And it was the most efficient, productive, exhilarating, exciting, fun day I’ve ever had in my life.
After a few hours, we decided to leave because Ido had made a promise to his family that he’d be home by 5 pm every day that he’s in town. Before we left, Ido asked me, “So, are you excited? What are you thinking about all this?”
I replied, “I’m excited, yes. If I seem like I’m not that excited, one thing you need to know about me is that I’m big on planning, and I’m big on details. I’m super excited, but my mind is racing.”
Ido asked, “So where is your mind racing to?”
I said, “My mind is going exactly here: company name, trademark, operations, legal stuff, incorporation, up and running, picking a PR firm, branding around the name, branding everything else—from logo to website to the look—and making sure we can get the URL. I’m thinking about hiring the first two or three core people, along with the right interns if need be. Yes, I’m super excited but my head is in all these places.” He looked at me, put his right hand up. I put my right hand up and we gave each other a high five.
Ido and his wife, Ronit, invited me to dinner that evening and I was able to meet his children, who are within six months and a year, respectively, of my own. It was a great opportunity to get to know the man I was going into business with on an entirely different level.
Later that evening there was a charity event for an organization called the Mama Hope Foundation, founded by our mutual friend, Nyla Rodgers, who we knew through Summit Series, a highly private invitation-only group of leaders that meet at an annual conference and work to inspire and connect entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, and nonprofit leaders. Ido planned to attend, so I went with him. We ran into a bunch of people at the event that we both knew; it was a confirmation that this new business was a good move for us and that we were going in the right direction. As we got out of the car, I said to Ido, “Look, we’re probably going to run into a lot of people we know—what do you want to say when someone asks us what we’re up to? Should we tell them we’re working on a ‘stealth start-up,’ like everyone else in San Francisco?” But Ido had a different idea. He said, “Let’s call it our ‘top-secret project,’ and let everybody know that we’re going into business together.”
So that’s what we did, and everyone was buzzing—wondering what we were up to. “Oh my God, Lauren Maillian Bias and Ido Leffler doing something together? So what is it?” “Is it organic?” “Is it natural?” “Is it clothing? It must be fashion—or beauty.”
Of course, Ido and I were smirking, “We can’t tell you; it’s top secret!” But it was an absolute confirmation that this was going to be an amazing opportunity, a great partnership, and that this awesome future lay ahead of us.
For me, this was a major claim-it-and-shine moment (see Chapter 8 for more on the concept of “claim it and shine”). Together, Ido and I had sketched out the beginnings of an ambitious brand that had game-changing potential for the beauty industry while making a meaningful impact by giving back. We’re in a socially conscious society today, where people want to know that they’re doing good—even with the products and purchases that they make. It’s the new way of making philanthropy accessible. We ultimately said, “Let’s focus on getting the company right and let’s come up with one nonprofit that is most deserving and really fits our mission best and who we believe in and have a connection with.”
As you consider the people in your network, make no small plans. When you think big, you honestly never know where your connections will lead you. Be prepared for and open to anything. Be a powerful venture magnet, attracting amazing opportunities into your life and business.
FOR REFLECTION
You don’t have to be big to think and believe big. Start getting comfortable with the latter.
Want more for yourself (theoretically) than anyone else ever could.
In order to grow, you have to be in permanent beta, always.
Work hard to become an expert in everything you don’t, but need to, know.
Your network of support should be so diverse and meaningful that exploring your next opportunity should only be one degree of separation away.
CHAPTER 4
Take Control of Your Own Voice
(Own Your Destiny)
FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, I have been practicing a very important skill: taking control of my own voice. It’s far too easy to lose your voice when you’re living in the shadow of someone else or the name of your behemoth Fortune 500 company. And it’s even more frustrating when your hard-earned recognition and accomplishments are lost in the shadow of your business partner or colleague. No one knows what you’ve accomplished if you don’t own it in some way. Don’t shy away from taking credit when credit is due. Own your contributions, own your voice, and own your success.
I’ve worked really hard on owning my voice and it’s so important for you—man or woman, young or old, accomplished or not—to do, too. We were put on this earth to own our voice, to own how people perceive us, and to own the track records that we develop for ourselves, no matter how many stops and starts there may be along the way. And while even today I take on more than I should at times, I never say “yes” to anything that I don’t have a genuine interest in, or a project that I won’t be able to be “all in.”
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