Editorial

Who Wants To Be An Entrepreneur?

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By: TOM BRANNA

Editor

Every October, we publish our contract manufacturing/private label directory. Would-be Mary Kay Ashes or Charles Revsons (and for those who are much younger than I am, would-be Jamie Kern Limas) rely on it to find a partner to help manufacture their products and make their dreams come true. Sure, there are heartaches and headaches along the way, but with independent brands grabbing market share from multinationals, it’s clear that gains are worth all the pains. In fact, according to a study by NPD, prestige skin care sales in the second quarter were driven by indie brands.


Multibillionaire John Paul DeJoria may no longer be struggling, but he certainly knows all about the struggle. In 1980 he was living in a car, but with just $700, he co-founded John Paul Mitchell Systems. Today, JPMS is one of the biggest names in the professional hair care business. Nine years later, he created Patrón Spirits. You’d think that today, at 73, he’d grown weary of the startup game. You’d be wrong. DeJoria is as driven as ever. Visit Happi.com to hear his interview with Christine Esposito. DeJoria is excited to talk about Aubio Life Sciences, his new company that makes a novel cold sore treatment. The plant-based formula is said to work wonders.


Listen to the interview; the real wonder is DeJoria’s enthusiasm! He waxes poetic about Aubio’s formula and gives a lot of advice to would-be entrepreneurs. The man is in his 70s and he’s got more enthusiasm than ever! Hell, I wish I had DeJoria’s energy when I was 23!


If you’re just starting out or just thinking about starting out, listen to him. I won’t spoil it, but he gives great advice for beginners. If you have half his enthusiasm you might just find a niche of your own in today’s competitive marketplace.


Once you find that niche, make sure that you make more than me-too products in an already-crowded FMCG industry. Starting here, Melissa Meisel interviews several of the leading testing companies to learn more about the issues that are driving the industry these days.


We hope you enjoy our coverage. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me using the contact info below.



Tom Branna
Editorial Director
201.880.2223
[email protected]

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