Meet the most inspirational, entrepreneurial women across the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industries.
“When I think of ladyboss, I think of someone who is sharp in business, has good intuition on what might work and most importantly has the dedication to own and execute their ideas.”
As the owner of Taylor Made Studio and Cosmetics, Vanessa is an innovator in the beauty world.
Taylor Made came to life when she was looking for more organic products several years ago before she had her last son. She was truly worried about the products she was using and resorted to whipping things up in her kitchen – things like getting grapeseed oil from a local winery and using it on her face.
Vanessa has a diverse skill set that helped make Taylor Made successful. Here’s what she attributes to her successes…
“Attention to detail – I learned in the military – being regimented, careful and thorough are critical when you’re formulating, labeling and packaging products.
Creativity – While I think a portion of this comes naturally, being able to hone in on and execute your ideas is critical to bringing an idea to market. I love to cook, sew and create things, having completed hundreds of personal projects over the last three decades has certainly sharpened my skillset in this area.
Business acumen – Comes from decades of work experience. I’ve been creating the solutions to problems and implementing better ways of working across functions and industries since 1992.”
The work life balance hasn’t been easy, but in general, she carries an optimistic “I can do it” attitude and knows everything will work out. She thinks the key thing is being honest with yourself about where that line falls, it may not be 50/50, but if you stick true to yourself and know your boundaries, it will be okay.
She loves the creative aspect of the brand, especially when she is able to work with other companies to make branded beauty products and polishes for brands and events. Vanessa loves the cuticle oil and polish, but her current favorite are the body and facial oils, which she uses several times a day.
One of the great things about Taylor Made is the focus on natural beauty.
“I’m focused on the natural beauty that comes from within and what makes someone feel good about themselves. It’s different for everyone, but I want to create products for myself and for others where there is no compromise on safety and makes them feel and look their best. To me, it’s showcasing health…having features like glowing skin and strong nails are beautiful and are never going to happen or last with chemically laden products”
Her final advice for those that want to pursue their own business?
“Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Owning your own business is one of the hardest jobs. A lot of people want to own their own business because it “sounds” fun or they thing it might better than what they’re doing, however the hours are endless until you’re established and that often takes a lot longer than you think. Once you do know and are fully committed to starting your own business – my best advice is don’t wait – you’ll always find a reason why you shouldn’t and you’ll never be as “hungry” as you are in the beginning – use that hunger to fuel the long hours with as much momentum as possible!”
All thoughts and opinions are my own. Vanessa is a friend of mine.