“Be prepared, in some situations, to be treated differently because you’re a girl.”
Lisa Pineiro
Founder and CEO
Glotrition
Lisa is a master of beauty, brand, and business. This mother of four has revolutionized beauty regimens with an inside-out approach that has retailers knocking at her door.
Whenever starting a business it’s important to know the ropes. You’re going to be wearing a lot of hats.
Lisa Pineiro essentially grew up on live television. She was barely 20 years old when she took her first on-air news job (Everyone looks good on TV at 20!) For the next 27 years, she honed her craft-anchoring, reporting, hosting, you name it. She covered breaking news, interviewed celebrities and Presidential candidates. She also fell in love with science and medical reporting. So, when she started to notice the signs of aging that were becoming impossible to hide from a high-definition camera lens, she turned to science for answers, and the regimen that would later become Glotrition was born.
What tips do you have for other women who would like to start their own businesses?
LP: Starting your own business can be a rollercoaster ride, often with intense learning curves. It’s exciting and sometimes completely scary! Here are my 6 best pieces of advice:
1. Be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked and put in more hours for zero pay. Seriously. Zero. Pay.
2. Learn and understand every aspect of your business. I think it’s important to wear all the hats when you first start out. On any given day, I could make tweaks to my website, manage my supply chain, source materials, study product chemistry, build a marketing campaign, take a buyer meeting, and end the day on-air at QVC! This sort of hands-on approach means that I know my business model and the intricacies of my unique brand better than anyone else. If you’re not learning something new every day, you’re not doing all you could be doing for your business.
3. That said, growing a business alone isn’t sustainable. Set revenue goals that allow you to hire help when the time is right. Until then, find a mentor who is willing to walk you through things for a free cup of coffee! You’d be surprised at how many successful business owners are willing to help someone just starting out.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want! Ask for better pricing. Ask for better terms. Ask an influencer to talk about your brand for free product. Just ask. Remember, getting a “no” is better than “maybe”. “No” saves you a lot of time.
5. So, I hate this tip, but it’s important. Be prepared, in some situations, to be treated differently because you’re a girl. This sucks, but it’s true. Know this going in and don’t take it personally. I work in the beauty industry which is very female-friendly, but the manufacturing and logistics side of my business is not. Smile, say thank you and take your business someplace else. You’re building a business and growing an asset…you have zero time to waste on difficult people.
6. Take the time to celebrate your wins! Success in business often comes with a whole new list of challenges. For me, a large order means instant stress over inventory and regulatory obstacles. I have our first check from QVC framed on my desk to help remind me to feel proud of myself and grateful for the personal growth that comes with the challenges. After all, if it were easy, everyone would do it!
Tell us about your first entrepreneurial venture: How did you come up with the idea, and how did you start your business?
LP: The idea for Glotrition came from my personal “Inside/Out” skincare regimen that included ingestible supplements and specific topical ingredients. I was working as a TV news anchor and medical correspondent and started to experience some age-related skin issues.
I went directly to some of the scientists and researchers who were studying the connection between skincare and nutrition and had them curate an ingestible supplement regimen for me, along with recommendations on which topical ingredients to look for in my serums and creams. Within just a few weeks my skin did a total 180. The regimen was so effective, but I was taking 13 huge pills every day and spending a fortune on topical products!
It became my mission to develop my program into a much easier regimen. In 2015, Glotrition was born. I was still working in television at the time, so I spent my free time working with a nutritional chemist and skincare chemist developing our products. After work, I would drive around to spas, selling as much product as I could out of the trunk of my car!
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