiness, leaving a tidy sum in the salon, is also her know-how.
Business Principles: The stick-and-stick method
Portrait of Helena Rubinstein, a Polish-born woman who built a career in Austria.
Subordinates nicknamed Rubinstein “the tornado woman” and “the tyrant fighter”; she controlled every breath in her salons and continually cut employees’ salaries. Well-trained and hungry sellers ran away from the boss in dozens - straight into the arms of her closest competitor, Elizabeth Arden.
Saving is the path to wealth
One of the richest women in the world, Helena Rubinstein, was known as a real miser: she never dined in restaurants, preferring sandwiches made with her own hands, and bargained for every penny.
Even at the age of 92, Rubinstein could not be broken. She told the robbers who once broke into her penthouse: “You can kill me, but I won’t allow myself to be robbed.”
What Helena never spared money on was art, considering the purchase of paintings a profitable investment. She herself posed for Berard, Sutherland, Dali.
4. Coco Chanel: risk is a noble cause
“Fashion should be accepted, otherwise you will look ridiculous. However, new things should be accepted quietly, in small portions,” said the twentieth-century fashion legend Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel. A girl from a shelter, a seamstress in a ready-made dress shop, a singer in a café - Coco Chanel did not immediately have her own empire. But now the Chanel house is an example of luxury and elegance with an annual turnover of about 1.089 billion dollars.
Secret of success : little black dress and Chanel No. 5
Business Principles: "Don't marry men with change wallets"
Coco Chanel, 1920
Coco Chanel did not hide the fact that talent is talent, and her men helped her get on her feet. The first, Etienne, a wealthy heir and sportsman, put his apartment at Gabrielle’s disposal, where she opened her first workshop. A real support for her was the young Englishman Arthur Capel - Chanel's greatest love. He saw Coco as a promising entrepreneur and in 1910 helped her purchase premises on Rue Cambon in Paris, where she opened her first store. Very soon she opened a fashion house in the fashionable resort of Biarritz.
“I don’t do fashion. I myself am fashion,” said Coco.
Don't be afraid to start a revolution
Before Chanel, women were buried under kilometers of fabric and lace: tight skirts, huge bustles, trains and giant hats. She offered women unprecedented outfits, partly borrowed from the men's wardrobe, and was able to destroy the stereotype that black is a poor and mournful color. For five years, she produced only black, and things flew off store shelves in an instant. Chanel created fashion without paying attention to traditions, regardless of what was accepted and what was not.
Rise from the ashes if you have to
In the late 30s, with the outbreak of World War II, Coco Chanel was forced to close all her boutiques and moved to Switzerland, because in France they hated her for her affair with a Nazi officer - what a serious blow to her reputation!
It was only in 1953 that Chanel returned to Paris, where she had to rebuild her business. It took three years to return to its former glory, but now Coco began to produce not only women's clothing, and also bags, shoes, accessories.
Coco Chanel died in 1971, leaving no heirs. In 1965, the son of Chanel's longtime partner Pierre Wertheimer, Jacques, began managing the fashion business. Since 1983, the fashion direction has been led by Karl Lagerfeld, who has “revitalized the brand” and taken it to a new level.
5. Mary Kay Ash: Selling with Love
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of the company named after herself, is considered the most successful female entrepreneur in American history. As of January 2013, Mary Kay has global sales of more than $3 billion, and its products are distributed in 35 countries, where they are distributed by approximately 2.5 million independent consultants.
Secret of success : Mary Kay Ash didn't just start a cosmetics company. She created a new corporate culture, almost a religion, based on motivation, in which each team member has his own role and a magical job title - for example, National Leader. Mary Kay believes she has created a Company “that has a heart.”
Business Principles: "You can do it!"
This is the basis of Mary Kay’s philosophy, because she herself did the almost impossible - she made the whole world believe in the story of Cinderella again. At the age of 17, Mary Kay married, gave birth to three children, and a few years later her husband filed for divorce. For 25 years, Mary Kay worked as a sales agent, but without receiving a promotion (the position was given to a man), she quit at age 45 to write a book about women in business. In the process, Mary Kay realized that her manuscript was like a business plan for the ideal company she would like to work for. Then she decided to create it herself. In 1963, Mary Kay, with the support of her 20-year-old son Roger, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics with a starting capital of $5,000.
American entrepreneur and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mary Kay Ash
“The basis of a leader is not the mind, but the heart. You can love people and not be a leader for them, but you cannot be a leader and not love people.”
These kinds of business principles, invented by Mary Kay Ash, can be listed for a long time, and in the end this entire set resembles the Bible. However, sales figures prove that this industry of beauty and goodness does not work in vain, bringing happiness, if not to consumers, then to employees - for sure. Here is the “success story” of one of the National Leaders of the company, Angelina Antipenko, published on the Mary Kay website: “Looking back at the path I have traveled, I feel a huge positive change in myself and in the world around me. I learned giving and service at the Company. I opened my heart and “let into him all the love, all the beauty, all the energy that Mary Kay put into the Dream Company she created.”
6. Ruth Handler and the Barbie Universe
A simple American woman, Ruth Handler, worked from the age of 10 and knew exactly what she wanted to achieve in the future - go to college and earn money on her own. In 1945, together with her husband Elliot and his friend, she organized a company producing photo frames and toy furniture, which Ruth made from leftover wood, and then Barbie dolls, Ruth’s main invention. Mattel is now an international leader in the toy and family goods market and is one of America's top 100 employers. Barbie dolls account for a third of the corporation's sales.
Secret of success : a plastic blonde doll with curvaceous shapes, which replaced sexless baby dolls and became the favorite toy of girls all over the world from 1959 to the present day.
Business Principles: If you want to produce a product, watch consumers
Ruth Handler, inventor of the Barbie doll, introduces a special 40th anniversary doll. NY.
Ruth came up with the idea for her Barbie while watching her daughter Barbara play with a paper doll. “I believe that such toys do not contribute to the development of self-esteem in girls - she has no breasts at all!” Ruth later said. Barbie could be dressed in luxurious outfits and hairstyles, introduced to Ken and placed in a toy house - the production of millions of accessories, of course, was taken over by Mattel.
Television is the engine of sales
Even before the creation of Barbie, Ruth understood how best to promote the product - the Handlers for the first time advertised their toys on TV between the showing of Disney cartoons, while other manufacturers acted through the retailer. The company spent 500 thousand dollars on advertising, but two years later it earned 14 billion. Therefore, when adults were distrustful of the blonde novelty “with breasts,” Ruth already knew what to do and again turned to massive advertising on television. The first batch of Barbies in the amount of 351 pieces, costing $3 each, sold out instantly. In the first 10 years, Barbie brought $500 million into the pockets of the Handlers. Subsequently, Ruth Handler proved herself as a screenwriter when creating cartoons about her heroine, in particular, “Barbie and the Nutcracker.”
7. Oprah Winfrey: Everyone will talk
Last week, American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey topped Forbes magazine's list of the most powerful celebrities for the fifth time in her career. Oprah's net worth is estimated at $2.7 billion, a record for a woman in show business. She is the first and only black female billionaire in history and owns the Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah Magazine and satellite radio station Oprah Radio.
Secret of success : The Oprah Show, the most popular show on American television, ran for 25 seasons from 1986 to 2011. In the white leather chair opposite the presenter sat the great and famous - US presidents, including Barack Obama, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Whitney Houston, Sarah Palin, but even more - ordinary Americans with their own stories, problems, tragedies and recipes for happiness. Oprah is able to “split” any guest: even cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to doping on her show, although before that he had been silent for many years.
Business Principles: “Know that you are on the path to success if you do work for which you are not paid.”
From the moment Oprah began speaking, she was always on stage - as a child she interviewed crows on the fence, at school she grabbed every opportunity to show her oratory abilities, and participated in all competitions. At one of them - “Miss Fire Prevention” - she was noticed by the host of the WVOL radio station and invited her to read the news on air. This was her first paid job, Oprah combined work with study at high school and received one hundred dollars a week.
"You only get in life what you dare to ask for. Don't be afraid to raise the bar."
At the age of 17, Oprah Winfrey became the youngest local media reporter and the first black female television reporter in Nashville, and created her best show in 1986.
"The more you give, the more you receive."
Oprah's childhood was not easy - she lived with her grandmother on a farm, in a house without sewerage. At the age of 9, Oprah was raped by her cousin, at the age of 14 she gave birth to a son, who died after birth. It is unknown what would have happened to Oprah if it had not been for a government program that provided access to a prestigious suburban school. When the TV presenter began earning millions, she committed to paying for the education of poor black children. To date, Oprah has spent more than $400 million on charitable educational programs.
8. Indra Nooyi: business in a sari
Once upon a time, Indra Nooyi couldn’t afford a business suit, so she went to interviews in a sari, and today the CEO of PepsiCo is on the tenth line of the list of the most influential women world according to Forbes. The company's revenue grew 1.2% this year to $13 billion.
Secret of success : a good education. Indra realized early that learning is light. In college, she studied chemistry, physics and mathematics, then entered the Indian Institute of Management, after which she put her knowledge into practice at a branch of Johnson & Johnson. At the age of 22, she decided, contrary to tradition, to go to the United States and continue her studies at Yale University. “For a young girl from a conservative family, from the Brahmin caste to go abroad alone - it was impossible to imagine!” - she said later.
Business Principles: Work, work and work
PepsiCo President and CEO Indra Nooyi K. holds a bottle of Pepsi during a press conference in New Delhi on December 18, 2006.
The results of Indra's work speak for themselves. By 1994, the management specialist was being torn apart by giants General Electric and Pepsi, and she chose the latter, lured by the freedom she was given in her decisions. Nooyi managed to turn around its main competitor, Coca-Cola, and played a major role in two of Pepsi's most important deals: the purchase of the Tropicana brand and the acquisition of Quaker Oats. Thanks to her, Pepsi expanded its range and began producing snacks. By the way, Nooyi still often comes to work in a sari.
9. JK Rowling: wealth with a wave of a magic wand
Loser British housewife JK Rowling wrote six books, and this was enough to spend the rest of her life in luxury and wealth. Rowling is ranked 78th on Forbes' list of the world's most powerful women, is Britain's richest woman and can afford to build a mini-Hogwarts in her garden.
Secret of success : the story of the young wizard Harry Potter, written in an Edinburgh cafe, which captivated the world.
Business Principles: “I never set myself the goal of getting rich. Many years ago I received a letter from some organization - I think from America - which wanted to declare me entrepreneur of the year. I replied that, unfortunately, I had to refuse this title because "It's unlikely that I'll ever make a lot of money. That was never my plan. I just wrote a book and thought it was a good book. That's all."
Wealth really came suddenly to Rowling, and at first she didn’t really know what to do with it - she simply spent money left and right. But very soon Joan learned to control and increase the flow of income that her magical world brings - the production of films, souvenirs, publishing books, and so on. In 2012, books in the Potter series became available in electronic form on the Pottermore store. most the proceeds of which Rowling herself receives: she became the first writer who did not cede the rights to electronic sales to publishers. At the same time, Rowling first published a book for adults, “The Casual Vacancy,” which became a bestseller simply because it was written by the author of “Harry Potter.”
10. Elena Baturina: Moscow, the bells are ringing
In 2010, the former first lady of Moscow and the first Russian billionaire, Elena Baturina, was named one of the three richest businesswomen in the world according to Forbes magazine. In a 2012 interview with The Times, she estimated her fortune at $1.1-1.2 billion.
Secret of success : The Inteko company created by Baturina, which began with the production of plastic products - basins and chairs - under her leadership, became one of the most profitable enterprises in Russia. According to experts, "Inteko" by Elena Baturina is an entire era in the real estate market, a company that in the early 2000s shaped the market and dictated its development. Baturina’s activities in the Moscow housing market also caused a lot of criticism - the company was accused of receiving lucrative contracts due to the fact that Baturina is the wife of Yuri Luzhkov.
Business Principles: “It’s very good that I’m a woman. A woman will always find something to do.”
Elena Baturina began building her career even before meeting Yuri Luzhkov. After graduating from the evening department of the Ordzhonikidze Moscow Institute of Management, she got a job as a design technician at the Frezer plant, where her parents worked. Then Elena moved to the Moscow Institute of Economic Problems of Integrated Development of the National Economy, and worked on cooperation in the executive committee, where Yuri Luzhkov was the chairman of the commission. It was there that they met.
“She gave bribes, did not pay kickbacks”
In one of her interviews with the REN TV channel, Baturina admitted that her status as the wife of the mayor of Moscow did not help her get by without bribing officials. “The principle is very simple: you never know that she is the mayor’s wife, what should I lose on this?” said the former owner of Inteko.
“Business is international. You see, this is a purely Russian concept that Russian money should work only for Russia. No, business should work where it is convenient for it. Because when a person realizes himself in business, he realizes his ideas in business. In general, it doesn’t matter where they will be implemented.”
Several years ago, after her husband was fired from the post of mayor of the capital, Baturina sold the company and went to London, where both daughters of the couple study. She continues to grow her business internationally. Its main focus is investments in real estate and the hotel business.
Prepared by Elena Kostomarova
Society is accustomed to imposing on us the opinion that women are the weaker sex and they definitely need a strong shoulder nearby, a kind of “crutch” on which they could lean. The concept is also actively propagated that it is supposedly more difficult for girls to achieve something in life than for men. However, there are examples of women who managed to cope with incredible and cruel blows of fate that not even every man could deal with and ultimately emerge victorious. These girls are real warriors with colossal willpower, strong character and amazing determination. We invite you to look at them and be inspired by the stories of the “iron ladies”.
1. Cody Hall. She underwent 18 operations, then trained herself to be a surgeon.
A girl from the UK who was born with a complex facial deformity. None of the doctors wanted to take care of the baby, but Cody’s mom and dad didn’t give up and organized a charity fundraiser to help their daughter get rid of the disease. The baby, at the age of one year, went to the USA and underwent her first surgical intervention.
When Cody turned 14, the number of operations performed reached an incredible level - she was sent to surgeons 18 times! But, despite all the difficulties, she tried to live like other people: she studied at school and received good grades. It was not easy for the girl to communicate with her peers, but she did not allow the slightest manifestations of pity or ridicule towards her.
Today Cody Hall married the guy she fell in love with as a schoolgirl and works in the surgery department, helping people like her once. The girl was able to overcome her fears and to this day inspires many patients to win the fight against the disease.
2. Malala Yousafzai. Became a pioneering human rights activist who achieved permission for women's education in Islamic states
Malala is a true heroine and inspiration for a huge number of girls around the world. The girl became famous after she began publishing scathing posts on her personal blog when the Pakistani authorities signed a decree banning female education.
Malala's opinion caused a wide resonance in society, because of which the girl suffered threats from haters in her homeland, and even survived an attempt on her life, receiving severe injuries and falling into a coma.
At the age of 20, Malala achieved great success, and all thanks to her strong character and willpower: she is educated at Oxford and helps other girls study. The heroine was awarded the Nobel Prize, initiated the opening of a school for refugees from Syria and published a book under the bright and short title “I am Malala.”
3. Mikayla Holmgren. The world's first girl with Down syndrome to become a finalist in the Miss USA pageant.
The girl became the winner of the Miss Stunning contest, organized for girls with limited opportunities. Mikayla went further and took part in Miss Minnesota, and then made her debut as the first participant with Down syndrome in the popular Miss USA beauty pageant.
Mikayla actively participates in charity events, does gymnastics and dancing, and also gets an education. The girl has become an example for other people with the same diagnosis and once again proves that nothing is impossible in life.
4. Sarah Moore. Takes care of elderly island residents while working 9 jobs
Once upon a time, a girl decided to leave the big city and refused all the benefits and advantages of such a life. She settled on a small Scottish island, whose population is mainly elderly people who cannot handle the hard work.
Sarah began to work in 9 jobs at once: air traffic controller, guardian, postman, fire rescuer, shepherd, clerk of the island council, baggage handler on aircraft, excavator operator on farms, guide at the only lighthouse of the island.
The girl does not at all regret the radical change in her way of life; she admits that she has made new friends and no longer faces feelings of loneliness, and the island’s inhabitants love her for her love of life, courage and kind heart. Everyday hellish work and the visible lack of quality prospects do not prevent her from feeling happy and needed.
5. Bethany Hamilton. Lost an arm to a shark, but achieved success in the sport of surfing
A 13-year-old girl was attacked and bitten off by a tiger shark. left hand. But Bethany did not consider herself a victim and, having overcome her fear and sense of hopelessness, still continued to learn to surf.
Now Hamilton is a happy wife and mother and is still doing what she loves. She took 2nd place at the World Championships, and a book was published and a film was made based on her life.
6. Liz Murray. Former street urchin achieved academic success by graduating from Harvard
The girl grew up in a dysfunctional family: drug-addicted parents constantly beat her, she was forced to endure endless quarrels and beatings. Over time, Liz became ashamed of this situation and dropped out of school, getting involved with street hooligans. At the age of 15, the girl wandered the streets and found a place to sleep with her seriously ill mother only on the benches of the city.
It seems that the story should have ended sadly, but Liz pulled herself together and successfully completed school, and then Harvard. Despite the fact that her father once kicked her out of the house, she looked after him and cared for him, forgetting about her grievances.
Today, Liz works as a talented speaker and writer. The girl restores people's faith in themselves and shows by her example that in life there are absolutely no obstacles on the path to happiness.
Don't be upset if you still haven't found your calling. The most valuable successes in life do not come overnight. Majority successful people came to their successful self-realization much later than they wanted in their youth.
Below are life examples that are known in the history of business, when success came only closer to the second half of life. But, nevertheless, no one regrets anything. After all, their achievements that they gave to this world will continue to benefit people for decades to come. The self-realization of each of us benefits the whole world. Therefore, every person should devote his entire life to his self-realization. After all, this is the main success in the life of each of us.
People who became successful businessmen at retirement age
Businessmen who achieved success in old age:
- Ray Kroc founded McDonald's at age 52.
All his life, Ray strived to create his own business. Whatever he had to do. From a paper cup salesman to a real estate agent (performed in a jazz orchestra, worked at a radio station). For some time I had to sell mixers for catering establishments. One day I met the McDonald brothers, who ran an unusual restaurant with the fastest possible customer service in the small town of Des Plaines. In fact, the business idea itself found Ray and he put all his life experience into it. Ray bought the restaurant, did not change the name, but significantly improved the business. Equipped with everything necessary equipment For instant cooking dishes. Experience as a real estate agent brought the idea to create a whole chain of such restaurants. In addition, sell franchises and make money from renting real estate (your own restaurants). During his life, starting at the age of 52, Ray managed to create: the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, McDonald's; University of Hamburgerology; several charitable foundations. - Amancio Ortega, owner of the Zara chain (a large chain of clothing stores).
Amancio was born into a poor family and did not even finish high school. At the age of 13, he already worked as a messenger for a tailor, who sewed only for wealthy clients. Then he was engaged in crimping fabrics and drapery, and later became an apprentice to an Italian fashion designer. The young man not only sewed, but also learned the pricing scheme in his craft. Even then, he had the idea to reduce the number of markups, which underlies the concept of the Zara clothing empire. At the age of 25, Amancio worked as a sales manager for a clothing store. At that time, his concept was confirmed: the narrow market for expensive clothing can be expanded by reducing costs. Then, as an experiment, Amancio bought expensive fabrics and, using his own patterns, sewed clothes, saving significantly on material. The clothes quickly sold out. Its price was affordable even for ordinary students. At the age of 27, Amancinio and his wife decided to open their own knitting factory. The main products were dressing gowns, nightgowns and lingerie. But business developed very slowly. When Amancio turned 39, he unexpectedly received his largest order for the supply of white linen. To implement a large order, it was necessary to invest all available capital. From the proceeds of a large order, the first Zara store in Spain was created. And after 10 years, the Zara chain of stores spread throughout Europe. In the European market, where there is high competition for expensive clothing, the then unknown brand Zara did not cause fear of losing market share. But Zara created a stir among customers with each opening of a new store. The clothes attracted people with low prices, high quality fabrics and super fashionable designs. This is how Paris, New York and other major cities around the world were later conquered. Another important “secret weapon” of Zara was the ability to change collections in just a few days. In 2001, Amancio Ortega decided to place a quarter of the shares on a public exchange. Demand immediately skyrocketed by 22% the very next day. This is how Amancio Ortega became the third richest man in Spain. - Mary Kay Ash, founder of the Mary Kay company producing cosmetics for women and men.
Until the age of 45, she was engaged in direct sales, working as an agent in various companies. After a successful 25-year career, Mary Kay Ash taught men her craft. That was until one of the students was put in charge of Mary with a salary 2 times higher than his teacher. This fact motivated Mary Kay Ash to write a book that would help women achieve greater opportunities in their careers. The book was written in the format of a marketing plan, which served as a tool for creating her own Mary Kay company. At the age of 45, Mary decides to invest all her experience and all her savings of $5,000 in creating her own business based on direct sales of cosmetics. The secret of the Mary Kay company concept is simple: inspiring employees to success and career growth, taking into account all the standards of the business world. During her life, Mary Kay Ash wrote 3 books that became bestsellers. The book with her autobiography has sold 1 million copies worldwide in several languages. The book “On the Ability to Work with People” is now a teaching material at Harvard Business School. The book “All This Can Be Yours” became a bestseller in the first days of sales. - Henry Ford created Ford his own automobile company after 40 years.
Born into a family of farmers in the Detroit area. At the age of 16, he ran away from home to work in Detroit. Over time, he held the position of acting mechanical engineer, and after a while he already worked as chief engineer. When Henry turned 30, in his free time from work, he assembled his first car. At the age of 36, he became a co-owner of the Detroit Automobile Company. But due to disagreements, he left at the age of 39 to create his own company producing affordable cars. The company's slogan: “a car for everyone.” Immediately after the start of work, the Ford Motor Company faced a monopolist competitor in the segment of affordable cars. Success came to the company when Ford was already 45 years old. The company then released the successful Model T in 1908. During his life, Henry was awarded 161 US patents. He pioneered the use of an industrial assembly line for mass production of automobiles. He wrote the book “My Life, My Achievements,” which became the basis for the political economic phenomenon of Fordism.
- JK Rowling and the Harry Potter series of books.
The famous British writer, before her popularity, worked as a secretary-translator of scientific works of Amnesty International. Over time, she divorced her husband. By the age of 32, she was a single mother and lived on benefits. The idea to write a book arose when I was 25 years old, it was 1990. But at first it was more like a hobby. In 1997, the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published and JK Rowling's life changed dramatically. Over the course of 10 years, 6 Harry Potter sequels were published. In total, the books have sold more than 400 million copies and won several awards. Now JK Rowling writes adult books, for example the crime novel The Cuckoo's Calling.
Each of these people, achieving success in their lives, brought great benefits to other people. In the history of business, there are many more successful individuals and life examples when people do not immediately find their purpose, but spend their whole lives on it. And it's worth it.
The richest women in Russia in 2016. PHOTO
The richest Russian women of 2016 have been named. The rating is headed by Elena Baturina, Elena Rybolovleva and Tatyana Bakalchuk.
The leaders in the top 25 richest Russian women are Elena Baturina, Elena Rybolovleva and Tatyana Bakalchuk.
1. Elena Baturina - $1.1 billion
Once again, the wife of the ex-mayor of Moscow, Elena Baturina, topped the list of the richest women in Russia. Her fortune is estimated at $1.1 billion.
Most part of time ex-wife Luzhkova spends his time in London, but prefers to invest in Europe and the USA. The 53-year-old entrepreneur, philanthropist and philanthropist is the president of Inteco Management, which owns a chain of hotels.
2. Elena Rybolovleva - $600 million
A graduate of the Perm Medical Academy, Elena Rybolovleva, is the ex-wife of Perm billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. In 2015, as a result of the divorce proceedings with Dmitry Rybolovlev, she sued her ex-husband for $604 million. Now she lives in Switzerland with her youngest daughter Anna.
3. Tatyana Bakalchuk – $500 million
General Director of the Wildberries online store.
In 2004, a teacher in English While on maternity leave, she decided to earn a little money by reselling clothes on the Internet from German catalogs Otto and Quelle, and seeing her wife’s success, her husband Vladislav helped Tatyana Bakalchuk found an online store. “We had no idea that this would be a super project,” Bakalchuk admitted to reporters. Today, a small family business is the largest online clothing store in Runet.
4. Olga Belyavtseva – $400 million
Member of the Board of Directors of Progress Capital.
Founder of the Assol company, which was the main distributor of the Lebedyansky plant. In 2004, Olga exchanged her company for a 20% stake in the plant, using Foreign experience business planning, and I was right. Already in 2008, Belyavtseva sold her part of the shares for $330 million.
Currently, it owns 25% of the shares of the Progress plant, which was previously removed from the patronage of Lebedyansky, which produces mineral water and baby food, is a member of the company's board of directors.
5. Natalia Lutsenko – $325 million
Co-owner of the Sodrugestvo Group of Companies.
Natalya and Alexander Lutsenko started a business in 1994 in Minsk with trade in feed and feed additives, later they bought several poultry farms in Russia and Ukraine and a plant for the production of protein and vitamin supplements in Denmark.
Now the Sodrugestvo Group of Companies is Russia’s largest supplier of soybeans and manufacturer vegetable oils, including soybean. Factories are located in Russia, Denmark and Brazil. Sodrugestvo Group of Companies is developing a logistics business: building terminals for transshipment of agricultural products (in particular, in Kaliningrad it owns a terminal for transshipment of tropical vegetable oils).
6. Irina Abramovich – $300 million
Private investor.
The ex-wife of the famous oligarch Roman Abramovich.
7. Evgenia Guryeva – $260 million
Member of the board of Andrey Guryev's charitable foundation.
Wife of former senator from the Murmansk region Andrei Guryev.
8. Maria Sharapova – $260 million
Famous Russian tennis player.
9. Natalia Kasperskaya – $190 million
CEO of the InfoWatch group of companies, founder of Kaspersky Lab.
10. Natalia Fileva – $190 million
The main owner of Siberia and Globus airlines.
In 1997, spouses Natalia and Vladislav Filev bought shares of Siberia Airlines from employees. Immediately after the 1998 crisis, they became the owners of a controlling stake in the enterprise and began developing the business through the takeover of small air carriers. Now the airliners of Siberia Airlines carry over 10 million passengers. Natalya Fileva graduated from NSTU and graduate school of the Moscow State University technical university civil aviation.
11.
Lyudmila Antipova – $170 million. Co-owner of the Ariant group.
12.
Marina Sedykh – $160 million. General Director and co-owner of the Irkutsk Oil Company.
13.
Guzelia Safina – $145 million. Deputy General Director of TAIF.
14.
Hob's Love - $140 million. Member of the Board of NK Lukoil.
15.
Elena Kretova – $135 million. Co-owner of the Ariant group.
16.
Olga Shuvalova – $125 million. Private investor.
17.
Lyudmila Andreeva – $100 million. Co-owner of 220 Volt.
18.
Lyudmila Aristova – $100 million. Co-owner of the Ariant group.
19.
Olga Golubeva – $95 million. Chairman of the Board of St. Petersburg City Bank.
20.
Svetlana Bortsova - $90 million. Co-owner of Progress Capital.
21.
Nina Metlenko – $90 million. Vice-President for Economics, MPBC "Ochakovo".
22.
Alisa Chumachenko – $80 million. Private investor.
23.
Tatyana Orlova – $75 million. Member of the Board of Directors of Flybridge Asset Management.
24.
Alla Rakshina – $75 million. Financial Director of Maria-Ra.
25.
Galina Rakshina – $75 million. Co-owner of the Maria-Ra retail chain.
She was looking for a rich husband. The answer she received from the banker simply killed everyone!
This girl was looking for a rich husband using dating forums. She wrote the following:
“I’m not going to lie about why I’m here. This year I turn 25 years old. I am very attractive. WITH good taste and a sense of style. I want to marry a guy who earns 500+ thousand dollars a year. You may assume that I am selfish. But no. This is wrong. Just so you understand: in New York, anyone who earns a million dollars a year is considered a member of the middle class. And I don't want to be a beggar.
My conditions are not that impossible. There is someone on this site whose annual income is 500 thousand.
dollars? Or are you all already married? Another question: “What do I need to do to marry a rich man like you?”
Everyone I dated before didn't make more than 250k a year. So it seems like that's the ceiling for me. Can you answer a few questions I have? For example:
1) Where do you rich bachelors usually hang out? (Please write your favorite bars, restaurants, gyms, preferably with addresses).
2) What age of men should I target?
3) Why are most rich men’s wives such ugly women?
4) How do you know who is suitable to be your wife and who is only suitable as a girlfriend? The role of a girl does not interest me as much as the role of a future wife.
I can't wait to hear from you.
Your Beauty."
The CEO of one of the largest US banks responded to her this way:
“Dear Beauty!
I read your message on the forum with great interest. I assume that many girls have the same problems. Let me analyze your situation from an investment point of view.
My annual income is more than 500 thousand dollars. This is exactly what you are looking for. So I'm sure I'm not wasting my time. As a businessman, I can say that marrying you is a bad decision. Everything is very simple. Let me explain to you why.
What you are trying to do is barter “beauty” for “money”, i.e., subject A offers beauty, and subject B pays for it. There seemed to be no tricks.
Despite this, the big problem is that your beauty will fade, but my money will not be lost without obvious reasons. In the future, my income will most likely increase, unlike your beauty.
In economic terms, we are two assets. My value will rise, and yours will fall. And not just like that, but in geometric progression.
Imagine that a relationship with you is an act of trade. Like any trade on Wall Street, they have a position.
If the market price of you as an asset has fallen, we will sell it. It is simply pointless to continue to own such an asset. The same goes for the marriage you so strive for. As cruel as it may sound, the best solution to the issue of assets that quickly and rapidly depreciate is to sell or lease them.
Any man who earns more than 500 thousand dollars a year cannot, a priori, be a fool. Of course, people like me will only date you, but will never marry you. My advice to you is to quit this search. Better look for ways to get rich and earn that much money per year on your own. Then the chances of finding a rich fool will increase.
I hope that my answers will be useful to you."
And it's true. True beauty is not a colorful wrapper, but what lies deep inside.
Something that never fades - neither tomorrow, nor in 50 years.
Many people want to open their own business, but the fear of failure prevents them from realizing their dream: little money, no premises, no money to buy equipment, corruption... The stories of those who have achieved success show that even in difficult times you can make a profit. Their secret is in development interesting ideas, hard work, development orientation, cost reduction and building strong relationships with clients and partners.
Is it worth opening a business during a crisis? What are the prospects? What to do if there is no start-up capital? How to act when you lack knowledge and experience? There are many reasons why potential entrepreneurs give up their dream of starting their own business (see Figure 1).
Fig. 1 Key problems at the stage of starting a business
For some, these difficulties become a real obstacle, while others believe that a crisis is not the best the right time to start a successful business from scratch. Examples of those who, despite difficulties, open their own business, convince us of the opposite.
Story 1. Mini golf for everyone
The idea of creating a mini-golf club belongs to Nizhny Novgorod students Philip Mazurov and Ksenia Zhirkova. In the summer of 2015, the guys developed a business plan, rented premises in a popular shopping and entertainment complex in the center of Dzerzhinsk, purchased equipment via the Internet and organized an advertising campaign.
Initial investment - 200,000 rubles.
Self-sufficiency - 3 months.
Now, according to Philip, there is a payback period for equipment and advertising.
What is the secret of success?
- In democracy. Even in the regional center there is only one mini-golf course - in a closed club, it is not intended for everyone. Philip and Ksenia made mini-golf accessible by giving lessons to those interested at a price of 150 rubles per hour
- In the absence of hired employees: entrepreneurs are still making do on their own
- The mini golf club is in a good location: its regular visitors are families with children, local entrepreneurs, and fans of this sport of all ages.
- Health benefits: mini golf develops coordination, dexterity, eye, accuracy, and the ability to control your body.
- In easy promotion: the mini golf club quickly became popular due to word of mouth, distribution of flyers and stationary advertising in the shopping center.
Our immediate plans include holding a city mini-golf tournament.
Story 2. Prepare gifts in summer
The idea of distributing New Year's gifts belongs to the head of the Snezhel company from Nizhny Novgorod, Ilya Petrov.
The entrepreneur saw that there was a growing demand in the market for products not of “conveyor” quality, but aimed at a specific customer, and he occupied a vacant niche.
Initial investment - 600,000 rubles.
Profitability in the first year is 50%.
Today the company's turnover is more than 5 million rubles.
The history of this enterprise is a vivid example successful business from scratch, which its founder objectively calls “ultra-seasonal”: the New Year holidays are just a few days, and preparation for them lasts the whole year: from forming an assortment to packaging gifts.
What is the secret of success?
- Actively developing and maintaining a client base. Not a single corporate customer was lost during the crisis
- From reliable suppliers. 7 years ago, the basis of gifts from Snezheli were ROSHEN products, now - sweets from Moscow, Novosibirsk, Belgorod, Murmansk
- Entering the retail segment (kindergartens, schools). Snezhel contrasts low-quality store gifts with products carefully selected in accordance with the tastes of customers with the obligatory new items in the assortment.
- At affordable prices: the enterprise “operates without attracting additional capital or borrowed money, which allows it not to raise prices by including interest on the loan.
This type of business has a number of risks: you may not get the assortment right, you may not be able to sell pre-ordered packaging with the symbols of the year, you may not have time to hire packers during the season and rent space for a temporary warehouse. The success of “Snezheli” lies in competent planning of activities: early study of the assortment, demand for the composition of gifts. Instead of hiring employees during the pre-New Year “marathon”, redistribute functionality between full-time employees with experience, enter into a long-term contract with the warehouse, taking into account the seasonality of the business.
Story 3. Family photo studio
One of the most competitive segments of the service market is photo studios, however, active and creative people achieve success here too. An example is the family photo studio “On the Moon” by Nizhny Novgorod photographer Alena Beznosova.
The initial investment is 170 thousand rubles for the renovation of the premises, the purchase of equipment, the installation of decorations and interiors.
Payback - 4 months.
Tatyana Alekseeva, 2016-07-31
17 Inspiring Movies About Great Women You Should Know About
A cure for depression in a convenient dosage!
We all have those days when we give up and want to hide away from the whole world in a closet, turn off the phone and pretend to be dead.
At such moments, more than anything else, you want to see some proof that all is not lost. And the best consolation is to watch a good film about those who have achieved dizzying success, despite much more difficult obstacles...
Here are 17 biographical films about strong women that will restore your self-confidence:
17. Diana: A Love Story (2013).
Princess Diana is the most popular woman of her time, called “the princess of people’s hearts” during her lifetime. She won the hearts of millions, everyone confessed their love to her - from the prince of England to powerful billionaires.
But who did she love?
16. Lovelace (2013).
The life story of the famous porn actress Linda Lovelace, who played the main character in the film “Deep Throat”.
A young, inexperienced girl meets her future tormentor, and part-time husband, who, without thinking twice, brings her into the porn business. Once in sexual slavery, Linda becomes completely dependent on her husband and is doomed to fulfill all his whims and desires.
To force his young wife to be obedient, her husband beats her. It is on beatings and coercion that the porn career of a girl known to millions of fans of this genre is built...
15. Joan of Arc (1999).
One day during the Hundred Years' War, 19-year-old Frenchwoman Jeanne has a vision in the forest, which eventually comes true. She knew that her village would be burned to the ground, her own sister would be raped and then killed.
This is what happened, but the seer could not prevent the trouble.
After what happened, the strong-willed d’Arc goes to the Dauphin Charles with new tips from above and asks for an army to withstand several battles. The girl is given a detachment, and within four days she neutralizes the enemy, not suspecting that such heroism will play a cruel joke on her...
14. The Iron Lady (2011).
Margaret Thatcher is not just a woman, and the “Iron Lady” is not just a nickname. This one is absolutely unique person became an example for many, and almost everyone is familiar with her great achievements.
But what was Thatcher's life like from the inside? This is exactly what the film is about. The biography of the 71st Prime Minister of Great Britain from the very beginning of her career in politics to the present day will allow the viewer to become better acquainted with an amazing woman who was able to reach unprecedented heights and win the respect of millions of men...
13. Selena (1997).
The inimitable Jennifer Lopez starred in a biopic about the life of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a famous performer of Latin American music in the early 1990s.
Selena was from a Tex-Mex family. The singer’s creative path began in early childhood, when the girl was only 9 years old. Already at the age of 12, Selena recorded a studio album with the group, and 3 years later the young singer received her first award.
At a very young age, Selena gained incredible popularity and began releasing her own clothing collection. The film tells the story of the resounding success that fell on the head of a talented Latina, and about the tragic events that cut short bright life singers...
12. Joanna - a woman on the papal throne (2009).
The plot of the film takes place near the Vatican in 814, when an amazing girl, Joanna, is born. Since childhood she has been growing smart child, ahead of many boys in his thirst for knowledge.
Soon Joanna realizes that it is impossible for a woman to achieve high positions and recognition of society on an equal basis with men. Having received better education As soon as she can, Joanna dresses up as a boy, breaks ties with the family who can give her away, and goes to the Vatican to serve the church. There she becomes the personal physician of Pope Sergius, and soon she herself takes his place...
11. Coco before Chanel (2009).
The story of Coco Chanel before she became famous throughout the world.
Growing up in an orphanage, Gabriel and his sister were accustomed to relying only on themselves in life. During the day they work as seamstresses, and at night they entertain the public with light songs in the restaurant. Because of the especially popular chansonette at that time, our heroine was given the nickname Coco.
Gabriel meets officer Etienne Balsan, a wealthy visitor to their establishment. He invites the girl to stay at his estate. It is assumed that there will be a large interesting company there.
Among the guests, the Englishman Arthur stands out, and Coco is intrigued by him. Strong feelings overwhelmed the couple, but will the lovers be able to be together?..
10. Jackie (2016).
Dozens of books have been written and many films made about Jacqueline Kennedy - the first lady of the United States in the early 1960s, the most popular woman of her time, a style icon - but the enormous interest in her life has not faded over the years.
In this film, the authors reproduced one of the tragic moments in American history - the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas - and the few days that followed, showing these events through the eyes of Jacqueline herself. The whole world admired her fortitude, dignity and self-control. But what did this woman really go through?..
9. Jia (1998).
Angelina Jolie played the famous 1970s model Gia Carangi, who became the first dark-haired girl on the covers of glossy magazines. The story that forms the basis of the film is woven from many memories of the girl’s friends, her relatives and people who once worked with her. From an incredibly bright and extraordinary person by the age of 26, she turned into a complete drug addict.
At a very early age, unprecedented popularity and huge fees fell on her head. After leaving her job at her father's diner, she set off to conquer New York, where she managed to make her childhood dream come true. But, despite her beauty and fame, she was never able to find a loved one who could support her in difficult times. Within a few years, she fell from the Olympus of fame, descending to trading in a supermarket, and then prostitution...
8. Julie and Julia: Cooking happiness according to the recipe (2009).
A film about two women from different generations, whose destinies nevertheless intersect thanks to their love of cooking.
One writes a blog, trying to brighten up the gray office days with her favorite hobby. The second is the ambassador's wife, trying to realize herself. Both find solace in cooking.
The film is about how, in an effort to achieve a cherished goal, the main thing is not to give up what you started halfway, to withstand all the tests, to remain optimistic and to appreciate the support of loved ones.
7. Big eyes (2014).
In the film we see America in the heyday of the bright 1950s. A completely new, previously unknown movement is emerging in art - pop art.
The creator of this trend is called the artist Walter Keane, who paints pictures of children with huge eyes. The works of the new master become a hit, Walter gains incredible fame as a genius of modern art, gaining more and more popularity.
But suddenly his wife Margaret accuses her husband of fraud, declaring that she is the true author of the paintings. So who is the liar in this story?..
6. Wild (2014).
Having survived the death of her mother and separated from her husband, Cheryl Strayed decides to give herself a third test. A 26-year-old writer sets off on foot along a dangerous 2,650-mile mountain route.
Having worn her feet bloody, enduring many dangerous days and nights, she meets amazing people on her way, rethinks her existence and learns to enjoy life again...
5. What Love Can Do (1993).
Few rock superstars have had such a dramatic fate as Tina Turner.
Born Anna Mae Bullock, this modest girl seemed to have pulled out a lucky ticket at the moment when the successful musician and producer Ike Turner became her husband.
Even in her wildest dreams, she could not foresee that when her fame outgrew her husband’s popularity, her life would become a nightmare.
Ike turned from a wonderful guy into a monster, out of jealousy for her fame, beating his wife half to death. And who knows what the singer’s fate would have been like if not for music...
4. Queen (2006).
A film interpretation of the behind-the-scenes relationship between Queen Elizabeth II of England and Prime Minister Tony Blair, developing against the backdrop of numerous problems that arose in connection with the tragic death of Princess Diana.
August 1997. The beloved of the United Kingdom, Princess Diana, died in a car accident. Queen Elizabeth II, despite all the expectations of British society, retires to Balmoral Castle, where she tries to understand the full scale of the loss that has befallen Great Britain.
However, newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair understands that the current situation could turn ordinary Britons away from the throne. Therefore, the entire burden of responsibility falls on his shoulders to find a compromise between the deeply personal tragedy of the royal house and the desire of the public to see its public manifestations...
3. Frida (2002).
A biographical film about Mexico's most famous artist, Frida Kahlo.
Having had a terrible accident in her youth, Frida breaks her spine. Doctors put an end to her full life, doubting that the girl will ever be able to get back on her feet. Lying in a cast, she draws self-portraits, in this way escaping from boredom.
Despite doctors' predictions, Frida learns to walk again. Having become famous thanks to her talented works, the girl agrees to become the wife of ladies' man Diego Rivera.
He is faithful to her in his thoughts, but in life he regularly cheats on her, citing the polygamous nature of men...
2. Elizabeth (1998).
Shortly before the Protestant Elizabeth ascended the throne, people of her faith were considered heretics and burned at the stake. When she became the head of England, it was a weak and disorderly state - and besides, she herself was called a heretic.
To gain a foothold on the throne, Elizabeth had to show her strength. She began by establishing a united Protestant Church in England. Now she needs to enter into a suitable marriage and give birth to an heir - but her lover Lord Robert Dudley is not a suitable match.
To do right choice, the queen will have to figure out which of her advisors she can trust without fear of being stabbed in the back...
1. La Vie En Rose (2007).
A biopic about the famous French singer Edith Piaf, who managed to captivate the whole world with her voice. The star's story is told in stages, from birth to sad death from an incurable disease.
The story begins in early childhood, when the mother gives the girl Edith to the care of her grandmother. Experiencing the world in poverty, surrounded by discrimination, she was able to impress the owner of a Parisian cabaret, who hired her. She learned to be beautiful, to please the public, to work with accompaniment - and soon felt the first rays of fame...
Estee Lauder was born on July 1, 1908, a woman who built a cosmetics empire from scratch and became one of the most influential business people of the 20th century. Do you still think that a woman's place is in the kitchen? Then the Weekend project comes to you - with a list of business women who, by their example, prove the opposite.
1. Estee Lauder: magical recipes and the boss behind the counter
Estee Lauder, the daughter of Jewish immigrants, born in the slums of New York, went from selling natural homemade face creams to the owner of a cosmetics empire. In 2003, the Estee Lauder company she founded ranked 249th on the list of the 500 largest US corporations with annual revenue of $4.74 billion.
Secret of success : anti-aging cosmetics based on Uncle John's recipe plus a successful advertising strategy.
Business Principles:"Once you turn your back on a customer, you've lost him."
Estee Lauder was the first to offer her customers free samples and gifts for purchases and loved to consult clients herself.
“Time is not on your side, but I am!” - just one of her famous advertising slogans.
Evil tongues claimed that such a naive “feminine” approach would not lead to good, but the system launched by Lauder very soon bore fruit.
Estee Lauder, 1992, France
"Don't write angry letters"
Lauder preferred to work personally not only with clients, but also with staff: she spent a lot of time behind the counter, inspiring sellers with her example. “My current position is the result not of dreams or hopes, but of hard work,” she reminded her employees.
“If a woman who is engaged in business thinks about the success of her marriage, she must very subtly make her husband feel strong and significant - and then he will actually be strong and significant.”
Her husband Joseph supported Este in all her endeavors, being responsible for the financial affairs of the company; her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren continued the business when she retired at the age of 87. Now Estee Lauder is headed by the eldest of the two sons of Estee and Joseph - Leonard Lauder. He started working for the company as a delivery boy at the age of 10, and is now ranked 131st on the list of the world's billionaires.
2. Veuve Clicquot: champagne worthy of Pushkin
Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot (nee Ponsardin) was born in 1777 in Reims into the family of a wealthy textile industrialist. The father was able to successfully marry his daughter to the son of his colleague, Philippe Clicquot, who, in addition to the textile industry, also had a small wine business. The young couple began to develop their father's business, but in 1804 Monsieur Clicquot died unexpectedly, leaving the business in the hands of his widow. Today, the Veuve Clicquot brand ranks second in the world in terms of sales, second only to Moet & Chandon.
Secret of success : elite champagne created using innovative technologies for that time. Under her, a new production method was invented that significantly speeded up the production of champagne and ensured the transparency of the drink: the bottles were now placed neck down so that the sediment collected in the neck, then they were frozen and the ice cap was removed along with the sediment.
Business Principles: Monitor your competitors
Leon Cognier. "Portrait of Veuve Clicquot", 1860-1862
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot tried to be one step ahead of her competitors - especially the main one - Jean-Rémy Moët. Secretly from everyone, she sent 75 boxes of champagne to Russia, which went “with a bang” in St. Petersburg at a price of 12 rubles per bottle. “...Of all the good wines that have already hit the heads of the northerners,” the manager reported to the hostess, “not one is like the bottling of 1811... This wonderful wine has a killer effect... Your wine is nectar, it is as strong as Hungarian wine as yellow as gold."
Veuve Clicquot or Moët
Blessed Wine
In a frozen bottle for a poet
It was immediately brought to the table.
(A.S. Pushkin, "Eugene Onegin")
Neither the war of 1812 nor trade restrictions stopped the victorious march of the widow Clicquot's champagne - Clicquot champagne was drunk on both sides of the barricades. And even Pushkin could not resist.
"No matter what happens, keep your face"
The only daughter of the widow Clicquot, Clementine (depicted in the picture above with her mother), was indifferent to the family business and was much more willing to marry Count Louis de Chevigne, a womanizer and gambler. At first, the Count happily squandered his mother-in-law’s fortune, and then he went ahead and published a brochure about his love affairs in the 18+ style. While her daughter was burning with shame, the widow Clicquot bought the entire edition and ordered it to be destroyed, but a couple of copies still survived to this day.
3. Helena Rubinstein: The stingy gets more
Helena (Chaya) Rubinstein was the eighth child in the family of a Krakow shopkeeper. Having mastered the basics of the medical profession, without knowing English, she went from Poland to Australia, where she began making face creams from local ingredients. One of the lines, containing herbs from the Carpathian Mountains, cost Helena ten pence a bottle and sold for six shillings - this woman always knew the value of money. Today, the Helena Rubinstein brand belongs to the L’Oréal corporation; its products are sold in 50 countries around the world.
Secret of success : the world's first chain of beauty salons - first in Australia, then in Europe and America, which used an integrated approach to the treatment of skin diseases. Rubinstein was the first to classify skin by type (dry/oily/normal) and came up with a three-step care system that is still used today. By the way, “Beauty Day”, after which the clients beamed (and are now beaming) with happiness, leaving a tidy sum in the salon, is also her know-how.
Business Principles: The stick-and-stick method
Portrait of Helena Rubinstein, a Polish-born woman who built a career in Austria.
Subordinates nicknamed Rubinstein “the tornado woman” and “the tyrant fighter”; she controlled every breath in her salons and continually cut employees’ salaries. Well-trained and hungry sellers ran away from the boss in dozens - straight into the arms of her closest competitor, Elizabeth Arden.
Saving is the path to wealth
One of the richest women in the world, Helena Rubinstein, was known as a real miser: she never dined in restaurants, preferring sandwiches made with her own hands, and bargained for every penny.
Even at the age of 92, Rubinstein could not be broken. She told the robbers who once broke into her penthouse: “You can kill me, but I won’t allow myself to be robbed.”
What Helena never spared money on was art, considering the purchase of paintings a profitable investment. She herself posed for Berard, Sutherland, Dali.
4. Coco Chanel: risk is a noble cause
“Fashion should be accepted, otherwise you will look ridiculous. However, new things should be accepted quietly, in small portions,” said the twentieth-century fashion legend Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel. A girl from a shelter, a seamstress in a ready-made dress shop, a singer in a café - Coco Chanel did not immediately have her own empire. But now the Chanel house is an example of luxury and elegance with an annual turnover of about 1.089 billion dollars.
Secret of success : little black dress and Chanel No. 5
Business Principles: "Don't marry men with change wallets"
Coco Chanel, 1920
Coco Chanel did not hide the fact that talent is talent, and her men helped her get on her feet. The first, Etienne, a wealthy heir and sportsman, put his apartment at Gabrielle’s disposal, where she opened her first workshop. A real support for her was the young Englishman Arthur Capel - Chanel's greatest love. He saw Coco as a promising entrepreneur and in 1910 helped her purchase premises on Rue Cambon in Paris, where she opened her first store. Very soon she opened a fashion house in the fashionable resort of Biarritz.
“I don’t do fashion. I myself am fashion,” said Coco.
Don't be afraid to start a revolution
Before Chanel, women were buried under kilometers of fabric and lace: tight skirts, huge bustles, trains and giant hats. She offered women unprecedented outfits, partly borrowed from the men's wardrobe, and was able to destroy the stereotype that black is a poor and mournful color. For five years, she produced only black, and things flew off store shelves in an instant. Chanel created fashion without paying attention to traditions, regardless of what was accepted and what was not.
Rise from the ashes if you have to
In the late 30s, with the outbreak of World War II, Coco Chanel was forced to close all her boutiques and moved to Switzerland, because in France they hated her for her affair with a Nazi officer - what a serious blow to her reputation!
It was only in 1953 that Chanel returned to Paris, where she had to rebuild her business. It took three years to return to its former glory, but now Coco began to produce not only women's clothing, but also bags, shoes, and accessories.
Coco Chanel died in 1971, leaving no heirs. In 1965, the son of Chanel's longtime partner Pierre Wertheimer, Jacques, began managing the fashion business. Since 1983, the fashion direction has been led by Karl Lagerfeld, who has “revitalized the brand” and taken it to a new level.
5. Mary Kay Ash: Selling with Love
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of the company named after herself, is considered the most successful female entrepreneur in American history. As of January 2013, Mary Kay has global sales of more than $3 billion, and its products are distributed in 35 countries, where they are distributed by approximately 2.5 million independent consultants.
Secret of success : Mary Kay Ash didn't just start a cosmetics company. She created a new corporate culture, almost a religion, based on motivation, in which each team member has his own role and a magical job title - for example, National Leader. Mary Kay believes she has created a Company “that has a heart.”
Business Principles: "You can do it!"
This is the basis of Mary Kay’s philosophy, because she herself did the almost impossible - she made the whole world believe in the story of Cinderella again. At the age of 17, Mary Kay married, gave birth to three children, and a few years later her husband filed for divorce. For 25 years, Mary Kay worked as a sales agent, but without receiving a promotion (the position was given to a man), she quit at age 45 to write a book about women in business. In the process, Mary Kay realized that her manuscript was like a business plan for the ideal company she would like to work for. Then she decided to create it herself. In 1963, Mary Kay, with the support of her 20-year-old son Roger, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics with a starting capital of $5,000.
American entrepreneur and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mary Kay Ash
“The basis of a leader is not the mind, but the heart. You can love people and not be a leader for them, but you cannot be a leader and not love people.”
These kinds of business principles, invented by Mary Kay Ash, can be listed for a long time, and in the end this entire set resembles the Bible. However, sales figures prove that this industry of beauty and goodness does not work in vain, bringing happiness, if not to consumers, then to employees - for sure. Here is the “success story” of one of the National Leaders of the company, Angelina Antipenko, published on the Mary Kay website: “Looking back at the path I have traveled, I feel a huge positive change in myself and in the world around me. I learned giving and service at the Company. I opened my heart and “let into him all the love, all the beauty, all the energy that Mary Kay put into the Dream Company she created.”
6. Ruth Handler and the Barbie Universe
A simple American woman, Ruth Handler, worked from the age of 10 and knew exactly what she wanted to achieve in the future - go to college and earn money on her own. In 1945, together with her husband Elliot and his friend, she organized a company producing photo frames and toy furniture, which Ruth made from leftover wood, and then Barbie dolls, Ruth’s main invention. Mattel is now an international leader in the toy and family goods market and is one of America's top 100 employers. Barbie dolls account for a third of the corporation's sales.
Secret of success : a plastic blonde doll with curvaceous shapes, which replaced sexless baby dolls and became the favorite toy of girls all over the world from 1959 to the present day.
Business Principles: If you want to produce a product, watch consumers
Ruth Handler, inventor of the Barbie doll, introduces a special 40th anniversary doll. NY.
Ruth came up with the idea for her Barbie while watching her daughter Barbara play with a paper doll. “I believe that such toys do not contribute to the development of self-esteem in girls - she has no breasts at all!” Ruth later said. Barbie could be dressed in luxurious outfits and hairstyles, introduced to Ken and placed in a toy house - the production of millions of accessories, of course, was taken over by Mattel.
Television is the engine of sales
Even before the creation of Barbie, Ruth understood how best to promote the product - the Handlers for the first time advertised their toys on TV between the showing of Disney cartoons, while other manufacturers acted through the retailer. The company spent 500 thousand dollars on advertising, but two years later it earned 14 billion. Therefore, when adults were distrustful of the blonde novelty “with breasts,” Ruth already knew what to do and again turned to massive advertising on television. The first batch of Barbies in the amount of 351 pieces, costing $3 each, sold out instantly. In the first 10 years, Barbie brought $500 million into the pockets of the Handlers. Subsequently, Ruth Handler proved herself as a screenwriter when creating cartoons about her heroine, in particular, “Barbie and the Nutcracker.”
7. Oprah Winfrey: Everyone will talk
Last week, American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey topped Forbes magazine's list of the most powerful celebrities for the fifth time in her career. Oprah's net worth is estimated at $2.7 billion, a record for a woman in show business. She is the first and only black female billionaire in history and owns the Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah Magazine and satellite radio station Oprah Radio.
Secret of success : The Oprah Show, the most popular show on American television, ran for 25 seasons from 1986 to 2011. In the white leather chair opposite the presenter sat the great and famous - US presidents, including Barack Obama, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Whitney Houston, Sarah Palin, but even more - ordinary Americans with their own stories, problems, tragedies and recipes for happiness. Oprah is able to “split” any guest: even cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to doping on her show, although before that he had been silent for many years.
Business Principles: “Know that you are on the path to success if you do work for which you are not paid.”
From the moment Oprah began speaking, she was always on stage - as a child she interviewed crows on the fence, at school she grabbed every opportunity to show her oratory abilities, and participated in all competitions. At one of them - “Miss Fire Prevention” - she was noticed by the host of the WVOL radio station and invited her to read the news on air. This was her first paid job, Oprah combined work with studying at high school and received one hundred dollars a week.
"You only get in life what you dare to ask for. Don't be afraid to raise the bar."
At the age of 17, Oprah Winfrey became the youngest local media reporter and the first black female television reporter in Nashville, and created her best show in 1986.
"The more you give, the more you receive."
Oprah's childhood was not easy - she lived with her grandmother on a farm, in a house without sewerage. At the age of 9, Oprah was raped by her cousin, at the age of 14 she gave birth to a son, who died after birth. It is unknown what would have happened to Oprah if it had not been for a government program that provided access to a prestigious suburban school. When the TV presenter began earning millions, she committed to paying for the education of poor black children. To date, Oprah has spent more than $400 million on charitable educational programs.
8. Indra Nooyi: business in a sari
Once upon a time, Indra Nooyi could not afford a business suit, so she went to interviews in a sari, and today the CEO of PepsiCo is on the tenth line of the list of the most influential women in the world according to Forbes. The company's revenue grew 1.2% this year to $13 billion.
Secret of success : a good education. Indra realized early that learning is light. In college, she studied chemistry, physics and mathematics, then entered the Indian Institute of Management, after which she put her knowledge into practice at a branch of Johnson & Johnson. At the age of 22, she decided, contrary to tradition, to go to the United States and continue her studies at Yale University. “For a young girl from a conservative family, from the Brahmin caste to go abroad alone - it was impossible to imagine!” - she said later.
Business Principles: Work, work and work
PepsiCo President and CEO Indra Nooyi K. holds a bottle of Pepsi during a press conference in New Delhi on December 18, 2006.
The results of Indra's work speak for themselves. By 1994, the management specialist was being torn apart by giants General Electric and Pepsi, and she chose the latter, lured by the freedom she was given in her decisions. Nooyi managed to turn around its main competitor, Coca-Cola, and played a major role in two of Pepsi's most important deals: the purchase of the Tropicana brand and the acquisition of Quaker Oats. Thanks to her, Pepsi expanded its range and began producing snacks. By the way, Nooyi still often comes to work in a sari.
9. JK Rowling: wealth with a wave of a magic wand
Loser British housewife JK Rowling wrote six books, and this was enough to spend the rest of her life in luxury and wealth. Rowling is ranked 78th on Forbes' list of the world's most powerful women, is Britain's richest woman and can afford to build a mini-Hogwarts in her garden.
Secret of success : the story of the young wizard Harry Potter, written in an Edinburgh cafe, which captivated the world.
Business Principles: “I never set myself the goal of getting rich. Many years ago I received a letter from some organization - I think from America - which wanted to declare me entrepreneur of the year. I replied that, unfortunately, I had to refuse this title because "It's unlikely that I'll ever make a lot of money. That was never my plan. I just wrote a book and thought it was a good book. That's all."
Wealth really came suddenly to Rowling, and at first she didn’t really know what to do with it - she simply spent money left and right. But very soon Joan learned to control and increase the flow of income that her magical world brings - the production of films, souvenirs, publishing books, and so on. In 2012, books in the Potter series became available in electronic form on the Pottermore store, from which Rowling herself receives most of the proceeds: she became the first writer who did not cede the rights to electronic sales to publishers. At the same time, Rowling first published a book for adults, “The Casual Vacancy,” which became a bestseller simply because it was written by the author of “Harry Potter.”
10. Elena Baturina: Moscow, the bells are ringing
In 2010, the former first lady of Moscow and the first Russian billionaire, Elena Baturina, was named one of the three richest businesswomen in the world according to Forbes magazine. In a 2012 interview with The Times, she estimated her fortune at $1.1-1.2 billion.
Secret of success : The Inteko company created by Baturina, which began with the production of plastic products - basins and chairs - under her leadership, became one of the most profitable enterprises in Russia. According to experts, Elena Baturina’s Inteko is a whole era in the real estate market, a company that shaped the market and dictated its development in the early 2000s. Baturina’s activities in the Moscow housing market also caused a lot of criticism - the company was accused of receiving lucrative contracts due to the fact that Baturina is the wife of Yuri Luzhkov.
Business Principles: “It’s very good that I’m a woman. A woman will always find something to do.”
Elena Baturina began building her career even before meeting Yuri Luzhkov. After graduating from the evening department of the Ordzhonikidze Moscow Institute of Management, she got a job as a design technician at the Frezer plant, where her parents worked. Then Elena moved to the Moscow Institute of Economic Problems of Integrated Development of the National Economy, and worked on cooperation in the executive committee, where Yuri Luzhkov was the chairman of the commission. It was there that they met.
“She gave bribes, did not pay kickbacks”
In one of her interviews with the REN TV channel, Baturina admitted that her status as the wife of the mayor of Moscow did not help her get by without bribing officials. “The principle is very simple: you never know that she is the mayor’s wife, what should I lose on this?” said the former owner of Inteko.
“Business is international. You see, this is a purely Russian concept that Russian money should work only for Russia. No, business should work where it is convenient for it. Because when a person realizes himself in business, he realizes his ideas in business. In general, it doesn’t matter where they will be implemented.”
Several years ago, after her husband was fired from the post of mayor of the capital, Baturina sold the company and went to London, where both daughters of the couple study. She continues to grow her business internationally. Its main focus is investments in real estate and the hotel business.
Prepared by Elena Kostomarova
For a long time, Forbes magazine could not choose a cover heroine for an issue dedicated to the richest women who achieved success in business on their own. That's why the editors invited 9 heroines for the shoot, because each of them deserves to be known by sight!
These women, ages 32 to 69, range from MBAs to college dropouts, Silicon Valley CEOs and models-turned-tycoons. In total, they own $9.7 billion. So, meet all nine.
Sarah Blakely
Net worth: $1 billion
Sarah Blakely runs Spanx. Previously, she was among the top managers of Nike and it is her merit that the brand has expanded and now includes not only sportswear, but also clothing for active rest, despite the fact that Blakely stayed in this position for only two years. However, having started out as a sales agent, Sarah decided to create her own shapewear company and, at age 29, she invested $5,000 in underwear that allows everyone to wear anything, including white slacks. She is the sole owner of the company, and since 2015, Blakely has become a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks basketball club.
Sofia Amoruso
Net worth: $280 million
The only millennial billionaire who didn't make it in the entertainment industry, Sophia Amoruso made her fortune in online trading. Her fashion company is called Nasty Gal, and Amoruso founded it when she was 22 years old. Back then she sold mostly vintage items to young fashionistas. Ten years later, Nasty Gal now competes with H&M and ASOS, with revenues of $300 million this year, up from barely $100 million in 2012. Amoruso has published an autobiographical book, #Girlboss, and is preparing to release an autobiographical comedy series on Netflix.
Diana Hendricks
Net worth: $4.9 billion
“We became the largest distributor in the country and delivered roofing materials large and small roofers,” Diana Hendricks said in an interview about the company she founded in 1982 with her husband Ken. When Ken died in 2007, Diana refused to sell the company. It dealt with the 2008 recession and even bought competitor Bradco Supply in 2010. The company's sales have more than doubled over the past 10 years.
Kathy Ireland
Net worth: $360 million
Supermodel Kathy Ireland has built a licensing empire, lending her name, taste and marketing skills to more than 17,000 products. And all this is sold so successfully that it gives the trading network a profit of $2.6 billion. Katie herself was opened by the Elite modeling agency when she was 16 years old. While working as a model, Katie continued to come up with side business projects. One of them fired - furniture. When entering the furniture market, Ireland decided that her brand needed to have some substance: The approach “Solutions for families, especially busy mothers” was now the company's motto. For example, carpets were treated with a special product to protect against spills, which preserves colors and prolongs the life of carpets, and tables were designed with rounded corners so that running children would not get injured from sharp corners.
Meg Whitman
Net worth: $2.1 billion
Meg Whitman was well known as a successful CEO at Hewlett Packard, and since the company's split in 2015, she heads Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which sells servers and software. She has also held senior positions at Hasbro and Walt Disney, and is known as the head of eBay, raising its revenue from $5 million in 1998 to $8 billion in 2008, when she left that post.
Tony Ko
Net worth: $260 million
Toni Ko moved to the United States from Korea when she was 13 years old. After school, she helped her parents, who had a warehouse. In 1999, when she was 25, she noticed how large the price gap was between supermarket cosmetics and drugstore products. Thanks to her involvement in the family business, she had connections in the world of wholesale trade and start-up capital, so she took a risk and launched NYX Cosmetics, a luxury cosmetics brand favorable price. In its first year, Ko generated $4 million in retail sales. In 2014, she sold this brand to L’Oréal, the company’s value then reached $500 million. And in the spring of 2016, Ko launched Perverse Sunglasses, a brand of stylish and flirty sunglasses for $40-$60 a pair.
Katrina Lake
Net worth: $120 million
Katrina Lake is the creator of Stitch Fix, an online retailer that selects clothes for customers based on statistics and advice from stylists. Sales reached $250 million last year, showing that the San Francisco startup has become a convenient shopping tool for busy women. Although Lake has not earned the $250 million threshold for the list of the richest, she is on the list of promising entrepreneurs and, in the near future, will soon enter the top 60 richest businesswomen in the world.
Dorothy Herman
Net worth: $270 million
The richest self-made woman in the world of American real estate, Dorothy Herman, is a co-owner of a reputable New York firm, Douglas Elliman, which sells houses totaling $22 billion a year, and its income is $600 million. The company employs more than 6 thousand agents in 85 offices. When Dorothy was 10 years old, she and her parents were in a car accident in which her mother died and her father was seriously injured. The baby herself was thrown out of the car. Dorothy became a mother at age 19 and began working as a real estate broker for Merrill Lynch on Long Island in the 1980s. Soon the company was bought by Prudential Long Island, and already in the 90s Dorothy herself acquired most of this company.
Liz Elting
Net worth: $390 million
Liz Elting is one of the CEOs of TransPerfect, one of the largest translation firms in the world. different languages, which has annual revenues of $505 million. The offices of this company are located in 90 cities around the world. Liz Elting founded the company in 1992 with her classmate Phil Shaw, who was once her boyfriend. Today, their company is based in New York, employing 4,000 people and serving 11,000 clients, including AT&T, Google and Wal-Mart.