Oftentimes those who boast the longest resumes and who were trained in large corporations are only half as brilliant, innovative and gutsy as those with raw talent who’ve worked in smaller organizations. This statement made complete sense when our team heard it in a course we started on Skillshare entitled, “Art of Growth: Sustainably Scale Your Business with Guy Kawasaki”. The insight shared via this short video class is truly a gem for entrepreneurs. The first lesson provides great insight on how to hire the best people for your organization. In short, they should be risk-taking leaders – evangelists for your brand with good character and the ability to follow-through. Read the top 10 steps for hiring right below.
1.“Great talent is cheap.” Focus on hiring great talent because they’ll be more productive and stick with your team longer.
2. “Everyone on the team should be involved in the recruiting process.”
3. “Create evangelists. Infect people with excitement about your company.” When you meet people, be excited to talk about your company because people will feed off of your energy and naturally want to be involved.
4. “Raw talent beats resume.” Ignore the irrelevant. Focus on whether they can do the job. The instructors aren’t saying ignore the resume all together, but do ask questions to learn if your potential new employee can do the job, don’t necessarily focus on the past job titles.
5. “Size matters. Big companies tend to breed small thinkers.” Corporate culture breeds the inability to take risks. People who have been inside of a corporation learn to never make mistakes. Find people who are comfortable making mistakes.
6. “Use your network.” Chances are, someone you already know will lead you to someone you need.
7. “Trust your intuition, but check references.”
8. “Hire leaders, not followers.” Don’t think that you need a bunch of worker bees or people who can just get the job done. For startups it’s important that everyone has the ability to think outside of the box. Hire people who are leaders in their own particular domains.
9. “Be flexible on skills but inflexible on character.” The resume may not be important, but the character with be critical. You can only access character by getting to know someone outside of the artificial interview atmosphere.
10. “You have to learn how to fire.” If someone isn’t working out, first consider putting them in different position, and make the change early. But if that doesn’t work out, the unfortunate must occur.
In March a black-owned female CEO Melodie Ray Davis-Bundrage won the prestigous Terry College of Business University of Georgia’s Next Top Entrepreneur competition, which included investment capital to launch her new business, Luv Mineral Cosmetics, nationwide. Luv’s impeccable and unique business model caught the attention of investors. Why? Because this was one of the first direct sales companies targeting women of color with safe and healthy, yes all natural, cosmetics. Since then, salon owners, makeup artists, boutiques, naturalistas and everyday women have fallen in “LUV,” not only for its makeup, but because this startup brand is offering many women and small businesses a way to achieve financial freedom through two of the most lucrative industries in the world, health and beauty. Learn what makes Luv different and how they are helping women everywhere BUILD up.
#TheBuildUp: Describe what makes Luv Mineral Cosmetics different than other brands like Mac, Mary Kay, Avon, Fashion Fair, Nars, etc.?
Bundrage: Luv is based on the brand concept of being an all inclusive Stylish, Safe and Sustainable brand. We take the business model of brands such as Mary Kay and Avon, improve it by adding innovative and modern twists to direct selling, couple it with providing stylish colors that the artistry lines are known for, and finish off the products by formulating those colors with ingredients that are safer to use on the skin.
#TheBuildUP: What are the benefits of mineral makeup and what makes it different than regular (synthetic) makeup?
Bundrage: Ingredients are what makes Luv different from synthetic makeup and also differentiates it from most mainstream mineral makeup as well. Talc, bismuth oxycholoride, parabens, mineral oil and petroleum are not used to make Luv products. We specifically formulate with limits on white colored base powders to match women of color without the ashy look. The benefits are numerous and long-term in overall health and wellness as synthetic, carcinogenic and chemical ingredients found in make-up have been linked by the experts to many diseases, skin irritations and health risks. Short-term benefits include light weight look and feel, buildable coverage, it won’t clog pores, not water soluable, lasting wear without running off the face, and natural SPF.
#TheBuildUP: Luv spreads healthy and safe cosmetics to women. In today’s world, many women who love makeup are more concerned about fashion and style than the ingredients inside of their products. Why are ingredients just as important as beauty and what ingredients should women stay away from when it comes to their cosmetics?
Bundrage: I would encourage women to become educated and informed consumers and to research ingredients, because research shows that 70% of what is applied on the body and face is absorbed. Why not be fashionable and healthy? I think that it is sad that beauty and wellness are presented to be mutually exclusive. I think that specific ingredients to stay away from will be an individual choice based on individual skin issues, concerns and family health history but all ingredients can be easily researched online through proper channels such as the EWG and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
#TheBuildUP: In addition to offering safe cosmetics to women of color, Luv also calls itself a financially sustainable brand, as you offer women, salons and boutiques business opportunities. Describe this “sustainable” structure.
Bundrage: Our sustainable structure is built on direct selling where beauty advisors sell directly to a customer or end user. We sell a high demand product that is consumed, and it naturally drives repeat purchases. Within our structure, beauty advisors can also sell at events, to salons and beauty schools and corporate clients in addition to home parties and team building. If a beauty advisor takes advantage of being apart of the billion dollar make-up industry, she can build a sustainable independent business.
Luv’s Pink Plum
Super CocoaFire
#TheBuildUP: Who should consider becoming a Luv Beauty Advisor and what are the financial benefits?
Bundrage: Anyone who is driven, self motivated and focused on client care that is willing to learn proper business management skills should consider becoming a Luv Beauty Advisor. Love for eco-beauty and fashion are a plus, make-up artistry skills are a plus, but not required, sales skills are also a plus but are transferable from other industries. Financial benefits include building a lucrative income from multiple selling and business building channels. The more you put into your Luv business the more you will earn.
#TheBuildUP: OK let’s switch things up a bit. You have aligned Luv’s brand with a spokesmodel who is an up and coming singer, (our client) Reesa Renee. What made you select Reesa, who is an independent artist as the company’s spokesmodel?
Bundrage: Reesa Renee is committed to health and wellness, has a personal style all her own, is a self motivated business woman and looks great in Luv makeup!
#TheBuildUP: What should people look out for from the Luv brand?
Bundrage: We are going to be a brand that gives educated, sophisticated, modern, stylish, healthy women of color a voice and product image in the beauty industry in a way that they personally and their local communities benefit from every product sold.
Luv Mineral Cosmetics is hosting a Luv Natural Beauty Tour with Spokesmodel Reesa Renee and other brands. They also kicked off the Ditch it 4 Luv Campaign, which encourages women to ‘ditch’ synthetic beauty products for Luv, with significant discounts on this all-natural makeup. To host an event or become a beauty advisor, email info@luvmineralcosmetics.com.
Think Brown INK 