Janet Gurwitch's guest appearances

Janet Gurwitch

Beauty Is Your Business - beautytech and beauty innovation

Reinvent Yourself

Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

Sallie Krawcheck

Ruth Soukup

Margaret Roach

Gretchen Rubin

Chip Conley

Gretchen Carlson

Tonya Dalton

Susan Hyatt

Sarah Lee

Patrick Hanlon

Divya Gugnani

Claire Cook

Karen Cahn

Carol Fishman Cohen

Jennefer Witter

OwlTail

Mississippi native Janet Gurwitch was destined to join the fashion industry. Her father owned a chain of shoe stores and she herself graduated college with a degree in retail. After spending 14 years with Houston department store Foley’s, Gurwitch went on to become the Executive Vice President for Neiman Marcus. While there, she met make-up artist Bobbi Brown, then just beginning to launch her make-up line. Although she never intended to become an entrepreneur, Gurwitch was inspired by Brown to start her own business. At the age of 42, Gurwitch left Neiman Marcus and sought a makeup artist with whom she could build a beauty brand. After networking with beauty editors at Vogue and other magazines, she made her choice, invested her life’s savings, and created Laura Mercier. But after 13 years, when Nemain Marcus was sold to a private equity company, their 51% investment in Laura Mercier went with it. Gurwitch was forced to sell and she once again faced a career reinvention. Listen in to her conversation with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, to learn how Gurwitch joined the private sector and bought five beauty brands in the course of ten years.    FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”    Bio: Janet Gurwitch is an operating partner with Advent International, where she serves on the board of Olaplex, Inc. Gurwitch is the founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics &amp; Skincare, a global brand of high-end niche cosmetics.  Prior to founding Laura Mercier, Janet Gurwitch was the Executive Vice President of Neiman Marcus, where she developed strategy and managed 80% of Neiman Marcus’ $2 billion sales volume across 35 doors.    Key Links:   Social media: Instagram LinkedIn    Join CoveyClub: If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe for more inspiring conversations.    Time Stamps 4:40 – Growing up in Mississippi and fashion 5:38 – What being an entrepreneur means and makeup brands 7:33 – Giving up everything to start a business  14:16 – The secret to a good elevator pitch 19:00 – The importance of headhunters in private equity  23:13 – Knowing the industry vs educational background  29:50 – How you can work past doubt 30:53 – How to use networking to your advantage   Social &amp; Website CoveyClub website Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn

Mississippi native Janet Gurwitch was destined to join the fashion industry. Her father owned a chain of shoe stores and she herself graduated college with a degree in retail. After spending 14 years with Houston department store Foley’s, Gurwitch went on to become the Executive Vice President for Neiman Marcus. While there, she met make-up artist Bobbi Brown, then just beginning to launch her make-up line. Although she never intended to become an entrepreneur, Gurwitch was inspired by Brown to start her own business. At the age of 42, Gurwitch left Neiman Marcus and sought a makeup artist with whom she could build a beauty brand. After networking with beauty editors at Vogue and other magazines, she made her choice, invested her life’s savings, and created Laura Mercier. But after 13 years, when Nemain Marcus was sold to a private equity company, their 51% investment in Laura Mercier went with it. Gurwitch was forced to sell and she once again faced a career reinvention. Listen in to her conversation with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, to learn how Gurwitch joined the private sector and bought five beauty brands in the course of ten years. FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “<a href="https://www.coveyclub.com/31-badass-tips-for-launching-your-reinvention-without-fear/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”</a> Bio: Janet Gurwitch is an operating partner with Advent International, where she serves on the board of Olaplex, Inc. Gurwitch is the founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics &amp; Skincare, a global brand of high-end niche cosmetics.  Prior to founding Laura Mercier, Janet Gurwitch was the Executive Vice President of Neiman Marcus, where she developed strategy and managed 80% of Neiman Marcus’ $2 billion sales volume across 35 doors.    Key Links: Social media: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/janet_gurwitch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-gurwitch-67b30611" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> <a href="https://www.coveyclub.com/join-coveyclub-life-long-learners-grow-connect-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Join CoveyClub:</a> If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe for more inspiring conversations.  Time Stamps 4:40 – Growing up in Mississippi and fashion 5:38 – What being an entrepreneur means and makeup brands 7:33 – Giving up everything to start a business  14:16 – The secret to a good elevator pitch 19:00 – The importance of headhunters in private equity  23:13 – Knowing the industry vs educational background  29:50 – How you can work past doubt 30:53 – How to use networking to your advantage Social &amp; Website <a href="https://www.coveyclub.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CoveyClub website</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecoveyclub/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/thecoveyclub" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/coveyclub/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyjaneseymour/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

#163: Investing Your Life’s Savings in Your Career Reinvention (Janet Gurwitch)

Laura Mercier

In Episode 43 of Earned, Conor sits down with industry legend Janet Gurwitch—founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics, and operating partner at Advent International. Additionally, Janet has invested in many popular brands, and currently serves on the board of directors for Olaplex, Drybar, and the Houston Astros. We start the episode by discussing Advent’s acquisition of Laura Mercier (along with BareMinerals and Buxom), as Janet shares the unique experience of reacquiring her own brand. We then take a step back to explore Janet’s extensive career in retail, learning how she worked her way up to Executive Vice President of Neiman Marcus, as well as how the then-unprecedented success of indie beauty brand Bobbi Brown inspired her to create Laura Mercier Cosmetics. Next, Janet reveals the qualities she looks for when investing in a brand, and the approach she takes when serving on a brand’s board of directors. We then unpack the factors that contributed to Olaplex’s success, and learn how Janet got involved with the Houston Astros. To close the show, Janet gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

In Episode 43 of Earned, Conor sits down with industry legend Janet Gurwitch—founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics, and operating partner at Advent International. Additionally, Janet has invested in many popular brands, and currently serves on the board of directors for Olaplex, Drybar, and the Houston Astros. We start the episode by discussing Advent’s acquisition of Laura Mercier (along with BareMinerals and Buxom), as Janet shares the unique experience of reacquiring her own brand. We then take a step back to explore Janet’s extensive career in retail, learning how she worked her way up to Executive Vice President of Neiman Marcus, as well as how the then-unprecedented success of indie beauty brand Bobbi Brown inspired her to create Laura Mercier Cosmetics. Next, Janet reveals the qualities she looks for when investing in a brand, and the approach she takes when serving on a brand’s board of directors. We then unpack the factors that contributed to Olaplex’s success, and learn how Janet got involved with the Houston Astros. To close the show, Janet gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

43 - Janet Gurwitch, Laura Mercier, Advent International