Denise Rabor has been making a living from her
passion for makeup and beauty as an international make-up artist for over 15
years. In her latest entrepreneurial
venture, Businesswoman Denise, who has worked with major
publications such as Harper’s
Bazaar, Vogue, ELLE & Vanity Fair, is set to shine a spotlight on
inclusivity in the beauty industry with Wow Beauty. She is also the Founder Leadership3Sixty, a leadership empowerment platform which celebrates diversity in the corporate sector. Read her inspirational interview below and find out how you can have LIMITLESS POTENTIAL.
Please tell us what
is a typical business day for you?
To be honest, there is no typical
business day for me, simply because I'm involved in more than one business, so
I approach each day according to priorities. Like many people I can sometimes
feel as though there are not enough hours in a day to get things done,
especially when there are meetings to participate in, events to attend and of
course the unexpected things that suddenly occur which can completely throw a planned schedule out of the window! One thing is for sure is that my days are always varied and never boring!
What made you start
the business and how did you get started?
Having been in
business all my life I couldn't help myself, I'm always looking for a new
business opportunity. I am very fortunate that I'm able to create businesses
out of things that I love. My love affair with the world of fashion and beauty
began as a child, growing up in New York and has never left me. I was always a
magazine junkie and still have a collection of US & UK Vogues amongst
others going back to the 80’s.
While I was involved
in running the family business I managed to have a successful parallel career
as an international makeup artist; Wow beauty came about because although I
always knew that I'd do something more in the beauty industry, I just wasn't sure
what. Once I realised that I wanted to share my experience and expertise I took
my time to get myself together in terms of collating my thoughts and ideas for
the formulation of the website and launched wow beauty in May 2015. Wow beauty
is a website devoted to inclusive beauty and wellbeing, encouraging women of
all ages and ethnicities to be empowered by owning their unique beauty. There
is beauty in diversity.
What would you say
has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?
In business I set clear outcomes which have so far
exceeded my expectations. So doing this whilst being actively involved in my
other businesses has shown me that I'm a resourceful and capable woman. I have
two web based businesses that have diversity and inclusion at their core whilst
being focused on female empowerment in different ways. I find them both
satisfying because they allow me to express female empowerment on the inside and outside.
So,
I have to say that my greatest accomplishment is that I own my story and that
alone has been a journey. The second
accomplishment is that I still love everything that I do and that is a
blessing.
What
has been your biggest challenge in business so far?
I have never defined myself by my
gender or my ethnicity, simply because my parents brought me up to to be
myself, to put my best self forward and to ‘just do it’. Don't get me wrong
there are always challenges but my attitude is to push past them.
As women
there are challenges and barriers that we face in business on a daily basis, we
need only look at the dire statistics for women in leadership roles, in tech or
on boards; compounded by the challenge is of managing the doubting inner voice
that sometimes appears, trying to sabotage our progress; as a woman of colour
these challenges are even greater, but I am inspired more every day by the
sheer power of women finding their voices and uniting those voices in pushing
past the barriers, moving forward and refusing to be cowed. My mother is a
successful female founder, my sister and I are female founders …..as Melinda
Gates said “A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman.
But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.”
What
are your future plans for the business?
Wow
beauty is my newest venture and it’s
going well. A lot of work has been done in the industry and I’m picking up the
mantel and running with it. I’m known for my belief in pure limitless
potential! For me there are no limits, and that gives me a buzz….I guess I got
that from my parents and my New York upbringing.
I have a
big vision for Wow beauty …I want to build on the way that women view beauty–
firstly that they start to #own their beauty and that they see the connection
that exists between beauty, wellbeing and the self awareness that is required
for career growth. Secondly, I want to really make a stand for inclusive
beauty. It's a big vision, it’s a shared vision and it's time.
Personally
I am a work in progress so in 5 years I will be learning and growing, and excited
about the future, pushing the boundaries of my potential and working to make a difference in the lives of other women.
If you
had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
There’s
nothing that I would change personally. Of course it feels different when
you're in the thick of your journey, but when I look back I can see the threads of cohesion and flow
which makes it all make sense and ultimately feel timely. I'm a big believer in
my two favourite words of serendipity and synchronicity! Ultimately in the words
of the famous song ‘I did it my way’.
Why
is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams?
Because they need to
understand that dreams and a vision are vital to a life of purpose.
It's essential for them to link dreams with goals
and a clear timeline to achieve those dreams. That's the secret they need to
know because dreams don't work unless you do! Women have over the years often
struggled to find our voice in the world, whether educationally, at work or in
business; fortunately over the last few years there has been a huge uplifting
surge of woman power globally, and it's this that I hope is motivating and inspiring.
I'm certainly motivated and
inspired by it daily. There's a quote by Maya Angelou that I love love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by
the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass." .
What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?
It's a long list but it's worth remembering:
- Do
your research
- have a clear vision
- speak to and keep company with positive, growth
orientated people
- do some sort of business plan to guide you
- plan, plan and
plan again
- enjoy the journey
- trust your intuition
- have your cheerleaders
nearby
- learn new skills
- set sustainable targets
- control your budget
- look
after yourself.
What
or who inspires you in business and why?
I
have always been inspired by my mother, and my late father. My parents are phenomenal
groundbreakers who in the 70’s took a chance, moved to NYC and started businesses.
Today my mother continues to learn new skills and seek new business
opportunities. I am inspired.
What is
your favourite inspirational quote?
That's a tricky
question because I have so many, a couple of which I’ve already mentioned so
here's a few more…I love a great quote!
"Success is liking yourself,
liking what you do, and liking how you do it." Maya Angelou
"Don't tell us the sky is the
limit when there are footsteps on the moon.” Unknown
“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy
can totally transform one million realities.” Maya Angelou
twitter: @WOWbeaute
email: denise@leadership3sixty.com
twitter:
@leadership3sixt
